Vintage bandsaw

[alex8_en]

Good evening everyone, I got offered to buy one of these beauties,
I would love to own it but my concern would be amount of work needed to put it back in its former glory. Does any know what make is it and where could I get more information about it

Thanks for your time

 

[worn thumbs]

Looks like a wonderful machine-anything that old with a cast iron frame is fundamentally good.You need to check whether the motor is three phase and you may find it prudent to increase the guarding.The machine only needs true wheels and sound bearings-the rest can be fixed.Details like blade guides and thrust bearings can be adapted te table appears to need a good cleaning but in the greater scheme of things its not much.

 

[heimlaga]

That looks like the starting point for a good professional grade bandsaw. I recently rebuilt an even onder 24 inch bandsaw to modern as new standards for professional use.

I rekon that a new bandsaw of roughly similar size and quality would cost you some 4000-4500 euros (sorry I am on the European mainland and don't have the exchange rate for Irish pounds at hand).

Now let'd do two calculations. One if you are a small scale professional and another if you are a hobbyist:

-Small scale professional:
*A good guess is that your saw will cost around 1000-1500 euros in cash to bring up to modern industrial standards with the switch box with integrated electronic brake being by far the most expensive individual part.
*A good guess is that you will spend 100-150 hours on it in the process. Work you do for yourself on surplus time during slack periods should only be counted with it's after-tax value. Your effective loss of earning in hand. That is around 8 euros an hour in Finland which would make 1200 euros for 150 hours.
*Total cost of the saw would be purchase prize plus let's say 2500 euros as an average guess somewhere halfways between the extremes. If the purchase prize is reasonable that total cost should be a good bit less than the cost of a new saw. Provided that you have suitable slack periods to utilize.

Hobbyist:
Everything does not have to be up to every last word in the safety regulations as long as the saw is safe enough to work around. A few small compromizes cuts costs drastically and eberything does not have to be as new if it works:
*A good guess it that you will end up paying 200-1000 euros or anything in between in cash for the rebuild
*I would guess you end up using 50-100 hours on the saw. Time spent working for yourself is free from tax and commuting costs. The machine you rebuild is free from VAT. In Finland where I live that makes an hourly pay of around 7 euros an hour. That is the rate at which you earn a new bandsaw if you are spending the same hours working overtime instead of rebuilding an old saw. All the money is first taxed and then you must deduct your commutings costs from your netto pay and then have the VAT deducted from the reminder when you buy the saw.
*That would give a total cost in time plus cash of 1000 euros plus purchase cost if we take a kind of typical average.

If you are a very lucky (or clever) hobbyist like our forum member DennisCA you may get a bandsaw like that for 400 euros in purchase cost plus parts plus some 20 hours of time valued at 140 euros. That makes 540 euros for a 4000 euro saw.

Just my take on rebuild economy.

 

[katellwood]

That looks like a Dominion to me, used to have one great bit of kit

from memory, what do you want to know

 

[alex8_en]

Thanks very much for your replays and advice,
ive checked wheels and they are spinning freely, a bit of concern here is that I can't seam to see how to adjust tracking???
Tyres are worn and so are guides but as mentioned they shouldn't be a problem to change, it will need fence too. Table is rusty but it doesn't seem to be pitted. Main concern is to try to establish producer and find supplier of spare parts.

Thanks again for your quick and comprehensive replies

 

[alex8_en]

Forgot to mention motor cover has a B on it is that any giveaway?

 

[katellwood]

If I remember correctly you adjust the tracking through the spokes of the upper wheel.

there is a bolt with a lock nut that tilts the top wheel arbor in and out, its a bit awkward to get to

to get to it you need to remove the top wheel cover which is secured by a large nut on the wheel arbor. remove the nut and pull the cover off

 

[RobinBHM]

I have one of these, it is a Dominion AKA24.

It is a very solid machine with cast frame, probably 3/4 ton.

B I guess stands for brookes, the motor manufacturer.

 

[heimlaga]

Thanks very much for your replays and advice,
ive checked wheels and they are spinning freely, a bit of concern here is that I can't seam to see how to adjust tracking???
Tyres are worn and so are guides but as mentioned they shouldn't be a problem to change, it will need fence too. Table is rusty but it doesn't seem to be pitted. Main concern is to try to establish producer and find supplier of spare parts.

Thanks again for your quick and comprehensive replies

I also think B stands for Brooks Motors of Huddersfield. A very reputable maker of good quality motors back in the days.

I doubt you will ever find a supplier of spare parts but you will ever need one either.
-Theese old machines are designed and built in such a way that a good machinist can make almost any part from scratch. Usually small machine workshops will make such parts at a very reasonable cost provided that they can do it in slack time between bigger jobs. I have had quite a few parts made over the last 10 years.
-The electrics can be replaced with modern standard parts.
-The bearings are standard parts.
-Blade guides are standard parts and so are wheel tyres
-Nuts and bolts are usually Whitworth standard parts
-If the motor burns out it can be rewound. Around here a professional rewind costs 400-500 euros
-Worn cast iron parts can often be corrected by scraping. A machinist's scraper doesn't cost you much. 10 euros or so.
-In a worst case scenario there may be a crack in some cast iron part. Most cracks can be nickel welded if you find a skilled welder locally. Sometimes I have replaced a badly cracked cast iron part with a home made mild steel fabrication. In a worst case scenario you may end up making a wooden pattern and sending it off to a foundry to have the part cast.

There is really no need for spare parts! No reason to worry. Theese old machines are built to last forever an what one man can make another man can repair.

 

[RobinBHM]

Tyres for this machine -I found the urethane tyres would not stay on the cast wheels. I bought cork from Scott and Sargeant which works well. The wheels on my machine have some run out, so I made some curved saning blocks and bolted and or clamped them on the machine then hand turned the wheels until cork was trued up.

The top wheel is on a pivot - it can be turned almost horizontal. Adjustment is a bolt a d a nut to lock off.

 

[alex8_en]

Thanks very much gentlemen for your words of wisdom!!!! Deal is done! I'm having her delivered on Wednesday and sincerely hoping that she runsI've always wanted to refurbish an old machine but never had guts to do it. I bought at a good price so apart from my time it's not going to be too expensive.

Thanks again and I'll be back soon with updates and probably loads more questions - I might turn this in to WIP

 

[Vann]

Deal is done! I'm having her delivered on Wednesday and sincerely hoping that she runsI've always wanted to refurbish an old machine but never had guts to do it. I bought at a good price so apart from my time it's not going to be too expensive.

Good decision (we hope).

Confirming that the "B" on the motor stands for Brooks.

Looking forward to a WIP.

Cheers, Vann.