Need Help Identifying Large Bandsaw

[Sean F 123]

Hey everyone,

New here. I have been slowly cleaning out my wife's family's garage over the last 5 years or so and came across a large vertical bandsaw with attached gearbox. I can switch it to forward, reverse, and neutral. I searched around and it looks like it closely resembles a Delta Rockwell version but couldn't find a picture with the attached gearbox. Would anyone happen to know the make and model?

Thanks,

Sean

 

[rlitman]

It's nothing Delta (or in the family, like a Milwaukee, Rockwell, Leeson, etc. or clone), I can say that for sure. Looks very nice though. Maybe a Walker Turner? Not a DoAll.

Not that there's anything wrong with what you have (it looks possibly better than what Delta sold), but Delta would have the table's blade slot on the side (not out the front), with a hole for a plate, totally different guards, and different castings plus a different lamp and different legs (Delta's had a lot of base styles over the years, but never quite that).

The gearbox itself looks like an afterthought. Borrowed from a tractor perhaps? Personally, the very best gearboxes I've seen on Delta saws were DIY add-ons though, so I wouldn't sell that feature short.

 

[Sean F 123]

Thanks for the info. Its powered by a 1/4 HP motor. I can't find any markings other than the numbers 3800 embossed underneath the cutting plate and some numbers on the gearbox. It shifts smoothly and turns by hand easily as well. The wiring looks to be a little ratty, starting to crack in areas. I haven't tried to run it yet. Just can't find any machines that match it exactly.

 

[Packard V8]

It's a shadetree attempt to slow the woodcutting blade speed sufficiently to use a metal cutting blade and cut steel. The transmission could be a Borg-Warner T96 from a Jeep.

jack vines

 

[Sean F 123]

It's a shadetree attempt to slow the woodcutting blade speed sufficiently to use a metal cutting blade and cut steel. The transmission could be a Borg-Warner T96 from a Jeep.

jack vines

So your saying the transmission wasn't original to the bandsaw? I do see lots of metal shavings stuck in the residue on top of the transmission. My wife's father was a Tool & Die Maker and did machining so it makes perfect sense.

 

[crguy]

It's nothing Delta (or in the family, like a Milwaukee, Rockwell, Leeson, etc. or clone), I can say that for sure. Looks very nice though. Maybe a Walker Turner? Not a DoAll.

Not that there's anything wrong with what you have (it looks possibly better than what Delta sold), but Delta would have the table's blade slot on the side (not out the front), with a hole for a plate, totally different guards, and different castings plus a different lamp and different legs (Delta's had a lot of base styles over the years, but never quite that).

The gearbox itself looks like an afterthought. Borrowed from a tractor perhaps? Personally, the very best gearboxes I've seen on Delta saws were DIY add-ons though, so I wouldn't sell that feature short.

It's not a Walker Turner. Don't recognize who made it. Jack is correct in saying it's a put together attempt to make it a metal cutting saw.

 

[Sean F 123]

I'm not sure what to do with it at the moment. I don't have much of a use for it since I don't do a ton of carpentry or metal cutting. I'm gonna try to fire it up next week ang go from there.

 

[RTM]

That is a nice hack to add a vehicle ****** to a bandsaw. Hopefully you will never need the reverse, cuz I've never seen one on a bandsaw, that is sorta the giveaway that it was a home made add on.

But the basic frame means nothing to me. There are lots on vintagemachinery.com, poking thru mfgrs one by one in the photo index may help. I don't see a way to just pop open all the bandsaws.


And this is a large bandsaw, at 36" wheels

Photo Index - J. A. Fay & Co. - J.A. Fay Bandsaw | VintageMachinery.org

 

[Sean F 123]

That is a nice hack to add a vehicle ****** to a bandsaw. Hopefully you will never need the reverse, cuz I've never seen one on a bandsaw, that is sorta the giveaway that it was a home made add on.

But the basic frame means nothing to me. There are lots on vintagemachinery.com, poking thru mfgrs one by one in the photo index may help. I don't see a way to just pop open all the bandsaws.


And this is a large bandsaw, at 36" wheels

Photo Index - J. A. Fay & Co. - J.A. Fay Bandsaw | VintageMachinery.org

Yup, tried that. Went through every single manufacturer on Vintagemachinery.org in the bandsaw index. Still nothing even close to what this looks like.

I'm starting to think the entire setup was a Frankenstein project, not just the transmission. Another odd thing is that the electric motor on the bottom is only bolted down on one side and it is on a hinge at that! It lifts up off the wood platform.

 

[Packard V8]

If it's not in OWWM, it's most likely a Taiwan or Chinese clone marketed under a dozen different stick-on labels.

jack vines

 

[wrench136]

Yup, tried that. Went through every single manufacturer on Vintagemachinery.org in the bandsaw index. Still nothing even close to what this looks like.

I'm starting to think the entire setup was a Frankenstein project, not just the transmission. Another odd thing is that the electric motor on the bottom is only bolted down on one side and it is on a hinge at that! It lifts up off the wood platform.

The motor hinge mount is to keep tension on the belt. Cool set up. Clean it up and rewire. May need in the future.

 

[Northfield]

Looks like an old Montgomery ward saw sold in the back of popular mechanics. Not an import, but what a creation!

 

[Sean F 123]

Sorry to dig this thread back up again! Just thought I'd share my findings.

Initially, I never tested this like I said I was going to. Just got around to testing it today and it runs. Seems the transmission has two forwards gears at a 1 : 1 ratio and a 1 : 1.75 about, a neutral, and a reverse. I was able to cut a piece of scrap steel I had laying around and it worked great.

Now I'm not sure if I want to keep it or sell it. I don't cut metal all that often, usually only when I'm working on scrapping, but when I need to, this is thing fast.