bandsaw questions-newbie with an oldie

Posted awhile back and got several good suggestions, thanks to all. I picked up an 18" Parks bandsaw, sold by sears and roebuck. It needs some work. I was thinking about a new motor. I found a 2hp tefc Baldor on ebay for 212 plus shipping, it's rated as farm duty. Is farm duty ok for woodworking machinery? I have some pictures posted on flickr.

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other questions:

  1. Is it ok to have the motor held up by the belt, like on a tablesaw?
  2. Would customizing some cool blocks be a good idea for blade guides, or would a company like Carter have some bearings for a saw like this?
  3. The material on the table where the blade goes through appears to be lead. Leave it alone or change it to plastic or something?
  4. How important is coplanarity? I either need to bring the upper wheel out or push the lower one in(if that's even possible). The upper wheel will require a bearing puller to even remove it. Is it worth it.

Thanks in advance! Matt

Reply to
mattblack
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Hello Matt, I purchased a Baldor Farm duty motor for my Delta 14 inch BS but one thing I did not anticipate is that the housing where the power cord is attached aslo houses the thermal overload reset and this box would not allow me to open the lower blade guard door to change blades. I remedied this by cutting off the bottom half of the door and reattaching it with some thumb nuts I got from Kreg (Thanks KREG TOOLS!) Make certain that your motor's dimensions will fit in the space without any major modifications. I do not think you'd be happy with the motor held up like a table saw but if that's how your BS is designed then that's what you'll get. Fixing the motor and using a link belt like your photo presents would allow more power to be transmitted to the blade, hence less slippage or stalling. Cool blocks are great and a lot cheaper than Carter guides but I do not know if they are made for all types of saws. Here is the Carter Website (

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) because I think they list guides for most saws. I have Carter guides and I am very please with their performance. I also put the Carter Stabilizer on one saw. Depending on what you want to do with your saw you might find the Stabilizer worth the cost. The insert on my BS is not lead but it is a soft metal that does not destroy the blade when struck. Some of the other veterans here could tell you what those inserts are made from. I was able to remove the upper wheel from two of my Delta bandsaws without a puller and the lower wheel from one. I borrowed a puller to do the stuck wheel but they are not very expensive. When replacing the wheels and reinstalling the bearings use antisieze or a good grade grease. This will help with any future removal you might encounter. I'm not going to touch the whell planar issue. Leaving that to the veterans. Again, be certain that the Farm Duty motor does not have any protrusions that would interfere with its installation. Good luck with your upgrade! Marc

On Apr 2, 9:11 pm, "mattblack" wrote:

Reply to
marc rosen

I opened the case and swapped ends with the armature. Worked fine, but I did forget on the test run that I had also reversed the rotation by doing so.

For the OP

I think hanging a 2HP on a single belt will eat the bearings. You'll want stabilization to maintain belt/motor alignment, so think in terms of threaded rods and stops or T-nuts instead.

Cool blocks can be your own wood or phenolic if necessary. I like ceramic, but I do a lot of wet wood pivoting from one side, so I'd wear the interior cool block and clog the bearings with sap. IIRC, this should have cylindrical. We had a Parks back at the University.

The insert is probably a zinc or heavy to zinc "pot metal" casting. Make your own replacements out of UHMW plastic, making sure to stay flush to the table.

Coplanarity gives you full range of compensation for tracking with crowned tires. Get yourself to neutral on the top and figure out your desired direction. It's a one-time deal, normally, and pays dividends in blade stability. You may just want to move that lower with a few taps on the inside race with a PVC pipe and resnug the grub screw. Screwing around up top offers too many chances to knock it out of secondary alignment, so unless it's easy with a slotted wedge, leave it be.

Reply to
George

Reply to
Dave W

I have that saw. it's a tank. it's very much worth getting up and running. mine is a wood/metal model- it has a 2 speed gearbox. kind of a waste for me- I only use it at top speed for wood.

best to avoid that.

I made mine from red oak soaked in motor oil. it works fine, and no problems with staining.

mine is aluminum. I really doubt it's lead. lead is so soft it'd sag immediately from the friction of sawdust being pulled through. that insert is a somewhat disposable item- it's gonna take some abuse and sooner or later will need replacement. replace it when necessary....

depends who you ask.....

on mine the lower wheel drifted out on it's shaft. gave me fits until I figured out what was happening. the lower is held to the driven lower shaft with a beefy set screw. loosen that screw and tap the wheel hub gently back until it seats. then tighten that screw pretty tight.

avoid that.

note that the upper arm is bolted to the lower body of the saw, but you can't (IIRC) remove it completely as it is trapped within the welded-to-the-lower-body upper blade guard. however, you can loosen it and shift/shim it to get a little adjustment of the upper wheel.

2HP is about right for this saw.

also know that www.owwm has the owner's manual and service manual (I think) available for free download.

yoobetcha! Bridger

Reply to
bridgerfafc

I commented on your flicker set.

see mine at:

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Reply to
bridgerfafc

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