Unisaw restoration project: good idea or money pit?

Hang loose..... the Keefer (Unisaw A100) will get wind of this post in a second or two and give you all the inspiration and info you need to do this. We pay him big bucks - so expect a lot......

Yep...here he comes....... sit back and enjoy...

Bob S.

It maybe just my phobias in play, but I run when I hear of things like this. All too often, pieces of metal missing can suggest metal fatigue and that scares me. I've experienced it first hand and it could be tantamount to a sand-castle just before a wave hits.

Heath,

There is a pre-70's Rockwell saw for sale in the triangle right now.

Go to the triangle.forsale newsgroup if your interested - the post was put up at about 2pm today.

Good luck

-Rob

I don't consider myself extraordinarily gifted when it comes to re-builds but I had somewhere around 3 weeks with my saw. There were no difficult mechanical issues other than re-working the arbor and I farmed that out.

If all you are interested in is an investment I would lean towards consulting with a money person instead of a bunch of weekend wooddorkers.

If you are worried that you'll hate the saw when its done onna 'count of how much it costed, well, that's another issue. If it helps any I'll confess that I had $750ish in my saw when it looked like this.

Understood.

Saws come in all flavors from Sad Bastard Left For Dead up to Pristine, Was Found In A Climate Controlled Warehouse In The Original Crate. Most of what you'll find is something in the Rode Hard, Not Cared For, Hung Up Wet to maybe, Rode Hard, Tended After, But Rode Hard. I find a lot of the former but little of the latter. It's out there but not for $350. I would think you could/would find one from a dealer in the *less than a thou* range that may only need the Biesemeyer.

By the way, smart move on dumping the Jet Lock.

Jeff Hoffman at Walker Turner Serviced Machinery, LLC traffics in restored machines. While he tends to concentrate on Walker-Turner he has been known to bend genders. You can e-mail him at snipped-for-privacy@juno.com

SNORK!!! sorry. You'd have to been in on that conversation from the beginning to understand.

Now I thought this was the place in the world where every stick of furniture was made? Aren't you guys swimming in old machines?

That's like posting a letter and the mailman bringing it back for you to re-lick it.

Keith Bohn

Sorry to disappoint Bob but I was pressed for time. He can search the OWWM or Al Gore's Google if he wants the whole nine yards but he'll have to piece it back together. Actually I think Heath (rhymes with Keith) has his attitude adjusted correctly, he's only wanting a nudge in the proper direction.

UA100

Rumours put him at 6'6" and around 280lbs. For most of us that would be reasonable specs for a bandsaw.

I'm average height, i.e., kick backs on the saw hit me below the belt line and midway towards my boys. As you can see from the picture Paddy has to be fit out with a cup.

UA100

I saw an original 'footed' Unisaw like yours at a farm auction last weekend. The motor had been replaced as well as the fence. Otherwise it was in pretty sad shape. I didn't stick around, but I bet it went cheap amongst all that farm machinery.

You didn't by chance look to see what the serial number was?

UA100

-Doug

There has to be a tremendous amount of satisfaction in converting something like that to a beautiful, new looking, fully functional, shiny tool. It looks great!

This isn't a difficult job to do yourself. Replace the bearings

Put the arbor back together and get a dial indicator and magnetic base (cheap and handy for other jobs). (1) Put the indicator on the shaft, spin it and find the maximum difference in plus and minus readings (the runout). (2) Put the indicator on the flange and repeat. (3) Shake the shaft in each direction to check for play. With any luck, you'll have less than 0.002" in each test. If not, it's time to double check the bearings were assembled correctly then replace the arbor shaft or find a machine shop that can repair the arbor.

You can find a welder and have the existing table repaired by welding up with high-nickel rod. This leaves a silvery spot on the grey cast iron, but it sounds like the two problem areas will not be visible after the saw is assembled.

This would make me want to pass unless I could negotiate a big discount -- It'll be easier to find a complete single phase saw than just an old-style single phase motor. Lots of single phase hobbyists repowering old three phase industrial machines. No industrial users repowering old homeowner saws.

As you say, you could use a modern motor ($250? plus starter) and cut the cabinet, but then, what's the point of rebuilding this old machine?

A motor cover just went on ebay for $238:

Good luck with it.

Tim

Damn! I forgot just how LARGE O'Deen is!!!!!!

Tales of a Boatbuilder Apprentice

Both breaks are at bolt holes, so I suspect they occurred when the saw was being moved or disassembled. If I buy the saw, I will in all likelihood replace the table.

Thanks, Heath

Thanks for the pointer, but I'm looking for a Unisaw, and this one's a contractor-type.

Heath

course. I

Yeah, the demand for old single-phase motors definitely seems to have outpaced supply. I had hoped someone here would know where I could find one--without that happening, I probably won't buy the saw. There's always the phase-conversion option, but that's a pretty expensive way to go.

Well, it's always the sort of thing that would catch my eye, but I haven't really looked locally for an old Unisaw. I'll have to make an effort over the next couple of months.

Thanks for the advice, Heath

Heath Roberts notes:

Nah. Braze the repairs, file down, and re-tap the holes.

Charlie Self

"Say what you will about the ten commandments, you must always come back to the pleasant fact that there are only ten of them." H. L. Mencken

The very fact that no one wants three-phase motors makes phase convertors dirt cheap. Get an old, large 3-phase motor and a pile of capacitors. Do some reading, make some calculations, throw everything in a bag and shake it and you've got a convertor. Well, maybe not quite like that, but it is easy. You can get a motor for scrap value and the rest of the parts for a few bucks. Then start collecting underpriced industrial machinery.

GTO(John)