Walker-turner bandsaw

Sep 28, 2004 5 Replies

Hey, guys, I purchased an old walker-turner 12 inch bandsaw at a really good price the other day, and measured the blade that's on it, and it is



78 inches.

My question is: Can I put an 80 inch blade on the bandsaw and be safe and happy?



Thanks in advance for your answers.



Cleve



Have you got enough adjustment to spread the distance between the wheels an additional 1"? That's what it will take to make an 80" blade work.

Bob

Why not get a 78 inch blade?

GTO(John)

1) Does anyone know anything about Walker Turner tools? I can buy a 12" bandsaw from a friend. Has 78" blades, uncommon length.

VR, the Rev.

Many people in the Walker-Turner bandsaw discussion were interested in history of the company. I didn't see any reference to OWWM yet, so here it is.

Information can be found at:

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Woodworking Machines is a great resource for information regarding older American machinery.

The discussion forum is also accessible from:

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Safe, yes. If it doesn't fit, then this should be obvious before you even think about turning it on.

Happy - I doubt it. You'd need an extra inch of wheel travel to tension the blade and I doubt if a 12" saw has that much to spare. Have a look and see, but I don't think you'll be in luck.

If you can;t find blades to length of fthe shelf, then just have them made up to order. It costs about the same, or only slightly more, and you're usually getting a better grade of saw band. It also give you a much bigger range of blades to choose from, and a bandsaw is more versatile if you use the right blades - there is a difference.

If you don't have enough adjustment to take up the 1 inch you can cut the blade and remove the one inch. Then go to a local machine shop, most larger comercial bandsaws have a built in blade welder that will weld the blade back together. It only takes a few seconds and I am sure they will do it for free if they are decent.

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