Isky wrote:
>Let us know when you get it running! And take some pictures,
>too! I wondered about the 1/8" blades because I'd think
>something of that size probably takes 6 inch wide ones.. and
>one wonders if you can actually adjust the blade guides down
>for something that narrow!
>
Sure will. While you wouldn't think it at first inspection, this saw is really no different than a small hobbyist saw except that it's got very large wheels. Won't even accept a blade wider than about 1", and is most comfortable and useful with regular 1/4" to 3/4" blades. While the height under the blade guide is useful, the throat size is more useful. Saws designed for resawing don't have wheels all that large in diameter relative to throat size, and have really wide wheels. The wheel size is more a function of how tightly you can turn the blade around without messing it up. It gets really hard to tension wide blades correctly.
A tidbit of information useful to modelers is the fact than a NARROWER blade will resaw more effectively on small saws since they can be adequately tensioned (if you can get it with few enough teeth/in). Simple matter of realizing that tension is force/sq something, so the smaller the sq something, the higher the tension. Also, no matter how you're cutting wood, about 3 to 4 teeth in the cut is a good rule of thumb. So, when you're resawing, the FEWER the tooth count, the smoother the cut. That's a function of the blades ability to get rid of the sawdust as it's cutting. If it piles up in the gullet (space between teeth), it creates friction, heats up the blade (may draw the temper and QUICKLY dull it, compounding the problem) which then makes it longer and reduces tension, the blade starts to wander.
Another neat thing about this big old saw is that with wheels that large, they really don't turn very fast to get the requisite cutting speed, SO, it's REALLY quiet and vibration free while running. Actually makes is much less intimidating to use.
I've got a Taiwanese made Delta small benchtop belt/disc sander. Sounds like it's going to explode any second, and really has no power. THEREFORE, I'm going to buy a 1920s patternmaker's floor model belt sander tomorrow. It's drive wheel is about 15 to 20" in diameter and weighs about 700#. The belts are probably about 10' long. Again, you pay for them by the inch and are easy to get made to custom lengths, so they're less expensive than standard belts anyway. You can even mount sanding belts on bandsaws effectively. The lack of a platen makes sanding curves very easy. If you need a platen, just C clamp one to the bandsaw table.
Tools
Mike
