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If you're looking for big old machinery and have the room, this could be the ticket. http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-inch-Bandsaw ... 9205183153

Way too small!

The scary thing about it is that I don't see a blade guard on the return side....

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Yeah, too small for me too Chris. The seller does mention that it needs a left side guard. From what I've seen, a lot of these saws came from the factory without that guard. Could be wrong though.

yes, the listing mentions the need for a guard on the left side.

but my problem is i would have to reengineer my new shop to fit it in and hold it up.

An extra 8" or so of concrete for a pad, couple of grand to ship it via a rigger, wait gas is way more expensive these days. Somebody will grab that for a cheap price.

Tim

That is a big one! I did a re-hab on this guy where I used to work:



The melamine fence in the photo is 9" high. It originally had NO guards and most of the refurb was spent making the clear ones you see in the photo. The 7.5hp motor is the size of a keg and almost completely silent. The whole thing is almost silent actually, that was the coolest part. Someone before us had swapped out the babbitt (we assume) for some nice pillow blocks. We dated the manufacture to sometime in the 1890's. I have been using a 20" minimax at my new job and it feels tiny.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Where I come from we usually refer to that as a "mansized" or "burly" saw.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I grew up near Wilson, NC, the location of that saw. Good thing I don't live there now. It still amazes me that people made tools like this without guards. Surely, people got chopped to bits using them back in the day, no?



Mike

Chris, I think it definitely tilts the man-sized scale when you have to cut into the floor to use it!:



In regards to the original ebay photo, I might bid on the saw if only to hang out with the dude in the overalls when I went to pick it up!

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

While we're on the subject of band saws, here's a really cool band saw for all the Architectural Woodworkers out there.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

That's an awesome saw. Equally cool is a the name is Amos Tucker.

Shucks! Not enough head room in my basement shop. That beast only weighs 12 pounds more than my table saw . Hmmm... I guess I could cut a hole in my kitchen floor.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I helped a friend hoist a similar looking 36" monster band saw from his trailer and into his cellar. It took all day, and involved pieces of scaffolding, a winches, crowbars, wedges, some close calls and much cussing. Oh, and a staircase rebuild... Never again!

I "only" have a 24" vintage cast iron saw, it can be lifted by 4 people. Easy-peasy!

Amos Tucker, sounds like a Jerry Reed tune...

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I had a walker turner from the 60's but sold it for a newer safer 19 inch shop fox. That matches my Grizzly so I can dedicate one for resaw and one for general use. The modern designs are safer , and have better dust collection. Old is romantic but not always better.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Hi John,

I'm curious, how is the Shop fox safer than the Walker Turner? I agree that the older saws benefit greatly from a few mods but generally a guard here or there or a homemade dust chute (done well is usually better even than the new saws) is a quick quick project. I would have bought your WT in a heartbeat.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

The walker turner has no guarding on the blades or the belt, and if you have a business , even with rigged guards , the insurance companies will give you a hassle. Also the point of dust collection , there is none . It was a great saw for the day but for me , it is more a liability than an asset. For a hobby builder , that may be a different scenario . My WT was a 16 inch saw and I do need larger equipment and went with 19 inch saws.
The newer saw guides are much better than the cool block . I did like the old saw but with my shop getting bigger and when you get into the liabilities of a business and tooling , there is a side when you have to look at this topic. Things change when you go from a one man operation to having people in the shop helping. I tried a number of dust collection devices on the WT and at best it was fair. Compared to the designed collection ports there is no contest .
The New saw has the guarding , better guides and dust collection designed into it.
I guess my main point of concern is that with the way things are today , insurance , and dictated safety requirements from OSHA many old tools become liabilities to workers.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Here's my favorite big bandsaw story.

Scroll down about halfway and you'll see the pics.

http://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t ... 15#p460522

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

When I was a little kid there was a old vacant boat building warehouse near my grandmas down by the Delaware river. It was part of the Cramp shipyard. There used to be this old massive bandsaw where the whole frame and wheels tilted and the table stayed level for beveled cuts. It was like 15 foot tall or so. It was an amazing sight. I used to love sneaking in that place as a kid....Mike

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Another day, another dollar.