My new bandsaw, I hope...

[Tom Trees]

With a saw like that, I'd consider a quick lash up as per Carl Holmgren, no need to make a latch for such experimentation,
as you might choose to weld up something after that.
The lash up would likely be appreciated, as it might take a bit of head scratching concerning the location of swivel casters, which can dip an end of the machine when swivel casters at maximum swing. as this timeless design of lifting mechanism can be troublesome if wheels too close to the centre.

Worth a look at those designs, as you won't find better, if you can make it work without too much hickups.
Saying that, for seemingly such a sought after machine, guessing there's a theme of OWWM which yer going for,
then it could/WILL be made work,
well...that would be the case for myself, as my own bandsaw base just looks annoying/stupid to me now, after spoiling myself.

All the best
Tom

[Bill Dufour]

Good idea to cut one or more plywood pieces to fill in the base. Then throw in some heavy iron stuff to add ballast. Especially if you add wheels or height which will make it less stable.
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you both. I have an AC stick welder from the days of yore and used it to repair and modify old machinery at the farm where I used to live. I still think I have enough of the 3/16" and 1/4" 3x3 and 3x4 angle to make another mobile base, but I need to pull what I have out from under the shed. I bought a small pile of odd pieces of this type at an auction years ago and they're very handy. I used them to make the bases for the Unisaw and the 6" jointer. I'd prefer to leave the bottom open if I can so the sawdust can go on the floor, but if it feels at all tippy I can add weight as mentioned. I'll plan to have the caster pivots outside the footprint of the saw itself, and will have to see how it feels. I do want to add at least 6 or 8 inches to the height.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

You should be able to re-saw your instrument wood when you get that the way you want it.
I just had a disappointing failure with my Delta 14 that is a little too small for my resew blade. Don't cut a frozen ham on your new old saw.

I cut a trimmed down frozen ham in half on the bandsaw with a 3/4 inch re-saw bade. The cut went just fine. The instant the cut was done the blade ejected from the wheels and plowed into the steel and aluminum blade guards. It made me feel very foolish. The blade tension and tracking are now both hard to turn. I have not looked every thing over yet. I hope nothing major is damaged. I have cut meat and bones on the bandsaw before with no problems. My first thoughts are, the cold added too much to the blade tension, or the ham fat messed up the tracking.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I do want to add at least 6 or 8 inches to the height.

Wow are you 7' tall? I'm 6'1" and find the table to be a good height (and I've raised up everything else in my shop since I prefer taller work surfaces too)

[Zachary Hoyt]

Maurice, I'm sorry to hear of your trouble with the bandsaw. I didn't realize that the cold would have that effect. My frozen meat escapades have so far been limited to dividing large bricks of frozen ground beef with a cold chisel 20+ years ago, and recently and often whacking 10 pound bags of frozen chicken leg quarters on a large round rock by the porch to separate them so I can thaw a smaller quantity.

Marc, you got it exactly right. I am indeed 7 feet tall, and my previous two 18" bandsaws have been raised 9" on a wooden thing that might be a plinth. The new saw would be at the same height if I raised it 6", but my casters are tall enough that 7-8" may be required, and I won't mind a little extra.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Marc, you got it exactly right. I am indeed 7 feet tall

This is helpful. I watched a few of Zachary's youTube instrument videos and thought he was making miniature Instruments.

[Bill Dufour]

When I set up my shop I settled on QO panels and breakers. Still being made today and 50+ years worth of take outs for sale on e-bay. It was cheaper to buy a too big used loaded panel then to buy a new panel and the required number of new breakers.
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

Maurice, a lot of people have been confused by my instruments' relative size, even when they see them and me in person, especially with a fiddle.

Bill, I too went with a QO panel for the house, though I bought a new one. They seem to have been around a long time and have a good reputation.

[Bill Dufour]

For my tablesaw base I used some 2x4 rectangular tube and C-channel. Sure made it easy to attach casters and the saw base. Drill and tap a few holes or through bolts.
BilLD

[Zachary Hoyt]

I had some time today and the weather was nice, so in the afternoon I dragged the angle iron out from under the woodshed, selected some suitable pieces and made a mobile base for the bandsaw. It's 3x3x1/4" on the sides, 3x3x3/16" angle on the back and 2x2x1/8" on the front. I cut short pieces of 3/4 pipe, about 1-3/8" long, for each caster and welded them on. Right now the casters are just stuck in them, but when I go to town I will get some m8 bolts and drill a hole in each pipe to allow a bolt to be threaded into the cross hole in the caster stems. I had to do some rocking and rolling to get the saw up onto the base, and some off-label floor jack methods, but it only took about half an hour to get it up there and a couple of hours to get the materials, make a plan and make the base. I have to weld outside because the shop has an OSB floor.

Earlier in the day I cleaned up the table, and found several deep, long scratches in the surface. They don't matter, but I wonder what made them. This evening I made a brass tapered pin to put in the table slot and cut a piece of 1/8" aluminum for a new throat plate, but I found that actually it has to be 3/32", so I will need to order a piece. I detached the whole old electrical works and will probably try to sell them on eBay. At least for now they are out of the way so I can install the new stuff once it comes. I got two bearings in Saturday's mail, one for the upper and one for the lower shaft, but the other 6 are supposed to be delivered tomorrow, if they all are on time. For now it's nice to be able to roll the saw around.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Two weeks later I finally got the saw running. I put the tires and bearings and blade in more than a week ago, but the tool box for the VFD enclosure was delayed 8 days from when it was expected to arrive, and finally showed up yesterday. I didn't have time to install things till today. I put it all together according to the idea in my mind and programmed the VFD, and everything worked fine, which was a great relief. I set it to start in 5 seconds, and to coast to a stop, and to use the toggle switch to control start/stop. I didn't have the right kind of cover to hold the toggle switch so I made one out of a cutout of leftover stainless steel sheet from the range hood I put in the house last fall. It doesn't match the color, but I am not worried about that. The brake works a bit, and slows the saw down a couple of seconds faster than when it just coasts. It cuts very nicely by my standards and passes the nickel test. I'm very pleased and will move the Parks out of the bandsaw spot and put this one in it tomorrow. The cord will run up and around the door, which is why I got a 25 foot piece of cable. That way I can also roll it out to the middle of the floor if I ever need to cut something 16 feet long.

[Carroll Courtney]

You have hit homerun, very nice congratulations

[Kevin Jenness]

Nicely done. I like the toolbox repurposed as the vfd enclosure. The saw should serve well and last you out.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you both very much. I've got a little thermometer to put in the VFD toolbox to monitor the temperature when I run it for longer. I've got a little vent fan and some filter material I can install if it gets too hot, but I'm hoping it won't.