New/old unisaw

[jason walcott]

This is my latest prodject. It is a old Delta/Milwaukee 8in unisaw that I bought at a garage sale for a wopping $45. It had a 1hp motor in it but it was not a enclosed motor, so it was caked with dust. The next step was to upgrade the fence, so I bought a Shop Fox 26in fence and installed it. It was a challenge because I had to drill and retap new holes in my saw top for the rail to be mounted. Then I was browsing at my local woodworking store when I saw the ultimate motor for my project saw. It was a 3hp Jet motor, I asked the man at the desk how much they were selling the motor for and if there was anything wrong with it. He replied that the motor was brand new and that they had sold the machine to the amish and they did not need it. Then he told me they were selling it for $70 bucks! I instantly grabed it and ran out the door. I thought the motor was out of a unisaw, and after trying to track down a pulley for it through the WHM Tool Group, I now realize it came out of a shaper it has a 4 1/2-5in pulley on it and I need a 3 1/2 in pulley for my saw. As soon as I can get the pulley situation handled this saw will be a cutting machine.

[Tim Morton]

He replied that the motor was brand new and that they had sold the machine to the amish and they did not need it

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Congrats on the find! The amish around here use generators to run electrical motors. I don't know how they would use a shaper without a motor.

No matter how it ended up in the store, you have a great motor on your hands! Can't wait to see your saw completed.

[Bill Simmeth]

Congrats on the "new" saw Jason!

What you have was actually marketed by Delta as the "Unisaw Jr". It is a somewhat rare model as it was only sold from 1949 - 1951. The handles and lock knobs are identical to the ones used on the "real" Unisaw. So, for an 8" saw, it's quite heavy duty. I have one awaiting restoration. I plan to pass it along to my son.

That's quite a motor you've put on it and you got a great deal on it! Many Amish convert their machines to run with turbines driven by compressed air. So, they work the machinery dealer over to get a discount sans motor.

Bill Simmeth
Delaplane, VA

[Tim Morton]

That's quite a motor you've put on it and you got a great deal on it! Many Amish convert their machines to run with turbines driven by compressed air. So, they work the machinery dealer over to get a discount sans motor.

OK...I was wondering how that worked.:D

[John Hart]

Fun project Jason..Good luck!

I deal with the Amish on a regular basis for their craft businesses, and I've noticed that they are all moving to a pretty ingenious setup. They set up a diesel engine outside their shops that runs a pulley system that extends throughout and underneath the entire floor of the shop. They hard mount all their machines to the floor and bring belts up from the floor pulley system to run the machine. Most of their equipment is converted electrical equipment.

Their number one complaint is that they can't move the machines once they're hooked up to the system, but then most of these guys have huge shops.

[Bill Lewis]

The most common method for the amish up around Lancaster PA is to convert the machines to run off of hydraulic motors. They'll have one big diessel or gas driven hydraulic pumping unit that'll run the machines.

[Jim Becker]

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

Tim, most of the Amish do not use electricity and have become quite talented in converting machinery to work off of other more acceptable power sources, such as steam and hydraulics. If you can remember pictures of old-time shops with common belt power systems, you can imagine some of the possiblities.

[Jim Andrew]

Could someone explain the amish problem with electricity? We have Mennonites
here but no amish.

[Bart Leetch]

It is my understanding they don't want to be dependant on outside vender's I.E. hooked up to the electrical grid. But I don't see much difference their still dependant on a fuel source. If they had water power available that might be different.

[Jim Becker]

The Amish eschew electricity and internal combustion on religious and cultural premise. It is their way of life. More info at http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish_2.htm