A Bandsaw Remake

[HANK METZ]

My latest restoration project (http://people.delphiforums.com/perristalsis/A_BANDSAW_REMAKE/A_BANDSAW_REMAKE.htm) found on Craigslist

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Hank
Great job on the motor and saw. I think there needs to be a YOU SUCK for a band saw and 2 HP motor for $100. Tom

[Henry Kramer]

I am sorry, I dont intend to be mean or sound upity however I think that $100 is too much for any HF woodworking tool. In my opinion they are junk and a waste of money.

[Terry Murphy]

Whoa Henry, Properly set-up, and used properly they have some pretty descent tools.

[John McClanahan]

That saw was sold under a lot of names over the years. I had one for a while. Not a bad saw for the price.

John

[johnny means]

I love the bedframe repurposing. The intact keyhole was a nice touch.

[Phil Thien]

I love the bedframe repurposing. The intact keyhole was a nice touch.

And he gets extra points for cutting that stuff. I think it is made from the same steel used for tank armor.

[Bruce Wrenn]

And he gets extra points for cutting that stuff. I think it is made from the same steel used for tank armor.Think about a couple 300 pounders making whoopie. Bed rail has to be tough. I use bi-metal blades on my horizontal band saw to cut bed rail. Always keep a stash on hand.

[Rick Potter]

Nice job, Hank.

Rick Potter

[HANK METZ]

I am sorry, I dont intend to be mean or sound upity however I think that $100 is too much for any HF woodworking tool. In my opinion they are junk and a waste of money.

Henry, I understand your disdain about H.F., perhaps you’ve not had very successful purchases from them in the past, however what I and others like to post are ways and means to get the most performance out of these tools with just a little extra effort. Many U.S. made tools from the past benefitted from such ministrations as very few were indeed ready to go without some user intervention and tune-up. Take a hand plane by say Stanley; to get the best it was capable of you’d first take it apart, lap the sole and possibly the sides for flatness and square. Next you’d detail the fitment areas with a file to ensure intimate contact of mating parts, then you’ spend some time polishing the iron’s backside to mirror finish, followed by honing the cutting edge to shaving sharp. Also too, when reassembling you’d reset the frog, if so equipped, to take the type of shaving thickness you’d like. Finish with a bit of paste wax and there, done- in about an hour or two depending on experience. Just for grins I took their (H.F.) #33 bench plane (http://www.harborfreight.com/no-33-bench-plane-97544.html), gave it the same treatment, and honestly cannot say it was any less as fine a tool than one of my Stanleys or Sargents, except that with coupon it only cost about $8.00.

All in all, if a person can look at these tools with an unbiased eye and a modicum of mechanical skill, many diamonds are in the rough just awaiting to be uncovered.

[Mac McQuinn]

Hank,
Very nice work here, Sometimes it just takes a visionary.
Mac

[johnny means]

I am sorry, I dont intend to be mean or sound upity however I think that $100 is too much for any HF woodworking tool. In my opinion they are junk and a waste of money.
There's a guy in my area that buys their welders second hand, changes a few components then resells them. From what I hear a few small changes actually makes it a pretty good piece of equipment. While I know that the HF bandsaw is not really impressive, they really are not that much different from a Jet or PM bandsaw. I can easily see how a few small changes could make a perfectly servicable machine out of a lower quality one.

How many pieces of wood does a bandsaw need to cut before it's worth a hundred dollars? In my shop $100 barely buys a throw away bandsaw blade. Your statement does sound uppity and should at least be qualified. Even if he uses the saw as an anchor it's probably worth a hundred dollars. Surely, it's at least as capable and useful as a nice jigsaw, which would cost way more than a hundred bucks.

[Rick Potter]

Well stated Hank.

It's always encouraging to see that if you are handy, and have patience, even someone with little to invest can have a very useful tool.

I always enjoy your creativity. I would love to see how well you could make a $100 Craftsman RAS work. Yup, that's a challenge.

Rick Potter

[Gus Dundon]

Now that's a total band saw restoration. Great job.