john lawson
04-15-2017, 8:19 PM
So my local guild had an auction and I bought a Powermatic 141 Bandsaw. I have lusted after one of these for years and since it came up locally I bit. My "gloat" is only that I finally got one, I may have paid a few dollars more than I should have but I have gotten to that point in life that having certain tools is almost as much fun as woodworking. I had looked at it prior to the auction and knew it was a little rough and I could not be at the auction so I had a friend bid for it. I already have a Minimax with a 1" carbide blade so this will be my small bandsaw for intricate work and I will probably put a 1/4" or 3/16" blade on and just leave it like that. Not really worried about resaw or large work.
So I got it home and ran it. I believe it may be a jewel mechanically. It runs smooth, tires look fairly new, good linkbelt, almost new mobile base, guides are all there and everything appears original except the motor. And there is where I need a little advice or ideas. Whoever put the brand new Baldor 3/4 HP motor on it did not know how to adjust the pulley and hacked out the front. There was a filter on the front and I thought there would be a small hole cut out for ventilation, but no, he really hacked at it. The back motor cover is also missing so I knew I would have to look for one of those or fabricate one. But the job he did on the front is a little surprising.
I may or may not want to do a full restoration. I have done that on a couple of machines and this would be a worthy candidate, but I will use it for awhile before I decide. But I have to do something with the sharp unsafe sheet metal eventually.
So, for those of you who have faced this, did you weld and grind, make a medallion and put over the hole, any ideas how to hide this ugly scar?????????????
Thanks
So I got it home and ran it. I believe it may be a jewel mechanically. It runs smooth, tires look fairly new, good linkbelt, almost new mobile base, guides are all there and everything appears original except the motor. And there is where I need a little advice or ideas. Whoever put the brand new Baldor 3/4 HP motor on it did not know how to adjust the pulley and hacked out the front. There was a filter on the front and I thought there would be a small hole cut out for ventilation, but no, he really hacked at it. The back motor cover is also missing so I knew I would have to look for one of those or fabricate one. But the job he did on the front is a little surprising.
I may or may not want to do a full restoration. I have done that on a couple of machines and this would be a worthy candidate, but I will use it for awhile before I decide. But I have to do something with the sharp unsafe sheet metal eventually.
So, for those of you who have faced this, did you weld and grind, make a medallion and put over the hole, any ideas how to hide this ugly scar?????????????
Thanks