Davis & Wells 20” Bandsaw...Now Mine!

[Bill Space]

Hi Guys

My turn to make a happy report.

For about a month I had been watching this band saw on craigslist but the price was a bit higher than I wanted to pay, even though I thought it might be fair. By chance I happened to check on Saturday and saw that the price was reduced significantly and in the ballpark of what I thought I could pay.

I called the seller and ended up going over Sunday to check it out and he agreed to sell it to me for $900. I think this is a very favorable price but it was also the price that I thought I could afford when I saw it listed initially. It came with a like new fence sold by woodcraft for $149, and a custom-made mobile base that works pretty well and only holds the saw about an inch higher than if it were sitting on the floor. Plus a bonus of 36 spare blades that look to be in either new or very good condition. And six other blades that seem to be the size that will fit my smaller 18 inch Grizzly light duty saw that I bought about 30 years ago.

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It has a 3 hp motor and about 13 inches resaw capacity.

My ears are limiting my smile :)

Bill

[Edwin Santos]

You lucky man! A friend of mine has one, and those are very solid vintage saws. Yours looks to be very clean and well cared for. My friend runs a Woodmaster CT carbide blade on his and saws veneer effortlessly. Nice find!

Edwin

[Jim Becker]

That's a neat looking bandsaw! Congrats!

[Jeff Heath]

That is a very fine vintage machine. On many of that model, the doors were broken and brazed together. You have a very nice machine there, and it will saw circles around your "other" saw.

Congratulations.

[Mike Manning]

Nice band saw Bill! Something to be said for patience and you have the proof both in your shop and your wallet.

[Marshall Harrison]

Congrats on a great find.

I think I live in the Bermuda Triangle of Craigslist. I never seem to find much of anything on it and I check for table saws, band saws and planers and joiners at least every 3 or 4 days. Maybe someday.

[Jeff Heath]

I have a few friends who live in Florida who feel the same way about finding vintage iron. They say they can never find it, and are always pissed at me, as I've got a full shop, plus a two outbuildings filled with machines awaiting restoration. The midwest is the iron belt for old machines.

[Mark Gibney]

Great to get a machine you really like. I love the look of them.

I've considered looking for a 20" Davis and Wells bandsaw, but I have never worked on one.
Are they a better machine than a say a typical high-end 1980's Italian bandsaw?
Or is it the beauty that elevates it above modern machines?

[Edwin Santos]

Great to get a machine you really like. I love the look of them.

I've considered looking for a 20" Davis and Wells bandsaw, but I have never worked on one.
Are they a better machine than a say a typical high-end 1980's Italian bandsaw?
Or is it the beauty that elevates it above modern machines?

Mark,
"Better" is a difficult word. Having worked on both machines you reference, I'd say they're just different in the way a vintage Harley Davidson hog is different from a Ducati Streetfighter if that comparison makes any sense.

One big difference is the sheer mass of the cast iron in a Davis & Wells or other vintage American bandsaw dampens the vibration and makes the sawing a very different experience. I would never go so far as to say you can do a certain kind of work with one and not the other, whether it be resawing or contour cutting. If you're into music, imagine two sets of speakers, where one has a deeper, richer sound, compared to the other where the crisp highs shine a little more.
Edwin

[Andrew Hughes]

I was at Davis and wells couple years ago.Dan had a 20 inch bandsaw in plain view he had just finished restoring.
He ran it for me it was much quieter then my Aggazani and mayb slightly smoother.
He pointed out the the upper wheels shaft runs through the frame and wheel a very stout design feature.
On my saw and most Euro saws the small stub shaft just hangs up there with the wheel on it. That's not as ridged.
I have a Davis and Wells table saw so far it's the best tablesaw I've owned. It's at least 50 + old.
So go D&W kicking ass in the future with their woodworking machines!

[Marshall Harrison]

I have a few friends who live in Florida who feel the same way about finding vintage iron. They say they can never find it, and are always pissed at me, as I've got a full shop, plus a two outbuildings filled with machines awaiting restoration. The midwest is the iron belt for old machines.

I wonder if thats because people up north sell off their vintage stuff before retiring to Florida and buying new stuff leaving us with a shortage of vintage iron.

[Peter Christensen]

Neat looking machine. I noticed in the last picture the bearing block that hold the lower wheel and drive pull is only held with 2 bolts and there are 4 more holes. Is that normal or has there been a workaround for a problem in the past? Stripped threads?

[Darcy Warner]

Neat looking machine. I noticed in the last picture the bearing block that hold the lower wheel and drive pull is only held with 2 bolts and there are 4 more holes. Is that normal or has there been a workaround for a problem in the past? Stripped threads?

I believe the other 4 holes are to run bolts into and press against bosses in frame to adjust lower wheel position.

[Jeff Heath]

I wonder if thats because people up north sell off their vintage stuff before retiring to Florida and buying new stuff leaving us with a shortage of vintage iron.

I think it has more to do with the fact that most of the foundries where the old machines were made were in the upper midwest. From Illinois and Wisconsin, to Ohio and, of course, New England, many many manufacturers along the Great Lakes region. Iron ore was supplied by boat then.

Lots of opportunities in Georgia and South Carolina for you, though. You'll have to do some driving. I've driven 1600 miles to pick up a machine, so no stranger to having to go haul one. My 16" jointer was in Philadelphia, so 805 miles each way.

[Tom Bender]

Nice! but if you plan to tow it you might want a better hitch.

[ken seale]

Now that's a tension spring! :eek:

[Peter Christensen]

I believe the other 4 holes are to run bolts into and press against bosses in frame to adjust lower wheel position.

I'm not so sure only because the cast mounting pads are not aligned with the bearing block assembly. Bill is in a better position to look and say for sure.

[Andrew Hughes]

I bet the original set up was different then what the op has. Motor on the back. For metal saw and the wood bandsaws I've seen motors on the back.

[Mike Gavin]

I've been watching that one too! Actually went to look for it and...poof! It's gone. Nice old arn there for sure.

Did you get to look at the jet mortiser he's selling by chance? Been thinking about pulling the trigger but, like everything else, the price;)

Any how sweet saw and glad someone is enjoying it!

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks Edwin, and Andrew, now I want to get up close and personal with a W&D bandsaw even more!

[Bill Space]

Neat looking machine. I noticed in the last picture the bearing block that hold the lower wheel and drive pull is only held with 2 bolts and there are 4 more holes. Is that normal or has there been a workaround for a problem in the past? Stripped threads?

I think it is as described by Darcy. It looks origin to my eye, and substantial.

I will know more in the future as I think need to make an adjustment somehow to move the lower wheel in towards the frame about 1/4” for the purpose of making the wheels coplaner. Also the angle of the lower wheel may need to be changed slightly. I say this because to get the wheels coplaner I had to shift the top wheel out about 1/4” on its shaft. But the tracking adjustment ended up close to one end of its travel.

Don’t think I will get much done until late next month as we are visiting my wife’s hometown in sushiland for a month and leaving next week.

Bill

[Bill Space]

Nice! but if you plan to tow it you might want a better hitch.

:):):)

No doubt about that!

It actually came with a bar with wheels on it, that hooks into that eyebolt and lifts the front of the custom made stand for mobility. Will post a picture later.

Bill

[Bill Space]

I'm not so sure only because the cast mounting pads are not aligned with the bearing block assembly. Bill is in a better position to look and say for sure.

I will be sure to post some pictures once I take things apart. This area was apart recently (I think) because the bolts holding things together seem new and not original.

Bill

[Bill Space]

I bet the original set up was different then what the op has. Motor on the back. For metal saw and the wood bandsaws I've seen motors on the back.

I am sure the motor set up is not original. The motor is mounted to the fabricated mobile base. The motor is 3 HP made by Ajax if I remember correctly. The motor/pulley combination calculates out to a blade speed or approximately 4600 FPM.

Bill

[Bill Space]

I've been watching that one too! Actually went to look for it and...poof! It's gone. Nice old arn there for sure.

Did you get to look at the jet mortiser he's selling by chance? Been thinking about pulling the trigger but, like everything else, the price;)

Any how sweet saw and glad someone is enjoying it!

The seller was a nice guy and had some interesting stuff, including a huge mortiser he showed me, and he may have mentioned the Jet in passing but not that it was for sale, don’t remember. He had a 36” bandsaw in pieces that he just bought, which was the reason for selling the 20”.

I know the feeling related to disappearing Craig’s list adds for sure. Glad for me I was the reason this add vaporized. :)

Bill

[Bill Space]

Crowning Tires

One other thing I know I need to do is crown the tires. They are relatively new, and appear to be the blue ones sold by Carter.

OWWM has a number threads showing how people have Crowned bandsaw tires themselves. Has anyone here crowned their own tires?

The tires on the saw are currently flat. The tracking (as bought) was in the center on the top wheel and well to the frame side on the bottom wheel.

The bottom blade guide guide has a spacer added to shift its position outward maybe 3/8 inch, another indication (in my mind) that the bottom wheel may need shifted a quarter inch or so towards the frame.

I want to take the time to make this saw as perfect as possible. It really is a nice piece of old iron. It is my first old piece of woodworking equipment, although I do have several old iron metal working machines (That I rarely use, seeming to favor the wood shop these days).

Bill