Fay & Egan 36" bandsaw vs Frank Jones 36"

[Mark Gibney]

Which of these two band saws is the better machine? - aside from issues from wear and tear either might have?

One is a Fay & Egan 36" 950 lightening band saw, the other is a Frank Jones B-36".

I will potentially have a need for a good amount of re-saw height in a saw, and I don't want to / cannot spring for a nice new Northfield or Euro saw.
I also like the romance of older machines, but I am willing to be talked out of that foolishness.

EDIT: the F&E has 21 1/2" under the upper guide, the Frank Jones has 14 3/4" under the guide.

The Frank Jones saw is local to me, the Fay & Egan is a six hour drive away.

Here's a photo of each one - F&E first, then the Frank Jones.


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The prices are not bad, and honestly I'm guessing the sellers would likely come down more as they probably want these machines gone. But then comes the transporting, and the myriad issues with tires, guides, motors that older machines bring.
So I'm open to all sorts of advice here, even if it's just to learn more about these beautiful looking machines.

Lastly, how do either stack up against the Tannewitz 36", which seems to be an icon in this field.

[Mike Kees]

Mark I have zero knowledge on these old cast iron saws. But dang they sure look cool. The impressive thing for me is the massive throat depth and the possibilities that provides for cutting huge work pieces. The second thing that hit me is how much fun it would be to move one of those saws, all that cast iron is going to be HEAVY.. Good luck.

[Warren Lake]

how much under the guides to the table on each, here are some specs on 30" and 36" in Wadkin for some info. Only saw one Tannewitz and an auction and it look like great quality.

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[Andrew Hughes]

I would first look at the size of the motor and decide if my service could start the bandsaw. In my residence 5hp is max after that the lights dim in my house and my neighbors down stream.
I have a b20/20 Euro motor almost 5hp it pulls 70amps for a few seconds. It’s only a 20 inch wheel

[Bill Dufour]

Ball or babbit bearings? I think F@E was gone before ball bearings really took off.
Bill. D

[Stewart Lang]

I've never heard of Frank Jones. Just based off that I'd probably lean towards Fay & Egan myself. It also seems to have more resaw height.

[Warren Lake]

here is the plate on this one. RPM typed on the plate lower than the manual.
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[Eric Arnsdorff]

Just thought I'd point out the obvious - that nameplate indicates 575 VAC. I'm guessing you realize it is 3 phase but that isn't a typical voltage available in the US. I think Canada may have it. You can always get a transformer or new motor.

[Warren Lake]

575 is correct.

What I wondered about the manual listed RPM at 750 yet the plate says 575 same as the voltage so logic thought did they type the RPM wrong by accident. I think I had been told there was two RPM's and try and get the slower one.

[Mark Gibney]

Hi Warren, I don't understand what bandsaw motor that nameplate is on?

If the motor won't work for my situation I may pass on a machine.

[Will Boulware]

If that F&E is even an option.... GO GET IT! Monster of a saw. But make sure you're comfortable handling and transporting something that size. Even if it needs tires (which can be expensive) and a few small parts, it'll be worth it. I'd love to have one, but the 9 foot height kind of has me over a barrel.

Seriously, both of those are big saws and they're heavy and they can be tippy if you lean them wrong. Make sure you work out your logistics before going to get one. 6 hours is no big deal. Uhaul trailer and you're out and back in a day.

To your point about a Tannewitz, those tend to run fast in terms of blade speed, but really, with what you're looking at between these two and a Tanny.... You're almost at a Ford/Chevy/Ram stage. They all have far more capability than most people will ever fully utilize.

[Will Boulware]

Adding on to cover the rest of your questions... Guides can be replaced or rebuilt, but many of the stock guides on that class of machine are as good as or better than anything you'll get today.

For the motors, 3 phase is no big deal, but watch out for a non-dual voltage motor that's 440v only. (Or 575v to Warren's point.) If it's a direct drive saw, that adds a layer of complexity as you don't have as many options. You can add a transformer, but that's something else you've got to get comfortable with. Most were 3-5 hp, but there were certainly 7.5's and 10 hp models out there. Check your power requirements as compared to your panel, especially if you're running a converter.

If either of these saws happen to have them, babbitt bearings aren't the devil, especially on a bandsaw that size. Those shaft RPM's aren't anything to worry about, usually way lower than a jointer, etc. so they're easy to work with. Do some homework and go in with your eyes open, but after you get either of those running, you won't regret it.

[Bill Dufour]

Warren, I wonder if the rpm is based on 50/60 Hz difference? How do you power that motor, transformer?
Bill D.

[Bill Dufour]

As per all the bandsaw moving stories remove the table first. Do not break the irreplaceable trunnions.
Bill D
I had this picture from somewhere floating around on my computer.

[Warren Lake]

The saw is 60HZ. 10 Roto and 30KVA transformer. Jack Forsberg sent me a detailed explain on speed and why and more for the Wadkin, ill have to read several times to sink in. Besides having the woodwork thing down he really understands the technical stuff very well. Ill ask if hes okay with me posting it. Its very detailed, you will know its not me right away :)

The height of the saw and moving was a concern. Didnt see standing 8' 6" up on a car trailer The last owner ticked off as I wanted to take it apart and lay it down. It was more work at both ends but felt safer for a six hour drive.

[David Kumm]

The F and E lightning was a very heavily built saw. considered by those who have one as at least as good if not better than Tanny and almost as heavy as Yates. I would guess the rpm is correct. 600 rpm less slip would be about correct for a direct drive 36" machine. Still over 5400 SFM. Condition is everything although there isn't much to a bandsaw. Make sure the wheel spindles are not worn and track true. Dave

[Warren Lake]

yes that is what Jack said. What is slip referring to exactly.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I took a bit of a 36" bandsaw crash course when I bought my Oliver. It had a really old 5hp motor that I thought was under powered probably, so I immediately replaced it with a 7.5 Baldor. I probably didn't need to do that. The blade speed was ridiculous, something over 5000 spfm, which I hated. I slowed it down to nearer 3000 with different pulleys. Point is, these machines may have been set up for some specific thing in the past that doesn't make sense for your current uses. My saw is perfect for me now with the fiddling, but you may not want to do that. Run them if you can.

Also, guide systems are a huge deal on these machines. My Oliver came with a garbage Carter retrofit. Something that would have been adequate for a much smaller machine but just not for a 36" machine. Come to find out, a NOS Tannewitz guide assembly that I found fit perfectly and it dramatically improved the machine. THe guides on these two are different and hard to see details from the pics. Can you get more pics of them? I suspect the Fay and Egan has a better assembly.

I'd be worried that the Frank Jones is sitting in a mechanics shop, and it's not a machine that I've heard of.

Babbit is fit, especially if it's in good shape. The F&E is probably babbit, it'd be good to see it before committing.

Bottom line, need more info.

[David Kumm]

Slip relates to actual rpm vs the standard. For instance a 2 pole motor rated at 3600 rpm will actually produce closer to 3450. Also keep in mind that you can't compare a 5 hp 600 rpm motor to a 5 hp 3600 rpm motor. the 600 rpm motor will have 6 times the torque of a 5 hp 3600 rpm motor. That is why the frame size is so large. I will also bet the Lightning is ball bearing but check to be sure. Babbit is fine if in good condition but I believe the lightning series was the earliest ball bearing series for Faye and Egan. My 509 mortiser from the late 20s is ball bearing. Dave

[Mark Gibney]

Well I for sure learned a lot about these saws. My reckoning is that pursuing a love at first sight might lead to a troubled romance, what with moving an extremely large machine, housing it, powering it and so on. Perhaps a more functional route would be a more recent Euro re-saw bandsaw with a small footprint and lighter weight and so on.
I enjoyed learning all this, thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
I guess if I owned a large shop (I rent a medium space) I would love to get the F&E. I could restore it at a leisurely pace, but mostly I could just admire it, and on days when work is stressing me out I could go hug it :D

[Bill Dufour]

The geometry of tilting a tall saw like that upright inside a room can be interesting. It may be nine feet tall but over ten feet is needed when being tipped up.
Bill D

[Warren Lake]

this in an Email from Jack

Optimum speed for resawing is Between 4000 and 5000 surface feet per minute of the blade. A larger bandsaw i requires slower speed motors. Motors are controlled for speed by the number of hrz and the number of poles . A 575 RPM motor is a 12 pole motor at 60 hrz . Synchronous speed of a motor with that many poles is 600 and the 575 RPM accounts for the slippage. Surface feet per minute is calculated by the RPM and the wheel diameter circumference Times 60. Both numbers are correct.Generally the larger bandsaw’s were considered high speed bandsaw is for production work. For scrollwork the high speed is ideal. But for resaw The slower speed is ideal. Incidentally the ubiquitous 14 inch Delta Bandsaws runs in about 3500 ft./min.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I could restore it at a leisurely pace, but mostly I could just admire it, and on days when work is stressing me out I could go hug it :D

Honestly Mark, that is all mine does most days, and it was worth every penny. It's become a shop mascot of sorts. Some customers like to tour the shop and it is always the first thing they notice. In my experience with mine, they are kind of gentle giants. Quiet, beautiful cuts, no drama, they just work.

I did almost kill myself tipping it too far when moving it once though, the mass does deserve some respect. Just take the top wheel off, don't mess with tipping.

Yes I'm embarrassed that it is sitting on a pallet in this pic.

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[Mark Gibney]

Steve that's a fine looking saw. No wonder your client's are drawn to it.
Warren and David, thanks for demystifying the motor and blade speed tangle for me.

[Bill Dufour]

Frank E. Jones was a distributor in Los Angeles according to owwm. Never made any tools. You will have to figure out the maker of that bandsaw. It may be a better make then F&E.
Bill D
A little more digging on OWWM says it may be oliver, american or rodgers.

[David Kumm]

Oliver and I believe American before becoming part of Yates were C frame saws. the Yates American were similar in design to the picture ( not C frame ) and I am not familiar with Rodgers. A Yates might be heavier than the F and E but as always, condition is everything at this level. Any parts needed will have to be made for either. Dave