Walker Turner BS info???

[M Toupin]

My dad found an exceptional deal on a Walker Turner 16" Drive-Line band saw. It's in fairly decent shape but it needs a little work to bring it back to 100%. We're planning a complete refurb but have a few questions for the old iron experts:

I've found some old W/T catalogs on line, from what I can tell it's about a 1940-50 era saw. Is there any way to date it by the ser#? (22639).

Also, I've been told there was a good article on restoring a W/T in Fine Woodworking. Unfortunately it's out of print... would anyone have a copy they might sell or photocopy? The edition info is:

Fine Woodworking - January/February 1993 - #98
RESTORING VINTAGE MACHINERY - Page 74
Band saw’s lessons can be applied throughout the shop
by Robert M. Vaughan

Thanks

Mike

[Bill Simmeth]

Bob Vaughn is a frequent poster at the OWWM.com forum. You might try to ping him there. Nice saw.

[M Toupin]

I've found OWWM.com, there's lots of info on there, it's just a difficult site to navigate though. I guess I just haven’t spent enough time on there to figure it out yet. I see Bob Vaughn is located in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:p Funny thing is I'm in the Roanoke/Salem area right now doing Army Reserve training. I come out here at least once a month so maybe I can track him down.ff
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Bob Vaughn is a frequent poster at the OWWM.com forum. You might try to ping him there. Nice saw.

[John Bailey]

M,

I believe I've got that article on a pdf. file. PM me if you still need it. As I recall, I couldn't get the very last part of the article, so it may not be complete.

John

[M Toupin]

Thank you for the offer John, PM sent.

Mike

[Mark Berenbrok]

If the PDF file doesn't work out drop me an e-mail (cdmaster@msn.com) and I'll mail you a copy of the article. I have a WT lathe from the same period.

[Rich Tesoroni]

Is this the article you are talking about? It's on the OWWM website:

http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/FAQ/1993-FWW78-79.pdf

Rich

[Steve Cox]

That's the only article I know of Rich. It is also reprinted in the FWW book "The small Wood Shop" in the "Best of Fine Woodworking" series. This book is in color so the pictures would be better if you can find it at the library or elsewhere. It has a picture of Mark Duginske in his shop on the cover.

[M Toupin]

Rich, that's the same article that John sent me. It looks pretty good and covers the basics. It also gives a source for the lower wheel bearings which is great. I had read on OWWM that the lower bearings were not a standard size and not available which concerned me a bit. If the local bearing shop can't get them then I'll call the listed source.

The base and belt guard are missing from the saw, though it may have never had them. From what I understand the saw originally could be ordered in pieces and it was not unusual for folks to reduce the cost by omitting the factory base for a shop made one. It would be nice to find originals, though I don't have very high hopes for that. If anyone happens to have a base and guard laying around let me know, I'd be very interested in buying them.

On the up side, it does have the original 1/2 hp Walker-Turner badged motor which runs like brand new. We'll probably upgrade the motor to 2-3 hp though, 1/2hp is a little on the anemic side for resawing. Anyone want to trade a motor for a base? :)

Mike

[Steve Cox]

I think I would try that 1/2hp motor before I upgraded. If I'm not mistaken they were rated differently back then and that might have all the power you need.

[Bill Simmeth]

I think I would try that 1/2hp motor before I upgraded.I agree. Just a real shame to yank the original motor from a classic machine when there's no real reason to.

[M Toupin]

I agree it's a shame to pull out a original 1/2 hp motor and we'd like to get it 100% original, but we also plan on using this saw for what it was designed to do - cut wood.

We'll give it a try with the original motor but I really don't have high expectations that the 1/2 hp will have enough power for 10-12" of resawing. I already have a budget 16" BS with a 1 1/2hp. Even with 1 1/2 hp it often struggles w/10-12" resawing... Ya have to remember back in the day WT only sold 1/2 to 3/4 motors for this saw, they didn't have a lot of choice. Home electric power in the 1940s wasn't what it is today either. I'm sure back then that a 1/2 to 3/4 hp motor really put a strain on the average house electrical system!

Mike


I agree. Just a real shame to yank the original motor from a classic machine when there's no real reason to.

[tod evans]

m, i make a 9hp motor grunt when resawing 10-12" lumber....you may want to reconsider what you`re asking a small machine to do? .02 tod

[Rich Tesoroni]

I need a motor for my W-T 16" too. Think I'm limited to 1/2 to 3/4 HP since that's all I've found with a 1/2" shaft (it's the wood/metal with the four step pulley.)

Guess I could decide on how many fpm I want, put a single pulley on, and use a bigger motor.

Rich

[Bill Simmeth]

I agree it's a shame to pull out a original 1/2 hp motor and we'd like to get it 100% original, but we also plan on using this saw for what it was designed to do - cut wood.Hmmm, don't you see the irony in that statement?