Cresent Jointer Questions

[Nate Rogers]

Hello All,
I am currently looking at purchasing a 16 inch cresent jointer, it is direct drive, I believe it is 5hp...The gent says that it does have babbet bearings. The question I have is, do any of you own one? And secondly for all of you who really know your old iron, what should I look for? Any problems that are specific to the cresent jointers? Any tips for inspecting the bearings? Any and all info is welcome

Thanks
Nate

[Jim Becker]

Joanne Adler has a Clement and is just posted a pictorial of the "clean up" from when she refurbed it. Yes, it has Babbet Bearings. They are not as desirable as modern bearing systems, but can be cleaned up, repacked and made quite serviceable, to the best of my knowledge.

[Adam Grills]

Nate,
There are lots of good guys on this forum but your best bet is to checkout and talk to the guys at OWWM. I too am cleaning up old iron and the guys on that forum have been very helpful and knowledgable.
Adam

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Nate,

My Cresent is not direct drive but does have babbet bearings. Do you have 3 phase? Check but I would bet that the motor is 3 phase. Check the head for play if it is solid you should be good for quite a while as long as you lube it before every session. I use Marvels air tool oil from a squirt oil can. Look at where the bearings caps are put togeather. If they put shims in when they poured the bearings the last time you can simple remove a shim as the bearing wears. When the shims are gone then you need to repour. I also recommend OWWM for research and information on old iron.

Good luck

[Mark Duginske]

This is from my upcoming new book THE NEW COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BAND SAW. Most of it relates to used tools in general.

FINDING USED EQUIPMENT

Finding used equipment is often a waiting game. Word of mouth,
classified ads, used machines dealers, estate sales and auctions are some of the places to look for used machines. E-bay and other online sources are popular. I personally would not buy a used machine that I did not inspect. There are just too many problems that are hard to determine in photos. With globalization a lot of businesses are closing. A bankruptcy auction is often a good source because the machinery was often being used until the sale. The demand for good used equipment is high and the bidding at the auction may escalate rapidly to the point where the price is no longer a good deal. Doing an online search for machinery auctions may be a good way to locate machines locally.

Used machines can be divided into two camps; ready-to-go and needs-help.

Ready-to-go as the name implies are machines that are ready to plug in and start cutting. They may need some adjustment and fine-tuning but they have the following characteristics; no missing parts,
no unusual customizing, no broken, abused, or worn out parts.

A ready-to-go band saw transaction is simply a matter of agreeing on a price. A Needs-help saw is a different situation.

Used equipment prices depend on the condi-tion and the desirability of a particular machine. The rule-of-thumb is that a brand name band saw in running condition will often sell for 50% to 75% of a new unit. The fair price is adjusted up or down from the 50% depending on age and condition. On the high end an almost new saw is probably worth about 75% of the new price. On the low end an older saw with a lot of use is worth roughly 25 or 35%
of a new saw.

Popular brands like Delta, General (Canadian) Powermatic or Jet are in demand. A huge advantage of these well known brands is that the company is still in business and repair parts are usually readily available. The price of lesser-known brands drops precipitously.

Needs-help as the name implies are machines that are worn out,
abused, missing parts, etc. Of course there are gradations of this category. Missing a throat plate is less severe than missing the bottom guide assembly. The needs-help group can be further divided into subgroups depending on the condition of the machine. I usually add a number for every $100 worth of parts or every 3 hours of work on the machine. A saw that needs two new tires ($40) a new throat plate ($8) guide blocks (Cool blocks $15), a new top guard ($12) and a half hour of work ($17.50) adds up to $92.50 making it a needs-help-1. The “1” representing $100.

Just about any one can handle a ready-to-go machine. A needs-help machine is a different matter and the needs should be matched with your skill, time, and money ratio. Each buyer has his/her own repair tolerance. A machinist who can make any part of a saw has a greater tolerance for repairs than someone with limited experience and tools. Be realistic about you limits and tolerance for used tools.

Industrial brands like Northfield®, Newman-Whitney, Crescent, Oliver, and Tannewitz® are desirable especially the smaller units. A friend of mine recently picked up a beautiful 20” Northfield® band saw at a retirement auction for the price of a new 14” unit. Northfield® and Tannewitz® are still in business so parts may be available which makes these machine even more desirable.

Deal Killers are situations that you should avoid unless you have a lot of experience and get a saw at a very good price.

* Cracks in casting- unless you are a very knowledgeable
welder (see restoration section at the end of this chapter)
* 3 Phase motors
* Older Direct drive motors
* Worn shafts of bearings
* Excessive vibration
* Missing key parts
* A burned out motor
* A machine, which has been disassembled
* Babbitt bearings (DEALING WITH BABBIT REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE AND CONSIDERABLE SKILL)
* Broken parts unless the part is readily avaialable

There are exceptions if you have the skill and the inclination.
Restoring of old cars, tractors and woodworking machines is a popular hobby. At the end of this chapter is a story about the restoration of an older Crescent band saw that had cracked castings, missing parts and required new Babbitt bearings. A member of the OLD WOOD WORKING MACHINES GROUP did this restoration. OWWM was founded as a public service to amateur and professional woodworkers who enjoy using and/or restoring vintage machinery. Their very informative website is http://www.owwm.com/. But just like I chap group, don’t belive everything that your read.

Good Luck,

Mark Duginske

P.S. I have been involved with a lot of restorations and some have turned out good and bad. The ones that turn out bad wind up wasting a lot of money and time. For every old auto that is shiny at the car show there are dozens that people have purchase that are sucking up space and energy.