Jason King
07-17-2008, 12:14 AM
She's not quite finished, but the Universal Saw Bench that I purchased off of e-bay is finally cutting wood!
It's a 1905 American Woodworking Machine Universal Saw Bench. Dual Arbor, dual 16" blades (dedicated rip, dedicated crosscut). Powered by a 5.5 hp single phase motor.
When I received it, it was in surprisingly good condition for being a century old. Rust was minimal, and other than being in desperate need of a good cleaning and some lubrication, it was ready to go.
Here it is when I first received it
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2111484849_522515a06e_m.jpg
The top was pretty dinged up when I received it, and I was tempted to have the entire top reground, but upon closer inspection, there is a good deal of engraving on the top. So, rather than regrinding, some mineral spirits and sandpaper brightened up the surface and removed much of the staining and rust.
Here are some of the engravings on the saw.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2128/2111484859_f44d3cea49.jpg
Here's a shot of the fence. (the blade has been replaced)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2111484855_7fde28b1ac.jpg
I'm particularly fond of the brass angle indicator.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2112265422_4c7d93d82b.jpg
The sliding table was nearly a stationary table when I first received it. It took quite a shove to get the table to move, and it would grind to a stop in almost no time. Thankfully, removing, cleaning, and oiling the six roller bearings under the sliding table fixed all these problems. It now rolls effortlessly.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2582914010_a31b4f901d.jpg
In my opinion, the trickiest part of the process was figuring out how to get power to the blades. Sadly the original motor and flat belt pulley did not come with the saw. After receiving some very helpful replies to my questions on another forum, I settled upon a Jack Shaft concept. The new 5.5 HP single phase motor runs a v-belt pulley that is attached to a v-belt to flat belt jack shaft. It's easier to show than to explain...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/2582913866_775918eef1.jpg
The current setup is only a mock up to get the measurements I need to create a slightly more elegant motor and jack shaft mount, but it suffices for the time being.
Yesterday I took possession of my next project, an 1894 Porter metal lathe. Needless to say, moving all the new equipment took some time, but about midnight I managed to fire up the USB and demonstrate the saw's crosscutting abilities.
Here's a video of the demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taiBgCC1FU8
I must say, this is quite a step up from my 3/4 hp craftsman contractors saw.
It took me about a year total to get the saw to this point. I have a few "housekeeping" changes to make, but it's good to have it working again.
It's a 1905 American Woodworking Machine Universal Saw Bench. Dual Arbor, dual 16" blades (dedicated rip, dedicated crosscut). Powered by a 5.5 hp single phase motor.
When I received it, it was in surprisingly good condition for being a century old. Rust was minimal, and other than being in desperate need of a good cleaning and some lubrication, it was ready to go.
Here it is when I first received it
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2111484849_522515a06e_m.jpg
The top was pretty dinged up when I received it, and I was tempted to have the entire top reground, but upon closer inspection, there is a good deal of engraving on the top. So, rather than regrinding, some mineral spirits and sandpaper brightened up the surface and removed much of the staining and rust.
Here are some of the engravings on the saw.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2128/2111484859_f44d3cea49.jpg
Here's a shot of the fence. (the blade has been replaced)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2111484855_7fde28b1ac.jpg
I'm particularly fond of the brass angle indicator.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2112265422_4c7d93d82b.jpg
The sliding table was nearly a stationary table when I first received it. It took quite a shove to get the table to move, and it would grind to a stop in almost no time. Thankfully, removing, cleaning, and oiling the six roller bearings under the sliding table fixed all these problems. It now rolls effortlessly.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2582914010_a31b4f901d.jpg
In my opinion, the trickiest part of the process was figuring out how to get power to the blades. Sadly the original motor and flat belt pulley did not come with the saw. After receiving some very helpful replies to my questions on another forum, I settled upon a Jack Shaft concept. The new 5.5 HP single phase motor runs a v-belt pulley that is attached to a v-belt to flat belt jack shaft. It's easier to show than to explain...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/2582913866_775918eef1.jpg
The current setup is only a mock up to get the measurements I need to create a slightly more elegant motor and jack shaft mount, but it suffices for the time being.
Yesterday I took possession of my next project, an 1894 Porter metal lathe. Needless to say, moving all the new equipment took some time, but about midnight I managed to fire up the USB and demonstrate the saw's crosscutting abilities.
Here's a video of the demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taiBgCC1FU8
I must say, this is quite a step up from my 3/4 hp craftsman contractors saw.
It took me about a year total to get the saw to this point. I have a few "housekeeping" changes to make, but it's good to have it working again.