Old bandsaw help

[Thomas murphy]

I am looking for a good bandsaw and decided to buy a sheppach basato 4. But today at a second hand dealer I saw a band saws for sale. Very old and all cast iron. There is no names visible exept on the motor Kiel manufactured. Never heard of it. It is a very solid machine and I did a test drive. Two things is a worry for me. 1 the motor is directly mounted to the lower wheel. Is this a negative.
2 The blade does not run in a channel on the none cutting side. Some body did however made a nice hard wood channel.

Also the motor seems to be only 1 horsepower. I am sure if I can source and fit a higher powered motor the saw will be able to handle it. I will go back this afternoon to take some pics.

[John Bailey]

It would be helpful if you could post some pictures. Depending on the size and age of the band saw, 1 hp could be enough. Some of the older 1 hp motors perform more like higher hp modern motors. The direct drive is usually considered a plus.

I'm interested in seeing the saw, hope you can get some pictures.

John

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thomas, I agree with John, 100%. I wouldn't worry about the blade not running in a channel either, just the way things where built then. It probably was a more expensive way, and stronger, then what is considered common now. Old cast iron bandsaws are a joy to use, after a tuning, and usually are a bargain.

[Lee Schierer]

Having the lower wheel on the motor shaft is not an ideal condition. The motor bearings will be taking the load of the blade tension and may or may not deal with that load well. Take a close look at the motor mounting and insure that you can find a replacement motor that will fit the mounting, otherwise you may be purchasing a good cast iron boat anchor if the motor fails. A new motor may run nearly as much as a new saw, so check your prices before you lay down cash on the saw.

My Delta saw just has a plastic channel on th non- cutting side so I see no problems having one made of wood as long as the blade is well inside it when the saw is running.

[Pete Bradley]

Having the lower wheel on the motor shaft is not an ideal condition. The motor bearings will be taking the load of the blade tension and may or may not deal with that load well.

Hard to tell without a picture but I believe he's describing a direct drive, which is a very normal option for many industrial saws. This should not be confused with some of the cheapo small band saws that hang the wheel directly off a low quality motor with a long shaft.

Take a close look at the motor mounting and insure that you can find a replacement motor that will fit the mounting
This is indeed a consideration on direct drive machines. Often the motor is 3 phase which will require a VFD or phase converter, and if it's cooked, you may have to get it rewound as it could be difficult to replace.

Pete