# Instruments and Equipment > Builders and Repair >  Old Woodworking Machines

## Walt

A couple of months ago, Cafe members pointed me in the direction of a 1939 Walker Turner 16 in. bandsaw. Since then, I've been working on getting it cleaned and set up properly. James Condino (grandcanyonminstrel) has been gracious enough to spend a lot of time giving me direction on getting this old saw in working order. (Thank you, James!).

As a byproduct of this restoration project, I've developed a pretty serious obsession with these old woodworking machines. I started this thread for two reasons: (1) to have a place to document the restoration of the Walker Turner Bandsaw, and (2) to shamelessly solicit pictures of y'all's old woodworking machines. Giant bandsaws, old heavy table saws, jointers, planers, shapers, motors, rusted, painted, broken, whatever. 

So, let's see what you've got.

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Dave Sheets, 

hank, 

Ryk Loske

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## Walt

One of my favorite parts of the restoration thus far, has been restoring the badge to its original color. A prior owner stripped the original badge and painted it dark green. Luckily the badge had raised lettering, so it was just a matter of stripping the old paint, spraying a coat of paint over the entire surface, then using a razor to scrape the raised areas.

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Bill Clements, 

Dave Sheets, 

David Houchens, 

hank, 

j. condino, 

Jeff Mando, 

John Bertotti, 

Kirk Higgins, 

Mark Gunter, 

Ryk Loske, 

soliver, 

tree

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## Marty Jacobson

Looks like you're off to a good start.

Perks of my day job... spent a whole summer restoring this:

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Bill Clements, 

Bob Schmidt, 

David Houchens, 

hank, 

j. condino, 

John Bertotti, 

Kirk Higgins, 

Ryk Loske, 

soliver, 

tree, 

Walt

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## Walt

That is seriously cool, Marty.

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## j. condino

Since average folks can no longer afford the most desirable models of vintage cars and instruments, my entire workshop has turned into a vintage tool museum. Here are just a couple of examples:

1940s Walker Turner 16" bandsaw

1940 Yates Y30 bandsaw with "snowflake" covers

1940s Emmert vise

1953 Delta Unisaw

1947 Delta sander

j.
www.condino.com

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Bill Clements, 

Bob Schmidt, 

David Houchens, 

GarY Nava, 

hank, 

John Bertotti, 

Kirk Higgins, 

Mark Gunter, 

MikeEdgerton, 

pops1, 

Randolph, 

Ryk Loske, 

tree, 

Walt

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## Walt

James, the Art Deco styling on the WT and the two Deltas is killer. What's the story on the Emmert Vise? I hadn't heard of them, but a quick google search indicates they're highly sought after.

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## David Houchens

Marty, here's my old South Bend 13". Not restored by any means. That one is mighty nice.  What is the swing on it? Walt sweet job on the badge. James I'm still drooling over seeing your old machines.

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j. condino, 

John Bertotti, 

Kirk Higgins, 

Walt

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## David Houchens

Oh, by the way, that's my Dad in the picture. we both could use some restoration.

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Walt

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## hank

. I want this Scroll saw!

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John Bertotti, 

Ryk Loske, 

Walt

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## hank

I’ve been drooling over this Nuevoish scroll saw for years. Matt.  Back in the real world I’m trying to get a tremor shake out of my beater Rigid cut anything band saw.  I realigned the motor to the drive pulley, replaced the drive wheel bearings and replaced the tires.  All that is left is balancing or replacing the drive wheel.  Any suggestions welcome cafe builders.  I’m looking for suggestions for a big two handed curved gouge if anyone has found a good one.

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Walt

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## j. condino

The "Emmert Cafe":

http://www.mprime.com/Emmert/index.htm

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David Houchens, 

hank, 

tree, 

Walt

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## Marty Jacobson

There's an old Oliver at the Savannah Roundhouse museum. Cast iron frame, oak wheels, not a guard in sight. Wish I could find the picture I took of it last time I was there.

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Walt

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## Walt

> . I want this Scroll saw!


Hank, that scroll saw is intense. I'd love to find a video of that thing in action.

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## Walt

I'm waiting on blades to come in, so I decided to do some rough polishing on the handles. I think a lathe is the proper tool for this, right? I don't have one, so I (very carefully) spun the handle on my cordless drill and used progressively finer sandpaper to polish. I didn't get aggressive enough to remove all of the pitting, but for the most part it shined up nicely.

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hank, 

j. condino, 

John Bertotti, 

Ryk Loske

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## j. condino

I just sold this old Walker Turner lathe a couple of months ago when I brought home a giant old Oliver patternmaker's lathe. 

About 35 years ago, an old Crescent  adjustable tilt "shipbuilders" bandsaw like this one was my first introduction to old iron.....

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Bill Clements, 

John Bertotti, 

Ryk Loske, 

tree, 

Walt

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## Walt

I have actually been looking for one of those deco Walker Turner lathes ever since I saw one in the old WT catalog. I'd actually like to collect all of the deco-base WT tools at some point. Well, lo and behold this one popped up on the OWWM forum. 



Unfortunately, it was in Northern Ontario. But amazingly I managed to line up a rucker from Canada to ArnFest to Jackson, MS. So I should have it in a few weeks.
It was only $50, but it needs a tremendous amount of work. Looking forward to getting to work on it.

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John Bertotti

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## Dale Ludewig

I used to have one of those Walker Turner lathes. It was great. Does it have a tapered pulley in the box?

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## Walt

> I used to have one of those Walker Turner lathes. It was great. Does it have a tapered pulley in the box?


Dale, it did at one time (seller called it a Reeves drive???); however, it was removed at some point. I'm not sure whether I want to wait to find one, or just install a VFD to control the speed.

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## j. condino

Walt- notice a pattern here??? You've got the old machinery lust setting in pretty hard. It is a whole lot easier lusting after and bringing home old iron than expensive old mandolins...It is nice that the old machines are super affordable, unlike old instruments these days.

 I almost bought that lathe! $50 is a great price; I paid ten times that for a rusted out unrestored shell.....

Those era Walker Turner lathes have a 1 x 12 tpi spindle / faceplate as original spec and a very odd bearing and spindle setup with difficult to find faceplates. 

In the '50s, Walker Turner was bought out by Delta, they dropped the relationship with the funky bearing supplier, and for a few years Delta used the same head casting with different more standard bearings. For about $50, you should be able to find a Delta 1460 head with the pulleys and spindle. They are a direct replacement for the Walker Turner setup- even the bearings pop into the same fitting. In about 45 minutes time, you can convert the whole thing to the Delta setup. That will give you easy to find bearings and the common 1x8 spindle and faceplate- probably the most common size around. 1 x 12 tpi faceplates tend to be $50-85; 1 x 8 can be had for as little as $7. Afterwards, you can usually sell off the Walker Turner head and spindle parts for more that you paid for the 1460 parts.

The reeves drive that it came with is nice, but you'll find it a lot better driver if you find a three phase motor and then use a variable frequency drive for speed control.

I made a lot of money using that Walker Turner lathe in my shop for several years. Earlier this year I was able to sell it off and bring home a giant Oliver 20 patternmaker's lathe for about $150 more.

Now you need a nice old Walker Turner drill press to round out the lathe and bandsaw; that was my "gateway tool"- purchased from the original owner & still have it as a daily driver for almost 20 years.

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David Houchens, 

Walt

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## Walt

> It is a whole lot easier lusting after and bringing home old iron than expensive old mandolins...It is nice that the old machines are super affordable, unlike old instruments these days.


I know, it's crazy how affordable this stuff is. And that whole "rucker" network they have set up on OWWM forum is incredible too: the seller is transporting it from Ontario to Chicago, and another OWWM enthusiast is taking it from Chicago to Mississippi. And every time I ask them to give me a price they say "We're just happy to help." I'm going to insist on paying them something, but in theory I could have gotten this thing for $50 (price and shipping from Canada).

Thanks for the info on the Delta parts. That seems like the way to go.

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j. condino

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## Walt

In an hilarious turn of events, the seller was turned away at the Canadian border. Because he was carrying a load of equipment, customs said he was operating as a commercial venture without the proper paperwork. This is something that neither the seller (a Canadian) nor I (a transactional attorney and idiot) contemplated beforehand. So, no lathe for now, but I still have my eyes out for one.

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## Dale Ludewig

I could make a political statement right now, but I've decided it might violate forum guidelines.

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Walt

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## j. condino

Violate them ! It needs to be said!

He got refused at the border crossing for bringing a pickupload of broken old tools down to  Arnfest  this weekend??? WTF......

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## sunburst

I've had this one for a while but I finally set it up so I can use it!
I don't know the year it was made, it is a Crescent 12" jointer. I put a mandolin top blank on the table for perspective, and to show that a 12" jointer is easily capable of flattening the surface of a mandolin top or back while it is still well over it's eventual 10" width. (I just made the jointer guard in the last couple of days.)

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hank, 

j. condino, 

John Bertotti, 

Walt

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## hank

Nice one John.  Here is another old industrial scroll saw that was refurbished by one of the vintage machine members. The label is the furniture factory logo that closed making the saw available for sale.

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John Bertotti, 

Walt

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## Timbofood

HOOOOO WHEEEE! 
Thats a big piece of equipment! That has good written all over it!
Scroll saw looks pretty darned spiffy too, tilt table?

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## soliver

20 years ago when I was a student in the Sculpture dept at the Atlanta College of Art, the College's wood shop had an enormous Oliver Bandsaw, I can't give any exact specs on it, but it was big and green and the flywheels had to be somewhere between 20" and 30" and it had a tabletop that was as big as (or bigger than) any table saw top. Had to be 9 feet tall! ... I always threatened I was going to take it home as it was an "Oliver" so it had my name all over it.

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## Walt

I recently finished my two mandolin builds so I'm about to jump back into the Walker Turner Bandsaw Restoration. I wanted to get some work out of it pre-refinish, so I could make sure everything was running smoothly. Thanks to some setup advice from James Condino, it's running beautifully. It's by a mile the nicest tool I've ever owned. I hope to have some progress pics up in the next couple of weeks. 

Also, I just pulled the trigger on a 1940's Walker Turner table saw that will need restoring.  :Grin:  It's not the cool art deco table saw from 1939 that I've been drooling over, but I'm still pretty excited about having it in the shop.

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hank, 

j. condino, 

John Bertotti

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## j. condino

You won't think that four foot 1939 unisaw is so cool the first time you drag it across the shop floor and one of the fragile "feet" break. There is a reason they switched to the solid plinth in 1940. I much prefer my 1945 with the louvered door...'purchased for $250 six blocks from my house...!

That old yellow Walker Turner lathe I used to own was up on craigslist this week...

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Walt

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## Timbofood

This whole tool thread is so much fun! You guys are deeply afflicted with TAS (Tool Acquisition Syndrome)!

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Walt

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## Walt

> That old yellow Walker Turner lathe I used to own was up on craigslist this week...


I looked for a Delta unisaw for a long time, and nothing would ever come up in my area. I'm still going to get one at some point.

I saw your write-up about that yellow lathe over at OWWM. That thing is seriously cool. Is it around Asheville still? 

The guy I'm getting the table saw from says he also has a 6" jointer with a cast iron Art Deco base--the only two I know of are a Delta and a Walker Turner. If it's the Delta, I want it. If it's the Walker Turner, I think I have to have it. I'm still waiting on him to send me pics, though.

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John Bertotti

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## Walt

I'm probably letting nostalgia get ahead of function here, but my dream is to track down the whole Walker Turner art deco catalog.

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John Bertotti

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## sunburst

I've bought and sold at least 3 Unisaws, swapped parts between them and kept the best (though decidedly not the best looking!) parts to put together into my own saw. 50s base and table with cast iron base, newer 3hp motor, that sort of thing. The power went out while I was right in the middle of a rip cut a week or so ago, I was in the dark shop holding onto a board with the saw winding down, the power came back on and the newer magnetic starter kept the saw turned off so it didn't start back up and throw a board at me. Sometimes new stuff is OK!

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hank, 

j. condino, 

Timbofood, 

Walt

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## Walt

I swung over to Shreveport tonight to pick up the old Walker Turner table saw. Its a model 1180B, but Im not sure which year (somewhere in the 40s, I think). It needs a lot of work, but Im very excited about restoring it. The tilt and lift moves freely. 
Ill need to track down a motor, if anyone has advice. Ill need to track down some table top extensions too. Has anyone made their own?

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John Bertotti

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## j. condino

I have a cast iron Delta table top extension that I just removed yesterday. It should work; maybe drill a hole or two to mod it. I was using it to couple my 1946 Unisaw to my 2017 Sawstop. You can have it (and the whole Delta table top; 'gotta newer one with t-slots...) for a single PBR while we laugh and play a few tunes....

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Walt

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## Walt

Heck yeah! I could use a little trip out to Asheville. And I’ll bring a whole case of PBR if you’ll show me the giant bandsaw.

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j. condino

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## Walt

The Walker Turner table saw is coming along. I've still got to track down a motor and a fence system and have a machinist work a little magic on the tilt assembly, but everything else has cleaned up nicely. The most fun I've had so far has been restoring the badges. I hope to have some pics up soon of the replica Walker Turner logo badge I'm making from scratch using a saltwater/electricity etch.

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hank, 

j. condino, 

John Bertotti, 

tree

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## Bill McCall

This seems like old home week.  When I was an apprentice we had a mixture of old and new machinery in the shop, along with the staff.  Pre-war Crescent bandsaw, Walker Turner table saw, Northfield sliding-table table saw, square head American molding machines, Greenlee tenoners and Yates 36” bandsaw among the old.  

In my home shop I had a 12” Crescent jointer, which I sold to Bridge City Tools about 1980.   (They used it for years). When I started turning I bought and have a prewar 11” Delta lathe and a 24” C. O. Porter wood lathe, currently configured for 8’ length, cut down from 12’.  Biggest thing I turned were staved columns 16” x 8’.

Can’t beat heavy, smooth running equipment.

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Walt

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## belbein

I don't think it violates forum guidelines (though I guess I'll find out) to say that we don't know whose customs turned them back.  My bet would be the Canadians, though it could have been ICE.  Not that I have anything against Canadians or their customs enforcement.  But ever since the US Government started treating them like a foreign country--rather than members of the North American family--they seem to have been on a vendetta.  Not unjustified, by any means, but clearly one bit of stupidity in international relations beget other bits and then bigger and bigger tits for tats.  

Our government has not been immune to this stupid junior-high level crap, and it's not just the current regieme.  Back in the late 60's/early 70s, the world famous Canadian writer Farley Mowat wrote that when B52s flew over his property as part of SAC, he would rush outside and shoot at them with his pellet gun as a protest.  He was thereafter denied entry into the US.

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## Darryl Wolfe

From what I've seen working on old Gibson mandolins, they apparently had some sort of bandsaw or scroll saw that utilized round profile blades of files.  There is distinct evidence that suggests they even had some sort of template that was used during the cut, similar to  how we might use a roller tipped pattern router blade today

Some of the clues are the curved bottom of bridges with distinct marks, the peghead cut itself that ends in a round profile dead end on the curl, the body scroll, same round profile in the center.  Neck dove tails, same round profile

Any facts or fictionalisms?

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## Marty Jacobson

> 20 years ago when I was a student in the Sculpture dept at the Atlanta College of Art, the College's wood shop had an enormous Oliver Bandsaw, I can't give any exact specs on it, but it was big and green and the flywheels had to be somewhere between 20" and 30" and it had a tabletop that was as big as (or bigger than) any table saw top. Had to be 9 feet tall! ... I always threatened I was going to take it home as it was an "Oliver" so it had my name all over it.


Did you know Craig McClure who ran that shop? He bought us a very similar Oliver with 36" wheels when he was running the College of Architecture shop at GT when I was a student. Craig had a lot of cool tools, a Morgan roadster, a lot of cool Leica cameras, and a bunch of cool guitars, tenor guitars, banjos, and mandolins as well!

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## Walt

> From what I've seen working on old Gibson mandolins, they apparently had some sort of bandsaw or scroll saw that utilized round profile blades of files.  There is distinct evidence that suggests they even had some sort of template that was used during the cut, similar to  how we might use a roller tipped pattern router blade today


Thats interesting, Darryl. I wonder if we have any pictures of some of the old Gibson shop tools. That would be cool to see what they were using.

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## Walt

While I’m thinking about it, the Walker Turner bandsaw is almost complete. That piece of cardboard is a rough template for a VFD mount. I also need to fabricate a blade cover.

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John Bertotti

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## j. condino

Private message sent about the blade cover.

The band saw is nice, but your mandocello video is fantastic! Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many people try to overplay the instrument but your approach is refreshingly understated! It made me want to clear everything off my workbench and start making one for myself....

j.

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Walt

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## Rick Lindstrom

I ran across this on Facebook market place and decided to post it here- a big old bandsaw, in pretty sad shape but probably a candidate for restoration, for $300. If I were younger, I'd probably be all over it. I hope the Facebook link works.

If you are in the Southeast (Jax, FL) and ever lusted after such a thing, here's your chance.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...9193418023814/

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## MikeEdgerton

In the event that you don't have a Facebook account here are some pictures. Rough shape. It's been rained on but it's big.

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John Bertotti

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## sunburst

Same here. If I was younger, it was closer, and I didn't already have one that is very similar I'd jump on that bandsaw!
Needs a lot of cleaning and work, perhaps replacement parts, but could be made into a wonderful machine.

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Mark Gunter

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## Timbofood

All I can say is “Daaaang!” Younger, closer, and shop space, you bet!

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## Bill McCall

Depends if you want to work on machines or with machines.

I’m very happy the ‘work on machines’ phase has passed for me.  And less tired :Smile:

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hank

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## jim simpson

I like the see-through blade guard!

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## Richard500

Here in Connecticut, where the history is centuries of metalworking, but there’s much other history, old machines, especially big and heavy ones, mostly go begging, even the many that originated here. I’ve been a member for decades of the CT Antique Machinery outfit in Kent, where reside things like steam engines with 12’ flywheels, and where, each summer, festivals bring all sorts of exhibits and vendors, and tens of thousands of people: women even.  Picked up an Emmert there just for fun (it’s not as great as it seems), and from a Pennysaver ad, a 15” two-knife planer, no name, but maybe 1880s, gasoline powered when I got it, but probably originally overhead shaft.  Took the 8hp Briggs off and introduced it to -electricity-, and then a repurposed heavy DC gearmotor drive for the feed.   Never actually found a use for it!  
Some of the bigger ancient bandsaws, with curved frames and CI embellishments are very decorative, especially with exposed wheels.  But steam engines are poetic.

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## Rick Lindstrom

> I like the see-through blade guard!


I saw a big bandsaw like that running once, and I was impressed with how slowly the wheel was turning. You don't need many rpms to move a lot of linear feet of blade when the wheels are that large.

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jim simpson

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## sunburst

> I saw a big bandsaw like that running once, and I was impressed with how slowly the wheel was turning. You don't need many rpms to move a lot of linear feet of blade when the wheels are that large.


Large bandsaws give us several advantages. The blade bends around a larger radius wheel than a smaller saw, and that means that there is less work hardening/metal fatigue, so fewer broken blades. The blade bends around the wheels fewer times per cut, and that means that there is less work hardening/metal fatigue, so fewer broken blades. The longer blade has more total teeth compared to a similar blade operating on a smaller saw, and that means blades stay sharper longer. More throat clearance means more versatility. Added mass means added smoothness. Etc. etc..

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j. condino, 

jim simpson, 

Mark Gunter, 

Rick Lindstrom

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## Walt

Getting pulled back into the world of Old Woodworking Machines.😀
I just picked this one up. Im going to build some cabinets this weekend, then will hopefully have some restoration pics soon.
Has anyone used one of these Powermatic 66 table saws? Was looking for a unisaw but could never find anything local. This seems to be a pretty solid saw, though.

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John Bertotti

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## sunburst

I used one of those way back when I made my first instrument! It was a great tool, and though I own and use a Unisaw, I think I liked the Powermatic a little better.
I recall an article in some woodworking magazine in the late 70s or early 80s that compared the two (Powermatic vs Unisaw). As I remember it, their conclusion was: 'Do you want a green saw or a gray saw?'

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Timbofood, 

tree, 

Walt

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## Walt

> I used one of those way back when I made my first instrument! It was a great tool, and though I own and use a Unisaw, I think I liked the Powermatic a little better.


Nice! I'm excited to put it to use. I plugged it up for the first time last night and it's quiet and smooth. Just need to track down a good miter gauge for it.

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## Richard500

You can gift your new saw with a (homemade) sliding miter table, complete with safety guard and end block so the blade can’t get your thumbs.  The miter insert can be made removable, which could be useful if you get into polygons numbered more than four.  I’ve made two of these, but can’t report doing much with them.

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Walt

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## j. condino

'Just got off the road traveling over to Virginia this week (amazing fall colors still holding strong!) and picked up a 16" Walker Turner bandsaw with all of the art deco goodies for a friend of mine who said he was tired of waiting years asking for me to finally sell mine. Since I was the passenger for the drive, I brought along a new mandolin that was unfinished in the white and a box of handtools. By the end of the day, I had it strung up, the setup dialed in, the neck profiled, the soundholes cut, and a nice pile of shavings and sawdust at my feet on the floor of the van!

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Sue Rieter, 

Walt

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## Sue Rieter

> 'Just got off the road traveling over to Virginia this week (amazing fall colors still holding strong!) and picked up a 16" Walker Turner bandsaw with all of the art deco goodies for a friend of mine who said he was tired of waiting years asking for me to finally sell mine. Since I was the passenger for the drive, I brought along a new mandolin that was unfinished in the white and a box of handtools. By the end of the day, I had it strung up, the setup dialed in, the neck profiled, the soundholes cut, and a nice pile of shavings and sawdust at my feet on the floor of the van!


Sounds like a pretty fun day for you!

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j. condino, 

Timbofood

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## Jonathan Ward

I used a Powermatic 66 with a Biesemeyer fence for many years.  A very solid, accurate beast of a saw.  You can do just about anything with it.  Time spent tweaking the adjustments will be well-rewarded.

Obligatory plug here for the Forrest Woodworker II saw blades.  (No financial interest, here, just 25 years as a happy user.)  Expensive, yes, but the cut edges come out perfect and ready to glue.

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Walt

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## Walt

> 'Just got off the road traveling over to Virginia this week (amazing fall colors still holding strong!) and picked up a 16" Walker Turner bandsaw with all of the art deco goodies for a friend of mine who said he was tired of waiting years asking for me to finally sell mine.


I just saw a WT 16" listed for sale in Virginia. I wonder if it's the same one? It was very complete--had the original pulley cover too. That sounds like a fun trip.

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## j. condino

It was over in Virginia Beach; pretty cool because the seller had a completely rusted out dead one, the middle quality one that we bought, and a top shelf restored one with a big 3 horse 3 phase motor that resawed 10" like it was cutting fresh bread. Yes, it was a very fun day for a lot of reasons. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing the fall colors were the entire day. 

I often do the "roadtrip luthier" thing- bring along a top or back or something like that to work on. Put a big towel over my lap to pickup the shavings, laugh and talk and carve away while passisng the miles, and when we stop I shake out all of the wood chips and sawdust. By the end of the day I've accomplished a pretty good amount of work and not really even noticed it compared to a day of intense focus at the workbench.

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Sue Rieter

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## Richard500

Just call me prissy, but I’d be a bit worried about having a friend as passenger who’s got a lapful of very sharp tools and a chunk of wood!

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## j. condino

'Just another reason why you and I will probably never go on a roadtrip in search of old tools & fine red spruce while laughing playing tunes driving through the Blueridge Mountains on a beautiful fall day....  :Wink:

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Richard500

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## Tug

Hello,

I do not consider myself a luthier or a real woodworker. I did think at one point that I would have more time to pursue building instruments so I picked this jointer up at a thrift store. It is lacking a motor. I will probably not get around to ever doing anything with this, in fact if anyone in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area would actually use it you could pick it up as it is mostly storing spiders at the moment. Don't pick it up if this could be the final straw in the relationship with your spouse.

"You just had to get a what?!!!"

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Walt

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## Walt

Cool jointer, Tug! Check out the owwm.org forum and you can learn anything and everything about it.

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## Walt

I almost forgot about this project. I cant share it on the owwm forum because it would be borderline  blasphemous to show something thats not an actual old machine. I took the guts out of a harbor freight spindle sander and made it an Art Deco body out of MDF. Its actually kind of nice having a big table top for the sander. And its a lot prettier to look at.

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Jonathan Ward, 

MikeEdgerton, 

Timbofood

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## Tug

> Cool jointer, Tug! Check out the owwm.org forum and you can learn anything and everything about it.


Thanks Walt

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## keith.rogers

The school I went to back in the 70s had this massive bandsaw - they said it had originally been designed for meat cutting, as in cutting steers in half, if I had to guess. It cut through hardwoods and sliced them thin and straight without a whimper. You would not have probably fit that in the back of your LUV pickup though.

Not a machine, per se, but I've got an old brace and bit [set] that's 60+ years old (dad used it to build our model train platform) and an even older electric hand drill (Craftsman, though the metal label fell off some years ago). Both still get used. (Used the brace & bit for the endpin jack hole on my old OM just a while back.)

They really don't make them like they used to.

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## MikeEdgerton

> ...Obligatory plug here for the Forrest Woodworker II saw blades.  (No financial interest, here, just 25 years as a happy user.)  Expensive, yes, but the cut edges come out perfect and ready to glue.


Forrest, the pride of Clifton, NJ.  :Smile:

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## MikeEdgerton

> I almost forgot about this project. I can’t share it on the owwm forum because it would be borderline  blasphemous to show something that’s not an actual old machine. I took the guts out of a harbor freight spindle sander and made it an Art Deco body out of MDF. It’s actually kind of nice having a big table top for the sander. And it’s a lot prettier to look at...


Ok, that's really cool. I hadn't even thought about the concept of a faux machine. I've been so busy building out functional stuff it never occurred to me to make it pretty as well. I really like that.

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Walt

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## MikeEdgerton

> Cool jointer, Tug! Check out the owwm.org forum and you can learn anything and everything about it.


Just a note that OWWM has a Facebook Group as well.

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## John Bertotti

I really dislike this thread. Every time I see it I catch myself searching Craigslist and such looking for old equipment up here. When I finally slip and buy an old machine and get it Im telling her its this forums fault. You guys and gals are dangerous! I want a giant bandsaw like Sunbursts!

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Timbofood

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## Jonathan Ward

> Hello,
> 
> I do not consider myself a luthier or a real woodworker. I did think at one point that I would have more time to pursue building instruments so I picked this jointer up at a thrift store. It is lacking a motor. I will probably not get around to ever doing anything with this, in fact if anyone in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area would actually use it you could pick it up as it is mostly storing spiders at the moment. Don't pick it up if this could be the final straw in the relationship with your spouse.
> 
> "You just had to get a what?!!!"


I have a 1950s-vintage jointer almost exactly like yours.  Eighty bucks on Craigslist a few years ago.  (The woman who sold it was liquidating the last of her late father's woodworking equipment, and was pleased to have the old machine go to a good home.)  A few hours of rust removal, rewiring, tweaking and tuneup (including a link belt), and it's a precision instrument.  "What are you gonna do with a four-inch jointer?" you may ask.  Tops and backs.  It'll spit out glue-ready plates all day long.  Dust collection happens courtesy of a 6 x 12 HVAC register boot mounted under the table.  If I need more capacity, my neighbor has a 10-inch jointer with an eight-foot bed.  (I haven't needed more capacity.)

If you decide to take Tug up on his offer, you might be quite pleased.

I do not have a wife, so equipment decisions only have to satisfy a business case.

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## Timbofood

> I really dislike this thread. Every time I see it I catch myself searching Craigslist and such looking for old equipment up here. When I finally slip and buy an old machine and get it I’m telling her it’s this forums fault. You guys and gals are dangerous! I want a giant bandsaw like Sunbursts!


Yep, this sort of tool porn can make you want too many goodies! But, the “Virtual Weber Bulletin Board” is even worse for folks with a grilling bent. I went from having three grills any really used two to now having somewhere like eleven and mostly using four! I still look for the “perfect one”.

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## Walt

I'm popping in for tool recommendations on another thread and I figured I ought to share the latest OWWM project. 
This one is a 1967 Powermatic 1150. It's allllllllmost done--I just need to mount the VFD and hook up some external switches. This one was an adventure. I got it home and found out that someone broke the main head casting several years ago and tried to hold it together with braided wire. Several pieces of the original casting were missing and, needless to say, it was irreparable. Luckily, I found a donor head casting in Utah (it cost as much as the entire machine) and it's up and running again.

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## j. condino

Since we're still trying to enable old tool nerdiness among the crowd....I'll repost these:

I sold my Yates Y30 and brought home an Oliver 217 bandsaw.

I also impulse purchased a pretty cool State 24" disc sander....all for the price of an import mandolin....!

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## zookster

There is nothing like vintage tools in any kind of woodworking, for their ruggedness and accuracy.  However,  that means a machine that is fully functional, and not abused.  If you have a shop,  you learn quickly how to diagnose and fix your equipment, but  I also try to buy machines that are in good shape to start with.  I have several Delta/Milwaukee tools from the late 40s up through the early 60s,  as well as Powermatic.  Solid, reliable, and they produce results.  Most of the time I am doing lutherie, but my shop can handle a number of related projects for my house or church.  Scan CraigsList for bargains, because they are out there. Best of all, a host of parts are still available from sites like eReplacemnt.com, as well as owners manuals  (with the all-important parts list) at several sites.  These machine were designed to last, and they do.

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## Richard500

The impetus to cheapen a product for the market isn’t anything new.  I have many ‘vintage’ tools that were never particularly good and haven’t magically improved over time.  Presence of a quantity of cast iron seems comforting to some of us, a sure indicator of quality, but this is only vaguely valid.  Sleeve bearings that actually do wear out, overweight but inefficient motors, finicky leather belt drives, drip oilers…even on industrial machines.  Amateurs worship the concept of industrial tools, which as a rule, tend to be sturdier than home-use ones, and there is a significant community of collector/restorers out there going to classic car levels of detail.  Like repro decals and exact paint colors. 
That said, old power machinery is  really inexpensive, or more often, free for the carting, and is often simple enough to keep running.  VFDs have made three phase machines economical to run on home juice rather than scrapping the motors, and some things, like the giant bandsaws of more than a century ago can be decorative as well as operable.  
Just a mention about broken castings. Good local welders are sometimes skilled in cast iron welding and brazing as long as the starting material isn’t too cheesy and the breaks do not alter the important alignments.  Tinwork, like shrouds and covers is definitely a vanishing art, and highly skilled, so I would avoid a machine that’s lost these parts, often tossed for better access.

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## Walt

That big Oliver bandsaw is seriously cool. Did you make the mahogany table extensions for it?

I bet those big disc sanders come in handy. There's a Yates double disc sander a couple of hours away I've been looking at--I think the Yates is 16" on either side.

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## Dave Richard

> I'm popping in for tool recommendations on another thread and I figured I ought to share the latest OWWM project. 
> This one is a 1967 Powermatic 1150. It's allllllllmost done--I just need to mount the VFD and hook up some external switches. This one was an adventure. I got it home and found out that someone broke the main head casting several years ago and tried to hold it together with braided wire. Several pieces of the original casting were missing and, needless to say, it was irreparable. Luckily, I found a donor head casting in Utah (it cost as much as the entire machine) and it's up and running again.


I have the same model, from '71, owned it now for 40 years. Great machine. Someone must have whaled on it, to crack the casting. Nice save!

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## Dave Richard

I am looking for a DiAcro 12" roller mill(or similar), to use for sizing bar fret stock. Also, perhaps, a long shear, for slicing sheets of celluloid, for binding strips. Any leads will be appreciated.

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## Dave Richard

> Getting pulled back into the world of Old Woodworking Machines.😀
> I just picked this one up. Im going to build some cabinets this weekend, then will hopefully have some restoration pics soon.
> Has anyone used one of these Powermatic 66 table saws? Was looking for a unisaw but could never find anything local. This seems to be a pretty solid saw, though.


I've had one for 40 years, from '71, been a great saw. Used it in my cabinet- and furniture making business. I only wish it had the earlier era pea green paint, instead of metallic green. It's semi-retired now, as I now only do instrument repairs: my bandsaw gets way more use these days.

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