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[Downwindtracker2]

I'm not sure about the wisdom of building your own feed saw. I'm a retired millwright and I gather John the builder of the saw I'm modifying had been a millwright too. To be honest he did a lot of work, a lot of work, which I'm glad I don't have to. As it is, there is enough work to do on it to keep me busy for a while. I think, John might have built this saw in his spare time at work, afternoon and graveyard shifts have a lot of "government jobs". The arbor pillow blocks which I'm replacing are really deluxe. They found a pair in Edmonton. I suspect a company donated the ones he used.

A drop saw is much simpler, needing an arm and a vise basically. Before we bought the 24", I had assembled a  18" blade and a 1hp motor. The 18" blade will be a spare.

On just this saw:

-replacing arbor and carriage bearings
-adding two more bottom bearings on the carriage
- building a split nut feed clamp
-replacing the feed rod and bearings
-feedworks, this includes  six pulleys, jackshaft, reduction gear, idler pulley for slip clutch
-angle iron stand
-motor and feedworks mounts on the stand
-milling a keyway on the arbor
-hinging the hood and adding gas struts to hold it up
-a waterproof switch
-new motor wiring


After that listing, I better get on it. chuckle.
-


 

[brentnewton]

I've got one of those weird horizontal saws that ... everyone used to sell in maybe ... the 50s.  I have never used it ... looks like it has a 14" or so blade on it.  I have seen .. Sears ads for them .. lol.  basically .... they have a roundish tray .. a vise, a water holder ... and a feed driven by weights.  I know there must be a ton of them around.  I am sure ... they are perfectly functional and can probably be acquired for a song if you can find one since NO ONE seems to be interested in lapidary anymore.  I'd give this one away if someone would come get the thing.  It weighs a lot.  Its in my way ... in the yard covered by a tarp :). It runs strong.  I'm in Morehead KY ... any takers .. LOL.

[bobby1]

I think initially they were assembling them in Texas but they had trouble finding people to correctly assemble them so they moved the business back east and started assembling them in China. The business and factory is owned by John Rowland.

[brentnewton]

Well .. that's a sad fact.  The factories around my parts have a very difficult time finding someone sober enough, smart enough and dependable enough to do common labor.  Why are we building a wall on the border ... I am too old to work :)

[Downwindtracker2]

An economist said if you want 3% growth rate, you are going to have to open up immigration, but I don't hold much stock in what they say, they did bring  us the '08 recession. Please don't take that too seriously.

[brentnewton]

Downwindtracker2 .... its not the economists .. lol.  The are just pencil headed geeks trying to figure things out. The real evil is greed.  Its Wall Street. Trying to devise ways to prey on poor folks, to separate old folks from their savings, to screw anyone and everyone to pad their bank account.  Has not changed from the 08 crash .. ain't gonna change.  Not really sure what the alternative is ... socialism is more evil than capitalism .. by a long shot.  At least with capitalists I have some reasonable possibility of not becoming a victim :)

[Michael52]

... The new Highland park claims to make a better saw .. we'll see.  I paid about $1,500 for a 14" for reference if any one is looking .. has to be better than that Barranca Diamond Products piece of shit I bought a few years ago ... run from them.

Would like to know which Barranca Diamond saw you had, and what problems you had with it.
Thanks very much.
Michael

[mearic71]

I bought a 14" saw from highland park a few months ago and have been more than happy with it. The saws are made and assembled in china in there own factory, but 1 of the owners is over there for about half the year. I have been waiting a for a different vise for my unit for a few months but I get reg. updates from them.