Opinions on this particular Kalamazoo band saw??? - Model H9AWV

[MrWhoopee]

Unless your's is different, the cylinder is strictly an air cylinder for holding the saw up and controlling the downfeed pressure. It took me a bit to figure out exactly how it worked.

Since this thread has been resurrected, I discovered when my cylinder quit working that it was, indeed, hydraulic. I refilled it with generic hydraulic oil. Good for another 50 years.

On the subject of Kalamazoo saws, they are built like a truck and stupidly simple. The perfect combination for a long life.

 

[MikeInOr]

@MikeInOr I know this thread is old but I am currently looking at a Kalamazoo H9AW on an auction. It is a 3 phase but I am thinking I can put a VFD on it, or swap the motor out. Did you ever get yours?

I determined the Kalamazoo I was looking at was too big for my shop. I found a nice old Wells 6x10 that I ended up purchasing. If the Kalamazoo had fit I would have had no qualms about purchasing it from all the research I did.

 

[Winegrower]

Get the Kalamazoo. Mine just works, and the design is solid and straightforward, so you can make every part that could fail. Mine is on heavy casters, easy enough to move around once you get some momentum going.

I also recently got a big Jet VBS-900 vertical bandsaw, so I’m pretty much covered on sawing for the next 50 years or so.

 

[7milesup]

Here are some pictures of it. I am sure that the guys from the Twin Cities area will recognize it on one of the auction sites. Usually, when I get my hopes up it goes for double what I want to spend. It is a 3 phase, but I don't really see an issue with that by utilizing a VFD or possibly replacing the motor, although I would prefer the VFD route.