Wellsaw 600 7x13 horizontal band saw.

[MikeInOr]

After years of looking and ramping up my search the past 6 months I finally settled on a horizontal band saw. A Wellsaw 600 7x13" band saw.

I found a few saws in decent shape for a decent price but they were just too big. I would have to add an extension to my shop to fit them in. $500 was at the high end of my price range but I was looking for something big and well built enough to last my lifetime but not so big it was ungainly and always in the way.

I spent a while trying to adjust it for a perfectly square cut. I am close but not spot on yet. The blade has a flat spot in the middle of it so I have a new "Lenox RX+ Vari-Raker Band Saw Blade, Bimetal, Regular Tooth, Raker Set, Positive Rake, 98.5" Length, 5/8" Width, 0.032" Thick, 10-14 TPI" blade on its way. It hasn't shipped yet and I am thinking of canceling the order and ordering the same blade in a 3/4" width instead of the 5/8". The manual says it will take a 3/4" blade with a slight reduction in max cut size. Would a 3/4" blade be better than a 5/8" blade?

I also have some new blade guide bearings on order. The bearings on the left side of the cut look like they have been changed but the bearings on the right side of the cut look quite worn and I can't close the two bearings close enough together to actually pinch the blade.

After I got it home and started cleaning it up a bit I found this broken part on the blade guide:

The part is cast and I don't have any experience welding cast at all. If it were just steel bar I probably mill a slot at that location and make a replacement piece to fit in the slot that I could weld from the back and the front. I am considering just machining a new piece out of bar stock. Here is a little better look at the front and back (The two guides are identical):

Does anyone have any thoughts about repairing the current guide or machining a new one? I can run a passable bead with my Mig but I don't have access to a Tig.

The other part I would like to fix is that there is no automatic shut off at the end of the cut. I have considered how to position the power switch and make a lever to shut the switch off at the bottom of the stroke but that seems kind of hokey and finicky. I think I am just going to put a standard 2 button start / stop contactor to replace the power switch. This will make it very easy to add a second NC stop switch inline with the normal stop switch which I can mount on the frame so it is depressed at the end of the stroke. Thoughts?

The saw is gravity feed. Is there any advantage to converting it to hydraulic dampened feed? The saw is actually really convenient to use in its current configuration. There is a ratchet stop on the blade head so it can be easily stopped at any angle with just a flick of the lever which I have already found very nice for lining up a cut.

I am thinking about disassembling the saw and cleaning it up and repainting it. It really isn't in that bad of shape. I have no clue how to lube the gear box. The manual Wellsaw 600 is absolutely no help! Does anyone know how to get to the gear box gears to grease them? I don't see any zirc fitting or any kind of plug on the gear box.

 

[Lo-Fi]

Nice saw! I have a Wellsaw power hacksaw.

I'd not attempt to weld that. Nothing good comes of welding dirty old cast iron and it's likely to crack. You could braze it, but a nice repair might be to drill a hole where the piece has broken off and make a peg with one end round, a little shoulder in the middle and a square end cross drilled for the grub screw. The round end wants to be a nice press fit into the casting - the shoulder will stop it going too far through. Either peen the back end over, or drill right between the casting and peg and tap for a grub screw.

Keep us posted!

 

[Nutfarmer]

It can be welded with a machineable nickel stick arc rod. Do not try to mig or stick arc weld with steel type filler. Make sure to peen the weld and allow it to cool slowly . One way to allow it to cool slowly is to bury it in wood ashes. If it is your first time welding cast iron i would follow Lo-Fi 's recomendation. That could be a difficult part to find if the weld failed.

 

[Janderso]

A couple years ago I found an old Marvel 618 on Craigslist.
It was worn out. The beauty of these old saws though, you can replace bearings, make a new vise lead screw, replace the guide bearings and they work perfect for another 20 years until the next rebuild.
That saw weighed 500#.
I’m not familiar with a Wellsaw but it looks like a well made saw.
Congratulations.

 

[Cadillac STS]

Could fix that by making a 1/2 inch "U" shaped (But squared) bracket out of steel that goes behind the arm. Bracket could be held in place by 2 set screws on each side going into the arm itself. Then longer set screws through the threaded bracket that push the guide on both sides. Use a smaller set screw than the one remaining one is and pass right through it. So you end up with a sturdy bracket that gives solid support and adjustment on both sides.

I would not take it apart and paint it. It looks great as it is. I would not even degrease it except where it is very built up because that layer of grease keeps the rust off.

Then fabricate a cover for the pulleys and belts.

Nice Score!

 

[MikeInOr]

Nice saw! I have a Wellsaw power hacksaw.

I'd not attempt to weld that. Nothing good comes of welding dirty old cast iron and it's likely to crack. You could braze it, but a nice repair might be to drill a hole where the piece has broken off and make a peg with one end round, a little shoulder in the middle and a square end cross drilled for the grub screw. The round end wants to be a nice press fit into the casting - the shoulder will stop it going too far through. Either peen the back end over, or drill right between the casting and peg and tap for a grub screw.

Keep us posted!

I appreciate all the replies from everyone!

I had not considered putting a couple round legs on the manufactured replacement piece that would go through a couple tapered holes in the casting then peening them out like a rivet. I really like this idea!

Cast iron welding is beyond my capabilities and I have never been very successful with brazing. The idea of peening into tapered holes seems like it would be very secure and last without becoming an issue down the road. If I am conservative with the tapered holes I drill in the casting I shouldn't weaken the casting too much.

I agree with the idea of fabricating a pulley cover. I will have to research how the original pulley cover attached to the saw. The saw is setup for easy low fuss operation which I really appreciate.

I believe the book weight on the saw is ~400lbs. I love heavy old iron!

P.S. I had to de-grease it a touch so the pictures I posted would be pretty. I think I will just leave it as is after I fix the blade guide and add an auto-shutoff.

 

[JimDawson]

I have your saw's big brother. Nice saws. There are several ways to fix that broken ear, but the best way might be just to make a new piece.

I added a hydraulic cylinder to mine without disturbing any of the original parts. The lock system is still intact. I my case I was given a 3 or 4 inch air cylinder and just filled it with AW-46 (because that what I had), and added a flow control. Also added castors so it easily mobile. I can take better pictures If you like.

To get to the gears, just remove the 3 or 4 bolts holding the transmission to the frame and pull it off. The gears are under the cover below the pulley. I can't remember if the pulley had to come off or not. I know it only took me about 30 minutes to do the job. No fancy worm gears in these saws, all spur gears.

 

[MikeInOr]

I have your saw's big brother. Nice saws. There are several ways to fix that broken ear, but the best way might be just to make a new piece.

I added a hydraulic cylinder to mine without disturbing any of the original parts. The lock system is still intact. I my case I was given a 3 or 4 inch air cylinder and just filled it with AW-46 (because that what I had), and added a flow control. Also added castors so it easily mobile. I can take better pictures If you like.

View attachment 315437

To get to the gears, just remove the 3 or 4 bolts holding the transmission to the frame and pull it off. The gears are under the cover below the pulley. I can't remember if the pulley had to come off or not. I know it only took me about 30 minutes to do the job. No fancy worm gears in these saws, all spur gears.

Mine came with casters... I am almost positive the casters are off of a shopping cart. One of the casters has a wheel that is closer to square than it is to round. lol! The casters are welded to the cross support angle iron someone added. I am going to have to cut them off and replace them with some Harbor Freight bolt on casters.

What version of the saw do you have? Is it a Wellsaw 1000? Mine has a spring on the back that acts as a bit of a counterbalance. Did yours come with a spring?

I like the way you added the cylinder and mounted it (thanks for the pic). I was picturing adding the cylinder in compression on the down stroke of the cutting head. Your picture made me realize I could mount it in extension on the down stroke for the same effect. I scrounged through my junk pile and pulled out a pneumatic cylinder that should do the job well. I like the way you remote mounted the cylinder control for easy access, I was thinking of doing something similar. I have been looking online and plumbing it should be pretty easy. I have read that there are hydraulic needle valves that only restrict the flow in only one direction so you can lift the saw arm quickly and then it lowers slowly. I will probably also add a bypass valve to the needle valve so I can lower the cutting arm to position quickly.

Does your saw have an automatic shutoff?

I haven't ruled out making a replacement piece out of bar stock. I kind of have too much invested in machinery not to use it to make a replacement out of bar stock. The low precision required by that bracket is perfect for my skill level!

 

[ddickey]

Get the 3/4" blade. Bigger the better.

 

[MikeInOr]

Get the 3/4" blade. Bigger the better.

Thank you, that is what I was kind of thinking.