Wellsaw shed find.

[ironwrx]

Hi. I just picked up a really nice shed find bandsaw. I believe it is a L-9 Wellsaw. Unsure of the model because the machine has no bling (badges etc.), and I can’t see any numbers of any kind except for a faint ghost image where the main badge used to be. The saw has survived surprisingly well, considering it’s curling three-colors of paint, and unknown history.
There were 2 different blade guide bearings missing, and another not missing that needed replacement. Fortunately, due to my hoarding tendencies, I happened to have the exact ones I needed tucked away in one of my miscellaneous drawers!! The motor functioning was a big question mark, but works fine on my home built phase converter. It really purrs. I’m very pleased this has the optional variable speed drive. The last thing I have to fix is the hydraulic drop limiter cylinder which has some NASTY old red rubber hose (maybe old radiator hose?). When I pull/push the rod, I can hear what sounds like a percolator brewing coffee, and no pressure can hold in the cylinder. I’m guessing that the gummy mess that was the hoses have given way, and succumbed to the ravages of time. My question is this: what would people recommend to replace these with? I doubt there is a great deal of pressure in this application. All in all, I am very happy with the marketplace find, and equally pleased with the $100 price for a $200 advertised saw.

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[woodchucker]

well it looks like hell, so we'll be watching you clean this up and get it working well. maybe a full restore?

 

[ironwrx]

well it looks like hell, so we'll be watching you clean this up and get it working well. maybe a full restore?

Well, I hope to, eventually. For now, just clean up and get it operational. I also need to get or make a chip tray, and coolant tank/sump. If there’s any ideas for a design, I’d love the input.


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[Fasturn]

Looks like a clean and paint job. Bet you will have a very nice shop saw in the end.
Congrats on the rare find !

 

[projectnut]

Hopefully you'll be able to resurrect it and have a quality saw. Be prepared to spend some time and a lot of elbow grease to get the job done. I've found a few machines like that over the years. They're all now up and running in the shop, but they all took a fair amount of time to complete.

The last two were saws. One was a cold saw and the other was a power hacksaw. Both were completely disassembled and cleaned before any repair work started. They were both covered in swarf so thick it was like 40 grit sandpaper. After trying for days to remove it I finally took the parts to the local DIY car wash. Hot soapy high-pressure water did the trick. Both came out spotless and ready to reassemble. Cleaning them made it easier to identify parts that needed repair or replacement, and also made the reassembly considerably easier and straight forward than the disassembly.

I needed to put the power hacksaw to work almost immediately so there wasn't time for new paint. With the cold saw on the other hand, I had the luxury of time, so it got fresh paint. Take your time and don't rush things. A little time at this stage can make things easier for years to come. In my case the power hacksaw has been up and running now for over 7 years and the cold saw is going on 2 years. Neither has needed any repairs or modifications since the rebuild/resurrection.

 

[ironwrx]

If anyone has a Wells L9 saw, I would love some measurements ,and photos of the stock stop components, so I could make them for my saw. This saw has a special stock stop assembly that moves the stock stop away from the material being cut as the saw frame drops down, so the cut off piece of doesn’t get wedged between the blade and the stock stop. I would like to make these as the cost of OEM parts is about $560., and they don’t look very difficult to make, but some dimensions would be very helpful. Here are some screenshots from the saw manual I got online.

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[ironwrx]

…on a related note… does anyone have a recommendation of an alternative fluid to use in a Kool mist lubricant system for my saw?


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[projectnut]

I use Trimsol SC520 for my cold saw. I originally bought it to use on my Startrite H175 bandsaw and my Racine W66D power hacksaw. When I found out both saws could be run dry, I just set it off to the side. At the time I didn't want to deal with the mess, potential rancidity and evaporation issues associated with coolant.

When I bought the cold saw last year, I had to finally open the bottle and give it a try. It does a good job of clearing the swarf, doesn't seem to suffer from rancidity problems, and doesn't evaporate all that quickly. I mix it 10:1 as per the instructions and do put a cover over the reservoir to minimize evaporation.

 

[ironwrx]

I use Trimsol SC520 for my cold saw. I originally bought it to use on my Startrite H175 bandsaw and my Racine W66D power hacksaw. When I found out both saws could be run dry, I just set it off to the side. At the time I didn't want to deal with the mess, potential rancidity and evaporation issues associated with coolant.

When I bought the cold saw last year, I had to finally open the bottle and give it a try. It does a good job of clearing the swarf, doesn't seem to suffer from rancidity problems, and doesn't evaporate all that quickly. I mix it 10:1 as per the instructions and do put a cover over the reservoir to minimize evaporation.

But is this a flood coolant system, or spray mist? I have a cold saw with coolant, but it’s a flood coolant system.


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[projectnut]

All 3 saws are flood coolant. They have ball valves near the outlet to control the flow. The valve on the cold saw is set slightly below 50%. Any higher and the drain trough can’t handle the flow when cutting solids. The blade generates so much dwarf it partially plugs th screen in the return. Then the coolant backs up and spills over the top. At slightly less than 50% flow the drain can handle it.