Well guys I went Saturday to pick up the saw and your not going to believe this. The guy was so desperate to get it out of the lost storage space that I basically stole it. I got it for "FREE", he didn't want any money for it. It works but I will have to change the power cords because of worn spots. It came with a miter attachment but no rip fence. There is no gear oil in it so I didn't run it that long. The blade looks new and he says there is another blade in a box somewhere. There's not much rust on it so it shouldn't be that much work in restoring it. It does have the motor condom on it and the belt looks fairly new. All in all it is going to make a nice addition to my shop.
In the vernacular of the OWWM forum, "YOU SUCK!" (translated, you got a great deal).
The power cords are generally changed as a matter of safety whenever a machine comes into possession. Adding the grounding plug is a good idea to prevent any shocking experiences.
To clean the rust from the ground table surface, start by scraping it with a good putty knife, to get the large chunks off, followed by a razor blade until the grind pattern is even, and finally work it over with penetrating oil and steel wool to put a smooth even finish on it. I found that waxing my tables two to three times a year with carnuba wax keeps them rust free and slick as snot (the stuff used on fine woodwork, not automotive wax).
As for the missing fence, they are generally missing and rare to find an OEM. When you do find an OEM fence it usually requires a second mortgage. Not to worry however as I recently acquired a "JET" band saw fence off Craig's list and mounted it by just re drilling a couple of holes in the fence track. Honestly, all said I should have saved the $15 I spent on the fence since the guide tracks are just in the road for most of my needs and I have no intention on re sawing lumber.
If you have a metal lathe you can make the missing table pin and leveling sleeve yourself. I have done the CAD drawings. If you don't have a lathe I do have have a few spares left from a run I made for the OWWM guys last year (PM me for info).
As for being slow on the rebuild? That is the way of the "Arn". I am working on a 16" Walker Turner band saw for a friend right now. It has set in his shop for 6 years untouched and has been in my shop for 6 months slowly being tweaked into usable condition. Slow progress is still progress! These are relatively simple machines and they do make an excellent introduction to the fine art of restoring older equipment.
Roger
Old, Tired, and GRUMPY
