Bringing a 10" Jet bandsaw back to life: Part 1

Jackpot!

Picture from the original classified ad

So, I was cruising various classifieds a little before Christmas, looking for who-knows-what (tools, tractor implements, and boats, typically), and stumble upon this bandsaw for $125. It's a little bit smaller than what I'd like (story of my life), but it's better than the one I have - which is none. So, I decided to go take a look.

When I got there, I could see (as can you) that it had seen better days.  It was missing the table insert and blade, the table was rusted, and the tires and drive belt were dry-rotted.

I asked the gentleman that was selling the saw if we could power it up.  He happily agreed, and was thoroughly disgusted when he flipped the power switch and the motor just hummed.

Apparently, he and I heard two different things in that hum.  He heard $125 staying in my pocket, while I heard functional windings and start capacitors. I was convinced that the culprit was seized bearings, so I offered him $20. Sold!

Motor Disassembly

Terrible picture of the motor partially disassembled.
Notice the rust on the rotor

First order of business once I got it home: remove the pounds of stink bugs that had taken up residence in the various nooks and crannies of the saw.

The motor was next.  It was removed, and I began spraying the bearings with penetrating oil. For about 4 days. Every time I would pass the motor lying on the bench.

After the dust from Christmas settled, I got the motor apart.  It turned out, the bearings were fine.  The motor (and the saw it was hooked to) had be submerged during a flood at its previous owners house.  There was a rust "bridge" between the stator and rotor.

A little light sanding on the lathe, and everything spun freely.  The motor fired right up during a bench test!  I have since ordered replacement bearings, and plan on replacing them when they arrive.

Now that I now know that the motor works, I have ordered replacement parts.

• Bearings (as stated above) $5.21
• Polyurethane Tires $29
• 2 blades (1/4" and 1/2") $41.11
• Drive Belt $9.99

Fun fact about that drive belt. It has been discontinued by Jet.  The replacement belt that I ordered is a J series micro-vee belt part no 90J4 (for anyone with a similar saw).  That is the closest off the shelf belt I could find - hopefully it fits!

Cleaning while I wait

Before

With the replacement parts on order, I decided that I should clean up the table.

It was removed from the saw, and wiped down with mineral spirits.  I then went at it with a brown Scotch-Brite pad to knock off the loose rust.

Once everything was wiped down and fairly clean, I switched to an orbital sander with 60 grit paper.  Another wipe down with mineral spirits to remove the dust, and then I switched to 80 grit.

Once I saw satisfied with the results, I oiled the top (which appears to be cast iron), and reinstalled it on the saw.

After

The last of the replacement parts are scheduled to arrive by the end of next week sometime, so now I wait.  I've shifted gears back to finishing the inside of the shop (drywall, paint, etc).

Stay tuned for the next installment!

See part 2 here!

About me and this blog

About me

Hi, I'm Matt. For as long as I can remember, I have been interested with working with my hands and my mind. Solving problems. As Scott Adams would say, I have "the knack". 

I grew up working with wood (my father was a carpenter), and building electronic projects (my parents were very supportive of my nerdish tendencies). Before I graduated high school, I began an internship with a large manufacturing company in my home town. I immediately fell in love with metal.

I ended up staying with that company as a draftsman after graduation, and put myself through college at night. Now with my degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering, I work there as an engineer in their R&D group.