Thread: Woodfast Junior Restoration - Advice needed

Turned down one of the bearing drivers on the disc sander and it turned out pretty good surprisingly! Was thinking about it and this is probably my first woodworking project, baby steps hey haha



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Aaaand done. Got the bearings all the way home and circlips both fit perfectly. These were the last things worrying me on this machine, everything else should be more time consuming than difficult. I've managed to keep the cost under 300 bucks so far so I'm going to try sourcing a newer motor in the coming weeks, the motor that came with it is 50 years old and was only 1/4 HP so I'm sure I can find something better for a decent price.

Like a proud papa over here [emoji23]

Your 50 year old motor most likely has a least another 50 years in it unlike the new Asian rubbish I would have thought 14/hp would have more than enough for tiny machine like that

Originally Posted by China

Your 50 year old motor most likely has a least another 50 years in it unlike the new Asian rubbish I would have thought 14/hp would have more than enough for tiny machine like that

Probably but it was used pretty rough and left outside on a farm for years so it definitely needs an overhaul. I've looked into giving it a service myself but I have a feeling I'll never get it back together if I start pulling it apart.

Going to try and source something a bit more modern that was made in Australia, I see them on Gumtree a fair bit otherwise I'll pop into a place I know of that has tons of old machinery and motors etc.

I doubt the motor shown by the OP was the original motor.
Bueller , if you want help with checking the existing motor I am happy to check it over with my meters.
They are not hard to take a part and service.

BTW 1/4 HP is more than enough for such a small saw.
1/2 HP at most - any more and you won't be able to generate enough band tension and if the blade jams the motor will spin the drive wheel and melt the tyre.

Now that you have done the saw up so nicely it seem a bit of shame to put it back on that bit of ply with the crappy light switch.
Some sort of stand would seem appropriate with the motor mounted under the saw.
Even though it is a nice old machine I reckon safety overrides the use of old switch gear.
I'd definitely look at using a No-Volt or Electromagnetic switch like this one 2LV9050 | ON/OFF Switch - Emergency Stop | For Sale Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Perth | Buy Workshop Equipment & Machinery online at machineryhouse.com.au

Sounds good Bob. I was only going to go as high as 1/2 HP but if you think you can help look at the motor that would be great. I've actually got a stand all put together that I bought for this but I haven't figured out the motor mounting yet, I definitely want to tuck it away underneath as you suggest though. Going to need to make a top for the stand as well but that's been at the back of my list so far.

Going to buy an NVR switch too next time I'm getting parts, safety is a big deal to me and that light switch seemed like it definitely needed to go. Just need the switch, new Stenco pulley and belt and that should be the last of the parts needed to get this running if the motor is serviceable.

No worries I am not available tomorrow but should be OK after that.

No worries man!

I have used the switches recommended by BobL on the old bandsaw and other machines I have. Where possible mounted switch about knee height so I can easily stop machine without moving my hands. Recommend these switches especially at the price.

Peter

Originally Posted by Pete57

I have used the switches recommended by BobL on the old bandsaw and other machines I have. Where possible mounted switch about knee height so I can easily stop machine without moving my hands. Recommend these switches especially at the price.

Peter

I would recommend knee or hip mounted emergency switches on a lathe because there are places readily accessible to do this. However, i'm not so sure about a BS because the table tends to get in the way AND standard bandsaws tend to run on for a long time after they are switched off. A better safety device for a BS is a brake, either electronic or mechanical that also switches off the motor.

Originally Posted by BobL

I would recommend knee or hip mounted emergency switches on a lathe because there are places readily accessible to do this. However, i'm not so sure about a BS because the table tends to get in the way AND standard bandsaws tend to run on for a long time after they are switched off. A better safety device for a BS is a brake, either electronic or mechanical that also switches off the motor.

Yeah I was unsure about the mounting place for the switch, mounting it on the stand puts it a little too low for my liking. I'm thinking of making up a little box and then mounting it in that next to the bandsaw facing the user.

Here's what I've got for the stand.

Originally Posted by bueller

Here's what I've got for the stand.

Stand looks fine.

If you wanted to save space the stand could be shortened in length or th space behind used as is for a second purpose e.g. grinder.
I wonder if it would be worth removing the wooden top and mounting the saw on two metal straps or pieces or angle across the stand so the motor could hang under the saw and the belt could pass between the steel straps?

Originally Posted by BobL

Stand looks fine.

If you wanted to save space the stand could be shortened in length or th space behind used as is for a second purpose e.g. grinder.
I wonder if it would be worth removing the wooden top and mounting the saw on two metal straps or pieces or angle across the stand so the motor could hang under the saw and the belt could pass between the steel straps?

I like your idea of adding something to the stand, I have an 8" GMF Grinder I'm working on that will need somewhere to go so this would be perfect. I just measured and the Junior will actually fit sideways on the stand, if I make two smaller tops with a gap in the middle this would allow the v belt room to pass through to the motor. Should be ample room left over for the grinder too.

Any suggestions for what to make the shelves out of? I'm not fussed about spending a bit of money on materials to make it look nice, seems like a huge waste to put so much effort in elsewhere and then use mdf.