Thread: Woodfast Model 370 Bandsaw for Wood and Aluminium

Originally Posted by BMSTECH

I saw this Bandsaw on Gumtree yesterday. Arranged to go and see it today. Did some research last night as to what to expect when I was taking a look. Bought it home this evening. The history as I have been told is that the machine was originally installed at a South Australian School. Woodfast manufactured a range of small workshop equipment in SA for many years and supplied a lot of gear to Local schools. Nowadays they flog a range of Chinese machines, rebranding them Woodfast. Schools got rid of a lot of workshop machines due to ridiculous OH&S concerns. Common sense apparently does not exist.

I remember them, from my high school days in the Adelaide hill.
We must have had a shed of common sense back in them days as all us young idiot finished school with 10 fingers and thumbs.

Originally Posted by wm460

I remember them, from my high school days in the Adelaide hill.
We must have had a shed of common sense back in them days as all us young idiot finished school with 10 fingers and thumbs.

We had (still have) one in the workshop where I used to work. In the early 80's I watched a senior technician (distracted by talking to another techo) saw his thumb right off at the second knucklet The guy was also a harp player. In the flurry of getting him attended to the severed thumb was lost. Eventually he was still able to play the harp again and over time developed a thick callus on the stump. He went to be one of the few Harp player-experts=valuers in the state.

I fitted the new 13mm x 8 tpi Starret carbon steel bandsaw blade and ran it at 1000 sfpm to trial cut 1mm Aluminium sheet. I was expecting a lot of noise and vibration as they suggest that material thickness should be at least 3x the blade pitch. It was a bit noisy but quite stable and cut well. I cut out a flat box shape and folded up an enclosure for an electronics project. It was good to work with a flat sheet rather than a sheet buckled with tin snip cuts.

I needed a piece of Aluminium stock 60x25x160 to machine a small timing pulley cover. 80x25x300 was available on Ebay for $50. I found a piece of 65mm round bar 300mm long in the shed and worked out that I can get my section from it, just. I fitted my new bi-metal 14tpi blade to the Bandsaw and cut the length 160mm easy. Now for the woodworking bit. I've never had to do it but I have seen blokes re-saw round logs to get rectangular boards. Well I needed to take a slice about 18mm thick off each side of my round bar leaving enough in the centre to clean up in the Mill to 25mm. Each cut cross section was 60x160 so not insignificant. A bit of WD40 and a steady feed rate and guide to keep the stock from rotating and job done. Stock got warm but not too hot to touch. Saved myself some money and a wait for Ebay stock.

I have machined that block of Aluminium into a timing belt cover. Not a Bandsaw box but my Bandsaw can take some of the credit.

https://youtu.be/iMzzjkfDtwc

I have attached a picture of the gearbox that is fitted to the SteelFast version of my bandsaw. I would like to find a similar gearbox that I could modify if necessary to fit my bandsaw. I have also considered making one from scratch, just buying some spur gears. If someone has a complete Steelfast bandsaw for sale, any condition, I am also very interested. I am very happy with my speed modification to the machine for cutting Aluminium but need much slower speeds for steel cutting. Do other bandsaws use a similar gearbox that can be purchased as a spare part?

Hi
I have got a Hycy band saw with the 10:1 gearbox, but found it is not that suitable for steel as you don't have any clamping facilities on it
I ended up buying a dedicated band saw like this
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/B002
I found it lt a lot better as if you can clamp the material, and if you need a vertical just up ended it and put the table on it.
cheers

If you have not used the BS4A in the vertical position there are some issues to be aware of.

With the BS4A and similar be aware that that there is very limited throat and side clearance due to the arm being presented at 45 to the blade.As a dimension it is around 5 x 6".


The supplied table is woeful and hopeless in terms of versatility. If you move back and forward in cutting horizontally and vertically the table needs to be removed each time the saw is used in the horizontal mode.

A small table used for vertical mode and remaining in position for horizontal cuts is good for small items .


Your choice of a style of metal bandsaw will be guided by how much straight cutting of sections which need to be clamped or cutting curved and circular work.

I have a vertical bandsaw which I am gearing to the correct bandsaw blade M/Minute with some 12 " pulleys I salvaged off a ride on mower. You should be looking for around 32 meters /minute for steel.


Grahame

I would like to be able to rough out a shape in a steel plate 3-13mm thick in preparation for milling. Holding the material on the vertical bandsaw and being able to make cuts, slots and notches in various directions quickly without clamping is the advantage I am looking for. I can do that now with Aluminium and can see the benefit of being able to cut steel as well.

Have started a conversion of a pedestal drill press from a 3/4hp induction motor to a 1.2hp DC motor from a discarded treadmill. A treadmill needs high torque at very low speed to get the belt moving and carry the load of the user. The matching speed controller is also salvaged from the treadmill and with minor modification, just a simple potentiometer is used to adjust the speed. No more belt changing for 16 speeds.
I have found 3 unloved treadmills on the curbside in recent times and stripped the motors and electrics to experiment with. One seems to have a faulty controller, 2 controllers and 3 motors are fine. Anyway, I have a DC motor that has a max 4300rpm and can run, I suspect, at 1/10 the speed of the current Induction motor, 1440rpm, on my Bandsaw. 140rpm motor shaft speed will give me approximately 100ft/min band speed. I shall iron out any issues on the drill press before I attack the bandsaw. Lots of youtube videos on this topic. Search "treadmill motor". All good fun.
Cheers,
John

Originally Posted by BMSTECH

Nowadays they flog a range of Chinese machines, rebranding them Woodfast.

That is not entirely correct. When the original Woodfast company was experiencing financial difficulty the designs etc were snapped up by the Chinese. Machines like the M910 wood lathe are indeed made in China but are virtually the original Australian design. Manufacturing, casting and component quality is certainly different. The machines are "rebranded" as Rikon and Record in other markets.

Nice pickup with the bandsaw. The old original Australian manufactured machines are well worth the restoration effort that you have so capably performed.