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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Newcastle NSW
    Posts
    775

    Default Wadkin Bursgreen BZB 20/500 Bandsaw

    Hi all,

    Well I have an unplanned addition to the workshop, which I believe to be a BZB 20" (unlike other machines the plate does not start with the model, but having googled around and based on this brochure, I am fairly confident this is what it is, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong).

    BZB 20 brochure.pdf

    Although it is not the RD I would love to have, and it is not cast iron construction, it is in my opinion so far a well-built bandsaw, and should serve me well for now. With all that said it was a last minute sight unseen eBay purchase (which had 2 very bad photos that showed no real detail, and no real description) that cost me a total of $56 so who could complain (I felt so bad that when I picked it up I gave the guy an extra $30, also because he made it the easiest pickup I have probably had).

    bandsaw ebay snapshot.jpg

    With the price, I really wasn't expecting much (perhaps blown motor, rusted beyond repair, etc, etc), but I got it home yesterday (and had no time to look at it, as we stopped in to relatives on the way home) and have spend a little time today looking it over before starting it up this evening to perform a motor and bearing test.

    Below are some pictures which show the condition, not sure if the pictures show the full story, but mostly it is all surface rust and locking nuts etcetera are all moving freely (the guides will need some cleaning up, and the rear top guide is missing, but this is an easy fix, in fact I think I have a couple of old ones that might fit). I have taken to the table in one section with the angle grinder to check how deep the rust on the table is, and it does not seem to be pitted, and I also hit the main bar for the top guide support and it looks like this will also clean up fairly easily.

    front top.jpgfront bottom.jpgback top.jpgback bottom.jpgtop wheel.jpgbottom wheel2.jpgbottom wheel.jpgname plate.jpgtable top.jpgtable top2.jpgmotor compartment.jpg

    According to the guy I purchased it off (and I could see no reason for him to make the story up), this machine spent its life in the Morisset Psychiatric Hospital, so I would imagine it probably hasn't had a really hard life. This is also backed up by the condition of the vulcanised rubber wheels and the original saw dust brush, which show no real sign of ware. So now I have a bandsaw from a psychiatric hospital and a spindle moulder from a nuclear power plant.

    The main issue today was dealing with the fact that a rat had taken up residence at some stage in the motor compartment as well as trying to drag some rags into the compartment for the bottom wheel, but appart from some junk that had been dragged in to make a nest, no damage had been done.

    I fired it up this evening and I can hear no bearing noise (motor), and the bottom wheel spins without wobble, and the foot brake works very well. Tomorrow I will try adding the blade and see if the top wheel bearings are OK, but they are sealed bearings and from a visual inspection the front bearing looks very good and the wheel spins very well by hand so .

    I had a question if someone wouldn't mind sharing some knowledge. The tires on the wheels are in very good condition and are a fairly thick vulcanised rubber, but they are basically flat, I am wondering if this means they have not been trued, or if they were not designed to be trued? I have not tried running it with a blade on yet, so I am not sure how the blade tracks, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Cheers,

    Camo

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia.
    Posts
    825

    Default

    Camo, you are unbelievable !!

    Talk about a gamble that has payed of, gee-whizz !, I did see that bandsaw on ebay and thought, Mmm, the photo's and description did not show much at all.
    Well done, a Great little machine, and talk about going to a good home as well, what are your plans, will it be jackified or just get it running ??

    Melbourne Matty.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Redbank Plains QLD
    Posts
    87

    Default

    Looks like you have a great machine there.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Newcastle NSW
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Hey Matty,

    I definitely think I have had a win, but it wasn't much of a gamble anyway, little money and pickup was near relatives we were well overdue seeing, and the guy was happy to wait for a time that was convenient for me.

    Quote Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970 View Post
    Great little machine
    My wife wanted to disagree with you about this, at 2 meters tall and weighing in at 300kgs, but then she has never seen an old 36" bandsaw.

    My short term plans for it is to just get it operational. Ultimately I might repaint it (mainly to change it from green), but I don't think it is worthy of jackifying, although I hope Jack won't mind me stealing some parts of his fence design and counterweight for the guide support.

    Cheers,

    Camo

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Glen Innes
    Posts
    127

    Default

    that looks like a good buy and a half
    cheers pat

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Newcastle
    Age
    69
    Posts
    1,071

    Default

    An absolute steal.But I have to say that my last bandsaw was just a slightly better deal because it was free. (First time I had been without a bandsaw for thirty years so a friend took pity on me and gave me one)
    Some bandsaws come with flat wheels and some with crowned wheels. The advantage of flat wheels is that the blade can be allowed to track toward the front or toward the back and there is less wear on the wheel because of the better distribution of the load and you can more easily control slight twist of the blade which is critical for getting straight cuts with minimum drift. So probably better for bigger blades doing straight cuts. Crowned wheels on the other hand force the blade to try to climb up to the middle of the wheel surface so all the wear is in one place. They are more difficult to adjust the drift on but they are a hell of a lot easier to just throw the next blade onto and have it automatically seat in exactly the same place as the last one. So probably better for thinner blades doing curved cuts.
    But that looks like a great machine, all you need is roller bearing guides and a quick release and it will be 100%. What's wrong with green paint ?

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    2,205

    Default BZB x 3

    Good score camoz,
    This is the third Wadkin BZB to sell from ebay north of Sydney in the last 3 months!
    There was one on the central coast but bad info and picks and $500 start.
    Sold for low $500s from memory.
    The next I bought from Forster and picked up last weekend.
    Paid over $600 for it and whilst it has potentially better guides has been used as a resaw and suffered abuse.
    Which brings us to your machine which looks like a good thing.
    I had a DR30 and before then a 30 inch Barker but now have moved the wood machinery to an annex to keep the dust off the cars and associated metal gear.
    I was using a 14 inch Steelfast but needed larger dedicated wood saw to save having to drive into where I used to work to use their DR36.
    There are a lot of bargains out there currently especially if you have a few contacts and are not in a hurry to buy.
    You wouldn't believe what I have been given of late! These new OH&S laws have large organisations scared to sell off unwanted gear nowadays.
    H
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Coffs Harbour
    Posts
    226

    Default

    Hey Camo

    Good find. Should be a nice addition to the arsenal.
    56 bucks? R U for real.
    Makes a joke of the old meat bandsaw I've been playing with. Free to start with but 80 bucks for new rubbers, 80 bucks for new blade and I had to pull the wheels off and machine and re crown them. ( now cuts 350 mm thick bluegum like butter though )

    Yes, jealous.

    Good on ya mate.

    Andrew

    ps. Agree, no machine should be repainted green. It's just wrong
    Last edited by Barterbuilt; 3rd June 2013 at 02:55 PM. Reason: green coment added

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Imbil
    Posts
    1,167

    Default

    I was also watching this saw Camo lucky it wasn't closer or you would have had some competition for it.
    What a bargain.
    Regards Rod.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Newcastle NSW
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Hey all,

    My initial intention with this bandsaw was to do the minimum required to get it working, so to be honest I really didn't pay too much attention to taking before and after shots, and wasn't really going to go into any detail posting the progress (as in the end all you can see is a machine in need of a paint job). In the process I found an issue that needed resolving, and required more disassembly than previously expected, and there were a few tricks along the way, so I have done a bit more than initially expected, and thought I would share some of the things I found on the way, in case someone else decides to pull down a BZB in the future).

    I started with the top guide assembly, mainly surface rust, I was able to rotate the bar, but it certainly wasn't free moving.


    guide arm.jpg

    From experience I knew the best course of action was to bring out the angle grinder with the wire wheel, before it even comes off. I cleaned the shaft below the bracket rotating it and then locking it cleaning the next section and locking it again, before lifting the arm up and repeating the process with the top part of the bar. I then removed the lower guide section and handles and cleaned everything up on the wire wheel.


    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

    (like I said it doesn't look pretty, but everything runs smoothly now, perhaps too smoothly, fortunately it has the stop at the top otherwise it would fall and crack the table, they really should have been designed with a counter balance).

    Decided to move on to the tilt adjustor on the top wheel, which is when I realised things were going to be a bit more work. The casting that holds the wheel was seized and would not pivot using the adjuster at the back, so at this point I knew I was going to have to get inside and work out what was going on. It took a bit to determine how the top wheel came off (did I have to pull it off the shaft?), in the end I referred back to the exploded diagram, and realised you just undo a nut from the back and the wheel and shaft come off, then screws hold the metal plate in place that cover the tilt mechanism. It is soooo much easier working on a machine when you have the user manual and exploded diagram.


    image.jpg
    With it off, it was clear that the pin that the tilting mechanism pivots on over time had just locked up due to lack of use, and I thought while I was inside I might as well clean everything up to ensure free movement.

    I tapped out the shaft which is just held in place with a grub screw, and cleaned everything on the wire wheel, now the mechanism pivots smoothly.

    image.jpg image.jpg

    Then I cleaned the parts associated with the tension mechanism (ways), which I noticed was binding a bit causing the spring to be under tension a bit before giving way as the wheel travelled up. Again this is what happens when a machine is left unused for a period of time.



    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

    Next I cleaned the table top (again using the wire brush on the grinder wheel, which made light work of it)

    image.jpg

    Before removing the table top, as the top would not tilt.

    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

    Disassembly and then back to the wire wheel and cleaned all the parts (the long locking bolt was seized, and the ways were clogged), before putting it back together.

    image.jpg

    Lastly the top goes back on, and the bottom guide assemble is dismantled and goes back to the wire wheel, also I have replaced the guide bearings top and bottom (cost about $20 in bearings, but definitely needed).

    image.jpg

    Well that is where I am up to, the bottom guide assembly needs cleaning and the last thing is to put the top wheel back on, add a blade and test the bearings of the top wheel under load (fortunately these bearings are a standard off the shelf bearing and the pair will cost me no more than $25)

    The brake assemble works really well and needs no attention, so at this stage I will leave it alone.

    Overall, this bandsaw appears to be in excellent condition and I am very happy with the purchase, although I wanted to post what I have done to make sure people didn't just think it was a case of buying it with no work to be done.

    For those following my posts, you will know that I have a 27" Barker bandsaw coming shortly, so I am undecided what the fate of this bandsaw will be, but I would like to know the full condition of the Barker before I do anything (although I was surprised when the "boss" said she was happy for me to keep both). I currently have something in mind, but it’s not locked in yet, so we will see what happens, either way with the money I have put in, I don’t think I can loose with this bandsaw.

    Cheers,

    Camo

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    1,501

    Default

    I'm thinking Dueling bandsaws!
    Dueling Banjos Deliverance - YouTube

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    sydney
    Age
    40
    Posts
    1,142

    Default

    That looks nice mate Ill look after it for you.
    you have my address Ill make a space lol
    DANGER!!!!
    I'm Dyslexic Spelling may offend!!!!!

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Newcastle NSW
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by nz_carver View Post
    That looks nice mate Ill look after it for you.
    you have my address Ill make a space lol
    All you need to do in return is teach me to turn, sounds easy right, well wait till you see me turn something...lol

    Seriously though, we have to get your 18" bandsaw sorted (just pick a day and we will sort it, if needed I will bring my bloody big vice and a sledge hammer).

    Cheers,

    camo

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