Thread: Bought a power hacksaw - requires a motor

On mine it's anticlockwise looking at the spindle end.

When I got the old hacksaw up and running at the mens shed I noticed it was covered in mm of oily swarf. Fortunately it had an enclosed 3P motor so the swarf was not a problem for it. However, because of this I would advise against using any sort of open motors as found in washing machines etc. If you do decide to do this then some sort of cover might be advisable bearing in mind that the motor needs air for cooling.

My power hacksaw is a reasonable size and although I don't use it a lot now, I recently cut some solid mild steel bar approx 75mm dia with it.
The motor is only 1/4 HP but cuts without any problems. It may not be the original motor but it was there when I obtained it some years ago.

Originally Posted by Normanby

My power hacksaw is a reasonable size and although I don't use it a lot now, I recently cut some solid mild steel bar approx 75mm dia with it.
The motor is only 1/4 HP but cuts without any problems. It may not be the original motor but it was there when I obtained it some years ago.

I'd say that the 1/4HP rating is probably a little conservative for that motor.
Usually the current on the name plate is that at which it generates its rated HP

In that case , 240 V x 2.3A thats 552W which means it is only 33% efficient?
So either it's a crummy motor or if it's more like 70% efficient then its real output is 386W = 0.52HP

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Rotation wouldn't matter surely just remember to put the blade in the right way round.

I was thinking a bit more about that this morning. I haven't looked closely at mine yet, but rotation would matter if there was a slight blade lift built into the return stroke.

If there isn't a lift or the rotation doesn't matter, it still might be better to have the saw cutting on the pull stroke back toward the fixed jaw of the vice, maybe? Perhaps I'm overthinking things.

They usually do lift on the return stroke to preserve the teeth on the blade which is why te blade can only be used in the correct orientation but can be fitted backward so check the previous owner didn't put in in the wrong way like mine.

I had a 1" pulley on the motor but not enough surface area and tge belt would slip. I had a 3" at hand so tried that the thing was having an epileptic fit, way too fast. Had to go and get a 2" from the scrappy. Still seems fast.

also like Bob I have mine on locking castors but don't get cheap Asian ones, they collapsed in seconds on the first use. We're well rated for weight but the rotational bearing all popped out under the rocking forces and the studs bent.
As others have said they don't have big motors

Originally Posted by Andrew C

Thanks also for letting me know about the jumping about. I was planning to put it on casters, but I won't now. I'll just have to deadlift it when I want to use it

You could put a couple of wheels at the back, centre of axle about 100 mm behind the rear of it, and about 5mm clearance under the wheels. Just pick up the front and wheel it to where it is needed, put it down and watch it rock and roll. Also adding a removable handle to the front saves the back, and running over yourself.
Kryn

Originally Posted by BobL

At the mens shed we have ours on lockable wheels and it is a hoot watching it slowly wobble its way across the floor when a member forgets to lock the wheels. Every time i see it do this it reminds me of a minimalist 70's dancer, you know the ones that stand in one place and just jiggle about a bit. I should rake a movie of it and add some appropriate music.

Go on mate. That would be kuta

[QUOTE=morrisman;1881736]I have the same saw , I have used it a quite a lot , I think they were made in Ballarat . Mine is mounted on lengths of railway track which makes it very stable , they tend to jump around if they are not mounted on something heavy . Mine is a tad too fast , I think 70 to 80 would be better rather than 100 strokes per minute . I replaced the shafts and made some bushes as it was a very worn out machine when I got it . I think mine is a 1/2hp motor . Mike[/QUOTEHi Mike ,Peerless formerly Healeys were made in Bendigo Started out making copper wound 240v 130 amp welders, they were rippers the later 1's went Aluminium not half the welder is a 50yo healey here done hundreds of hours but mothballed now with hf 200 amper that you would never want to pick up those old welder hand piece ever again. Before the DIY handy man boom their key marketing was for farmers of course the power hack saw added to their welding range .Go to any ''cockies' clearing sale bet there is a small welder and always a power hack saw.My old Parkanson power hack saw years old and still works the same is about 50 plus strokes per min rule thumb hand hack sawing up to 60 strokes per min . Depending on what you are cutting slower the better if you cutting thick stuff shafting etc. Again abrasive drop saws are quicker messier and a no no around machine tools. Mine all done out side. Beauty of the old power hack saw like a shaper can do other things while they stroke away.. Peerless were 1 of the first pioneers to manufacture in Taiwan later other machine tools boosted their sales range of products.John.

Originally Posted by Andrew C

I was thinking a bit more about that this morning. I haven't looked closely at mine yet, but rotation would matter if there was a slight blade lift built into the return stroke.

If there isn't a lift or the rotation doesn't matter, it still might be better to have the saw cutting on the pull stroke back toward the fixed jaw of the vice, maybe? Perhaps I'm overthinking things.

Andrw been a while since using one but if I recall on some you would be right on others its no problem as either way works with the lift of blade as the cam operates both ways.

Originally Posted by j.ashburn

Hi Mike ,Peerless formerly Healeys were made in Bendigo Started out making copper wound 240v 130 amp welders, they were rippers the later 1's went Aluminium not half the welder is a 50yo healey here done hundreds of hours but mothballed now with hf 200 amper that you would never want to pick up those old welder hand piece ever again. Before the DIY handy man boom their key marketing was for farmers of course the power hack saw added to their welding range .Go to any ''cockies' clearing sale bet there is a small welder and always a power hack saw.My old Parkanson power hack saw years old and still works the same is about 50 plus strokes per min rule thumb hand hack sawing up to 60 strokes per min . Depending on what you are cutting slower the better if you cutting thick stuff shafting etc. Again abrasive drop saws are quicker messier and a no no around machine tools. Mine all done out side. Beauty of the old power hack saw like a shaper can do other things while they stroke away.. Peerless were 1 of the first pioneers to manufacture in Taiwan later other machine tools boosted their sales range of products.John.

Inteesting bit of history there.

Sorry to bump this, but I've two more stupid questions:

(1) I was able to acquire a never-been-used 0.5HP Mez Mohelnice motor quite cheaply. Mounting only required two additional holes to be drilled. Should I run an earth wire from the motor body to the hacksaw chassis? There's a screw on the side of the motor housing with an earth symbol.

(2) I bought a cheap grease gun from Bunnings and proceeded to grease all the bearings. I then read that different grease types shouldn't be mixed. The stuff that came with my gun was a blue-ish lithium grease, but the old grease that squeezed out of the bearings was some kind of brown synthetic. Should I tear it down and flush everything out, or just run it and re-grease it regularly until most of the old grease has been expelled?

Hi Andrew, hope you dont mind me hijacking your thread, do you or anyone else know the maximum cutting capacity of your saw, thanks steve.

Originally Posted by pench

Hi Andrew, hope you dont mind me hijacking your thread, do you or anyone else know the maximum cutting capacity of your saw, thanks steve.

The vice jaws on mine are 80mm tall and open to 150mm.

I'm no expert (obviously), but I'd imagine you wouldn't want to cut stock much taller than the vice due to the saw ending up on a steep angle.