Ancient Startrite bandsaw - can it be fixed?

[wiresandwood]

Hi all,

I moved into a new house earlier this year and the old owner left a couple of his workshop tools behind. I don't think he'd used them for years, but one of the things he left is a Startrite bandsaw. Judging by the plug that's on it, the serial number A344 and the fact that there doesn't appear to be a model number at all I am guessing this is pretty old! I started it up and it runs enthusiastically, but the the blade wanders forwards and backwards a lot (5-6mm), and doesn't seem very tight.

I watched a couple of bandsaw setup videos and tried fiddling with the (initially pretty seized) knob to control the angle of the top wheel and adjusting the tension but nothing seemed to stop the blade oscillating to and fro, and even turning the wheels manually still produce the blade wander I'm seeing.

The other thing I found weird was that the top wheel and the bottom drive wheel were both marked 502 (presumably the same casting), but the top wheel has a rubber "tyre" and the bottom one doesn't. No idea if this is by design, but I certainly didn't seem to be able to get much tension into the blade, which would support the theory that the drive wheel has lost its rubber coating at some point.

The unit seems well made, and appears to have a cast iron cutting table, but I've never owned a bandsaw before and have no idea whether this means the unit is fundamentally ruined and I should haul it to the tip or try to fix it.

Any advice on whether this thing is tenable, and if so how on earth I'd be able to try to fix it, would be very much appreciated!

I stuck a few photos up here - happy to take some more if crucial bits were missed!

http://imgur.com/gallery/D6wdv

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Judging by the plug that's on it, the serial number A344 and the fact that there doesn't appear to be a model number at all I am guessing this is pretty old!

Not that old. Startrite only started up in the 1950s and I believe that in the early days they became part of the Thorn Electrical Industries group. Startrite always made light industrial, not hobby, machines. By the 1970s TEI and the George Cohen Group merged their metalworking interests to become 600 Machine Tools, which puts your machine as a 1950s or 1960s machine. There's a bit about the history of the firm here

I seem to recall that that type of 3-wheel saw have vulcanised rubber tyres on all three wheels, but, being rubber they do deterioriate with age. There are various suppliers on the net who can retyre your saw wheels or you can get hold of compressed cork kits which may or may not be effective. On two wheel saws the wheels need yo be perfectly round and slightly crowned in order for the saw to run. Don't know about the three wheeled models, although I'm pretty sure that the two front wheels would need to be the same. The blade might also be oscillating because it has been left under tension for a long time and stretched unevenly. Before trying again I'd suggest sorting out the tyres and getting a new blade. At least then you've eliminated two fairly obvious issues.

For spares I'd try Alt Saws and Spares in Gillingham. They are probably your best source for older Startrite stuff although they don't list anything as old as a model "A" bandsaw

If you still want to haul it to the tip I'll maybe send you the petrol money to bring it round to mine! ....or seeing as you are so far away, maybe not. Good luck!

 

[Burnerman]

The knob on the top of the casing adjusts the blade tension, presumably there is one on the back that alters the pulley track?
The blade needs to run on the pulley centre - one of the pulleys will be crowned to allow this.
Do check the bearings of each pulley as they should have no play, and only the upper one floats a bit.
John

 

[wiresandwood]

I seem to recall that that type of 3-wheel saw have vulcanised rubber tyres on all three wheels, but, being rubber they do deterioriate with age. There are various suppliers on the net who can retyre your saw wheels or you can get hold of compressed cork kits which may or may not be effective. On two wheel saws the wheels need yo be perfectly round and slightly crowned in order for the saw to run. Don't know about the three wheeled models, although I'm pretty sure that the two front wheels would need to be the same. The blade might also be oscillating because it has been left under tension for a long time and stretched unevenly. Before trying again I'd suggest sorting out the tyres and getting a new blade. At least then you've eliminated two fairly obvious issues.

For spares I'd try Alt Saws and Spares in Gillingham. They are probably your best source for older Startrite stuff although they don't list anything as old as a model "A" bandsaw

If you still want to haul it to the tip I'll maybe send you the petrol money to bring it round to mine! ....or seeing as you are so far away, maybe not. Good luck!

Thanks so much for the info - looks like it's a classic that may still be worth saving! That bottom wheel does look like it may have had a tyre on it at some point, which would also explain why the tensioner gets to the highest position without really getting the blade under much tension, which could then explain why it's wandering all over the place. I'll give the place in Gillingham a call and see what I can do about the wheel and a new blade.