I picked up this H.F. 14” model 32208 bandsaw from a Craigslist seller. He stated the motor was non- functional but otherwise the saw was in good shape. I inspected it and made a guess about the motor being miswired, and not smelling anything bad, gambled away $100 for the saw. I noticed it had been modified in an attempt to convert it to a 12” resaw capacity with what appeared to be a white color Jet 6” riser kit, which seemed to be an acceptably done job, mechanically speaking.
Starting at the on/ off switch, I found it was totally fried, not surprising since it was only rated at 1 H.P. max. with the Leeson motor being a bonafide 2 H.P. unit. I jumped the inoperative connection, plugged it into a 120 receptacle, and bump started the saw and it slowly came alive. By slowly I mean it took a while to ramp up to operating R.P.M., and when power was cut it slammed and acted like an electric brake was kicking in. Examination of the motor showed 1: it was wired for 220 volt operation yet corded for 120 and 2: the internal centrifugal start switch was bad and not taking the start capacitor out of the circuit which was causing overheat and that slamming noise upon shutdown.
This gave me the opportunity to order a solid state motor starter, and also a smaller microfarad start capacitor as recommended by Isovolt. (193 vs. 708). With the motor now wired correctly and the new start components in place the motor purred like a kitten when bench tested. Subsequent reinstallation showed that under load the original start capacitor had to be reinstalled as the smaller unit didn’t provide enough torque to get up to speed. It was close, but not reliable enough, if I had a 300 M.F. unit it probably would’ve worked o.k. In the end, I’m very happy with the motor as it is a high- efficiency, now sparkless design being dual capacitor (start/ run) and lists for about $250 all by itself.
The tires, although showing signs of little wear, were the new urethane material, and would throw off at high speed; 3,000 feet per minute. I used a tried and true adhesive and an old toothbrush to remedy that situation.
The table’s “zero stop” adjusting screw was missing, and I found out why; the mounting hole threads needed chasing all the way through. I then used a bit of scrap rod and threaded it to serve as an adjustable rest pin.
The wheel tension adjustment screw is inconveniently located on these saw types, so I threaded a section of 3/8” rod to 3/8- 16 x 3-1/2” long and extended the other end above the top of the upper wheel housing and added a speed crank to aid in quick tensioning.
The upper blade guide rod was a simple steel round, and so to keep the guide block and bearing assembly properly centered during positional changes I milled a flat down one side using my DeWalt radial saw with a grinding wheel mounted, and a simple “V” block cut from scrap wood to act as cradle. ˝ hour later and the job was done.
A shop made fence system was next using some roadside salvaged bed angle, the cutoff of which is detailed here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226062#1
The original motor's 4 speed changes are limited to two ranges now; 2,000 and 3,000 F.P.M. because the Leeson motor is a 3450 shaft speed vs. a factory installed 1725 type. Also the outer pulley cone was damaged and needed to be trimmed away to prevent belt cutting. A typical hinged pivot allows for easy lift, shift, drop and go belt moves.
A plywood base plate was mounted to the saw’s main frame and locking casters from H.F. were added for mobility. A final touch was to sand square the original upper and lower guide blocks before doing a routine alignment of the whole saw.
I’d like to add in a debris brush to clean the lower wheel, and also up the dust collection port to a 4” diameter. Dunno if it’s worthwhile adding a countershaft to cut metal though, but if it comes up I have enough room below to do that.
By no means do I have a machine that can compete with a Minimax or Laguna, etc. but for the small money spent and a little shop time invested in a low priced consumer tool it’ll do my needs quite well from occasional resawing to shaped cutting of wood and some plastics.
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