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old belt driven table saw

lester

Plastic
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Location
W.Tn
Good eve to everyone!

My father-in-law has several old pieces in his shop that he is no longer able to use (82) and would like to sell. The table saw, I have finally found the name on it hidden underneath the dust blower. I think that it is "AMERICAN NO. 1" cast into the bottom rail. If this is not the correct name then I am stumped as to where to look, as I have yet to find anything other than a small brass plate giving the machine no. (such as "machine #5176").

Anyone know anything about this saw as to where to get more info for selling purposes, mfg date, etc., I would appreciate, as it is a nice "self feed" saw with an elec. motor to run it (was hooked up to a 3-phase convertor no longer available). I'll find out more on motor, rpm's, blade size, pics, etc. later if anyone is interested.

All should know this week where Jackson, TN is!
 
My dad's old table saw is belt drive.

It's an old Delta Homecraft. It's like this one in the picture, he even had (mine now, he's dead) the same dado blade set. It was his dad's originally. It's got a 1/2hp washing machine motor on it (at least that's where I'm told it came from). It's DOGGEDLY under powered, I never knew it was supposed to have 8" blades on it, there's always been 7 1/4" on there when I've seen it. I bet that's because of the small motor. I was thinking about putting a bigger motor on it, the thing actually does work good as long as you feed creeping slow. The nice thing about such a small motor is it doesn't throw things as easily as it stalls. It still can throw things, but not like the 10" table saw I had a LONG time ago. The thing I really like about it is the handwheel for tilting the blade. I definetly want to put an extension on the table. Neat little saw. Anyways, that website is great for finding info.

http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/Delta/1954-34-500.pdf

http://owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=6214
 
Lester,

The saw you are referring to is made by American Wood Working Machinery, a company that was in business from 1897-1925. The "No. 1" is the model of table saw called a variety saw. Honestly unless it is in good working order is worth little more than scrap. If it works well and all the adjustments are free and it has a fence and miter gages it is worth a bit more. DON'T SCRAP IT! Tennessee is not too far from me and I would be interested at a reasonalbe price.

Here is a link for the AWWM entry

http://www.owwm.com/MfgIndex/Detail.asp?ID=37

Dan
 
What everyone is showing is nowhere NEAR what this is. I will try to take some pics this weekend. This is a cast iron framed saw, not that delta stuff.

Inwoodcutter,
you may be on to it, but the links don't work. I even tried to google it and the links don't go. Not sure why. Have you visited that site lately, or is it just my computer?
 
it may be the site. I go there every day. But they have been having server troubles lately. I have attached a scan from the catalog i have.

Dan
 

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The saw Ironwoodcuter posted looks alot like a tilt top machine that I sent out to pasture at a school I taught at. It had a big blade, 12 or 14". And a tilting table. It was a Delta phase machine and the spindle was driven directly off the motor shaft. No belting at all. I belive a date of 1912 or 1914 was cast into it. I would have loved to take it but it simply would not fit in my shop. and how would I run a 2 phase motor. Today I know an RPC could have been constructed. I also sent out a 12" jointer made by American also with the same date in the casting.

Mike :cool:
 
Inwoodcutter,

Glad to know it is probably the site and not my intelligence of computer skills (hopefully)

Mike Powell,

Yeah, this thing takes those size blades also, but I will really need to get some pics so it will give more of an understanding of it. It will eat up slabs to make tomato stakes as fast as you can pull them off and throw them in a truck bed. Has the sawdust pipe to hook on and shoot that out the back door also.
 
American made great tools, and was one of the companies in Yates-American, but there were quite a few that formed that company. I hae a Yates-American G-89, it will take an 18" blade, although I only have 16" max, and what the manual recommends, they say there is danger in spinning an 18" blade with a 5HP motor.

American is good stuff, I almost bought a beautiful cast iron c-frame 30" Bandsaw with babbitt bearings, it was a beaut, and it wasn't very much, about $600. I love my Yates-American table saw, but it's quite a different beast in itself.

Kinda OT for this fora, since they are primarily woodworking machines. Cool old iron for certain, IMO.

Oh, and BTW, if it is like the one in the picture, it does have a tilting table most likely, still good for straight cuts, I imagine would be a PITA to operate on a tilt...but never used one. I've seen other larger American table saws with a larger square footprint, similar to the Whitneys. owwm.com seems to be having some troubles as of the past day or two, unfortunately.
 
Just so you guys know

the 2 machines I put out to pasture were set outside the shop, oiled, and covered with plastic. A local guy saw them and had to have them. He got them for scrap price I imagine. I talked to his son a couple of years ago and he still had never set them up to run. I told him I now knew how to do it and would be happy to help but I never heared another word about it.

Mike
 
Good evening to everyone!!

Got some pics taken (not great but better than a crayon). Have no dimensions taken yet as I was involved more with the granddaughter than with this. But this will give a clue for interest for now.
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Blade leaning up is 13-1/2"
 
Here is the pic w/ the "AMERICAN NO. 1" at the bottom. It is partially hidden by the sawdust chute sheet metal.

100_0016.jpg
 
What you have there is not a table saw. It is a self feed ripsaw. This kind of machine would have been used to rough out parts for a molder or other operations in a production facility. I have its much larger cousin. The American No. 15 straight line rip saw. My saw is capable of producing glue line edges. due to its chain feed mechanism.

Dan
 
Yeah, for my lack of knowledge of it I just called it a table saw. I knew it was self feed. Fast as you can put wood in on one side with one person, you can throw tomato stakes in a truck with another person to keep up. I have a couple of other items to post.
 
Lester,

I have an older version of that No 1. Very similar only where yours had gears to run the feeder, mine is all flat belt driven. Its a beast.

Lenny
 
yeah, he would rather sell it than scrap it, but we haven't had any luck locally. Can't remember right off what the name of the old auto mfg. plant here in the early 30's or so was called but that saw and the jointer (I believe I spelled that right, don't know. See my next post with pics.) came out of that plant before it moved to Franklin, TN.

I'm off tomorrow (nearly everyday so I've been told) and will see what kind of price he has in mind. This will probably include the elec. motor that runs it as I mentioned off of the 3-phase convertor that we no longer have. Forgot to take pics of the motor.

Last time I saw it operate was about 6-7 yrs. ago. He wanted to make sure it was OK after the '99 tornado in Jackson,TN took the roof off of the shop. I'll be back!
 








 
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