Looking for info/manual for Dake/MEP cold saw.

Hello!

I recently procured a Dake/MEP cold saw. It is of the sort that has the head travelling up and down some V-ways. It is a very nice machine that is in fairly good condition. I haven't been able to find much information for it online. The Dake website doesn't have a manual for this particular model. Google searches haven't really turned up much.

Anyway, it is a nice machine that has had a few modifications throughout its years. One of them was in regard to the handle that raises and lowers the head. Someone felt it necessary to weld on a very long handle. I'm guessing it was an effort to generate some extra (ie. excessive) down force and leverage. It also made it so that the long arm swings back and hits the wall (or objects) behind the machine. I would LIKE to remove the handle and put a big handwheel on there, but I am having trouble getting the handle off. I've already managed to release the support spring that assists the head in going up and down. I didn't exactly mean to do that, and I'm not too sure on how to get it back together. So, I figured I would see if I can find some information before I screw it up any further.

If you have some information on this saw, please let me know. I already have a shop full of non-functional tools, and I hope I haven't just added to the collection. Thank you for taking your time to read my post!

You can click the included picture to enlarge it.

Wow....what a strange duck that is...someone removed the gearbox ! Also they installed what appears to be a Baldor motor and just bypassed the gearbox. I wonder if someone broke a gear in the past and MEP wanted "too much" for a new gear so they said to hell with that and just yanked the whole thing off and put a DC motor on ? Or is that AC motor with VFD....or ??

FWIW, MEP is the manufacturer...in Italy....now the line is sold by Hyd-Mech...you can get parts and manuals from Hyd-Mech...or if you get really desperate I have direct email to MEP (but would need time to find it)

Thank you for that info. I was told that the original motor was a 440/480, and they changed it out for a 240. However, I suspect that the original setup also had two speeds (which this one does not.) It's just wired up with a simple mag starter. Maybe it would be better run with a VFD.

Anyway, I had thought that this machine may've started out as a semi-auto setup and was converted to manual. However, the handle setup seems too complicated to have been cobbled together. Hopefully, it will turn out to be a good tool. The test cut that they did with it looked fantastic.

I will check out the Hyd-Mech site and see if I can find something there. A manual sure would be a nice thing to have at this point. Thank you for the help with it and pointing me in the right direction.

ions82 said:

Thank you for that info. I was told that the original motor was a 440/480, and they changed it out for a 240. However, I suspect that the original setup also had two speeds (which this one does not.) It's just wired up with a simple mag starter. Maybe it would be better run with a VFD.
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OK, so apparently there are reduction gears in the bottom section the motor is connected to and what is missing is the "transmission" where one achieved either 2 or 4 different speeds, depending on model (most were 4 speed) It would be interesting to know what the exact RPM is of your arbor...I would be surprised if your RPM is in proper range for ferrous without any transmission.

Did you get your TFB electrical issue resolved?

When comparing to the Hyd-Mech picture I found, it looks like my saw may have never been equipped with a gearbox. It just has two holes on the side where the control lever would be, and the Hyd-Mech has three. The side of mine just has some oil fill/sight glasses. I don't know the exact speed of the machine, but I was thinking that the VFD would allow me to cut pretty much anything I would need to. From what I understand, these V-way saws are very rigid. So, getting the speeds right would probably make this a very good tool to have. Hopefully I can get it figured out.

I've called Hyd-Mech to see if I could get a manual for it, but I'm still waiting to see if they can send me something (via e-mail) for a similar model. As Jim pointed out, I am also trying to diagnose (and repair) an electrical issue on a Hardinge lathe. I have a shop full of nice stuff, and none of it works. I'm sure many members on the forum would be appalled if they could see my shop. It's a bit of a disgrace, actually. A bunch of quality iron that is trying not to breathe its last breath.

ions82 said:

When comparing to the Hyd-Mech picture I found, it looks like my saw may have never been equipped with a gearbox.

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Anything is possible I suppose, but that is highly unlikely. I've seen hundreds of cold saws in my day and never seen one like that. Even the cheap cold saws usually have a two speed transmission, and the vertical way machines like your MEP were the better saws, more likely to have four speed transmission.

I`ve got Trennjaeger and Thomas cold saws and neither of them have a gear change.They both have two speed motors.

Mark McGrath said:

I`ve got Trennjaeger and Thomas cold saws and neither of them have a gear change.They both have two speed motors.

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Now that you mention it, I was thinking of the vertical way type cold saws and completely forgot about the "pivoting" types which do often have no transmission but rely on two speed motors.