Grob Bandsaw: two blade slots in table

[Bill D]

I saw an older Grob bandsaw at the used tool dealer. I think it is 18". all pulley drive with no transmission.
It has the normal table slot front to back to remove/install the blade. It has a solid iron strip covering the slot. It has another similar slot from the blade to the right hand edge of the table. That slot has a similar iron strip covering it but that strip has drain 1/8" holes? drilled in it all the way through. I did not really notice what it looked like at the edge of the table.
I have seen mention of a chip conveyor but that slot had no moving parts visible. Any idea what it is for? I would guess a cutting oil drain down into the base somewhere hidden away. But it seems unlikely much percentage of oil would happen to go into it.
Bill D

 

[Joe Gwinn]

A photo would be useful.

 

[Cole2534]

A photo would be useful.

Immensely. Was it part of a feed mechanism? Use the holes to put in pins and assist work into the blade?

 

[L Vanice]

A photo of the machine would be interesting, but labelled illustrations are better. Vintage Machinery has a Grob instruction book that shows that the slot pointing toward the face of the file or saw blade is for a feeding device and the one at 90 degrees to the direction of feed has holes for center pins for cutting circles of different diameters. See page 3.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/2285/5680.pdf

As a bonus, I found that Grob made "open end" band saws. They used a 140 foot long narrow blade (that was not welded) that wrapped many times around top and bottom drums. It would cut for a while, then you stopped and quickly rewound the blade to the top drum and ran it again. It was an alternative to cutting a blade to pass it through an internal hole in the work, then welding the blade, doing the sawing and cutting the blade again. I thought that was an interesting idea.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/2285/25799.pdf

Larry

 

[Bill D]

After I got home I realized I should have taken a picture. I do not think it would work for a guide since I believe the metal bar slides in the slot.
Bill D

 

[Bill D]

Guys were correct it is a guide for circle cutting. I gues the slide bar can be locked down somehow. Not mentioned in the manual from 1938 here seen on page x134
Bill D

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/2285/24335.pdf

 

[neilho]

Larry is correct on both counts. The feed mechanism is gravity driven by weights and damped by an air cylinder.

The originals are here on the hoof, so to speak, if pix are needed.

 

[Cole2534]

As a bonus, I found that Grob made "open end" band saws. They used a 140 foot long narrow blade (that was not welded) that wrapped many times around top and bottom drums. It would cut for a while, then you stopped and quickly rewound the blade to the top drum and ran it again. It was an alternative to cutting a blade to pass it through an internal hole in the work, then welding the blade, doing the sawing and cutting the blade again. I thought that was an interesting idea.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/2285/25799.pdf

Larry

I'd HATE to be the new guy learning that thing.

 

[mmurray70]

I have an old Grob NS-18. All belt drive like you mentioned. I really like it. Its a good saw. Company is still in business and still sells parts for it. Should be a good purchase.

 

[Bill D]

I did not notice the blade guides. How do you like them?
Bill D

 

[Bill D]

I found photos of the table on ebay. Looks like it has a wingnut and bolt to adjust the slider with the holes for pivot pins. The one I saw was coated in swarf and oil hidden in a dark corner.
Bill D

 

[4GSR]

I love my Grob NS-18 Bandsaw. I'd put it up against any DoAll any day! I too refurbished mine with a VFD and different air pump. Also built a set of ball bearing roller guides in place of the aluminum bronze blade guide blocks it came with. They probably work fine, they just look wimpy in my opinion. Mine does have the circle cutting attachment, too!

 

[neilho]

My NS18's table also has the two slots at right angles to each other. Later models had just the single slot, parallel with the blade, not sure when Grob made that change. Mine was made in '47 so sometime after that.

One could put a conventional fence system on this table, but having more time than money at the time, I made this fence/miter.



Works well - locks to the slot as a fence and locked in the "parked" position is used in the other slot (with an adapter) to push stock through. A modified Workstop makes cutting multiple blanks to length easy.

The only change I would make to it is the locking mechanism. It uses an eccentric and roller in the slot to lock in place, but a pipe thread would be a whole lot simpler and more adjustable for wear.

Love this saw, changed my shop life. Prob the last tool in the shop I'd consider selling.

 

[Bill D]

I think the extra slot arrangement was a option that was seldom built. Not sure how long the availbility of that option lasted.
Bill D

 

[dkmc]

A couple winters back I got into my newly acquired 4V-18 (with 4 speed gearbox) and didn't like the fact that different guides are required for various blade widths. So I proceed to design and build fully adjustable guides that accommodate blade widths from 1/8 to 1". Since the saw came with several boxes of the same size aluminum-bronze guides, I incorporated those into the adjustable guides I built.....
They work great and I like the fact that the A-B guides support the blade with more than line contact like ball bearing guides or small carbide pads.

 

[neilho]

What I shoulda built instead of buying Carter guides....

 

[4GSR]

My 1944 model has the exact same setup. Yours is much cleaner than mine! I didn't take any of the pulley stuff out of the cabinet to paint. Someday I will. Some of the bearings in the jack shaft assemblies need changing out.

 

[86turbodsl]

I just found this thread. I am fixing up an ANCIENT NS18 saw. Adding a VFD and replacing bad parts. I have found that the blade length everybody calls out is too long, and it really needs to be about 2-3 inches shorter. The tires look good and there isn't any wear showing anywhere, so i can only assume it's a special or an especially early saw. The motor it came with was a "2-phase" motor so i think it was probably sold around Niagara falls somewhere. It was mounted to an old growth wood board. It has only 3 speeds, so the VFD will be very welcome with the new 3 phase motor.

 

[neilho]

The 3 speed is rare, deservedly so, IMO, but should be made right with a VFD.

144" also is the right length for my NS18.

 

[86turbodsl]

We cut 3" out of the 144" ones i had made at Detroit Bandsaw and it fit perfect right in the middle of the travel range of the adjuster. What would you want to see on this one? I can post photos.