Keller Power hacksaw.

I read somewhere that posts about power hacksaws were not allowed here for a long time but now they are?
I hauled a Keller #3 home last week and am looking for some info on it.
I thought I had seen a sub forum somewhere. Here? Maybe on one one of the homey/hobby sites?
Can't find it now.
Where to go?

Mods, move or delete this as you see fit.
To the others: laugh, insult, denigrate, malign, disparage, vilify, heckle. impugne - or help - as YOU see fit.
Thanks

Nope still not allowed...might get some respite in the antique section...but still not allowed even there.

Check out Vintagemachinery.org for manuals, etc.

Keller Manufacturing & Keller Industries - History | VintageMachinery.org

Keller did not really publish anything but brochures and exploded diagrams. The military did have a manual for the model #3 in the above link.

Send me a PM if you have any questions in particular. I have had a model 3 variant in the past.

thermite said:

Beyond me as to WHY, though?

DoAll and Kasto still ship them, brand new, right alongside their bandsaws, sometimes in loooong CNC controlled cutting cells priced at SERIOUS money.. and every body has to cut stock SOMEHOW.. Harbour Freight bandsaw?

No on my watch.

I'm good with my Kasto, thanks. but Keller, Kysor-Johnson and similar were/are effective bits of kit. Can't see them at fault in galloping brain-rot whilst the site founder himself is fawning all TF over a Chicom lathe.

Click to expand...

It is not a toy. Weighs I'd guess 3-350lbs.More than many non chinesium band saws.
But if it is machina non grata I have no problems if you delete this whole thread.
Thanks

thermite said:

Beyond me as to WHY, though?

DoAll and Kasto still ship them, brand new, right alongside their bandsaws, sometimes in loooong CNC controlled cutting cells priced at SERIOUS money.. and every body has to cut stock SOMEHOW.. Harbour Freight bandsaw?

No on my watch.

I'm good with my Kasto, thanks. but Keller, Kysor-Johnson and similar were/are effective bits of kit. Can't see them at fault in galloping brain-rot whilst the site founder himself is fawning all TF over a Chicom lathe.

Click to expand...

I dunno, maybe the big guy has something against them lol

I believe the ban on Industrial power hacksaws has been lifted in the "Antique Machinery and History" forum. There was a rather spirited discussion on the subject back in 2016 when I first posted about a Racine saw I had acquired. There have been over 1000 posts regarding these machines, some dating back to 2007.

There is still a ban on hobby grade, or DIY power hacksaws in all forums

It seems the majority of the earlier posts center around hobby grade machines like Craftsman and others sold by now defunct department stores. I'm sure they violated the rules as much for their brand names as well as being hobby grade. More recent posts seem to be centered around industrial brands, most of which are no longer made.

Looking at the price of the new Kasto machines makes my old Racine machine look like an even better bargain. I'm sure I'm missing out on the computer controls and the energy efficiency, but I can live with that

I would think that any power hacksaw of former US production and currently out of production would be grist for the Antique section?

Perhaps it is? I have mentioned the Millers Falls "Star" hacksaw in the past.



The Keller "Jefferson" sort of falls into the same use category.



I almost bought a Jefferson 601 back in the early 1980s - back when Keller was still making them. They've been gone since the 1990s IIRC. Keller Manufacturing & Keller Industries - History | VintageMachinery.org

Joe in NH

I bought a similar Keller at an auction last summer.
About the same size but older, not as refined as this one.
It was completely worn out, missing all the guards,clanked pretty loudly. I didn't want to mess with it so I brought it to a different auction house and resold it. Made a C Note on it and put that $ toward this one. Did ok there.
This one has hydraulic lift on the return stroke and hyd adjust on the drop. Has a little oil pump - like a Bijur pump, runs off a cam to pump the oil. It is not working on the feed. I'm thinking it's probably a seal in the cylinder. I will investigate/repair that. If someone here is familiar with this setup I'd be glad to to confab with them about it.
All in all this is a decent saw.
Not much data on it but I'm guessing it will cut a 5" round. 12" blade. Came with 6 new ones.
Has adjustable bronze gibs in the sliding frame. Slide bar shows very little wear.
OEM vise needs some work. I can fix that.
Was above freezing this afternoon so I broke out the pressure washer and purple cleaner and washed some of the nastyphilis off of it.
Photos show it as I got it. Looks nicer now.
I ran one of these 40 years ago and liked it.
Always wanted one. I defy anyone to show me a saw with such a small foot print that will cut as big a piece as these things will.
Couple of photos for you - before I cleaned it up.

Here is a photo of the little right angle Bijur? pump in the reservoir.

Perhaps not quite what Thermite had in mind but the idea about using the Shaper as a hacksaw has been around for a while .
American Machinist : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
I posted the link in post #512 of this thread quite a while ago.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...39/index26.html?highlight=Hacksaw#post1737244
I've no Idea how well it worked but would certainly have given it a try if I had the need and a shaper available .
I suppose a frame from a power hacksaw with the rest beyond repair could be adapted somehow.
Jim

thermite said:

I think I just did that?

Link I posted had sizes as well as capacity.

Click to expand...

Thermite, I didn't mean your saw specifically.
But generally, a small power hacksaw will do a pretty big job in a small space. More so than the Harbor Fright band saws that you see in a lot of small shops. They were made to last a lot longer too.
By the way, this thing has a gusher pump on it but I'm thinking about going to an air/coolant mister.
Anyone have some advice on that?

OP,

I have a 3CH Hy-duty. Ask away if you have any questions.

P.S. The vise is a POS. I built a new one. I can share the design if requested.