Now that my newly-acquired CB-75F takes its place next to the CB-100FA on the right, I must admit it really is a cute li’l unit:
The front side of the CB-75F:
It’s in pretty good shape and worth the $1000 investment.
I didn’t realize that the CB75F has rubber tires on its wheels:
The rubber tires mean fitting other size blades is totally straightforward – I had been wondering about this detail before the machine arrived.
With the rubber tires you get a brass bristle cleaning brush instead of the steel scraper as seen on the CB-100FA with its large cast metal wheels:
The guides are meant for a 3″ blade, however the machine as received had a 1″ blade fitted, which doesn’t really work properly with the regular guides, gouging out the middle:
The blade-tensioning mechanism rides up and down on dovetailed ways, and these are provided with oil cups on both sides:
I plan to use this machine to run 1/4″ (6mm) blades most of the time, and have acquired the factory ball-bearing guides for that conversion:
The guides took all of 5 minutes to fit – a drunken chimp could do it, so I was well qualified. Now I need to get a 1/4″ bandsaw blade or two. Any recommendations? I’ve ordered the 3-phase motor and its associated parts from Japan so I should have them in a few weeks. The machine runs fine as is but the 110v. single phase motor with gear reduction is going into early retirement, despite the, uh, howls of protest.
Thanks for visiting!
Try http://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com At least they do the trick for me.
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/. Great products and service.
Great looking machine Chris!
Hi Chris,
I use that saw with a 2″ blade all the time for ripping and resawing. It's a great machine. I sure wish I had the money for the Oliver!
I've noticed good things being said about Ellis Band Saw Blades on various turning forums.
I'll stop by next time I'm out that way. Good luck with the new home.
Dick
Adam and Tico,
thanks for the links. I've also discovered it is easy to get the Hitachi blades for this saw relatively inexpensively, so there will be plenty of choices at least.
Dale,
glad you like it. I bought it based on pictures alone and there's always a certain amount of apprehension that comes along with that but it is in really good condition.
Dick,
I've had a few offers on the Oliver, but nothing substantial, so if you keep saving your pennies….
I'll check out Ellis for their blade as well – thanks for the tip.
~C
Chris,
I don't know if it is so much to your benefit to order bandsaw blades from California, but I have been using this small business blade provider for over thirty years, and never once had a break at the weld, including primarily using their 1/4″ blades. I'm not sure what the association with Walton Saw is now, unless Greg might have sold out. He is/was a master saw blade welder. Welding them together all day long was his thing, a man that always appeared to have found his niche when seeing him working. Cool guy to chat with too.
http://hastingssaws.com/
Dennis,
great to hear from you and thanks for the recommendation about Hastings Saws.
I think I will initially try the stock Hitachi 6mm blade for this saw, and see how it works. It's a $37 blade (includes shipping), and readily available.
It's amazing how many bandsaw blades these days come with poorly done kinked welds, so it was good to hear about someone who cared about doing a good job.
~C