# 1920 Oliver 117-A Band saw " The Restoration Begins"



## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

*1927 Oliver 117-A Band saw " The Restoration Begins"*

Well,
It was January 2011 when this all started from an add I spotted here locally in Buffalo,NY. I negotiated with the owner on some of the machinery he had and we struck a deal, the Oliver 117-A and a AWWM 16" jointer was all I was after and I could not wait to pick them up!!!!!...

2 years later ,
"The Restoration Begins" 

I will start this from the very beginning of the Oliver 117-A.

Original pictures taken at the prior owners shop ,February 2011.

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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Continued.......


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Last one.....


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Preparation for the move to it's new home...., we had to lay her down on her side to get her through an opening in the current shop that did not have a tall enough opening to get her through there vertically. We had 5 guys on her to help out in resting her down, gently.... all went well with no issues but she sure is a heavy saw.....



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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Continued.......



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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Last of the prep move pics....



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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

The move......

Part 1: 



Part 2: 



 
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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

At it's temorary resting place: my garage....



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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Few more......



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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

In the shop mid 2011..
The original birth cirtificate....copy and embossed.


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

The " The Restoration Begins"

First area I wanted to address was the drive system. This took up some serious space in the back and as I have a small shop to begin with,space is at a premium. So i fabricated a narrower projection for a motor mount assembly out of 1/2" steel plating. 
then a test run to check for any issues before i move forward on the tare down. All went very well with the operation, smooth, no issues ,...

The next fabrications in line are the upper blade guard and the rolling base....


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

last few pics untill I have more work done on here,,...

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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

few more untill next time....


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Well,
Today I fabricated the blade guard , I have some trimming and blow outs to do still. I went with stainless steel ,part of the color contrast,with of coarse - the "Green dress"...

Started the fab for the castor base...I have some welding and some supports to add- especially the rear side of the saw...


Mud face,....(OWWM member)
Thank you very much for the pics and dimensions for the 117 blade guard, it fit like a dream....

Thumbs up!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Not sure how I missed this. Kinda hard I would think. That thing is a beast!!!
Looks like a brute. Also looks like a lot of work. 
Can't wait to see some more progress.


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## gus1962 (Jan 9, 2013)

That vintage band saw is really huge! Good score. That's a lot of work to restore that beast! Do you have plans applying new paint on it?


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Yes, she is getting the usual treatment as my other machinery has received.

Here is an example of the restoration on my MOAK 1942 32"- "Special" band saw I finished up last year. There was a lot more work involved with that restoration . The Oliver 117-A should be a lot easier.










And my 1929 Oliver 88D saw bench.









Here's a picture with out the table...









I tare them apart, clean , polish any handles/mechanical fastners , body work,prime, and 3 coats of paint (hvlp) and then reassemble. Any fabrications that need to be done are trial fitted and tested before the restoration begins,normally,


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

All your restorations look great but that 88D looks like it belongs in a museum. Superb job!!!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

That's awesome man!!!! You do nice work.


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## gus1962 (Jan 9, 2013)

I know that the restoration process is not that easy! But man, you nailed it! Wonderful job! Look at that bandsaw, isn't it pretty?


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks gents,:thumbsup:


You have no idea what I went through with the MOAK .......



Grab some popcorn ,....very long, long thread - loaded with pictures and all the fabrications....



She looks nothing like the original 32" "special" ....there were only 22 of these made and I was going to keep it original but I felt she deserved more , I like giving my machines some bling, character,,,,......


http://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=107085&hilit=MOAK+32


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Whoa, don't know how I missed this either, but you do great work. The Moak and TS are just beautiful. I'd be afraid to use them and mess up their purty.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Love it B. Seeing it in your garage reminds me why I haven't bid on any of these hulking machines. :laughing:


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Yes,
They have a little bit of a "weight issue" to them, the OWWM. There is a payoff in the end for acquiring such machinery,IMPO. That being "quality , they are extreamly well built and are such a pleasure to use......until you experience some OWWM, "the monsters" , it's hard to put it into words,,,,

My first haul was a Oliver 166 12" jointer,...that was disassembled and not to difficult but I sold it short time later . No pics on that one.....she was a mess....:no: 


Then there was the 1907 Oliver 20C , http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=4070 , 5000+lbs. Pattern lathe ,12' - 6"L . Believe it or not, that wasn't bad at all- dollies on both ends, went write into the shop fairly easy. 

Then the 1942 MOAK 32" "Special" Bandsaw, http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=12178 now that machine was not a fun move into the shop....we had to tip it over , onto a dolly to get her in. It was to tall to go through my shop door , unfortunately.....but after an hour or so, she was in the shop.

Then there was AWWM 1922 16" #1 "BUZZ" jointer , http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=12179
That was pretty easy to move , 2 Dolly's went write in....

Then there was the 1927 Oliver 117-A ,http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=12177. That came in standing up on 2 Dolly's .....No issues.


The last machine (so far) to come through the shop door was the 1929 Oliver 88D Saw Bench, http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=13005. That had to be disassembled, the main table, the slider, the motor, the trunnion, the concentric wheels , all just to get into the shop....


For me , personally,...it is well worth all the effort to acquire and use OWWM , they truly were built to last the test of times..

Although,

I also know that OWWM is not for everyone....


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

More progress of the steel carriage assembly for the casters...







































Now all I have to do is figure out how I am going to get it down on the shop floor.........

I'm slightly nervous about that.....:blink:

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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

Successes!!:clap:























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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Looking good!


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## Bweick7 (Jan 14, 2010)

It seams I have someone questioning my bases...(anoher forum)....again.... what else is new.....:laughing:











That is 1/4" steel tubing that was cut to shape ,it is one solid piece. The angle iron (steel) (mounted on the ears (back of saw) is - 3/8" x 5" ,cut to fit, the angled gussets are 1/4" Steel plate and were tacked in on a dry fit to ensure a snug fit (vertically) . Full weld was applied to all the jointing, then it was taken off and rough trimmed.










The front (cutting side) castor carriages have a 1/4" plate welded up tight and then tapped/mechanically fastened- bolted through the sides of her vertical wheel well wall.









The castor carriage has a 1/2" bolt going through the bottom of the 1/4" plate and through the top angle iron as you can see. 


Not good enough......:blink:



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There coming off for the detail work and then primed and painted.


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