# Craftsman 3 Wheel Band Saw Rehab



## dwall174 (Feb 15, 2010)

Here's some pictures of my Craftsman 3 wheel band saw that I rebuilt a little while back.
It's got new bronze wheel bushings, Blue-Max Urethane tires, & Cool-Blocks blade guides. 

Currently it's powered by a 1/4HP. GE motor which works fine the thin scrolling type cuts I use it for, But I've been looking for a Craftsman 1/3HP ~ 1/2HP motor for it.

The stands frame was made from used industrial pallets & the top came from a old drafting table top.

Doug


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## Hutzul (Oct 4, 2012)

Shiny !! Beautiful !!


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Great rehab job. I don't think I've ever seen one so small.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Wow, she looks nice, Doug. The red on the harp looks cool, kinda like the Brembo brakes on a hot rod. Years ago, I used to see a lot of three wheelers in sign shops. Great throat depth.


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

You did a beautiful job of reconditioning.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Beautiful job Doug. I've heard those 3 wheeled saws could be difficult to get the blade to track. Is that true?


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## dwall174 (Feb 15, 2010)

Hutzul said:


> Shiny !! Beautiful !!





sreilly said:


> Great rehab job. I don't think I've ever seen one so small.





TenGees said:


> Wow, she looks nice, Doug.





gmercer_48083 said:


> You did a beautiful job of reconditioning.


Thanks for all the "Likes" & comments! 

Doug


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## dwall174 (Feb 15, 2010)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Beautiful job Doug.


Thanks !



Cherryville Chuck said:


> I've heard those 3 wheeled saws could be difficult to get the blade to track. Is that true?


I really didn't have too much trouble, But then I also started with new bushings installed & making sure the two main fixed location wheels were in-line with each other.

If the front two wheels "Drive" & "Idler" were out of line then I could see it being a problem since the rear wheel controls the blade tension & tracking.

Doug


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## dwall174 (Feb 15, 2010)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I've heard those 3 wheeled saws could be difficult to get the blade to track.


As mentioned above I really didn't have much trouble getting the saw to track ok. 
But getting those little urethane tires on was a PITA!

Doug


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Wow! Looks better'n new!! 
I hadn't seen those 3 wheel jobs around for awhile; kind of wondered what had happened to them.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Those blades have to be pretty long. Really nice rehab job. Looks good as new.


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## dwall174 (Feb 15, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> Wow! Looks better'n new!!


Thanks !



DaninVan said:


> I hadn't seen those 3 wheel jobs around for awhile; kind of wondered what had happened to them.


Yeah I believe they were popular back in the 1970's 
But I have read that blade fatigue is a common problem with them, Especially with wider blades!

Doug


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## dwall174 (Feb 15, 2010)

DesertRatTom said:


> Really nice rehab job. Looks good as new.


Thanks !



DesertRatTom said:


> Those blades have to be pretty long.


62" Pretty good for a bench top saw! 

Doug


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## MrMike72 (Dec 29, 2019)

*Craftsman 1957 3 wheel band saw*

Mom bought Dad a Craftsman 3 wheel band saw (Seally) for Christmas in 1957. Dad use to cuss at the saw every time he used it, as it would break blades. Both parents are gone now, but I wanted the saw for the memories. The problem with the saw was due to low tension on the blade, and when you fed wood in, the blade would rotate and catch a tooth on the table top, and Bam!, the blade would break. You could tighten the tension knob until the tensioner rod bottom out inside the knob, and blade was almost tight but you could tell something was not right yet. Doing a search on the internet I did find the owner manual from 1957. Wow! Looking at the tensioner details there was a cylindrical spacer between the Knob and saw that causes the adjusting knob to sit further out, giving the assembly more travel. So when dad changed the blade at one point the spacer fell off and he probably did not notice it. ( fell to floor or something). I made a space about 1/2 inch in length, with hole the size of the tensioner threaded rod. I am now able to tension the blade to get a Guitar 'G' note when you pluck the blade. The saw works great. 

A 3 wheel band saw has a thinner blade. Using a 2 wheel blade that is thicker and bent over a smaller diameter wheel cause the 2 wheel weld to break. Welding on a 3 wheel blade uses a different process to get the strength at the weld with thinner metal. Cheap 3 wheel blades are welded the same as a 2 wheel blade and will break. You must get a 3 wheel blade that has the quality 3 wheel weld or the blades will always cause you headaches. My 1957 Craftsman band saw is running great, cuts straight, and wished Dad were here to see what all the cussing was about!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Welcome, Mr. Mike. Great info. If you have the time, perhaps you could check out the tool manual archive and add yours if it's not already there?


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

MrMike72 said:


> ...Welding on a 3 wheel blade uses a different process to get the strength at the weld with thinner metal...


The one that we had at a sign shop that I worked at, had a built in welder. It just butt joined (with adjustable spring tension in the jaws) and an electric arc. The wheels weren't all that small on that saw though because it was pretty big.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Welcome, Mike...great work on the rebuild...must have taken a while.


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