Ebay find - mysterious table saw-

[asito]

Hi all,

I am new to the forum, and relatively to woodworking in general. I have been scouting the internet for a good deal on my first table saw. I've read the literature (i.e. this forum) and know that I want cast iron and induction motor...

Anyway, long story short today I found an ancient looking saw bench on eBay for very little money. I cannot post a link to it, but if you search "sawbench" you should be able to find it (it's £100 and green - user woody.22). It says it was made by The Mortimer Engineering Co of London NW10.

Anyone know anything about these saws? It looks great, built really well (all cast iron!) probably from the '40s or '50s. Googling "The Mortimer Engineering Company" returns very little information online. I am half-tempted to buy the saw just for the aesthetic value alone!

To conclude, I am on the fence on this... I know that by posting this here I may ruin my chances of getting it but to be honest at this point I am just very curious to find out more.

Thanks

A

 

[asito]

Well, I couldn't resist, so I went for it

I downloaded some pics from the ad so you guys can see and hopefully someone has an idea of what this machine is...

Hope I am not going to regret it but for £100 I can't complain

 

[condeesteso]

Well done. I had a look. Very rare indeed to find a heavy cast 8" saw. Seems it's been repainted, and table does the moving - rise/fall and tilt. And it hasn't tilted since paint I think? Assuming it runs smooth (bearings etc) it could be a real cracker I think. And there is almost certainly a profit in it if set-up and described rather better!! So win-win. Report back once you have it sorted and running. btw, I stronly recommend Freud blades, but see if the arbor size is anywhere near standard (inserts/adaptors are easily found or made anyway).

 

[Rhossydd]

Welcome to the forum.
29mins between asking for advice and jumping in without an answer ? hmmm.

First job will be making a cover for the exposed belt drive.
The lack of an effective riving knife will make the saw risky to use, maybe you could(should) make a new one.
You'll also need to check that blade and see if it's in good condition and suitable for the work you hope to do on it.

Potential a good buy if it's not too small for the work you want to do on it, but it will take some work to make it safe.

 

[asito]

Thanks for reply and general encouragement. I'll pick up tomorrow or day after, but I am really looking forward to start playing with it. Re the arbor it's something I thought about but I decided to take the risk and buy the machine anyway. Worst case scenario I should be able to resell it without losing too much money (I hope)

Really want to find out more about the saw itself though!

Rhossydd, I apologise for bad forum manners, my mistake. Thanks for your advice and yes, the belt cover is something I thought about; re the riving knife, I thought maybe it's incorporated with the blade guard (that bit of steel holding it up?). i'll make one or get one for sure otherwise.

I've been meaning to make videos around the shop, maybe 'updating' this saw could get me started and hopefully be an interesting watch.

 

[Rhossydd]

Rhossydd, I apologise for bad forum manners, my mistake.

No need to apologise
I was just entertained by your enthusiasm or should that be impetuousity ?

Just be careful. Table saws can be dangerous, especially old ones that don't conform to modern safety standards.
Read up on using them before switching it on for the first time.

 

[asito]

Mhhh let's go with enthusiasm (homer)

Maybe not the best buy for a first table saw (maybe more apt for someone with experience) but I really didn't wanna spend 250quid on a cheap pressed steel one.

And after having had an Evolution mitre saw for over a year I will only buy induction motors from now on. My ears demand it

 

[RobinBHM]

Thats a nice little but solid saw, should knock spots off a chaiwanese new saw, but be prepared for some setting up, you cant assume it will be set up correctly or even whether it can be.

It has been restored rather well and a new fence made.

I would be tempted to change the knurled knob for a clamping lever.

Let us know how you get with using it.

I see a quick search yields nothing for the company, although there is a mortimer springs ltd at NW2.......

 

[asito]

It does look like the fence is new doesn't it?

I found a quick mention of The Mortimer Engineering Co. regarding their importing of lathes: http://www.lathes.co.uk/carstens/

"Sales of the Swisten-branded machines continued in the UK until the 1950s, though as usual with such marketing exercises, most of the sales literature has an address and it was not until late in the day that the Mortimer Engineering Company of Harlesden, London, acting as agents, openly advertised the machine tools under their maker's name. Although very early catalogues show lathes with "British Made" on some castings (to comply with the law these removable part were UK-made) later ones were advertised as "Foreign". "

Another mention is on this blog: http://brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/l ... fts/202-2/

"There was a machinery merchant, the Mortimer Engineering Company in Harlesden, who was selling imported machines from the Continent, German and Danish."

 

[Wildman]

Rhossydd, I apologise for bad forum manners, my mistake.

No need to apologise
I was just entertained by your enthusiasm or should that be impetuousity ?

Just be careful. Table saws can be dangerous, especially old ones that don't conform to modern safety standards.
Read up on using them before switching it on for the first time.

Being brought up in an era when elf and safety never existed and being around unguarded machines all of my life (without incident I may add) lack of guards would not put me off as long as I understood the risks. This is an English built machine from the days when they were built to last and were not made of paper and plastic. I would guess it is from the 1950-60's or there abouts quality that is hard to find in small sizes to suit a hobbiest shop. Well done, now if you want a planer from the same era and as solidly built I may just have a 6" job available as soon as the mud in the field dries up sufficiently to get it out, no idea of price, only just thought of parting with it.

 

[asito]

Wildman, I am actually looking for a planer/thicknesser. A good one with an induction motor and a good table is a hard one to find for my budget; however, I am not in a rush, but do hit me up with some pictures and so when you get a chance. Appreciate that

 

[BearTricks]

I'd be interested in the planer if the price is right and if a site doesn't take it for whatever reason.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[Wildman]

I'll get some photos sorted in the next week or two, no rush, it is a solid cast iron planer and does have an overhead removable thicknessing plate but it will be a while before it is possible to get it out due to the mud.

 

[Rhossydd]

Being brought up in an era when elf and safety never existed and being around unguarded machines all of my life (without incident I may add) lack of guards would not put me off as long as I understood the risks.

Which is why I suggested reading about their safe use before trying to use one.
You might have spent a life around machinery without incident, but there are plenty of horror stories about using woodworking machinery, even from 'professionals'. Amateurs without any training and no experienced eyes to keep watch on them are particularly at risk.

It's easy to be flippant about health and safety, but there's nothing clever about sitting in A&E dripping blood...... or worse.

 

[blackrodd]

Being brought up in an era when elf and safety never existed and being around unguarded machines all of my life (without incident I may add) lack of guards would not put me off as long as I understood the risks.

Which is why I suggested reading about their safe use before trying to use one.
You might have spent a life around machinery without incident, but there are plenty of horror stories about using woodworking machinery, even from 'professionals'. Amateurs without any training and no experienced eyes to keep watch on them are particularly at risk.

It's easy to be flippant about health and safety, but there's nothing clever about sitting in A&E dripping blood...... or worse.

Have to agree with the man above, Don't be a statistic, these things will bite, get the riving knife closer to the saw blade at the rear, and match that riving knife with the slightly larger saw kerf, if and when you change the blade.
Get on the HSE site very good and sensible reading,
Regards Rodders

 

[condeesteso]

H&S aside for a mo, I reckon you have yourself a cracker. Yes, fit a riving knife (effective, not the thing it has holding the hood up) - that's easy. Fill the belt cover - easy. Maybe try a zero-clearance insert, just optional. But it looks like real solid quality and full of promise - well done! I bet if you hand't bought it fast, it would have suddenly gone

 

[asito]

Thanks guys for all the advice. I'll be extremely careful, I know it's not a toy. I'll see what mods I'll be able to do and will document as well as I can.

It seems like the guard is new (can't imagine they had blade guards in the 50s-60s)

Speaking about safety, I read that tilting tables are quite dangerous, which makes sense... It would be a shame not to be able to do bevel cuts though. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Shrubby]

If you read WIS16 it will be a good introduction to table saws
The tilt table issue can be dealt with in two ways: Support the table and let the body swing underneath or build an adjustable support under the base which counters the tilting of the table - not easy to explain but very well done on the old Ulmiua 1607 which you can search for in Images
Matt

 

[asito]

Got it! It's in great state and runs really smoothly. I'll post some updates soon with how I end up enclosing the belt, riving knife, dust collection... Got a bit of work to do to get it up and running but I reckon I'll be worth it. Again I am new to all this so very thankful for any ideas or tips on how to get around addressing the above.

By the way I think the actual manufacturer is DAVLA (cast on the side). Anyone heard of them?

 

[asito]

hey everyone

I thought I'd give a quick update. I'been SLOWLY bringing the saw up to scratch. I've bought a new blade and run a couple of test cuts (only cross cuts with the mitre gauge) and it's fantastic. It's quiet, there's zero vibration and after a bit of setting up it's running very true. Dust collection is still an issue as the saw is very open (thought of enclosing it completely into a cabinet but am trying to find a solution that allow me too admire how pretty it is). I am more and more convinced that this was a great find.

I have not tried to rip anything yet as I still haven't figured out what to do regarding the riving knife. The current splitter is useless, as it sits like 15 cm behind the blade, but I can't think of a way to fit a riving knife unless I somehow drill into the cast iron frame that holds the saw blade. I've seen a couple of examples where a splitter would be part of the zero-clearance insert, like the micro-jig thingy : any thoughts on that? Does it actually do something?

Also, the fence was homemade by the previous owner and it goes all the way to the back of the table. I've read that's a safety issue, is that correct?

Thanks for any help/ suggestions

A