Wayne in Oz
New member
Hi everyone,
Firstly, I have already posted this on the 'woodworkers forum' as a lot of Aussie chippies frequent that site, so apologies if you've already seen my post. I'm posting here because the UK is the home of Wadkin Bursgreen machinery so I anticipate getting a lot more advice here.
I am a keen hobby woodworker who works primarily with solid timber, as opposed to manufactured boards. In addition to making furniture, I love restoring tools and keeping them as original as sensibly possible. I'm looking to buy an old cabinet saw to restore. I already have one money-pit (a boat) and I don't want to spend quite a few thousand dollars on a new saw.
I have found a Wadkin Bursgreen 12BRT saw that appears to be in fairly good condition and, importantly, complete (except for the sliding table). It's a 3-phase machine and my cunning plan would be to replace the motor with a 3 HP single phase motor that I can run off my dedicated 15 Amp domestic supply. I don't think I'm under any illusions about such a project and what it may involve. I believe a motor stands to cost about 200 English Pounds and I would almost certainly replace the arbor bearings and drive belts. I would also have the arbor and blade support checked to see if they turn true so there's always a risk of unforeseen additional costs. That's the nature of restorations.
If I could pick up this saw for between 300 and 350 English Pounds, do you think such a project would make sense? Would I be better to buy an AGS model? What am I looking to achieve? - 1. an engaging project and, 2, a heavy, bullet-proof saw that I could not afford to buy new. Thoughts?
Cheers,
Wayne in Melbourne, Australia
Firstly, I have already posted this on the 'woodworkers forum' as a lot of Aussie chippies frequent that site, so apologies if you've already seen my post. I'm posting here because the UK is the home of Wadkin Bursgreen machinery so I anticipate getting a lot more advice here.
I am a keen hobby woodworker who works primarily with solid timber, as opposed to manufactured boards. In addition to making furniture, I love restoring tools and keeping them as original as sensibly possible. I'm looking to buy an old cabinet saw to restore. I already have one money-pit (a boat) and I don't want to spend quite a few thousand dollars on a new saw.
I have found a Wadkin Bursgreen 12BRT saw that appears to be in fairly good condition and, importantly, complete (except for the sliding table). It's a 3-phase machine and my cunning plan would be to replace the motor with a 3 HP single phase motor that I can run off my dedicated 15 Amp domestic supply. I don't think I'm under any illusions about such a project and what it may involve. I believe a motor stands to cost about 200 English Pounds and I would almost certainly replace the arbor bearings and drive belts. I would also have the arbor and blade support checked to see if they turn true so there's always a risk of unforeseen additional costs. That's the nature of restorations.
If I could pick up this saw for between 300 and 350 English Pounds, do you think such a project would make sense? Would I be better to buy an AGS model? What am I looking to achieve? - 1. an engaging project and, 2, a heavy, bullet-proof saw that I could not afford to buy new. Thoughts?
Cheers,
Wayne in Melbourne, Australia
