Wadkin DN Bandsaw Restoration

[Charlie_6ft]

Hi everyone, I've recently started restoring my Wadkin DN - see the following for the story:

I am looking for some help from people who own an early model Wadkin DN. I pulled my saw apart about 4 years ago and am pretty clear on everything except how the top wheel assembly goes in for adjusting up and down.

Can I ask owners to post pictures of the parts on their machine in the 2nd photo please?

The below I believe are all the parts required for this to go together - just want to understand if I am missing something and in what order it goes together vertically when it's put together.

● Wheel assembly
● The hand wheel & shaft
● A large nut (in my hand)
● Spring for tensioning

 

[deema]

Looks great

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes it does look super, can’t imagine there are many different ways for those bits to go together, I would think the spring has a washer between it and any other moving part, I would think that the bit in your hand goes against the two webs on the casting to stop it turning.
I imagine that it was so obvious at the time and that’s why you didn’t take a pic of it lol.
Are there no manuals online?

 

[Charlie_6ft]

Yes it does look super, can’t imagine there are many different ways for those bits to go together, I would think the spring has a washer between it and any other moving part, I would think that the bit in your hand goes against the two webs on the casting to stop it turning.
I imagine that it was so obvious at the time and that’s why you didn’t take a pic of it lol.
Are there no manuals online?

I think your fairly well right although how you see that wheel assembly it's actually upside down because of gravity (as you see it the bottom part is heavier). So those two webs on the casting doesn't make sense for this giant nut casting to contact it.

So the spring in my mind can only go between the top of the wheel assembly and the cone head/bell housing casting from what I can gather & yes with some over sized washers.

 

[Charlie_6ft]

BTW - those washers in the pic are not large enough for the spring and are actually for the wheel safety covers. I'll have to try and source some bigger washers or make something up out of scrap metal.

 

[Beau]

Looks a beauty. there used to be chap I think called Wallace on here who knew most thing Wadkin. Might be worth a search

 

[heimlaga]

To me it looks like the screw goes through the mount vertically with the handwheel at it's lower end. The nut should have it's flaw face towards the frame and towards tha back of the saw. The vertical channel in the mount casting seems to provide just enough room for the nut and the spring on top of it. The tensioning spring mounted around the screw on top of the nut pushing against the wheel mount.

Logically it must be something like that.

 

[Keith 66]

Very similar to my old one, long gone now. The adjusting wheel goes at the bottom, the photos dont show the wheel tilt & axle casting, there should also be a heavy square section spring that goes below the top wheel mount to allow tensioning. The top axle mount has a transverse trunnion mount with the top wheel axle sticking out of it. It allows the top wheel tilt to be adjusted for tracking.
When i closed my yard down i had the old DNA in a lock up up the farm & scrappies nicked it. Bloody shame as it was a magnificent machine. I still have the two 30" spoked wheels for it with good polyurethane tyres.
If anyone wants them for a restoration?

 

[Charlie_6ft]

Looks a beauty. there used to be chap I think called Wallace on here who knew most thing Wadkin. Might be worth a search

Thanks Beau, he did reply on the FB Wadkin Appreciation Group post but didn't have the specific knowledge on this machine unfortunately.