Photo Index - Parks Woodworking Machine Co. - 12" Speedwell Mini-Snowflake Sliding Table

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Parks Woodworking Machine Co.
Cincinnati, OH.

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Band Saw
Machine Size:	12"
Submitted By:	Dan Grade

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	12" Speedwell Mini-Snowflake Sliding Table
Date of Manufacturer:	1930's Estimated
Serial Number:
Last Updated	4/28/2012 6:21:08 PM

Comments:

This saw was passed on to me by a friend who knew of my interest in unusual machines.

The saw is a variation on the Parks 12" Speedwell, where the frame is elongated by several inches to increase the maximum room under the upper guide, and it was factory outfitted with a sliding table. I haven't found any Parks advertising or publications which list this version of the saw in it.

A group of us were kicking around the possible reasons why this saw was manufactured this way, and came to no definitive answers. It seems unlikely that this was intended to be a meat-cutting band saw, in part because it would be impossible to keep sanitary. (Also, imagine standing in front of that snowflake guard while butchering a ____ ?) Also, I'm sure it's not universal but the meat cutting band saws I've seen cut from the back side.

For what it's worth another company, Heston and Anderson, also made a version of their 12" band saw about this same time which had an elongated frame similar to this and was outfitted with a sliding table. It also cut from the 'front side'.

If anyone has insight, your comments/suggestions/guesses are welcome!

The last photo, below, is inserted for comparison purposes and is of the standard version of this saw, copied from Thomas Haney's entry of his 12" Parks No. 42 Speedwell. I've got some work cut out for me to get this one looking that good!

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Comments: Thomas Haney's 12' Speedwell for comparison
Source: http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=8134

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