Photo Index - William H. Field Co. - band saw

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
William H. Field Co.
Boston, MA

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Band Saw
Machine Size:	27"
Submitted By:	William Thomas

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	band saw
Date of Manufacturer:	??
Serial Number:
Last Updated	3/4/2010 4:55:13 PM

Comments:

This was my band saw for many years. It came out of a factory in Keene, NH that made children's furniture. It was a good example of how the industry abused machinery when money got tight. I imagine this saw was running 24/7. The blade guide blocks (Wright guides), which are made from extremely hard steel had grooves worn into them from the back edge of the blade. The back-up wheel's face was similarly worn-again very hard steel.The top wheel's tire had a big chunk missing and the blade had worn a groove in the face of the cast iron wheel rim. Not a pretty sight! Amazingly enough, the lower babbitts were in reasonably good shape, and the bronze sleeve bearing on the top wheel was also ok. I continued to use the crude guard the factory had provided the saw with. I loved this saw, and only parted with it when a 36" came my way. It had a re-sawing capacity of 14", which is unusual for a medium sized saw. Being of all cast iron construction, I'm sure it's new (and future) owners will enjoy using it for several more lifetimes.

On the subject of whether Wm Field actually manufactured this saw, The name Wm Field was cast into the front of the main frame below the opening for the lower bearings. There were no other markings or nameplates. Recent info suggests that this saw was probably built by the Sidney Tool Co.

Photo 1:

Comments: band saw in my old shop
Source: Bill Thomas

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Photo 2:

Comments: crude guard made by the previous owner
Source: Bill Thomas

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