Diresta Bandsaw Restoration 34: Wright Bandsaw Guides Restored and First Cut!

[@oleran4569]

The comment section of your videos holds a wealth of interesting advice as commenters provide after the fact critique containing so many alternate ways of approaching absolutely everything you do. It has become a sort of journeyman's guide to restoration shop work. When I was a kid, working in my father's welding shop, various older fellows would gather, almost daily, in a safe corner of our shop to discuss topics of the day and provide real time analysis of our work. For them it was smoke and joke time. For me it was a great source of "common sense" education. For dad it was a bit of a pain, but he liked the fellows and enjoyed their company...up to a point.

[@smashyrashy]

Sounds like a great time

[@michaelgian2649]

Wonderful way to spend a Sunday; binge watching Jimmy Diresta's saw restoration. Yes, Jimmy sent me here.

[@fireantsarestrange]

I sure hope Diresta has been following along on these.

[@Michel-Uphoff]

That big smile at 33:45 says it all. Congratulations Keith with a job well done. Hats off!

[@crichtonbruce4329]

He looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

[@donwilliams3626]

It feels so gratifying to see this saw make its first cut in years. It looks like Jimmy will have a "new" toy in his shop for Christmas. Happy woodworking to all. Thanks for delivering such deep and detailed descriptions of each step in this restoration process.

[@Ranger_Kevin]

Wow, this saw is so big! Keith is not a small man, but at 33:00 it looked like a kid was using a regular sizes bandsaw. Reminds me of a museum I visited once, where they had oversized Furniture to show you what it feels like to be a kid. That is an impressive piece of equipment. Great job on the restauration!

[@ecleveland1]

It looks like something from a Wonka movie.

[@johnrice6793]

You have restored a machine into a beautiful work of art.

[@aserta]

A smiling Keith a day, keeps the bad weather away! Awesome!

[@bcbloc02]

Jimmy is a master with a bandsaw. He will really be able to appreciate that beast of a machine!😊

[@ericrhees8590]

Excellent! You did a wonderful job of restoring a beautiful machine. You look like someone put a Ken doll in front of a regular sized bandsaw.

[@cyrilhudak4568]

RE your trip to the Hudson Valley. Make sure you wait until February. ☺☺

[@devmeistersuperprecision4155]

Kieth, you look like a tiny smurf in front of that saw. I can’t believe how big it is. Wonderful

[@stevebarnes766]

Fantastic restoration and up-fitting work (electronics). I really love the work you do bringing new life back to "Old Iron." BTW - I noticed in the wide shot at the end of this video that YOU have a (slightly) smaller version of this "wagon wheel" band saw back there on the left. I bet the work on that one helped guide this restoration and knowing what parts do what. (Although I know you would have figured that out if it came to you as a Box O' Parts.) You are such an inspiration to all of us. If something is not right or broken, no big deal. Don't give up. Fix the problem part or make a new one. Thanks for sharing all this with us!

[@RoyBlumenthal]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! What an amazing rebuild! Thanks Keith! Awesome to watch you work.

[@WeberSarge]

Just a tip about storing paint - if you have a tig welder and have a tank of Argon - it will stop any curing or skinning of the paint when the lid is sealed. It only takes about 20-30 seconds of gas flow to disperse any oxygen and stop the curing process. I've even done this for storing partial cans of POR 15, which will harden in the can once opened. Also, on that type of can - wrap some food wrap over the can before putting the lid on. Just make absolutely sure if you any trigger function on your welder that the can is insulated away from any chance of grounding it. One slight arc on many coatings will result in a fire or possibly an explosion. CO2, Argon, and Helium will work fine.

[@piparalegal2019]

Keith, I have to say that as someone with no background in machining, or, honestly, any interest in this kind of subject matter before now, your videos make machining and restoration of machines in general very approachable. I've only recently discovered your channel through a link from Hand Tool Rescue and am thoroughly enjoying your approach to talking viewers through your process. I'm currently binging your older videos, and kudos go to you on how approachable you've made everything from the start! Your videos are really enjoyable for me with my lack of knowledge about this subject matter and don't make me feel like the subject is going over my head. So, bravo to you, good sir. You are a gentleman and a scholar!

[@alexguir903]

The first cut! That blade seemed to be fed a bar of freshly churned butter! The amount of force acting is amazing. Now I know why a bigger band saw is better. Thank you for the series Keith, I have learned a lot.

[@migueltorres6073]

The band saw is beautiful, nice job Keith.

[@melshea2519]

Happy Monday morning Keith! 😊

[@bin_chicken80]

Big milestone with this project Keith. It's great seeing the saw functional but you've also put a heap of work into the restoration. I really like the pin stripes and the branding. The work you've done on the electrics etc is great too. Great mix of old and new. Very nicely done. Thanks!

[@gutsngorrrr]

The bandsaw is a gorgeous old piece of equipment and seeing it run again was great. Jimmy Diresta is a very lucky person and must be quite excited to get this

[@jeffreysmith5018]

That saw is a real beast - what a pleasure it would be to use. Pleasure to watch your tip-notch restoration!

[@paulkinzer7661]

This was a quick surprise update from your last video on this project! I love that this saw is more or less just a giant version of my 12 inch, at least as far as functions go. And if there could be a collaboration video with you and Jimmy Diresta, that would be fun.

[@mdlanor5414]

Mr.Rucker, you are doing a fabulous job at restoring the Jimmy Diresta Bandsaw. I’m certain Jim will enjoy many years of trouble free use. When he uses this bandsaw. Your restoration of this bandsaw is going to be better than when it was new.

[@terminalpsychosis8022]

Monumental occasion! Congratz Mr Rucker, another awesome build complete... pretty much. Will be fun to see the vid of fine tuning and setup out at Jimmy's place. Even if you don't go up there, naja, ther's little chance of that. ;-) Gotta post a link to his video at least. It's so awesome to see such a gorgeous old machine brought back to full function. Old gal will be working for decades more to come now that she had a proper refresh. With style too... those red bands alone (and so many other details) *chef's kiss*

[@dannyl2598]

Thanks Keith. you put a lot of work in to that. I'm sure you are glad it's done and you can get to the next thing.

[@waynephillips2777]

Very exciting to see it finally cutting some wood. Great work! Jimmy will be stoked to use this beast!

[@keepcalmandfarmon5401]

First cut in a lot of years!!! Nice work, Keith!! It was a long road, but I sure enjoyed every video!

[@wrstew1272]

Awesome! You get some more room back in the shop and Jimmy has to put a lot of zeros on a check! Masterpiece completed after a lot of work. Great video Keith 😊

[@Gus123]

I came to this channel when you did work for tally ho. I've stayed for the amazing videos and work you do. Seeing that smile once you finished that cut. Great work.

[@wwtrkr3189]

Fantastic Keith! Awesome job. I've thoroughly enjoyed this series since you first began it. It's been a while since i came in here to catch up. I think the joy on your face after that first cut, we all shared. I've seen the delivery on Jimmy's page. Just had to come back and catch up with the final installments in yours. Think I'm just about to buy a 1900 MacGregor Gourlay, 30", I-beam mounted saw that's currently for sale. I have all your joys to come, with a bit of luck.

[@WillyBemis]

Thank you Keith! This has been a fascinating project and the saw looks great!!

[@ErikBongers]

Congrats on the first cut!

[@johnnyroberts6291]

Good for you Mr. Rucker. Your smile and laughter said it all. What a great restoration!👍😀

[@walterplummer3808]

Good morning Keith. It is a beautiful restoration. Thanks for the videos.

[@tpobrienjr]

Somebody wrote after restoring a big bandsaw - not as big as this one - that the only sound was from the sawdust hitting the floor. Great job, Keith!

[@thomaseisen304]

I love his videos ! Can't get any better than this in my mind ! Jimmy will be pleased when he got his machine back for sure ! Well done Keith!

[@jedfreeman559]

I keep expecting Gandalf to walk in as a regular size human and address Keith as a Hobbit. That thing is huge and beautiful. Terrific work, as usual, from the VM Workshop in Hobbiton.

[@z06doc86]

That is one fine bandsaw restoration Keith. 👍👍

[@tumblw33d2]

When I was in school our junior high school wood shop had a bunch of WPA era machines and I loved those old machines, they were so much better in the quality department than most of the newer machines. More dangerous , yes, but better in quality. I love that you are saving these old machines from the scrap yard. Used with common sense you can turn out beautiful product, our fore fathers proved that.

[@nerd1000ify]

A lot of these old machines can be retrofitted for better safety. Plenty of room to fit guards and so forth; my brother has a similar saw (smaller in size, but a similar C-frame design) dating back to the 1920s and he made a set of guards for it, far safer to work around though the drive belts are still exposed and dangerous. We also replaced the shafts, machined the original cast iron bearings out for bronze replacements, and made up a new set of blade guides, overall fairly similar in style to these wright guides but machined from bar stock and using an off the shelf deep groove ball bearing for the thrust bearing. All that being said, there are some features of old machines that don't bear repeating in modern designs. That saw, for example, was apparently designed to avoid machining parts wherever possible... which lead to them soldering the vertical guide bars for the upper wheel into cored holes in frame! very crude, and obviously below par on strength compared to a proper machined fit.

[@reinholdhummler2459]

Keith that was a very nice Jobb.

[@edsmachine93]

Very awesome Keith. The band saw is very quite and smooth running. Fantastic job! Well done. Happy Thanksgiving Keith. Have a great week.

[@SusanWhite-k7d]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! What an amazing rebuild! Thanks Keith! Awesome to watch you work.. You have restored a machine into a beautiful work of art..

[@chrischapman2955]

I'm glad to see it's not just me who has very little luck with easy outs, lol. Beautiful work on that bandsaw!

[@johnmolnar2957]

Nice job! nice to see the old girl back in action . thanks for sharing the journey

[@danielelse3914]

Justified pride in a job very well done. Congratulations, Keith.

[@mikeaustin9810]

Mr Rucker I'm just as excited as you are. I'm laughing with joy right along with you. I am proud to be one of your viewers/subscribers . Such a Great job 👍

[@dennisdelpiero7615]

Great job Keith, thanks for sharing.

[@mikeyh6104]

Congratulations! Been following it from the start. Looks and runs better than new, I would imagine. Now lets see what Jimmy will do with it.

[@jeffreeder8184]

Wow! What an awesome saw! Incredible job done on the restoration. I have loved watching this restoration all the way through. I even learned of Jimmy Diresta from watching this project. Nice job Mr. Ruckers!

[@greg4367]

This has been a long and very rewarding journey. Great work, Keith and thanks for sharing the adventure.

[@scrout]

Your self control regarding the ez outs was epic. I would have snapped both!

[@stewkingjr]

Very interesting series! Good work and i hope we get to see the shipping process.

[@cemx86]

At 20:54 - Keith is explaining the use of an "Easy Out" screw/bolt extractor. The problem with these is that as you turn them and they bite into the screw to be removed they expand the screw outward and make it even harder to get the screw out! Crazy.

[@wwtrkr3189]

Yep! Had exactly that issue trying to remove a brass stub of an air fitting, just a couple of weeks ago. I gave up in the end and went medieval on it with a cold chisel. 45 minutes with the "Easy Out" / 45 seconds with the hammer and chisel to get the job done.

[@varmint243davev7]

I'm really enjoying the bandsaw series !

[@petegraham1458]

Nice series! Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

[@markbernier8434]

The sheer power available is amazing to see. I do hope you and Jimmy D. have talked about some sort of sawdust collection shrouding. One little cut and you can see a cloud forming.

[@texxasal]

A trick was given to me to remove stuck screws in castings. Following the application of heat to the general area I was told to take a votive candle of pure wax and melt a little bit of that paraffin down in there it seems to get through the threads and loosen them up better than virtually any penetrating oil I've ever seen.

[@markwatters6875]

Great job on the bandsaw Keith. 👍🇦🇺

[@michaelwade9348]

Congratulations on your first cut...looks great!

[@mattorendorff8858]

Would be a great vid to see you up at Jimmy’s to finish off this great project.

[@โนรีคอกเบิร์น]

No comments about the rpm ramp up start. That was great.

[@MyLilMule]

Cool to see this project come together.

[@joselrodriguez5999]

can't wait for that delivery video. Only you could do a restoration of that quality and only Jimmy can get full use of this wonderful machine!

[@murphymmc]

Great job, Kieth. I'd be reticent to put grease on any part that will collect saw dust or chips. Some kind of dry dry lube would ease my mind on parts that close to the cutting area.

[@preiter20]

What an amazing restoration Keith!

[@arrayedwoodcraft]

Woohoo! It's cutting!

[@andreabennett]

Congratulations, Keith!! What a project. You are so talented.

[@josaonline09]

I’m so happy to see it all come together….been along since the beginning and tickled to see how happy that first cut made you

[@hughbrian1118]

Great work Keith!

[@avoirdupois1]

What an amazing project. Agreed that this is a work of art.

[@andreasmusch5231]

As always well done.! Thank you so much!

[@scottnj2503]

Congratulations. It's great to see a project complete.

[@carlhitchon1009]

Congratulations. Good series.

[@benjaminshaw80]

I restored a 14” Walker Turner metal/wood saw and painted it black with a gloss automotive single stage because of this band saw. It looks almost as good as this saw!

[@benjaminshaw80]

I also updated my saw to the 3 bearing setup like a modern saw. I will primarily use this saw for metal.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Well done Keith, very big job. Looks and runs wonderful.

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing.👍

[@kimber1958]

Great job Keith. What an awesome machine bravo my friend Kimber.

[@LouJustlou]

Beautiful job! A half inch blade seems huge on my 14 inch saw....looks like a scroll saw blade on that monster!😊

[@tonyn3123]

Nice outcome with the saw. Been a long time coming. Thanks.

[@jankleven7674]

Love your satisfied smile! ❤

[@bobflores]

Masterful job in refurbishing this historic machine. Can't wait to see what the bandsaw master, Jimmy, will do with this beautiful bandsaw. Thanks for the episode.

[@scottvolage1752]

Have a good week and happy Thanksgiving Keith.

[@Sawtooth70]

Incredible work. So amazing to see the transformation and all of your hard work. 😍

[@robertbeauregard2386]

Fantastic work as usual! Thanks for what you do, every video is so informative and inspiring!!

[@mg30ebay]

Hi Keith, I'd suggest caps on the guide bearing zerks. They'll get sawdust in them which will be pumped through with the grease into the bearings.

[@HP_rep_mek]

It’s a beautiful beast, very nice restoration you did there👏

[@barney2633]

Excellent result after all your hard work. Well done !

[@thisolesignguy2733]

Absolutely awesome! I think a little extra fabrication piece might be a good idea also when Jimmy installs it. I would cut a wood slat lengthwise and make a blade guard right above the top guide just to protect your hands/arms/extra body parts. You could probably make something out of U-channel, but a 1x1 board would work just fine also, and Jimmy has a router table that would work just fine for that.

[@timf6916]

Nice job

[@michaelscott8226]

The bandsaw looks great. I'm sure Jimmy will love it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Keith!

[@rexmyers991]

First Cut! YAAAY

[@jackgreen412]

Very good restoration. If I was going to use this saw for a lot of cutting I'd retrofit some roller guides to replace those that pinch in from the side.

[@richardsurber8226]

Wow What a beautiful saw. Fantastic video series.

[@glennmoreland6457]

Great video

[@eastcoastwatch672]

OUCH !!! “ Nailed the wrong Nail “, I smashed a few fingernails over the tears.

[@sithus1966]

I can't wait to see Jimmy get this. I'm sure there will be a video from him for it, maybe making a base/stand for this saw as it will need something due to its size.

[@robertlevine2152]

Keith, Congratulations, job well done! That is one impressive machine and a fantastic restoration! I fully understand the addition of the motor and electronics. I do think a little camouflage is needed. Black paint and a little pinstriping would make the gray box with the start/stop buttons disappear. Bob After watching the video and giving it time to soak in I'm confused with the bearing arrangement. If you look at today's bandsaws they have similar guides, whether they be flat hardened material, cool blocks, or bearings. They also have a third guide bearing whose axis is perpendicular to the blade. This bearing acts a thrust bearing to keep the blade from being pushed back on the wheel tire. On this saw the blade is pushed against a wheel that has a single row sealed ball bearing which allows the wheel on it's shaft. It doesn't do a great job in helping with thrust. While history says this arrangement works, why didn't they fit a thrust bearing?

[@geraldharkness8830]

what a fantastic job keith it looks and works just fine thank you for taking us with you on the journey

[@runbruce]

Hey Keith, have you ever used beeswax instead of penatrating oil? If not, it is the absolute best! Add a little heat, apply the beeswax and extract with easy out or drill as you stated. Beeswax works with all metals and is great for installing interference fit studs.