My "New" Peerless Universal Shaping Saw (Hacksaw)

[Twilight Fenrir]

Well, I finally got to go back down to the place I got my drill press from, and pick up some more goodies :3 The two I'm most excited about, are my Edwards no. 10 Aligator shear, which is a hand-operated shear capable of cutting 4" x 3/4" flat stock, and what this topic is about, my new power hacksaw! :D







This baby is dirty, and most of the paint is coming off... but don't let it fool you, like the drill press, this machine is nearly immaculate. I found bits of yarn stuffed in all of the oil wells to keep horrible out of them. Everything turns freely by hand, except the main shaft, which I need to use a lever to make turn just because of the amount of stuff it does. But it does turn smoothly.

The flatbelt is completely missing on this machine, so I'll have to do a teensy bit of guess work on it. There's a V-belt on the side that will need replacing. And the lever that throws the awesome Frankenstein-esque switch is broken, but looks easily welded. Oh, and there's a little nob on a special threaded piece for selecting drive speed that sheared off, but this will be a very easy piece to fabricate as well.



I really hope the original motor works, as it's one of the coolest looking motors I've ever seen. It's also 3-phase, so I'm extra glad I put in the work to run 3 phase through my shop when I got my press, and I thought ahead enough to leave the system expandable for more machinery to be easily added n.n



This thing is insanely complex, it has a ton of moving parts, and a dozen means of adjustment on it... but, luckily, over on OWWM they have the original owner's manual posted for it, complete with parts list, and operation instructions! :D

It's the fastest hacksaw I've ever heard of... it has 3 different speeds, 50spm, 85spm, and 125 spm. That's 2 strokes a second! o_o To support this, it has a coolant system built in, which I've never seen before either. It also had 3 different pressure settings for how hard the saw presses against the stock. It IS capable of cutting angles, but the vise needs to be swapped out for a different one to do so... I'll have to see if I can find one, otherwise, I might have to try to make my own.

Finally, I'll have a tool capable of making clean, accurate cuts in RR rail to make all the tooling I've wanted to!

[Twilight Fenrir]

Here's a slightly newer version of my model cutting at what I assume is top speed... lookit that thing go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mhBAElSUj0

I don't know why he's not using the coolant system... And the manual explicitely says NOT to use oil when cutting, because that's the coolants job... but, maybe his pump is busted or something...

[oldgoaly]

I have a #3 Keller that is slow but cuts straight blades last a long time after they get tungsten carbide embedded in the teeth. You are gonna love that saw!

[Twilight Fenrir]

I have a #3 Keller that is slow but cuts straight blades last a long time after they get tungsten carbide embedded in the teeth. You are gonna love that saw!

Yeah, I'm really excited to get it going. It's hard, though, because I have a lot I need to get done in the next month, and can't really spare the time for the saw... But I still am gonna X3

Got to thinking about it... I live in Northern Minnesota, and my shop is unheated... If I use water soluble oil like the manual says, it's gonna freeze... Any good alternatives that won't? It gets down to -40F here in winter... I don't expect to be using it at these temps, but not freezing and cracking my machine would be nice...

[oldgoaly]

I use a little antifreeze in mine but would not help at -40!   C or F  (as it is the same)
Does it have a drain cock on the reservoir or a plug you can remove and put on in?
My coolant, some water, some dawn dish washing detergent, some antifreeze, some old water pump lube (additive for cars back in the? 40-60's) No idea of the ratios cause I've added a little more water, soap and antifreeze since I cleaned it all out in? 2000?  It slimed up using a tool cool mixture.

[turnnut]

 I would suggest that you look into Glycol.

 at work, we used it in heat exchanger loop systems,  it will not freeze and also acts as a lubricant.

  if you know of a good industrial supplier, ask them what they think of the idea and what they have to offer.

   

[Twilight Fenrir]

I would suggest that you look into Glycol.

 at work, we used it in heat exchanger loop systems,  it will not freeze and also acts as a lubricant.

  if you know of a good industrial supplier, ask them what they think of the idea and what they have to offer.

   

Yeah, we have glycol at Lowe's where I work. It's for boiler systems, so it has anti-corrosion additives. I've been trying to do some research, and there's a lot of people who say 'its a bad idea', but their criticism is speculative... A few people chime in and say they run a glycol mix and everything works fine.

Another popular discussion is RV antifreeze. It turns to goo, and will freeze at lower temprratures, but it doesn't expand when it does so. It doesn't have much in the way of thermal absorption though. So it may not be an effective coolant.

[oldgoaly]

I can't see your pump on the saw my Keller has a 2 vane pump, on the order of a very old oil pump design seen on 4 cylinder Chevys in the 1920 You might take it apart and check yours clean it up good oil it as needed.  I did have to clean mine and replaced the springs as they were rusted. If I don't use it for a few months I'll have to prime it but other than that it's been really good!
 

[Twilight Fenrir]

I can't see your pump on the saw my Keller has a 2 vane pump, on the order of a very old oil pump design seen on 4 cylinder Chevys in the 1920 You might take it apart and check yours clean it up good oil it as needed.  I did have to clean mine and replaced the springs as they were rusted. If I don't use it for a few months I'll have to prime it but other than that it's been really good!

I haven't gotten 'round to looking at the coolant pump much yet... I'm dreading cleaning the basin out :P

But, I got an hour or two to puts with it today... After throwing half a can of PB blaster at it, I can now turn the entire saw by hand quite easily. I didn't think it would turn so freely!

I welded the tang back onto the 3-blade switch, and cleaned up the contacts. I then wired in an extension cord to test the motor. plugged it in, flipped the switch, and it turns smooth as silk <3 Has to be the quietest motor I've ever seen. I'm so glad for that, because I love that beautiful old motor, and the almost as-awesome switch. I really didn't want to have to replace them.


I want to get all the loose paint off the machine. I normally use a cup wheel in an angle grinder to clean my old tools, but that usually takes away the brown oxide too, and I don't want to do that on this machine... Other than being patient and removing every piece by hand, any suggestions how I might best accomplish this?

[turnnut]

 as for the folks that say Glycol is a bad idea, I would question if they had tried it, or is it just speculation ?
 what if any, did they give for a reason thinking that it is bad.

  keep your ears open for someone that has an older saw that is in use in colder areas, to see what they use.

  by the way, thanks for the video site, I spent some time watching many different saws in action.

  yours looks like an impressive monster. and glad for you that you had the motor running, that is one item
  to cross off the "if-list".

   if your tank is the open type, maybe just spray it with a good penetrant, let it set, wipe it good and then spray
   simple green, and do the same, set, wipe dry, but do not try to run the pump while cleaning the tank, the pump
   might not like those cleaners.   "just a thought"

[Twilight Fenrir]

as for the folks that say Glycol is a bad idea, I would question if they had tried it, or is it just speculation ?
 what if any, did they give for a reason thinking that it is bad.

  keep your ears open for someone that has an older saw that is in use in colder areas, to see what they use.

  by the way, thanks for the video site, I spent some time watching many different saws in action.

  yours looks like an impressive monster. and glad for you that you had the motor running, that is one item
  to cross off the "if-list".

   if your tank is the open type, maybe just spray it with a good penetrant, let it set, wipe it good and then spray
   simple green, and do the same, set, wipe dry, but do not try to run the pump while cleaning the tank, the pump
   might not like those cleaners.   "just a thought"

The people who were saying it was a bad idea were speculating... There were a number of concerns raised, from corrosion, to not being a good enough coolant, and toxicity... I just remembered I have 2 or 3 gallons of WD-40 I picked up when we clearanced  them out at work for $1, I wonder how that would work, lol. I used to use WD-40 for drilling

Yeah, it's an open design. It's just not the easiest thing to reach around in. And trying to scoop out the solids will be interesting.... I'll manage, but it's gonna be the most onerous job for what I have to do.

Ordered a new belt from McMaster Carr this morning, $20 shipped, not bad at all!

[p_toad]

Is this your blade?   Any idea of the size?   It reminds me of some my neighbor and i picked up from an old hardware store that was closing shop.  Love the looks of that machine.   

[oldgoaly]

A kids sand scoop works good if they are not rusted together in the bottom. If they have rusted then a long chisel and small hammer. I don't think wd40 will be good it evaporates pretty fast. mcmaster carr and msc carried  Starrett blades they were not to expensive either. 12 or 14 will fit mine, I've got a finer tooth blade for steel and courser ones for aluminum, damn if I can remember the # of teeth per inch

[Twilight Fenrir]

Is this your blade?   Any idea of the size?   It reminds me of some my neighbor and i picked up from an old hardware store that was closing shop.  Love the looks of that machine.   

Yep :P Mine is pretty shot, too... The blade that's on there is 14" x 1" x .050, a Nicholson 10TPI. My saw appears to accept just about any width of blade, though. The instruction manual seems to indicate that a 6tpi blade is the most useful... I guess it depends on what I'm cutting. I expect to be cutting a lot of RR rail on it, nice heavy solid stock, so a courser tooth is preferable. Having a finer tooth blade on hand wouldn't be a bad call if I decide to cut tubing.







Thanks :D I'm a pretty big fan of it already.

A kids sand scoop works good if they are not rusted together in the bottom. If they have rusted then a long chisel and small hammer. I don't think wd40 will be good it evaporates pretty fast. mcmaster carr and msc carried  Starrett blades they were not to expensive either. 12 or 14 will fit mine, I've got a finer tooth blade for steel and courser ones for aluminum, damn if I can remember the # of teeth per inch

It's a decently solid mass down there, but poking it with a flat-head screwdriver seems to knock it loose well enough. I looked at it more closely when I went to go look at the blade, and it's more accessable than I thought it would be. So I shouldn't really have a problem with it. But, I'm gonna get off the flakey paint before I do any cleaning.

I didn't realize WD-40 evaporated :P

I'll poke about for blades. Amazon has Starret blades that will fit, and they're about the same price as the ones from McMaster Carr.... but, if I had thought about it when I ordered my belt, I could have saved some shipping. Oh well... I know my local steel yard had power hacksaw blades when I was there last, I'll have to check on sizing and price...  Maybe P_toad will have some for me :P

What surprises me is, there doesn't seem to be a way for the coolant to get back down to the pump to cycle through again... I was expecting a drain hole or valley to let the coolant below the cutting table to go back to the sump, but I don't see one. Now, it may very well just be clogged and covered in rust-shavings. But, I did scrape at what I would have thought the obvious place would be for it

I also don't see a drain hole for the main gearbox. It's supposed to be full of 3/4 gallon of heavy gear oil. The case is dry, so someone got the old oil out, but I can't figure out how o_o Maybe they pumped it out.... In any case, I managed to shift through all 3 gears today, and the saw turns at all three speeds freely, so good news there!

Just need to check the coolant pump, the belt-shifting-lever-thing, and the auto-feed mechanisms before I'm sure it's in entirely working order. I'm curious about the belt shifting lever, because pushing the lever guides the belt off of an idle pulley onto a run pulley, but there's a really good spring on the lever, and if I let go it goes back into idle... gotta see if there's a latch on it somewhere, or if it simply won't let it engage unless the saw is on, perhaps a safety mechanism to keep you from powering on the saw with it in gear unexpectedly...

[turnnut]

 on e-bay, there is a 10 inch Peerless Shaping saw.  model "Universal"    s/n 456   estimated as 1934

 item # 360694717110

  tested & runs

    does your pan slant down in one corner ??   if it does, that is where I would look for the drain hole.

    if you scrape the pan, you may want to keep a shop vac  going as you scrape to keep slag/crum from going into the tank.