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Duro Metal Products 12" Band Saw

5K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  hig789 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have the opportunity to buy one of these for $50. The women said her husband wasn't home right now so she couldn't tell me if it is in good working order or not. By the one picture it looks like it's in pretty good shape but that doesn't mean anything. It's about a hour and 45 minutes away from me so I'd like to get some opinions on it before I went any further talking to them.

I saw a bunch of post on the 15" and 16" floor models but couldn't really find anything on this one.

I have a 3 wheel Craftsman 10" saw right now so anything would be a upgrade on that haha. Let me know what you think about it. Are parts hard to find?

Here's the only picture they had.

Thanks everyone.

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#3 ·
I'd say; go for it. Getting blades is not a problem as all industrial supply houses will make up a blade of any length. I'm pretty sure it will need some fixing, but it was a pretty solid machine in it's day. Certainly in a comparison with a Chinese machine, the Dura wins hands down.
 
#7 ·
. . . and don't worry about finding bearings. Just pull the old ones, and take them to a bearing shop, or let your supplier know the bearing numbers, diameter, etc.. All manufacturers use standard, off-the-shelf bearings rather than making their own propietorial ones.
 
#10 ·
Walker Turner is an example of using bearings on some of their machines that are impossible to source now.
- AHuxley
I've heard that but have always been skeptical. They were relatively inexpensive machines, I can't imagine they could afford actual custom bearings and still be competitive. There is such a thing as mixed inch/metric bearing and they throw people because no one expects mixed units in a bearing. My '58 Craftsman lathe used them. I wonder if that isn't what they used and people thought it was something custom because it won't match any standard inch or metric bearing.
 
#11 ·
They were relatively inexpensive machines, I can t imagine they could afford actual custom bearings and still be competitive.
- Rick M
"Relatively inexpensive machines" 50 plus years ago were a lot different from inexpensive machines of today. Back then, they were made to last. Today, they are made to last only until the warranty expires.
 
#13 ·
"Relatively inexpensive machines" 50 plus years ago were a lot different from inexpensive machines of today. Back then, they were made to last. Today, they are made to last only until the warranty expires.
- MrRon
As a past and present owner of a few old machines, cheaply sold is cheaply made regardless of decade, but I was speaking to the bearings and custom bearings would have boosted the cost with no improvement to quality and no marketing advantage. Maybe someone thought there would be a market for replacement bearings but if you want to make a buck, you charge for consumables, not parts that may take decades to wear out. I've had machines from the 50's that were poorly made but still running on the original bearings.
 
#14 ·
Well I went and picked the saw up yesterday. It turned out to be a rebadged Duro for Wards Powr Kraft line. It still has some of the original finish on the base of it. Gotta get some new tires for it and possibly change out the bearings but I very happy with it over all. Gonna try and get a motor on it this weekend and try to find a blade. The guy gave me a broken blade that he said measures 77". Need to check it myself and try to order one from somewhere.

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#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
Any saw shop and weld you up a blade of whatever length you want. Not terribly expensive, depending on the blade, of course. If you don t have such a shop near you, this can be done online.

- runswithscissors
Yeah. I think the closest one I have to me is about 45min to a hour away. I'll have to do some more checking.

Got started cleaning the saw up a little last night and got to look at it a little closer. Under the dirt and mud dobber nests it's pretty much like new. It has seem very little use from what I can tell. The original wrinkle finish is there, it just needs a little cleaning.

First thing it needs is new tires and a blade though. The original rubber tires on it are pretty thick. I think I'm gonna order some urethane ones and then measure for the blade length so I don't get one that's too long.

Edit: not sure why all my pictures are uploading sideways. Sorry. I'll try and fix that.

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