I just received an email from a fellow named Steve, who just purchase the Gil-Bilt bandsaw shown in the photos. He was looking for a motor for another tool in his shop, and he figured that he couldn't go wrong for $40! Uh, yeah, I'd say you did OK Steve!The second photo is a nice close-up of the Gil-Bilt tension/tracking mechanism, which is used on both versions of the bandsaw and also on the 6" belt sander.
This particular bandsaw is about as text-book as they come. A lot of folks purchase the plans and a few of the major components; assuming that they can find the balance locally for a reduced price. I suspect that a lot of these partial kits are still partial kits covered with dust under the workbench. This saw looks to be a complete kit, and as I mentioned, it appears to have been built without modification. The builder even proudly stamped his name on the side: Paul M. Berry, we salute you!
If you click on the pictures you can see some of the details, including the Gilliom Mfg wooden rule attached to the wheel cover.
One modification that most Gil-Bilt bandsaw owners quickly adopt is some sort of dust passage under or behind the lower wheel. This saw is missing this mod, and without it the sawdust builds-up quite quickly. Steve, you might think about cutting a hole through the back, low and to the left of the pulley. You could then attach a dust collector or Shopvac which would keep the saw clean as a whistle. On second thought, there might be a slot there after all...The bottom pic is also a great shot of the table tilt trunnion. I've seen several Gilliom bandsaws which were simplified with a fixed table. That's not a bad idea, seeing that 95% of the cuts made on a bandsaw are at 90 degrees.
