Blackgates Power hacksaw Rebuild

Hi all,

I am currently rebuilding a Blackgates power hacksaw that I recently acquired.

It's not been too badly put together but a few mods will improve it no end. One thing that I do feel is wrong is, there is quite a bit of slack in the chain drive. Does anyone have a copy of the drawings or failing that can tell me the centre distance of the chain drive shafts. Also what length (no of links?) should the chain be.

Graeme

Hi Graeme

An idler or a slipper pad on the non drive side of the chain will take care of a slack chain.

It is quite possible that the original chain had a half or cranked link fitted

Post a photo or two please for another power hacksa w nut

Eric

Hi oldvelo, Yes that was the way I was thinking of going with the chain drive. I had considered redrilling the frame and putting eccentric bronze bushes in but I think that would a) weaken the frame too much and b) be more effort than it is worth.

I'll try and get some pictures sorted out at the weekend

Graeme,

You might like to know that in MEW no 43 (Jul/Aug 2007) Dave Machin detailed some mods he had made to his Blackgates machine. Particularly the vice.

10 page article, including 3 pages of drawings.

Phil

Robbo,

Thanks, I've seen that article (and several others). They are all the sort of mods I am including on my saw. The vice on mine is particularly poor so I'm not even sure it is worth the effort to fix. I'm looking at some 'alternatives' that I've had sitting on the workshop shelves for a while

Graeme

I found that the Blackgates power saw was very slow to cut until I fitted it with a power hacksaw blade. I bought a couple of bimetallic blades off eBay and drilled the appropriated holes in them. It cuts a lot faster now.

Bert