Mothman_c3w Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 I just picked up this Racine Model 816 power hacksaw. I have found myself with a small pile of train rail that needs cutting, so I had been on the hunt for a decent bandsaw. I have scored and snapped rail before, but I want to make clean, square cuts all the way through. I lucked out and found this on FB marketplace, only had to drive 260 miles round trip to get it. Absolutely worth it. The saw is in great condition; the motor is not original and part of the stock gauge is missing, but otherwise it is in great shape. I have found the Racine sales pamphlet online regarding their power hacksaw lineup, but so far i have come up dry regarding a user's manual or parts explosion. Is there anybody out there that may be able to share some info or point me in the right direction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothman_c3w Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 Still haven't found much info on this power hacksaw besides the Racine brochure, but I found a video on this exact saw on YouTube by a man named Jeff Heath. Not sure if Jeff is a member on this forum, but his work is much appreciated. I try to avoid "going in blind" whenever possible. I started tearing it down today while still on the trailer. It's too heavy for me to safely manipulate by myself, so this will help lighten the load. I know I started this topic as an information-seeking post, but I'm also going to use it to document as I tear it down and get it set back up. Picture descriptions: 1. Saw base and lower casting; saw arm and upper casting removed. 2. The Hydraulic Pump. The check valve was stuck and full of gunk. 3. Hydraulic Down-feed mechanism removed, showing hydraulic oil reservoir. 4. Upper casting removed, showing other side of the oil reservoir where the pump sits. 5. Hydraulic Pump chamber; I found some dirt dauber nests in the reservoir and about 1/2" of old sludge in the bottom. 6. The Hydraulic Down-feed mechanism. The piston and rings are in great shape. The ball bearing check valve was stuck and full of gunk. 7. I choose to call this the function selecting piston. It fits into the side of the Down-feed Mechanism and is part of the system that cuts the saw off and raises the arm when a cut is finished. The motor that came with it was all wrong; the original motor was a 1200 rpm, 1 HP motor. One of the previous owners installed a 1/3 HP, 288 rpm gearmotor, which I'm sure cut about as fast as a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter. I ordered a new motor of the right rating from Zoro. BTW, Zoro generally has good prices and frequently offers 20% coupons. I have saved a bunch of money ordering industrial supplies through them. I also need to determine the correct drive pulley size. This hacksaw is the 2-speed model, which is achieved by swapping the drive belt on the step pulleys, similar to a many drill presses. Unfortunately, the drive pulley is missing, so I have been doing some math to figure out the proper pulley size. The motor turns the drive pulley, which drives a pulley attached to a small sprocket (14 teeth), which drives a large sprocket (54 teeth). One revolution of the large sprocket equals one stroke, which is 5 inches. The Racine brochure says that this model has two speeds, 100 SPM and 140 SPM. I believe SPM is Strokes-Per-Minute, but I heard someone refer to it as Surface Feet-Per-Minute. Not sure I buy it though. The large side of the driven step pulley is 9.25" OD, and the small side is 8.25" OD. By my math, the drive pulley needs to be 2.25 or 2.5 inches, with a 4" step. I doubt I'm going to be able to find that, so I may just order a single pulley for the slower speed and run it like that. If anyone wants to check my math, or if someone actually has one of these saws and wants to let me know what is right, I would welcome the input. I'll keep updating this post as I get the chance to work on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Really cool! How old is it and what does it weigh? looks in great condition under the dirt and I cant wait to see it run. How long do you figure it would take to cut a pice of your rail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothman_c3w Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 Rojo, thanks for sharing my enthusiasm for this old saw. I am also excited to get it running. I found a Racine sales brochure that give some specs on the saw, attached below. Looks like it weighs about 600 lbs. Judging by the included table of example material cuts, I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say I should be able to cut a section of 85 lb. train rail in 5 minutes or less. The downfeed pressure is adjustable however, so that will affect the cut speed. I'll have to do some experimenting once it is up and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothman_c3w Posted September 28, 2022 Author Share Posted September 28, 2022 I've been chipping away at getting the saw up and running. I found a mistake in the math from one of my previous posts for the drive sheave/pulley and I ultimately decided on a 3" diameter pulley. Once its running, I'll time it and count the strokes to see how close I am to the factory speed. I got the base pretty much cleaned up, but I still have to scrape some more gunk from the inside. I painted the base exterior and the access doors, I know the black with white lettering is not factory original, but I like it and it's my machine. The motor frame did not align to the driven sheave on the original mount but fortunately I was able to fab up an adapter plate without the need to modify the original mount. Still have a bit more cleaning to do, and I'm waiting for another part to be delivered before I am ready for the final assembly. For the electrical circuit, I am planning on separating the coolant and the motor power. I'm going to bring power to a small gang box, and parallel wire a switch to the pump and a magnetic motor starter to the motor. A motor starter is not really necessary for a motor of this size, but I decided that it would be a good safety feature. Besides, who doesn't like a cool industrial start/stop button? Also, I'll have the option to dry cut if I so choose. Picture descriptions: 1. Shows the front of the saw, partially reassembled. 2. Front-Right isometric view, shows motor fitted with the adapter plate. 3. Rear view of sheaves and sprocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothman_c3w Posted October 20, 2022 Author Share Posted October 20, 2022 IT'S ALIVE!!! I finally got this Hacksaw up and running. I have not put coolant in it yet, but everything is tested and tightened. I made a few test cuts through some 2" Sch 40 Steel pipe and some 1" square stock; it chewed right through them both with no issue. I timed the pipe cuts at about 27 seconds. I will play with the pressure settings to see if that changes the cut speed at all. It may be slower than a cutoff saw, but is is much quieter and it doesn't fling sparks everywhere. Once I fill it with cutting coolant, I can put it to work on its' real job: cutting train rail and forklift tine. There are a couple issues; the motor jumps a bit and the arm does not raise up at the end of a cut. At least it is picking up on the forward stroke, so I can live with manually raising the arm after a cut. I think I can get a stiffer spring for the motor bracket to help with the jumping. I'm going to try to get a video up and post a link later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 I imagine it will do a better job cutting forklift tine than my marvel: (Not sure if it’s out of adjustment or if the blade is now dull, but it to almost an hour to cut one piece tonight. First couple cuts only to 20min…) Enjoy it and put it to good use! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lary Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 I use a stationary band saw to cut Hyster forks. 1 1/2 inches thick. What I would call a small saw, 64 1/2 inch blade, it takes (with a cheap brand new blade) 28 minutes to cut the tine. Just comparing, fwiw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 I usually collect the sawed chips to use in the flux it mix up. Last night they started as chips and when it seemed like it was taking longer, I noticed the the chips were more like metal dust. If you’re curious, I can get a picture of the cut. It starts out as a shiny cut then quickly changes to a dull surface. Like it was grinding it’s way through. I may need to make a cooling/lubricating system for it. (Not another project!) Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Ayup, that's a dull blade, David. One of the nice things about a power hack saw is they don't wander nearly as much as a band saw when they start to get dull. Did you clean the tine before you started cutting it? Any dirt on what you're cutting will quickly dull the blade, even carbide blades don't like dirt. Rust really collects and holds dirt and deserves a wire brushing. The problem using any grinder, sander, etc. is it leaves bits of abrasive embedded in the steel and dulls blades quickly. That's a beautiful saw. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Took a guick picture at lunch: Looks like you right with the dulling. I thought it was 1/4” through before it dulled, but it wasn’t all the way across the top surface yet. Looking at the tine, it’s clean, but appears to have a layer of scale on the surface. I’ll hit it with a flap disk before the next cut. Yes, that Racine looks like a wonderful machine. Sorry I hijacked your thread, it distracts from the good work you’ve done! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 NOoooo! A FLAP disk is SAND paper and will leave blade dulling grit embedded in the steel! A wire brush on an angle grinder is perfect. Scale is harder and traps dirt getting rid of it saves blades. AYUP, that's what a sharp blade dulling quickly looks like goes from sharp cut to rubbing it's way through. Been there done that and got yelled at by Dad for not brushing, wiping or washing the dirt off stock before putting it in the saw. You'll be amazed how long blades last cutting clean steel. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothman_c3w Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 Here is a video of the saw cutting through 2" SCH 40 pipe. I figured out why the motor was jumping; I forgot to fully tighten the sprocket mount on the backside of the saw. I still have to get coolant into it, but I may wait until I have it set where I want it. It's pretty heavy as it is, I could do without several gallons of coolant sloshing around while I shove it all over the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Good job. I surprised at the speed of that cut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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