Finally got a lead. A local machinery dealer contacted me and offered the saw below for $800. I went and inspected it today. It has the following problems:
1. Blade welder no good. This is not really a problem for me.
2. Blade speed indicator is not functioning. I don't know whether it's repairable.
3. I had them put power to the saw and turn it on. This particular model has a 2-speed gearbox. With the gearbox in "LOW" it ran fine. When they switched to "HIGH" speed, something in the drivetrain would bang (metal contacting metal) at a speed proportional to the speed of the blade. At first I thought it was the shift lever contacting the spokes in the transmission drive wheel, but now I'm not sure. After power was disconnected, I shifted it back to "HIGH" and moved the pulleys by hand. There was no binding and no banging noise, and the drivetrain moved freely. So whatever's banging is only doing it with the motor actually running.
The wheels are in excellent condition (lots of rubber remaining).
The plate that indicates the serial no. , model no. , electrical requirement, and speed range has been worn away. It's impossible to determine the serial number on the machine, and other than the name on the front ("Metalmaster"), I can't precisely identify the saw. 16" throat, BTW.
After me and the salesman ran it and gave it a looking-over, he said he'd drop the price to $700 because of the high-gear noise.
First picture is a shot inside the drivetrain housing showing the gearcase and its pulley. Note the oil seepage. Second picture is an overview.
If anyone has any advice I'd really appreciate it. Other than the banging noise in high gear, it's in decent shape for a saw that was manufactured in the 40s.
-Ryan