The uses include:
Sawing Aluminum sheet and plates up to 25mm thick and up to 500mm long
Gauging aluminum sheets that have been guillotined to remove the guillotined edges and associated distortions.
Trimming the ends of aluminum extrusions up to 100mm or greater (with appropriate blades)
We also have a Funditor machine with dovetailed vertical slide adjustment that is potentially more precise/stable than the Western model (made in Reading, UK under license to the USA originators?)
We believe many are still around and regularly praised for their precision etc and criticised for their lack of angle-adjustments which (to produce) require the making of jigs which is generally very readily done using the saw itself:
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=7566
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=525
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=5507
As yet we have been unable to find WWW reference to our Western LinoType Trim-Saw.
Presumably there will have been European manufacturers?
Hammond "Glider Trim-O-Saw" is a similarly styled (almost identical) machine as shown in the refurbished one here:
http://www.soslinotype.com/hammond.html
Here is a Douglas less versatile (and safe) benchtop model mounted on a home-made cabinet - these were more common (much cheaper) than the floor models:
http://www.graysonline.com/lot/0031-72554/printing-and-packaging/douglas-printers-saw
BLADES - To use the standard printer saw arbor you use a special blade with 3 countersunk fixing holes - the clearance holes for the burnishing-cutters are not needed (unless you want to produce a mill-quality finish on some metals) - we have made some arbor-adaptors for slitting saws etc. which come with 1" bore - our local saw maker/sharpener has re-tipped (carbide), sharpened and repaired the original blades we have so we have never had to make new ones (as yet).
http://www.blademfg.com/carbide-tipped-printers-saw-blades/
An interesting e-Manual from 1927 that shows a whole range of accessories and jiging arrangements etc.
http://www.archive.org/details/MillerSawTrimmers1927
This is the Funditor model which we have but is yet to be refurbished:
http://www.metaltype.co.uk/photos/photo107.shtml
Note - I have fitted our machine with a VSD/VFD (variable speed/frequency AC drive) so that we can now raise the spindle speed for better finishes on some materials or when small diameter blades are being used. Remember that 3 phase power is not required if you deploy a 240V 1 phase to 3 phase VFD/VSD and a suitable 3 phase motor (the usual) is already installed on any saw.
CASA-Resources:
I'll add details from our documentation and on-line resources here as I find time to process them:
http://www.casa.co.nz/Equipment/Machines/Saws/