Band Saw motor question...

I've inherited a vertical band saw that was once upon a time mounted on a bench and belt driven by a common jackshaft that ran other items.

I'd like to build a stand to mount this on and am looking for suggestions of what kind of 110v electric motor I can adapt. This would be for metal cutting. Anything special I need to know or can I just grab an old washing machine motor or something?

Thanks,

Al in TN

 

1/2 horse minimum and you need to slow it way down for metal cutting.

 

Any motor will most likely work, but you want it to be a SLOOOW motor. I'm currently building a stand for mine as well. I will take a pic later.

 

You can also add a pulley with different sized grooves to tailor your speeds.

 

DC motor from a treadmill. You should be able to find a used treadmill for cheap if not free. Take the motor and controls and adapt to the saw. The control will give you infinite speed for the saw. Check to make sure you can get a metal blade the right size for the saw.

 

No such thing as a slooow AC motor.
AC motors will not deliver the torque at reduced Rpms.
He'll want a gear reduction unit or

Or

Or

A Dc motor salvaged out of a treadmill.
Dc motor has almost full torque at any rpm. The treadmill motors can be slowed to about 2 RPMs. You can get a different controller or use the one from the treadmill.
You can mount it direct. No pulleys if you want.

Edit- with a DC motor you'll also be able to increase the speed to cut wood efficiently

 

I'd just go to Sears or Home Depot or Lowes and look their band saws over and see what Hp rating and more important rpm rating the motors had and see how the drive pulleys were set up and then go home and rig up something similar.

I saw a home made bandsaw that had an entirely wood frame the other day at the Habit for Humanity Restore in Yakima, Wa that I should have taken some photos of.

 

I haven't seen a metal cutting bandsaw at HD or sears in as long as I can remember.

 

Not ANY motor will work. You'll need to ensure you get a motor that will handle the load, and that means looking around at similar sized bandsaws and seeing what HP motor they are using. If you get too small a HP it will either not get up to speed without tripping the supply, or it will bog while cutting and trip the feed circuit.
Don't end up buying two motors because you got the first one too small.

 

Nothing less than a 3/4 hp motor.

 

A jack shaft will do the job...

 

I've got an old Delta metal cutting bandsaw and absolutely love it because of how slow it runs. I think it has a half hp motor but it has a two speed box that really slows it down. I bought it from a sheet metal shop that was closing up after being in business for years and it was one of the best purchases I ever made.

Doesn't look like much, but my fingers thank me ever since I bought it and stopped using our horizontal/vertical one that runs at a great speed for the horizontal portion, but is way too fast on the vertical mode.

Don

 

Using step pulleys will give you some flexibility, when it comes to speed.

4TTRUK

 

Ps; a half h.p. motor ought to be enough "grunt"....

4TTRUK

 

Many have given advice on motor size, but we have no idea what the size of the saw is. Granted, bench mount saws are usually small to medium size, but it could be a big ol' honker that just happens to be bench mounted. My 18 inch saw has a 4 horse motor. There is a lot on info online and on YouTube about the DC treadmill motors, or you can do the math and gear down an AC motor as has been suggested

 

This is close to what I have http://www.carolinaequipment.com/page/partsdiagram
It's an older model but works. It has a belt drive with a gear box to slow down the blade.

 

Treadmill
If you want cheap and can do some fab work.
Google it.

 

I bought an old metal cutting bandsaw at a used machinery place right behind Arnold Chaves' Dos Palmas Machine shop.
Cleaned it up, replaced the 'tires' on the wheels, and adjusted the blade to run true.
It had sat for eons, and a couple of days later I let the smoke out of the motor.
It had an old standard 110 A.C. 1/2 H.P. motor, 3/4" shaft...specs said it turned 1725 RPM.

A bud had given me a 7.5 H.P. motor, (new!) and it turned the same direction, 110/220, I wired it to the 110 V. D.C.; shaft was also 3/4", and it also ran at 1725.

I was installing it, and some 'wanna-be car guys' dropped by...Suddenly, my work area became a HAMB board!
"You can't use a 7.5 H.P. motor on that saw...It'll tear it apart!" or, "Man! You know what can happen with a motor that's that much bigger than the original one?"

I was frankly amazed that so much stupidity could just suddenly materialize within the confines of a site known for technical prowess!

But I was polite, (motor was all hooked up, bolted down, and pulleys/belts just being tightened...)
I said, "Stand outside, I'm gonna start this thing up..."
THEY ALL RAN OUTSIDE! Grown men! Hit the switch, and 'hummmmm.......' It ran smooth and quiet. Power to spare...just ran like the old one, but effortless.
They did offer further warnings, but they went unheeded...

 

I have a 1953 sears band saw ,it was for wood, it has 3/4 hp. motor 1725 rpm's.I did some math ,got the biggest step pulley I could find .Works great for metal but hard to find the blades.








































i

 

Atwater Mike Better check the data plate on that motor. A 7.5hp motor on 110v would likely draw 50A, that is quite a load. BTW I think most AC motors can be rewired to run either direction.

 

^^^^^I suppose that would be handy if you wanted a reversible bandsaw!?!?!?

 

I have 2 motors on my Duro band saw. The lower motor has a small pulley on it driving the large side (12") of a step pulley mounted on the 2nd motor. The small pulley of this motor drives another 12" on the blade drive wheel. The motors are only 1/4 or 1/3 HP furnace blower motors. The pulleys I used may have been from a washing machine. I have the motors wired to a single pole/double throw switch. When cutting steel, I turn on the lower motor and the upper motor is the jackshaft. Switch blades, roll the belt off
the lower motor and run the upper motor, and I'm back on high speed for cutting wood. Motor HP is not an issue for my setup because if I push it too hard, the belt slips anyway.

I didn't think this up on my own. I saw one set up this way at the auction of a gunsmith's tools. I'm always looking for a treadmill set up for cheap or free, but until I find one this works fine. I recently cut a brake pedal out of 3/8 CR plate with a less than fresh blade. Not as fast as a CNC Plasma but I got it done.

Blue

 

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

This is an old delta band saw, about 3 feet tall. I snapped a quick pic:



It was my wife's grandfather's saw, thought I'd try to keep it in the family and convert it to metal use for brackets 'n such. Figured I'd whip up a base and attach a motor...

Al in TN