Bandsaw sppeds??

[Jon Wilson]

I recently bought a 14" band saw, just tonight I noticed there are two speeds, depending on how you route the belt.
Out of the box it is set for the low speed.

What are some of the applications I should be using the high speed for?

How about the low speed?

There's nothing in the manual and I want to make sure I'm using the saw to it's utmost abilities.

Thanks!

[Guy Belleman]

My manual has this say about the belt routing and speeds:
For general woodworking, use fastest blade speed (i.e. the smaller diameter wheel pulley groove combined with the larger diameter motor pulley groove).
NOTE: For resawing and cutting operations with wider blades, use the slow speed (i.e. the larger diameter wheel pulley groove combined with the smaller diameter motor pulley groove). When using the slow speed, do not feed stock too fast. This will cause possible blade breakage, stalling, and extremely poor cuts.

[HANK METZ]

Maximum speed for wood cutting is about 3,000 feet per minute. Both speeds can readily be determined rather precisely by unplugging, make a reference mark on the lower wheel, rotate the motor shaft one full turn, make a second mark and measure the distance directly. Multiply that by motor r.p.m. (usually 1725) and divide by 12 to get feet per minute. Besides resawing, lower speeds are also useful for cutting plastics, however to cut metal you'll need to be in the 120- 160 F.P.M. range, which usually calls for a countershaft (http://www.sportpilot.info/sp/Disassembling%20a%20South%20Bend%20Lathe%20for%20M oving_files/image004.jpg) arrangement- sometimes called a jackshaft.

[Dave Cullen]

Pulley choices are to accommodate the 2 standard motor speeds, 1725 or 3450 rpm. Use the low speed pulley if you have a 3450 rpm motor.

Edit: If the saw is designed for metal or wood, metal is the slow speed.

[Phil Thien]

Go with the highest speed. The guys out there with big old iron have saws cutting I believe in the 4000's and 5000's, and they cut magnificently.

[David Kumm]

Go with the highest speed. The guys out there with big old iron have saws cutting I believe in the 4000's and 5000's, and they cut magnificently.

The old cast iron saws often ran at speeds of 6700-8400 fpm. Some were faster on special order but I don't know what the application was. Faster for wood, slower for metal. Dave

[Dennis Ford]

If you are cutting wood and have plenty of power, high speeds work great. If the motor bogs down, the slower speed will get the job done and the blade will last longer.

[HANK METZ]

Go with the highest speed. The guys out there with big old iron have saws cutting I believe in the 4000's and 5000's, and they cut magnificently.

And also the tires were bonded to the rims, crowned in place, and dynamically balanced, a very high- precision enterprise to survive that kind of centrifugal force. The current crop of imports tend to limit the r.p.m.'s so as not to throw a tire, etc. I'm currently upgrading a H.F. 14" 4- speed from about 2005 vintage. The tires needed bonding because they did pucker and bunch at the top end of speed, now I have full confidence in them.

[Curt Harms]

I think the lower speed can also be used for nonferrous metals e.g. brass or aluminum.

[Jon Wilson]

If my reading comprehension is up to par, I'm to understand that I should re-route the belt for the higher speed seeing that I only cut wood with this band saw.

Thanks for the help! You guys ROCK!

[Erik Loza]

FWIW, our bandsaws have blade speeds in the 4,000-5,000fpm range. That's typical for Italian wood-cutting machines.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[HANK METZ]

FWIW, our bandsaws have blade speeds in the 4,000-5,000fpm range. That's typical for Italian wood-cutting machines.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

I was assuming the o.p. was talking about a typical consumer bandsaw coming out of the pacific rim country, one of the many widely available 14" models cranked out by the same factory. If I got it wrong there Jon, please correct me because machines like the ones Erik provides are far and away several classes better:

SCM MINI MAX
S 400 P MSRP : $2,999

[John McClanahan]

If it is the saw Hank is referring to, the high speed is just over 3000 fpm.

John