Allan Speers
04-11-2016, 2:56 AM
OK, so you guys convinced me to not sell my 1940's Craftsman 12" bandsaw. I'm going to keep it as a small companion to my 21" Grizzly.
I will be replacing, at a minimum, the cheap aluminum wheel pulley, but I'm wondering if I should also replace the motor pulley at the same time. This also means I have to decide on a final blade speed.
This is far from critical, AND I KNOW I'M PROBABLY OVERTHINKING IT, :o but I could use some opinions.
I would only be using this saw with a 1/8" - 1/4" blade, for cutting curves & such. Only for wood.
The motor is a 1 HP R-I.
So:
------------------------
The stock configuration is a 1725 motor, a 2" motor pulley, and a 5" wheel pulley, giving 2167 fpm.
1 - Blade Speed: That's seems a little low to me. At the same time, lower speed is safer, and would mean less heat on the tires. Knowing my intended use for this saw, would you opt for a faster, or keep it around at 2100?
2: The motor pulley: It's cast iron, but only 2". It seems to me that this would put a of of stress on the belt. I'm thinking of going with a 3.25" motor pulley, but that means a bigger wheel pulley (there is plenty of room) also even more expense. This would give less strain on the belt, and maybe a little more "flywheel effect" due to the larger wheel pulley, but would these "improvements" really make any difference? A dollar is a dollar, so ....
FWIW, I'll be using a regular notched v-belt as I see no advantage to a link belt here, (quite the opposite) but I'm still a little concerned.
---------------------------------------------
So, any thoughts or recommendations?
I will be replacing, at a minimum, the cheap aluminum wheel pulley, but I'm wondering if I should also replace the motor pulley at the same time. This also means I have to decide on a final blade speed.
This is far from critical, AND I KNOW I'M PROBABLY OVERTHINKING IT, :o but I could use some opinions.
I would only be using this saw with a 1/8" - 1/4" blade, for cutting curves & such. Only for wood.
The motor is a 1 HP R-I.
So:
------------------------
The stock configuration is a 1725 motor, a 2" motor pulley, and a 5" wheel pulley, giving 2167 fpm.
1 - Blade Speed: That's seems a little low to me. At the same time, lower speed is safer, and would mean less heat on the tires. Knowing my intended use for this saw, would you opt for a faster, or keep it around at 2100?
2: The motor pulley: It's cast iron, but only 2". It seems to me that this would put a of of stress on the belt. I'm thinking of going with a 3.25" motor pulley, but that means a bigger wheel pulley (there is plenty of room) also even more expense. This would give less strain on the belt, and maybe a little more "flywheel effect" due to the larger wheel pulley, but would these "improvements" really make any difference? A dollar is a dollar, so ....
FWIW, I'll be using a regular notched v-belt as I see no advantage to a link belt here, (quite the opposite) but I'm still a little concerned.
---------------------------------------------
So, any thoughts or recommendations?