Band saw blade speed in feet per second or motor speed for 12" saw

[Dick Brown]

I am restoring a 1930's Duro 12 inch band saw and would like to know what speed motor, pulley sizes, etc that would be right for this old saw. If I knew what the blade speed in feet per second should be for all around wood cutting, I could figure from there or even quicker, someone tell me the motor speed, pulley sizes, both motor and saw on their 12"saw. Also, this saw shows no sign of ever having a tire on the top wheel which doesn't seem right that the blade would run in the metal. Should it? The bottom wheel has part of a man's leather belt including the holes for the buckle tongue for a tire. LOL Anyone know a good supplier for tires to fit?
Thanks in advance,
Dick

[Howard Pollack]

My old 14" bandsaw runs at about 3000 ft/minute. Here is a link for a calculator: http://www.vintagemachinery.org/math/sfpm.aspx As far as tires go, I've bought them off of ebay.
-Howard

[Bernie LeBlanc]

Band saw speeds are not real important... the slower the speed - the slower the feed rate! I'm not familiar with your band saw but if you have speed adjustable blade by switching the belt onto different size pulleys, set it to the highest speed and cut. The nice thing about band saws is that unlike most other types of saws, band saw blades don't burn the wood (unless the blade is real short). By the time teeth come around for a repeat cut, they are cool.

Now for the "no 2nd wheel" issue - that's an unusual situation. I've never heard of this type of band saw. Event pictures I've seen of antique saws, they all have 2 wheels.

[Dick Brown]

Bernie,
Sorry, I didn't make myself very clear about the top wheel on the band saw. It has a top wheel but shows no sign of having a rubber or ??? tire ever on the wheel. Maybe it just slipped on and stayed without glue? It looks like it is a model Duro 3020 by the pictures on Vintage Machinery.org
Dick

[Mike Cutler]

1725rpm for the motor. More torque than a 3450 motor.
Blade speed, 3000-4000 FPM .
If your pulley ratio is 1:2, motor to wheel, you'll be pretty much in the middle of the band. Motor pulley 6" wheel pulley 3", as an example. I don't know how much room you have though. The larger the diameter of the pulleys, the less heat generated by the belt, within reason.

Band saw tires; Carter makes very nice Urethane tires for 12" bandsaws

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/carter-urethane-tire-for-12-band-saw-7-8-wide?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInp2I4bLl1AIVgiWBCh27hgajEAQ YASABEgJQkPD_BwE

You may not be seeing any glue residue on the one wheel because to was cleaned off. I used to race bicycles and the tires are glued to the rims. Acetone/ lacquer thinner cleaned them up so well they looked brand new.

[M Toupin]

For a 12" saw shoot for 2,800sfpm blade speed.
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/did-you-kno.html

Slower isn't a problem, just decreases the feed rates, too fast creates all sorts of problems. Screwed up the math once on a 14" BS restore and accidentally set it to run at 4,500sfpm. Short version is it wasn't pretty and thew blades within seconds of being fired up. At 3,200sfpm it was well behaved.

Mike

[Dick Brown]

Thanks guys, for the information!
I have the little gem torn apart, all cleaned up, painted, reassembled and looking good. Amazed at the quality that was put into an 80+year old saw! As I said before, NO PLASTIC! Who knows, the saw and I may have the same birthday? Now need to find someone who will love it as I have a shop full of tools and no room or need for another band saw.
Dick

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