Electrical motor conversion -bandsaw

[Dan O'Connor]

I recently picked up a older never-used delta 14 bandsaw for next to nothing. It has a half horsepower motor. I thought it might be good to upgrade the motor but noticed that it spins at half the normal 3450 rpm on most motors.

Is this a common motor, or can a 3450 be converted to run slower? Or can the pullies be replaced with a different sizing to slow down the end speed?

I ask because I have a larger motor that I could use for this.
Thanks.

[Roy Bennett]

Squirrel cage induction motors such as we use on power equipment are wound in 2 pole, 4 pole, or 6 pole configurations resulting in synchronous speeds of 3600, 1800, or 1200 RPM respectively. When you pull power from the motor it 'slips' resulting in the common 3550, 1750, or 1200 RPM speeds.

The basic speed of the motor is thus fixed at time of manufacture and cannot be changed. You can change the speed of the driven equipment by changing the pulley ratio.

[Pete Bradley]

1725 is a standard RPM and is pretty common on band saws.

I'd get some experience with the saw for a while (with new sharp bands of course) to see if you really need a bigger motor. You'll likely find that motor is fine. The early ones came with motors from 1/3 -3/4 hp.

Pete