bandsaw motor

[Ben Kann]

I have an old 12" Atlas bandsaw. It's cast iron frame and wheels with a 6" clearance under the blade. Unfortunately it also has an old, tired 1/2hp motor. I'd like to use this saw for everything including veneer- and resawing.
So my question is: what's the biggest motor a saw like this can handle safely? And what do I need to know to make it so?
Also: where's a good place to get that reliable motor at a decent price?

[Edward Oleen]

I'd go with a 3/4hp or 1hp max.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

1 hp would be the max I would throw in there. Amazon was where I got my leeson 1 hp motor for my delta 14" bandsaw.

[Lee Schierer]

Unfortunately it also has an old, tired 1/2hp motor.

I don't think motors loose power with age. Before replacing the motor, check the condition of the belt and pulleys. An improperly tensioned or worn belt will rob you of power. Make sure you are using a blade with a low TPI count. A 12" saw isn't going to handle a very wide band so resawing is going to be pretty rough.

[Ben Kann]

I replaced the belt with one of the linked belts (that get touted for table saws) rep;ace the tensioning spring wit a new iturri(sp?) and eventually set the speed down a notch, all of which helped. I use a 1/2" woodslicer blade and have done some smaller resawing with it, but at glacial speeds.
The saw is VERY sturdily built compared to the new stuff so why is 1 hp the max? What would the probable outcome be if it were bumped to 1-1/2 hp? Not being argumentative; I'd really like to know.

[Mike Henderson]

You could put any HP motor on the saw - you could put a 5HP if you wanted to. The motor will only produce what is necessary for cutting the wood. That is, if you put a 5 HP motor and it only takes 1 HP to make the cut, the motor will only produce 1 HP.

The advantage of a higher HP motor is that when you need more HP, the motor will produce it. Once the motor reaches its limit, the motor will stall.

The bandsaw frame is not usually too much of a problem. The band is being pulled down, so if you were to completely bind the blade in some fashion, you're more likely to break the blade than distort the frame. The tension is between the bottom wheel and the work. If your mount for the bottom wheel were weak, you could bend or break the attachment of the bottom wheel to the frame. Or the attachment of the table to the frame.

The next issue is physical size. As motors increase in HP, they get bigger. How much space do you have and can you line up the pulleys? Motors also get more expensive as they get bigger.

So my answer is put the biggest motor that makes sense. You say you can only resaw 6" so you don't need a giant motor. I agree that a 1 to 1 1/2 HP would be plenty for your situation - and I'd probably go with 1HP unless you get a great deal on a 1 1/2 HP.

Mike

[You likely will not be able to put a wide blade on that saw because it's not designed to handle it (wheels not wide enough) so your resawing will not be as good as if you were using a big saw with a wide blade.]

[Ben Kann]

Good info. Thanks.

[Mike Henderson]

One more thing I forgot - the ability to transfer the power through the belt. A single V belt will only transfer a certain amount of power. I don't know what that is, but if you look at high power table saws, they often use multiple V belts to transfer the power. So if you only have one V belt, you're going to be limited to a certain size motor before the belt starts slipping. This is just a guess, but I'd guess about 2 HP before you need more than one standard V belt. Maybe somebody can chime in with better information.

Mike

[Lee Schierer]

I replaced the belt with one of the linked belts (that get touted for table saws)

Linked belts aren't the best answer for a band saw. They are ideal for set ups where the motor weight provides the tensioning force. Chances are your belt loosened shortly after it was put in use as the links took a set due to use. You may need to tension it several times as it works in to achieve the same tension you would get with a regular V-belt tension upon installation.

[Ben Kann]

Wow! Who knew?