To buy or not to buy...

[brad hays]

Looking for my first band saw on the cheap and I found a 14" Reliant on sale for $50 but the seller says it needs a 1 HP motor. If I can find a used motor for around $50 then I'd go for it but I have no idea what size/type pulley the motor would need, and I'm guessing the seller doesn't either. I know the Reliant brand is akin to something like Harbor Freight so I know it's not worth much trouble, but the wallet is a bit slim at the moment.

I suppose I could find the right HP motor at the local electric repair shop but does anyone have advice on what size/type pulley I should look for to go with this saw?

PS. I know the general advice is gonna be to skip this one altogether and look for something better, but there's just no other way I'm gonna find this cutting height (which I need) at the ~$100 price range.

band saw 1.jpg

band saw 2.jpg

[William Chain]

Plenty of 14” bandsaws on the used market. Move on....

[Austin Grote]

You are right, you are not going to find a machine with that cutting range for 100 dollars, and that machine proves your point...
It is scrap.

[Bill Dufour]

The math is easy enough. Figure phi X 14= 43.96 inches. So 44 inches per wheel revolution. 44/12=3.666 feet bandsaw speed for wood is around 3000 feet per minute. So 3000/3.666 =818.3. So get pulleys to generate 818.3 rpm. Others will chime in if 3,000 fpm is correct. I would start with a low rpm motor not 3600 but around 1650 RPM.
Pulley speed reduction/increase is simply the ratio of diameters. So 4" driving 8" will be 4/8 or half rpm. so 1650/2 =825 which is close enough to 818 rpm. Simply buy a pulley 1/2 the diamter of the one on the lower wheel and use a 1650rpm motor.
Wait for others to check my reasoning and math before you rush out and buy anything except the bandsaw for now.
Bil lD
Bill D

[Alex Zeller]

If you need that cutting height then I think you're going to find 1hp very lacking. Also check the table size. It looks to be a clone of the Harbor Freight bandsaw. If so it'll have an unusually small table and a non standard slot for the miter gauge. Does your $50 for a motor include a pulley? Most of these saws have slower speed motors which are harder to find/ more expensive. To use a 3400 rpm motor you may need to buy two pulleys. Has the saw had any upgrades done to it besides the riser block? Like a stiffer spring? To get the saw to run well you will want it to be able to tension the blade correctly. These 14" cast iron bandsaws are a black hole for money once you start upgrading it to do what they never were designed to do. Then there's resell value. I'm not sure if you could get more than $100 for that saw if it was in perfect running order. If it doesn't meet your requirements then what? Then there's blade changes. Looking at the picture the covers are't swinging doors. That most likely means to change a blade you have to manually unscrew the tension (which if it doesn't extend above the top of the saw can be a real pain) each time. Of course it can be upgraded to a quick release but that's more money. The guides are most likely pretty old, that could be more money. I would look at what the ideal set up for you would be in that style of saw and then ask what I would be willing to do without. Then do the math for the upgrades. My father had a saying, "don't buy a car for $100 that's going to need $1000 in work that will only be worth $500 unless you know for sure that it's a keeper".

[brad hays]

I'll learned enough about replacement parts now that I'll probably go ahead and buy the saw. I've gotten advice to make sure the wheels turn freely and that the bearings sound ok. Any other advice on what to check out on the saw when I do the inspection?

[William Chain]

These 14" cast iron bandsaws are a black hole for money once you start upgrading it to do what they never were designed to do.

This x1000. Tread carefully OP, tread carefully. Are the wheels coplaner? Are all the adjustment mechanisms functional? Table/trunnions ok? Guide bearings ok? There are 100 ways to spend money to make this work, but like Mr. Zeller said, you're pouring money into something that is a glorified HF clone. Patience - there are so many 14" bandsaws on the used market, move on from this heap.

[Ray Newman]

Wm. Chain is spot on!

[Dave Cav]

I had probably the identical bandsaw, less the riser. I bought it in the late 80s or early 90s. It was junk. Wouldn't ever track right, wheel covers didn't fit well, noisy, difficult to use. Eventually the entire pot metal tensioning assembly just fell apart from corrosion and stress cracking. I took the motor off of it for reuse elsewhere and the rest of the saw went in the dumpster. Save your money and get a Grizzly 555, they go on sale all the time.

[Jim Matthews]

Pass. You're underestimating motor and belt costs.

Smaller 9" table mount saws for curved stuff with narrow blades. Larger 18" (single phase with a working motor) for "donkey work".

A finely tuned, running Delta 14" with an assortment of blades is worth $200.

[Tom Bender]

Looks like there is a blade on there. Spin it by hand and see if the blade stays on. Adjust the tracking a little to see if it works ok. Tilt the table and retighten to see if the pivot works well. Failing any of these is a no buy signal. Ask about the missing motor. If it is dead and in the corner somewhere ask for it so you have the frame size and maybe the pulley. Even the old belt could be laying around.

[Matthew Hills]

What are you going to use the cutting height for? Do you need a fence?

[brad hays]

Unfortunately someone else got to this 14" right before I committed. I ended up with a decent 12" Craftsman instead. Sturdy factory base with some kind of original built-in digital readout although I'm not sure if it works. Saw runs fairly well with 6" cut height, 2 speeds, 1.25 hp, and a huge table that tilts 45 deg.. Any suggestion for good performing but economical belts or tires? I'm finding sets of tires on Amazon for around $18 but I'm wondering if that's too cheap to be any good.