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Replacing bandsaw motor

OK, I'll answer your question first. "Because the factory rebuilt Ridgid BS1401 was all that I could afford". I picked it up from the Cummins traveling tool show a few years ago and have been tricking it out little by little (kinda like souping up a Vega). I have a 6" riser installed and resawing is painfully slow. So, a three part question; 1.) How much HP would be req'd to perform resawing? (current motor is 3/4") 2.) What would I be looking for - TEFC, etc 3.) Is there a good source for these?

Notice that I didn't ask whether or not this is a good idea. I know the answer to that. OK, ready for your answers - without the "bad idea" cracks. I know that much. ;-D

Reply to
C & E
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I assume you meant to write, "3/4 HP"? I suppose "painfully slow" is all a matter of degree. I've got a 1960's vintage 12" Craftsman bandsaw with the original 1/3 HP motor. I describe resawing as "painfully slow". I guess I have a higher threshold of pain than you do :-)

I picked up the saw a bunch of years back for $100 and fixed it up. The biggest improvement came when I put a crowbar in my wallet and bought some quality blades (Timberwolf). Amazing how much difference that made compared to the crap blades I bought at Sears.

Reply to
Roy Smith

First, I'd be inclined to try better blades with fewer teeth per inch (as few as 2 or 3), with big gullets, and no wider than 1/2" if you are resawing wide boards... Any finer than that and the gullets fill up with saw dust and impede cutting. Any wider than that and you cannot get sufficient tension on the blade which decreases beam strength and also impedes cutting. After that, if you are still bent on upping the HP I'd think no more than

1.5 HP on that machine.

BTW, I understand your pain... I'm still in the process of setting up my new-to-me 36" 5 HP saw as I'm inpatient too... ;~)

John

Reply to
John Grossbohlin

As others have sugggested, start with a high quality replacement blade sized per suggestion of by John G.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I have a cheapy 12" Craftsman band saw, the aluminum frame model.. It came with a 1/3 HP motor and I needed to rip some 3" oak with it. I bought a better ~4 TPI blade and it still was slow as the motor would stall easily. I dug through my odds and ends and found a 1-1/2 HP motor that pulls the blade along fine. I am not sure I would recommend this to just anyone, but it seems to work for me, and my rare band saw use. The 1-1/2 HP motor is surely over kill for the light weight frame of the saw, if fact I was surprised it worked at all! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Yes, Roy, it is a 3/4 HP. I currently am running a 3/8", 3 tpi blade from Iturra (he Rx'ed it). I don't know how truely good his blades are. I've heard that he sells Lennox. I really don't know. Maybe it's the chice of woods that I'm resawing - cherry, red oak, poplar, walnut (?).

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Reply to
C & E

Still too many TPI. Look for 2 or less for resawing. For fast resawing I use a 1.2 TPI blade.

Reply to
Leon

Long ago I had a 1/2 hp 12" Craftsman and resawed 6" maple. Each 18" long pieces took a few minutes to cut.

Now I use a Laguna with 4.5hp and a 1.25" blade, that combination will resaw the 6" x 18" maple in about 10 seconds.

BUT, cheaper than replacing the motor is using the correct blade for resawing. One of my resaw blades has 1.2 TPI. The type of wood and width you plan on resawing will greatly affect speed.

2 hp is plenty of hp to resaw on a large bandsaw, up to a point. Thicker cuts would require more hp.
Reply to
Leon

I replaced my 3/4 horse with a 1.5 horse. I love it.

Reply to
Rusty

OK. So let me ask *why* resawing is so deadly slow...does the motor stall?...blade stop?...what size blade are you using (width, TPI and tooth type)?

IOW, a new super motor may not help.

Reply to
dadiOH

Notice that I didn't ask whether or not this is a good idea. =A0

Frankly, I'm not sure upping the HP is not a good idea - regardless the blade(s) used. Of course no one would disagree with the premise that the right blade makes the job it's designed for easier on the tool and requires less HP to do it's job.

But folks I've known who have upped the HP of their BS all describe a significant difference and none have expressed regrets.

Unfortunately for me, by the time I got my (underpowered) 14" Delta BS, I had lost contact with those folks and found myself asking (on this list and others) for folks who had made the switch up to help me source a replacement.

I'm not sure why folks presume one asking for such information does not understand the "right blade for the job" rule, but I get a lot of that as well.

I did switch to a LINK BELT and noticed marginal improvement and less stalling. But have yet to take the motor off the saw and bring it into GRAINGER or equivalent to find a replacement built on the same frame, with the same RPM, that provides a rated 1.5HP and is designed for the intended use. I only hope the fellows at Grainger know more about AC motors than do I.

I went into Woodcraft here in Florida the other day and noticed the

14" BS they had for sale carried a 1 HP motor and asked for help. Off the top, they had no answers, but did try and find a motor supplier online and gave me a couple of sites and numbers to call.

The folks at Tractor Supply have motors on the shelf, but the help doesn't have a clue what they are selling and cannot offer reliable (IMHO) advice. Such may be the case at Grainger - we'll see.

If you send me an e-mail and ask, I will share my success / failure in a month or so when I get back to my BS.

Good luck.

Reply to
Hoosierpopi

Grizzly handles TEFC motors, they say that a Nema 56 frame, 5/8" shaft fits

90% of the woodworking machines out there. I looked into upping the HP on my bandsaw once, never did get around to it. Maybe one day.

Frankly, I'm not sure upping the HP is not a good idea - regardless the blade(s) used. Of course no one would disagree with the premise that the right blade makes the job it's designed for easier on the tool and requires less HP to do it's job.

But folks I've known who have upped the HP of their BS all describe a significant difference and none have expressed regrets.

Unfortunately for me, by the time I got my (underpowered) 14" Delta BS, I had lost contact with those folks and found myself asking (on this list and others) for folks who had made the switch up to help me source a replacement.

I'm not sure why folks presume one asking for such information does not understand the "right blade for the job" rule, but I get a lot of that as well.

I did switch to a LINK BELT and noticed marginal improvement and less stalling. But have yet to take the motor off the saw and bring it into GRAINGER or equivalent to find a replacement built on the same frame, with the same RPM, that provides a rated 1.5HP and is designed for the intended use. I only hope the fellows at Grainger know more about AC motors than do I.

I went into Woodcraft here in Florida the other day and noticed the

14" BS they had for sale carried a 1 HP motor and asked for help. Off the top, they had no answers, but did try and find a motor supplier online and gave me a couple of sites and numbers to call.

The folks at Tractor Supply have motors on the shelf, but the help doesn't have a clue what they are selling and cannot offer reliable (IMHO) advice. Such may be the case at Grainger - we'll see.

If you send me an e-mail and ask, I will share my success / failure in a month or so when I get back to my BS.

Good luck.

Reply to
d.williams

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