Recently acquired a decent 2 hp 110/220a motor, and am now wondering if it would be too much for my little BS. Has anyone had any experience with big motors on small bandsaws? Would this be the funny car of the woodshop?
Regards, H
No such thing as too much power on an electric motor - it won't go any faster or need throttling, it'll just keep the speed up better under load. It may even draw _less_ current than a smaller motor that's having to work at it.
I wouldn't go out and buy a 2HP motor for a 14" bandsaw, but if you've got it, you've no better use for it, the speed is right and you can arrange the mountings and pulley, then go for it.
Tim Allen would't be pleased with your question.
Shame! Go for it!
Grrrooowwerrrr!
I have a cheap 12" Crapsman, aluminum framed bandsaw. It came with a 1/3 HP motor. It was not enough! I had a 1-1/2 HP motor laying around that I slapped into it! Works much better now! I don't think you can have too much HP! Greg
If all the lights on your block dim when you turn on the saw, you have too much horsepower.
If all the lights go out, maybe, but just dim? No problem! Greg
An electric motor HP rating is what its capable of putting out. If you do not stress it, it does not produce any more HP than your existing motor. The only way to make it produce the full 2HP is to really load it up. So you are in control. Go for it.
Bob
Two horse 110 is stretching things, which make me wonder if it's not one of those 3450 cap start cap run types. If so, remember to change the pulleys.
The belt effectively limits the power available to the tool, but with a bandsaw's low torque requirements, shouldn't be a problem, just overkill.
Until it's big enough to break expensive things if something gets hung up bigger is better with motors. Now if you were talking 200 horsepower, which is enough to sling the whole saw through the roof if something goes awry, then I'd say maybe it was too much motor, but 2 should be fine on a
14". If it was one of the little bitty miniature hobbyist jobs I'd be worried about twisting off the drive axle or slipping the pulley, but a 14" unless it's a real piece of garbage should have no trouble with 2 HP.
I wish my electric meter believed that.
-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
:)
What a testament to the failure of science education in the general populace (Bob, not you Nova)... :(
Have you checked it with an ammeter?
It does. You just don't believe its telling you the truth.
Bob
Are you saying my statement was wrong?
Bob
On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 04:13:56 GMT, "BillyBob" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
I feel that the quote below is because of two factors (rusty memories struggle up through the ooze):
- The motor is not running at synchronous spped eve with no load, so a larger HP motor wil draw fractioannly more.
- The motor will run at near-synchronous until it stall, then it will start to draw the (much) heavier "starting" current, although it's failing to do the job. Because it;s running at near-synchronous while it's working properly, the correctly-matched motor will use less power even when fully loaded. Less wastage.
However, if I had the choice as a hobbyist between a free 2HP motor and a $100 1 hp one, I woud use the free one for sure!
"Replacement of underloaded motors with smaller motors will allow a fully loaded smaller motor to operate at a higher efficiency. This arrangement is generally most economical for larger motors, and only when they are operating at less than one-third to one-half capacity, depending on their size"
The difference is not that great at no load speed.
Typical loaded speed is 95% of synchronous speed. I don't know if that's what you meant by "near-synchronous". However when it gets near stall (break-down torque), the speed will be significantly slower. Breakdown torque might typically occurs at 70% of synchronous speed - quite a bit slower.
Your discussion of efficiency is accurate, but I don't think its relavent to the context of the OP's question - concern for damage ("too much for my little band saw"). Basically I was just saying that motor characteristics are such that it won't hurt the saw, if you don't force the saw to do things its not designed to withstand.
Bob
On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 04:13:56 GMT, "BillyBob" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
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hmmmm...having said that I have found a site that shows that motor efficiency peaks at around 30% of full load. It shows a significant blip there, then drops off steadily to 100% load / 80% efficiency.
Given that high efficiency motors are now being built using larger conductors than necessary, Bob may have a point.
????????
Congratulations J. You clearly stated the case in way that anyone will understand and my hat is off to you. While some of us are getting tangled up in engineering design theory, you are came out and said what needs to be said.
Bob
One of the best writeups on motors I have seen on the internet is from our very own rec.woodworking FAQ:
No problem. 2horspower is still pretty weenie.
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