Regulating band saw speeds

ChuckB

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Picked up an old Power King band saw of craigslist that I want to try and convert to cut steel. I need to get the RPM's way down. Would one of these work, or would it damage the motor or cause other problems?

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We use to call those a variac it will work if you have a AC brushed motor such as a drill , router, sawzall ect. But what you have there is a brushless type inductive motor it will not work I have converted treadmill motors over to work on my bandsaw and they do not disappoint.. Ray
 
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Chuck, I can't answer you question about the variable control,but I can tell you that you can use a jack shaft with additional pulleys to reduce the speed. That is what I have on my home made machine and has worked very well. I think that a company by the name of Gil-built, Gilliom Manufacturing Company still has some information on this and what size pulley you need.

Hope this helps.
 
We use to call those a variac it will work if you have a brushed motor.. Ray

And if the motor is not brushed? Will it work but burn up the motor, or simply not work?

I have the exact same issue facing me. I have an old Craftsman saw that looks about like this Power King that I want to do the same thing with. Thank you for this thread!
 
And if the motor is not brushed? Will it work but burn up the motor, or simply not work?

I have the exact same issue facing me. I have an old Craftsman saw that looks about like this Power King that I want to do the same thing with. Thank you for this thread!

Yes it will burn up a non ac brushed motor windings.. Ray
 
Not sure where my earlier post went either but....

Induction motors like we typically use on machines are designed to run at a certain speed, the speed is controlled mostly by the input frequency not voltage. These motors have two internal windings, a start winding and a run winding. The start winding is controlled by a centrifugal switch that disconnects the winding electrically once the motor reaches about half speed. This winding is not designed to be run continuously. If the motor never reaches speed the start winding will stay engaged and the motor will burn up. For the same reason single phase output variable frequency drives won't work with the type of single phase motors we use on machines.

Gear reduction, belt reduction, chain reduction or a mix of the above are the only choice if you want to cut steel.
 
A bunch of post got deleted the other day it must be another glitch in the system..
 
Good info here. Thanks. I will investigate the other solutions mentioned.
 
That's a handsome looking machine you have there! However, wood cutting bandsaws sometimes have issues OTHER than just being way too fast for metal cutting.

The blade is typically pretty narrow, making it easy to cut circles and such, which is what they're designed to do. Metal cutting bandsaws typically have a heavier blade, at least half an inch front to back, and more teeth per inch. Verify that a metal cutting blade is available before putting a lot of work and money is that saw.

Another issue "may" be of concern. Check both wheels to see if they will track OK with the heavy big metal cutting blade, AND that the coolant that you'll want to use to prolong blade life won't affect the bottom wheel. Probably not an issue, but wood saws don't expect to be immersed in liquid while operating.

If everything looks good at that point, a jackshaft arrangement should work great. The support stand you have should make it a snap to gear it down.
 
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