- Joined
- Nov 5, 2019
- Messages
- 233
I used to do a lot of woodworking in my younger days, but not any more, mostly metal. My Delta band saw sat there collecting dust so either I needed to buy another tool or use this one to cut metal. I read and watched videos about the various conversion methods and decided on the gear box method.
I kept checking eBay and eventually found this Boston 30:1 and got it for $80 shipped. It seems to be a NOS unit and works really well. These list for over $700 new so I think I got a pretty good deal.
The motor and gear box are mounted to a piece of 1/2" pvc. The biggest issue was the top of the stand is no where near flat, it has a big bow in the middle. I used a series of set screws on the mounting plate to flatten and level the base plate.
The objective was to keep the components within the original footprint as much as possible so I moved the saw itself outward on the stand for a little more room to mount everything. It all fit pretty well. I did have to reverse the rotation of the motor, easy job.
I bought 3 #40 sprockets (2 -18T and 1 -14T) and a roll of chain. Running the 2 -18's one to one gives me 212 SFPM and the 14/18 combo bumps it up to 271SFPM. For my use the 271 speed works better.
I bought a 1/2" Starrett bi-metal intense pro-die blade to tryout. The first blade was welded very poorly and clunked every time the weld passed through the work. Sent that back and got a replacement which was better. May try Lennox next time.
I added a lower wheel brush using a cheap $2 set of wire/nylon brushes from HF. I just cut the handle off and mounted the brush to a 1/2" piece of square stock and a small bracket.
Last up was moving the on/off switch up higher. The stock location annoyed me from day one. I also added a guard to keep gunk and fingers out of the chain, Mr Pete would be happy!
The total cost for the conversion came in at about $150 but well worth it to me. The saw won't be collecting cobwebs anymore.
I kept checking eBay and eventually found this Boston 30:1 and got it for $80 shipped. It seems to be a NOS unit and works really well. These list for over $700 new so I think I got a pretty good deal.
The motor and gear box are mounted to a piece of 1/2" pvc. The biggest issue was the top of the stand is no where near flat, it has a big bow in the middle. I used a series of set screws on the mounting plate to flatten and level the base plate.
The objective was to keep the components within the original footprint as much as possible so I moved the saw itself outward on the stand for a little more room to mount everything. It all fit pretty well. I did have to reverse the rotation of the motor, easy job.
I bought 3 #40 sprockets (2 -18T and 1 -14T) and a roll of chain. Running the 2 -18's one to one gives me 212 SFPM and the 14/18 combo bumps it up to 271SFPM. For my use the 271 speed works better.
I bought a 1/2" Starrett bi-metal intense pro-die blade to tryout. The first blade was welded very poorly and clunked every time the weld passed through the work. Sent that back and got a replacement which was better. May try Lennox next time.
I added a lower wheel brush using a cheap $2 set of wire/nylon brushes from HF. I just cut the handle off and mounted the brush to a 1/2" piece of square stock and a small bracket.
Last up was moving the on/off switch up higher. The stock location annoyed me from day one. I also added a guard to keep gunk and fingers out of the chain, Mr Pete would be happy!
The total cost for the conversion came in at about $150 but well worth it to me. The saw won't be collecting cobwebs anymore.
