band saws
well, I just cleared a hurdle with my back burner build: I got my sprockets in the mail and made the reduction gear. Its now a 76:10 #35 chain drive to the original 1.5" motor pulley driving a 60% bigger final drive (shout out to Dantra for the slant P/S pulley!) so the blade speed is down to 243 FPM. Not the sub 200 they ask for in a metal band saw but Im not cutting 4" bar here. I have to get the chain and make the shaft support but that's all. The entire copper pipe is going to rotate in a greased MDF hole. Ill make a "keyway" in the big MDF pulley hub and run it over a setscrew in the pipe. Should last for as long as Im going to use it. I never knew 1/2 copper pipe was 5/8 OD, it worked great slipping the stock 5/8 motor pulley onto. I made a few light cuts in my 1/8 with a new 24 TPI blade using the original pulley setup and 2174 FPM and the thing bogs with a lot of feed (14" is a big wheel) to the point of binding, but cuts better with the slower speed. The reduction should cure both issues. I think the 24tpi is a bit much, I'd like to find a an 18TPI in an 80" or maybe just buy a cheaper longer one and have the saw guy down the street cut it and weld me up an 80".
well, I just cleared a hurdle with my back burner build: I got my sprockets in the mail and made the reduction gear. Its now a 76:10 #35 chain drive to the original 1.5" motor pulley driving a 60% bigger final drive (shout out to Dantra for the slant P/S pulley!) so the blade speed is down to 243 FPM. Not the sub 200 they ask for in a metal band saw but Im not cutting 4" bar here. I have to get the chain and make the shaft support but that's all. The entire copper pipe is going to rotate in a greased MDF hole. Ill make a "keyway" in the big MDF pulley hub and run it over a setscrew in the pipe. Should last for as long as Im going to use it. I never knew 1/2 copper pipe was 5/8 OD, it worked great slipping the stock 5/8 motor pulley onto. I made a few light cuts in my 1/8 with a new 24 TPI blade using the original pulley setup and 2174 FPM and the thing bogs with a lot of feed (14" is a big wheel) to the point of binding, but cuts better with the slower speed. The reduction should cure both issues. I think the 24tpi is a bit much, I'd like to find a an 18TPI in an 80" or maybe just buy a cheaper longer one and have the saw guy down the street cut it and weld me up an 80".
