Slow Down My Saw

[FreezerMan]

I have a Craftsman 10 inch band saw that I want to use to cut metal.

Does anybody know how I can slow this saw down so I will not burn up any blades ??


Thanks in advance


FreezerMan

[James D. Clark]

Nothing simple that I can think of. There are ways but there are probably better tools that will work for less expense-money and time wise. There are ways to do it if that's what you want. What do you want to cut, meaning kind, size and amounts? We need more info.

[SteelToedTank]

Easiest thing I can think of is to change the size of the drive pully on the motor shaft. The bigger the pully, the faster the blade. The smaller the pully, the slower the blade.
I don't know all the ratios to find the speed your looking for, but thats what I had to do to my own bandsaw. You would need a new v-belt too, of course.

Hope that helps

[hankj]

You won't get a woodsaw down to 150FPM by changing a pulley. Yuo'll need a jackshaft with variable sized pullies, a way to allow for belt changes, and a lot more. For that saw, I'd just call it a wood saw call it good. Get yourself a 4x6 metal saw to start, or, if you've got the bucks, jump on an Ellis or Wilton big bad boy.

There's no easy way...

Hank

[SteelToedTank]

Ahh, good point. I don't know what mine was built for, but it was cutting plastic parts before I got it and fixed it up. 150 FPM you say.... I wonder what mines at now. Guess I have some math to do tomorrow.

PS: the one I have is a shop type vertical with an 8' blade, probly set up a little different than a craftsman type saw.

hankj, your knowledge in all things metal and machine are once again appreciated!

[FireCat F7]

I bought a router control box from harbor freight it works good and it only cost 12.99 or so

[hankj]

FireCat,

What are you controlling with it? Routers dont draw nearly what a 3/4 horse band saw motor will. I'd bet on a smoke detector test!

Hank

[Zrexxer]

Router speed controls are intended for use on a brush-type universal motor. If you use them on a regular split-phase AC motor such as that on a bandsaw, you will generate huge amounts of heat in the motor which usually results in letting the smoke out.

[MigManiac]

And you dont want to let the smoke out!!!!

[dragracer1199]

Not sure if it will work for you but i used a light dimmer switch spliced into the power cord on a die grinder to slow it down and it has worked fine for years.

[Zrexxer]

A die grinder as dragracer suggests is once again a universal brush-type motor. Won't work on a regular AC motor.

[Goat]

Zrexxer is right...too keep all the motor's torque you need something called a Variable Frequency Drive. What it does is change the frequency of the line voltage (60hz) to whatever you want. This causes the motor's rpm to change while still maintaining torque.

You can find them on ebay the cheapest but they are still a little expensive. Google might turn up a homebuilt version or possible a DIY kit.

[bcraytor]

I'm uncertain of the freq. in the HF router speed control. I have one from MCLS.com which I use with a 2hp router. The circutry is not the same as just sticking a reostat or dimmer in series with the power. It uses a TRIAC to pulse the 110 to the motor. Motor sees 110, but only gets it as allowed by the speed control. Accordingly pulsed 50% allows 50% power in in which case only 50% power out of motor. Smoke is well contained in device as long as you keep the air circulating. (The problem is that the routers have a cooling fan which is turned by the router motor. Slower speeds = slower air flow. Aux fan or a shop vac will help keep the dust down and move some cooler air over the motor.)
FWIW.

[tooldude56]

There is an important point being missed here.Metal cutting requires greatly increased torque,as well as decreased speed.Frequencey drives are great and I have had some great experiences with them,but while these will retain torque,they will not signifently increase torque,even at higher frequenceys.There is a considerably higher torque requirement,when cutting metal,verses wood.This is not a simple fix.First off,To my knowledge,most metal cutting band saws have a 2 speed transmission,a high and low range.A frequency drive would be ideal to control the speed of the blade within each range,but will not be well suited as a fix-all stand alone unit,when it comes to converting a wood cutting band saw to a metal cutter.Also if you now have a 1 phase motor,you would need to go to a 3 phase motor,as the final output will be 3 phase and a 2 speed transmission would cost thousands of dollars.One other way of acheiving this range would be with pulleys and belts,but this much reduction would require multiple pulleys and a jackshaft..Bottom line is........As Hank suggested,Buy a metal cutting band saw and save your woodcutter for wood.I really wish that a frequencey drive drive was a quick fix for this problem,as I have a new 1.5HP Leeson for sale on ebay,but it is not.However,there are machine tool applications where a frequencey drive is an ideal quick fix,such as a bridgeport mill or a lathe.Both generaly have a high and low range gear change or a backgear and often a full range of gear changes within each range.Frequencey drives are avaliable with either 1 or 3 phase input,so if you get a drive that has 1 phase input,it can double as an excellent phase converter,as the output will be 3 phase and also work well to control speed in each gear range and with a 5K potentiometer most models can be remotely controled,for operator convenience.These are often used in conveyor applications where speed requirements change,but torque requirements do not....In short,As unique as these gadgets are,every gadget has it's place.
Hope this helps..............
tooldude56.