Let's see your bandsaw

[sasquatch]

Great pics guys, thankyou.

Stevec,, wondering did you make those bandsaw wheels up??

[stevec]

sasq, Yes I made them up. Back a while before I retired there was so pretty large thick wall tube slices at work that had come from shortening of longer pieces , I can't remember what they were from ("I can't remember" is my life code now) Anyway, I scrounged a couple of pieces and eventualy welded up some wheels with hot rolled flat spokes and some 2" round for hubs.
Once welded up I was able to bore the hubs and machine the ODs of the wheels, with a step for the blade back, in one chucking so they run pretty true. The whole deal took years to come to completion because it was never a high priority (as I had the ole 4x6) and I was never totally convinced it would work well. When done I was delighted with it's accuracy and performance and sorta regretted not having fast tracked it years before. The cuts are right on, even with the vise jaws swivelled 45°. I have some 4" channel cut at 45° across the 4" and the triangular off cuts are perfect, the thin web along the 4" width is equal, end to end.
Thanks for your interest.
Steve

[sasquatch]

Thanks for the reply,, nice work, and congrats on finishing up a needed project.

I remember back years ago Popular mechanics had an article on building a bandsaw, and the wheels they reccomended using where those cast ones off old Push type reel mowers.
Probably worked ok.

Love to see shop built machines.

[Rickabilly]

Hello Steve,
What HP are you using on your Bandsaw? I'm just curious, I hadn't considered building my own larger Horizontal Saw but I miss my old 9x12 that I used to have when I had the R&D shop, the little 6x4 is OK but there is no substitute for size, when you need to cut some 8" stock the 6x4 just won't do it.

I remember seeing a Vertical Bandsaw made using Alloy car wheel Centres for wheels and trailer hubs and stubs for the top wheel bearings and an IRS hub for the bottom drive bearing, it was one of those really cobbled together jobs that just should never have worked, It was in a scrap yard/ car wrecking yard in Rural Tasmania, I regretted not getting a photo minutes after leaving and this was 18 years ago, I asked the old timer how he machined the wheels into the right shape having started with "Mag" Wheels and he said that first of all he cut most of the rim off with a hack saw, then after making the drive gears up for the bottom wheel he bolted each wheel centre on in turn and skimmed them up using a 1/4" wood chisel and a rest clamped onto the frame, It could have looked awsome if done right but instead it looked like a collection of scrap car parts all covered in muck, but it was ingenious and I've never forgotton it.

Rick

[stevec]

Rick, had to go to the shop and check ( I love to make the wife say "where are ya goin' at 9:30 at night") I used a 3/4 horse 1750 RPM DC perm mag motor "C" Face" mount to the worm reducer on the drive wheel.
When I first designed (read cobbled) it I used a carbon blade so I wanted to be sure I could slow it down for steel and then speed it up for alu. I've since gone to bi-metal blades and keep the speed comfy for steel.
I could measure the FPM I'm happy with and let you know and you could calc what gear reduction you'd need for a fixed speed motor.
Did I post some pics of the saw with some blah blah about how I made the wheels etc.?
Anyway, if your serious and could benefit from my experience I'd be glad to share all with ya.
Steve

[sasquatch]

Yup, we'd like to read that "Blah-Blah" report please! Lol

[Mayhem]

(08-22-2012, 08:06 PM)sasquatch Wrote: Yup, we'd like to read that "Blah-Blah" report please! Lol

[stevec]

OK Sasquatch & Mayhem, since you were to lazy to check back ,
I, being more awake this morning did. There are two of my posts with pics and blah-blah in this thread.

The dia. of the wheels that I made is around 10½", that being a little under the diameter of the slices of pipe that I just happened to have.

In the interest of not becoming boringly repetetive I think I'll defer to specific questions any of you might have. Ask away.

[Mayhem]

WTF? You want us to look for the info?

Sorry steve, I read you post as indicating you would post info if there was interest. I wasn't aware you had already posted it.

[Rickabilly]

Thanks Steve,
Don't go to too much trouble on my account, but thanks for the hp as I will calc all the ratios and diameters directly from the fpm I use on all of my machines. It's only the hp that can't be easily calculated as there are just way too many losses and factors that it is easier just to ask folks what they have and whether or not it works. I have decided to work on a new idea for blade twisting as well which means there is no way to accurately calculate drive losses.
Best Regards
Rick