Bandsaw speed control

I have a Dewalt wood bandsaw which saws at 330 meters/min, and would like to slow it down to about 30m/min for use with a metal cutting blade.

 

The motor runs at 2830 rpm (230v 3.4amp or 0.56kw)  Commercial speed reducers are very expensive.  Has anyone got plans for a home made electronic speed controller?

 

There isn't much room to put additional pulley stages onto the saw, or alter the existing pulley arrangements.

If you do make an electronic controller and get the speed down far enough, you will not likely have enough power to saw. You would be better to rig up a jackshaft and pulley transmission with a stock motor.

 

Is the bandsaw a three wheel type with aluminum frame and plastic wheels? If so, it will not last long sawing metal.

 

You would be farther ahead making a saw with a simple angle iron frame and two plywood wheels. Yes plywood wheels. A friend and I built one that way almost twenty years ago for exclusively metal cutting and it is still going strong. We made two 24" (as I recall) wheels of 3/4" thick plywood faced with neoprene rubber strips glued on with contact cement. The rubber provides plenty of grip for the saw band over half the wheel, a huge contact area, and the large radius gives a 12" throat for the cut. Each wheel has a steel hub and shaft inset into it and large 3/16" thick washers each side 6" diameter bolted thru the wood to support the plywood and drive the saw. We drove it with a 1/3 HP washing machine motor and two stage pulley drive, a 2" to 10" first stage and a 3" to 12" second stage. Bronze bearing plummer block were used on all shafts. This drive gave 150 sfm with the motor we used, a little fast but with a GOOD QUALITY industrial bimetal blade works great in any metals including stainless and A or D tool steels. We made some blade and wheel guards of galvanised sheet steel to keep fingers away from the blade. Also 3 ball roller brgs were used a blade guides just over the table and adjustable up and down. I'll see if I can get him to make some photos to post here.

Hi Robert,

                    I agree with Jeff's comments. The motor will be an induction motor so you can not use a simple phase control speed controller like you would use on an electric drill. The only way to vary the speed would be to use a variable frequency supply. The motor would probably not even start with the supply frequency reduced to about 5 HZ. The supply voltage would also have to be reduced so I do not think you will be able to find any speed controller that will meet your requirements. (At any price.)

Les.

Thanks for the comments - seems like extra shafts and pulleys would be the way forward.  I don't have space for another machine in the shed,  and I don't think my wife would appreciate a bandsaw in the lounge, so Thanks Jeff, but no-thanks.

Hi Robert,

 

My father in law used a worm gear on his band saw, much more compact than belts and pulleys.

 

Peter.