I just got a cheap Vertical Wood Bandsaw off my local Men's Shed as they regarded it as troublesome and not worth repairing/refurbishing/tuning.
The Shed Foreman said the unit would slow down due to suspected bad motor bearings allowing the motor to "pole", ie rotor rub on stator.
None of the other members wanted it, and I was last man standing !

The VBS is a 1991 build Made in Taiwan labelled Toolmac with a 14" drive wheel and a 1 HP single-phase motor.

At home it operated Ok with a very quick no-load test, but I am not a woodworker.
Motor on floor does not seem to show bad bearings, starting easily and running smoothly.

The blade speed is about 630 m/min, a bit fast for the metal I would use in the VBS.
For me to use it I need a gearbox of about 25:1.

Researching the conversion subject I quickly became aware of many opinions that conversion is not a practical option.
If I could get hold of a 25:1 gearbox I would give a conversion a go as I do have the occasional opportunity to cut 1.6 mm MS sheet into various sizes.

Any suggestions ?
John


Read the full thread at metalworkforums.com...