Another HF 14” Vertical Bandsaw metal conversion

[tk1971]

I’ve a year into this project off and on but I’m at the point where I have something to show for my efforts.

It started with a YT video where some guy replaced a couple of pulleys on his HF bandsaw and cut some thin sheet metal. Excited by this, I then went out and found a green HF bandsaw for the price of a 1/2” Taiwanese endmill.

After getting it home and basically rebuilding the whole thing (bearings, tires, nuts/screws, blocks, etc.), I then really started doing my homework on this… yeah, should have been the first step. I then found out that it’s not as easy as the YT video makes it to be.

Undeterred, I took my time finding the bits and pieces needed. The main drivetrain pieces were: a 10:1 gear reducer, a c-face mount motor, a 14” pulley and a 2-6” stepped pulley.

With these pieces, I made a new base to mount the motor and gear reducer. I also machined a shaft for the reducer, assorted motor/pulley shaft adapters and motor shaft keys of various adapted sizes (i.e. 3/16” on one end and 1/4” at the other end).

Just as I was putting everything together, I found another video of eliminating the deflection in the frame by welding a piece of mild steel to the cast iron frame for reinforcement. Got myself some 55 Ni electrodes and learned to weld on cast iron.

It was all coming together nicely. Wired everything up with a e-stop at knee level and a separate 110v outlet for a permanently mounted goose-neck lamp. I then put a piece of reflector on the original wood blade it came with, fired it up to take a measurement with a tach and calculated 90 SFPM with the 2” motor pulley step with the 14” saw pulley.

My latest snag came when installing a new 8/12 tpi m42 bi-metal blade. I can’t seem get the blade centered on the two wheels. That’s when I realized that the top and bottom wheels are not aligned. The bottom wheel needs to come out another 1/2” or so. So that’s where I am now. I’m turning a new shaft, so while I’m at it, I’m making it even longer on the other side to make it easier to use the other steps on the motor/reducer pulley for a total of 6 speed from 90-250 SFPM.

Once I finish the new shaft and get everything aligned, I’ll work on the finishing touches like making an enclosure for the 14” pulley and motor base out of some sheet metal I rescued from the trash.

Here are some pics of my progress. I’ll update this post as I finish.

 

[tk1971]

More pics:

 

[DavidR8]

Holy jumpin' that's a lot of work but it looks good!

 

[MrWhoopee]

Much more of an undertaking than converting my spare 4x6 to vertical.
Good on ya.

 

[tk1971]

Much more of an undertaking than converting my spare 4x6 to vertical.
Good on ya.

Yeah, had I done the homework first, I’d probably go the same route as you. I’m past the point of no return on this project but I’m also learning as I go.

 

[markba633csi]

Quite the project- plenty of welding practice
Tip: A few well-placed welds are usually plenty strong enough- no need to burn rod after rod
Long weld beads can invite cracking, warping
Second tip: shorter arc, slower travel = less spatter, better beads

 

[hotrats]

Very nice work! Seems way more involved than you anticipated. I just declined a same 14" band saw - because of the price, not the complexity of modification - seems may have been a smart move for me. I've got a 4x6 horizontal/mitre saw. Decided to modify it a bit, which has been a bit more involved that I thought.

 

[tk1971]

The initial calcs were done with a VFD in the plan. I went with the 14” saw pulley instead (bottom calcs in pic).

 

[tk1971]

Finished one end of the new longer shaft today.

 

[tk1971]

Finished the shaft today. The stock config was way off. I had to set that bottom tire wheel all the way out on the new shaft.

The other end of the shaft works great. With the extra length, I can slide that 14” pulley to change speeds by mating it up with the larger steps on the motor pulley. The gooseneck LED light also works great.

I installed the 8/12 tpi m42 bi-metal blade and was able to easily center it on both tires, set the blocks/bearings and made my first cut. With the bottom wheel farther out, I’ll need longer posts for the bottom cover to fit. Gotta get some m10x1.5 all-thread for that as my SB 10L can’t turn metric threads. From here on out, it’s just working on the finishing touches: Wheel/pulley covers, guides, fence, etc.