Oh no! My bandsaw just died!!!

[Pete F]

I have the ubiquitous BS-4A style bandsaw that has just burnt out the motor (jammed the blade just once too often). The motor is hardly inspiring and I won't spend so much as a second more on it. I wonder what others have done with regard replacement motors for these machines? There's no plate on it, but it looks like it will be a 1/2 hp 1400 rpm motor, with a 16 mm shaft.

I'm sure a replacement motor will cost a significant proportion of the complete cost of a new saw, but I (ab)use that saw to death ... literally as it turns out, so it's probably worth while putting a half-decent motor on it.

Pete

[matthew_g]

I would just replace to motor if the rest of the saw is OK.
Motors can be had fairly cheaply these days.

[th62]

You can get a brand new motor on ebay for $80. Probably not the best motor in the world, but at $80 who cares.

[KBs PensNmore]

I replaced the motor on mine $105.00. 1/4 horse was plenty for what I need.
Kryn

[bob ward]

I looked at all this a while ago. Check whether you have an imperial or metric motor, I know the motor on my 6 or 7 year old Hafco BS-4A is an imperial frame size.

New imperial motors are scarce, ie expensive, but they do just swap straight in, a metric replacement means reworking and/or renewing the pulley and mounting plate. Not a biggie of course, just something extra to think about and get done.

If you actually have a metric frame motor, then life is good.

[Pete F]

It "should" be an easy motor replacement I would have thought, but can't find anything on ebay that matches.

Specs are 1/2 hp, 1400 rpm, single phase, 16 mm shaft, foot mount. Ideally I'd like the same shaft size so I don't have to dick around with the pulley.

I gave GMC a ring and it was all I could do to bite my tongue (I was in hospital for surgery again yesterday so my tolerance for BS at the moment is just about zero). She gave me a couple of suitable motor solutions, the latter of which she quite proudly announced "Was made in Australia until 2 years ago". That one was $400+. So wait, you get some cheap Chinese knock-off of a motor that you now bring in, having sacked all your Australian workers who were making it, and STILL want over 400 bucks for it? Pffft!!I used to like their motors.

Pete

[bob ward]

A metric .37kw (.5HP) 240V 1440 RPM electric motor comes with a 14mm shaft.

DAMHIKT but avoid fitting a bigger motor just because you have one or can get one cheap, the extra weight puts the balance out of whack.

[fxst]

As speed isn't a problem a year ago I went to a 1/4hp washing machine motor and it has never been a problem. I cut ali,cast and steel without it getting hot. cheap as from the local dump shop or if still around a repairer of washing machines etc
Pete

[bosox]

Sorry to hear about your saw. Just replace the motor.

[eskimo]

Sorry to hear about your saw. Just replace the motor.

but what he wants to know is...WHAT WITH!!!

[Pete F]

but what he wants to know is...WHAT WITH!!!

I'd thought my posts were clear enough

I think I'll just go with that cheap $80 ebay job, I sent the seller a message last night re freight. I'll turn up a small bush to adapt the shaft. It will only need a 1 mm wall thickness so it shouldn't require any keyway to be cut etc, that was the part I was trying to avoid. I should be able to just split it and allow a gap around the keyway for the key to pass through and I'll loctite it in the bore. Just finish bore it when done until it's a good fit.

My saw isn't a H&F one BTW, but same $%^&, different shovel. However I thought they would be the easiest parts alternative. They guy I spoke to was remarkably helpful and admitted the original motors shipped with these are rubbish. They use the thinnest lacquer on the windings they can get away with, so if the motor overheats it is basically toast. Literally. All I know is that it smells BAD, I've never smelt such a horrible stink from a motor before, so I probably don't want to know what they're using! Judging by the number of motors they are ordering I don't think I'm Robinson Crusoe!

Pete

PS I just HATE not having that saw. Yesterday I had to use a .... hacksaw! OMG!!! Fear not however, I saw the folly of my ways and changed the little Hercus to horizontal so I could use a slitting saw to cut the angle iron sections. A hacksaw, pffft, what's the world coming to!!

[simonl]

Hi Pete.Sorry to hear about your BS. Hope you recover soon from your procedure. Being sick really sucks! Unfortunately my hacksaw is still a big part of my life. Not for long hopefully! My BS is nearing completion and soon to be operational. Maybe the universe only has room for a finite amount of BS otherwise the space/time continuum is put out of balance!Anyway. With so many different configurations in motors its near impossible to get lucky with a S/H one that is a direct swap. Good luck with the new motor hope its less of a POS than the one it replaced!CheersSimon

[BobL]

I'd thought my posts were clear enough

I think I'll just go with that cheap $80 ebay job, I sent the seller a message last night re freight. I'll turn up a small bush to adapt the shaft. It will only need a 1 mm wall thickness so it shouldn't require any keyway to be cut etc, . . . ...

That is what I did with the motor on my DP when I upgraded it to 3 Phase. The stepped pulley had a 19 mm orifice but the new motor had a 16 mm shaft so I turned up a 1.5 mm thick bush. There was no keyway on the DP pulley, just a flat section on the shaft of the original motor and an 8mm grub screw on the pulley. The new motor had a 6 mm keyway so I drilled a 6 mm hole in the bush and turned the end of the grub screw down to 6 mm so that it went thru the hole in the bush and into the keyway.

One problem I had was the bush ended up just a whisker too thin and when I tightened it all up it threw the pulley out of centre and cause a small vibration which was irritating enough for me to eventually turn up a second bush which is much better. For good measure I also added a second grub screw.

So far so good - I have used it several times with a 25 mm diam MT2 bit in 16 mm steel plate without any problems. Hopefully the belts will slip before the grub screws break.

BTW the motor is a 1.5HP Leeson 240 V 3 phase powered from a single phase circuit using a VFD.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f155/v...3/#post1622198
I never thought I would have a use for a reverse capability but at slow speed it's excellent for unjamming a bit.

[Pete F]

Yeah that's why I thought I'd finish bore it in the lathe, that way I should be able to get the bore pretty much a perfect fit on the shaft and it's hardly a difficult job. No word back from the motor dude however. Sometimes I seriously wonder why some people bother with selling things. I just had the same thing happen with a new telescope I'm looking for (well, new to me anyway). The "winning bid" on one had zero feedback and I suspected a shill bid. I was the next lowest bid so told the seller to get back to me "if it didn't work out". Unremarkably a few days later sure enough I get a second chance offer, who would have thought. But it was for my maximum amount. I told him that I'd instead offer the next increment up from the bid below me, after all that's what I would have bought it for had the "winning" bid not existed. No word back and instead he re-listed it. I lowered my maximum bid on his new listing, so now hope it sells for less than my offer, even if it's not to me it will serve him right for being greedy Goodness knows the number of times I've contacted people or organisations with an interest in buying their widget, only to find they couldn't be bothered returning my call or email

Pete

[petersemple]

I replaced the dead motor on my 14" bandsaw with a 2HP one. It um er cuts a fair bit better. Got mine second hand on ebay. Had to buy a new pully - because she shaft was a different size, and also it is a 2800 RPM motor replacing 1400 RPM one, so I had to account for that too. It was cheap though. I will redo the bearings some time soon, because they aren't that flash, but it was way cheaper than a new one.