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Can you upgrade the motor of a 9" band saw?

5K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  MiniMe 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am seeing a lot of complaints about these hobbyist level band saws, the main one is that they don't have enough power.
The other complain is that the do not have enough inchest for cutting wider pieces of wood. I do not expect to have that, I will probably need to rip dimensional lumber or cut plywood or melamine for some projects.

How difficult is to upgrade the motor for these things, what are the challenges?
 
#2 ·
I don't have one and haven't seen one up close but, in general, I would say that it depends on if it is direct drive or belt driven. If the former, upgrades will likely be more difficult. If the latter, probably pretty easy. Just change out the motor, make sure you have the correct pulley sizes, replace the belt and you are done.
 
#3 ·
My main issue with the WEN 10" band saw I just bought is the poor quality of the entire machine. It is probably a good thing that it only has something like a 1/3 or 1/2 HP motor. I know that doesn't answer your question.

I would guess that you could upgrade to a larger motor if the frame sizes overlap and the various pertinent dimensions were the same. The net improvement would be an increase in the load you can put on the motor before it would trip out on amps since the motor rpm and pulleys would stay the same.

To my thinking, that means if you are trying to push a big chunk of wood through the bandsaw the first thing to give would probably be the blade, which also is probably the first thing to go if you did that with the OEM setup.

Another concern, would the additional power and subsequent torque cause the machine parts to fail if they weren't built strong enough to handle the forces from a larger motor. If something caused the motor to bind up would it rip things apart?

Lastly, bigger motors cost more $$ and before long you might well find out you spent as much or more than if you bought a larger used unit.

Just my thoughts. I'm not a mechanical or electrical engineer.
 
#5 ·
Lastly, bigger motors cost more $$ and before long you might well find out you spent as much or more than if you bought a larger used unit.

Just my thoughts. I m not a mechanical or electrical engineer.

- EarlS
this is what I just realized by looking for a 1HP motor ~ 100-150CAD so you are right
I set my eyes on the Craftman 12" older models specs above it seems to be a good compromise
 
#6 ·
Depends entirely upon the saw and how the motor is mounted - however I doubt you can just swap in a standard motor as most of those smaller benchtop saws typically have a proprietary mounting arrangement directly to the back of the machine. Post a picture of what you got. As for what HP is needed, keep in mind that Delta recommended a 1/3hp motor for their 14" saws for general use, and a 1/2hp motor if using the riser block or working with heavy timber. I imagine that a similar HP motor would be more than suitable for a 9" benchtop machine.

Cheers,
Brad
 
#7 ·
My understanding is MAX HP is the motor without a load and Rated is the HP with load. This is why it is often hard to compare electric motor if all they say is it has this HP. Is that under load or no load? Max rpm when under load is the key figure. This does not tell the whole story because you could have a Universal motor or a Capacitor start motor. All wood working tools (floor or bench mount) should use Capacitor start motors in my opinion. I know this not the case with many tools for bench mount. I have one, it is a 1×24" old Rockwell belt sander. It makes a racket when running - ear protection is a must.
 
#9 ·
Depends entirely upon the saw and how the motor is mounted - however I doubt you can just swap in a standard motor as most of those smaller benchtop saws typically have a proprietary mounting arrangement directly to the back of the machine. Post a picture of what you got. As for what HP is needed, keep in mind that Delta recommended a 1/3hp motor for their 14" saws for general use, and a 1/2hp motor if using the riser block or working with heavy timber. I imagine that a similar HP motor would be more than suitable for a 9" benchtop machine.

Cheers,
Brad

- MrUnix
Here is a picture:
 
#10 ·
Depends entirely upon the saw and how the motor is mounted - however I doubt you can just swap in a standard motor as most of those smaller benchtop saws typically have a proprietary mounting arrangement directly to the back of the machine. Post a picture of what you got. As for what HP is needed, keep in mind that Delta recommended a 1/3hp motor for their 14" saws for general use, and a 1/2hp motor if using the riser block or working with heavy timber. I imagine that a similar HP motor would be more than suitable for a 9" benchtop machine.

Cheers,
Brad

- MrUnix

Here is a picture:


- MiniMe
 
#12 ·
the point about machine part stress is probably the most accurate

the motor having more power won't help if the saw's frame can't stay rigid enough to keep the blade from braking, the table from sagging or the whole housing rattling from vibration, leading to the previous two issues

i have the 10" red Skil one, and motor power is really the least of its problems

still useful, 'tho
 
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