12 inch Craftsman band saw/sander

[lwhughes149]

I have a band saw that appears to be 1/2 hp that I would like to consider sliding hardwood with, would 1/2 hp be powerful enough for the job? Also is it possible to upgrade the motor to a larger size?
I have been taking cherry and walnut and planing them away which breaks my heart. This is just a thought, thank you for your ideas and opinions. Lorraine

 

[Travis Porter]

I did it for awhile with a 1/2 HP Delta. You can do it, you just need to do it SLOWLY. Get a new blade with 3 or 4 teeth per inch, and take your time. It will not be a "quick" endeavor, but you can do it.

 

[lwhughes149]

If I am trying to get something down to 1/2 inch it would be worth it but not with a final 3/4 inch. I cut a piece of cherry once that had a curly design in it. The curl made it difficult to cut and once it was cut the surface was so rough that the planer kept grabbing the wood. I don't like working with something that grabs my wood. I finally tossed it out. I just hate to plane away good hardwood.

 

[Travis Porter]

It can be a pain. You really can't use the fence unless you adjust for drift, and on some saws it isn't allowed for the way it is designed. If you were going to do some, you will still need to allow around a 1/4 inch for planing/cleaning up.

 

[lwhughes149]

How does the sander work on this machine. The book doesn't show or explain. I was surprised to see that it had a sander.

 

[Travis Porter]

It is probably putting a sanding belt on in place of the blade.

 

[Mark Anderson]

i think i have the same saw, sears around here haven't sold the sanding belts for a long time,

there is a sheet metal platen that ataches where the guides are to hold the belt vertical.

i have resawn on mine but as mentioned it is painstakingly slow, i did cut up a dogwood log on it with a homemade jig...i think my beard grew in the process