Need some advice on BS drive belt replacement

[gesiak]

I need to resaw some mahogany. So I decided to put on my 3/4" 3TPI blade on my Ridgid BS14000. Well the first test slicing a 2x6 failed miserably. Not only was there a 1/8th inch difference from the top of the cut to the bottom but the motor bogged down with in the 1st inch in. So with some guidance from Mike Davis, KenofCary, GolfDad I checked set up again and the table was off 1 degree from the table, I reset that and the guide blocks etc.. Cut has no difference from top to bottom but still the motor bogged down.

After updating Mike, Ken and Dirk on the suggested items, I checked the drive belt. Well instead of deflecting 1/2" it deflected more than 2". There is no further adjustment moving the motor away from the wheel. So I am going to replace the belt. It is the stock V belt (A980) that came on the saw. It is 5 years old. I am considering switching to a link belt.

There are at least two common brands of link belt on the market: PowerTwist belts, manufactured by Fenner Drives, are red. Accu-Link belts, from Jason Industrial, are green. The Harbor Freight belts are the green Accu-links and the subject of this review. The regular price is $24.99 for a five foot piece ($5 per foot). Woodcraft sells the PowerTwist belt at $36 for a five foot piece.

Anyone have any experience with either. Would you recommend one over the other.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[chris_goris]

Is the belt slipping or is the motor bogging down? Those are 2 completely different issues. My guess is the motor is underpowered for the task. Did you try a slower feed rate? Because once the saw is up to speed unloaded, I cant imagine the belt slipping unless the blade is stopping in your cut as well.

 

[gesiak]

Is the belt slipping or is the motor bogging down? Those are 2 completely different issues. My guess is the motor is underpowered for the task. Did you try a slower feed rate? Because once the saw is up to speed unloaded, I cant imagine the belt slipping unless the blade is stopping in your cut as well.

I can make it thru the piece slowing the feed way down. As noted, the belt is deflecting 2 inches when lightly press. Manual says belt is correctly tensioned when it only deflects 1/2 inch. Belt is slipping. Sorry I was not clear.

 

[Mike Davis]

If the belt is deflecting 2inches on the saw it is definitely slipping.

i have only used the red drive belts and that was on a tractor so I can't help there.

but all my shop tools use standard hardware store drive belts. You can get two or three for the price you quoted.

 

[gesiak]

Mike, a number of items I found on the web for tuning up bandsaw recommend the link belts to reduce vibration. Not having a significant amount of vibration but there is some. Thus my thoughts on going to the link belt vs. the v belt.

 

[Mike Davis]

I haven't found belt vibration to be significant. A good quality belt works fine. They will take a set if left at the same spot for several months. Since I use my tools regularly I have never seen that problem.

 

[ehpoole]

I use the PowerTwist brand on both my 18" Rikon 10-345 bandsaw and my 4HP air compressor to reduce vibration. Both work very well and I have never had any problems. When the time comes I will probably do the same for my 8" jointer as well.

Do realize, however, that over the first few weeks your link belt will likely be stretching under initial tension, so you may need to remove a link or two after the initial fitting to restore proper tension after a few weeks. Initially you will typically undersized the belt by an inch or so versus a standard belt to help offset for this effect, but sometimes you will find that you need to shorten the belt by another link or two after a few weeks under tension to account for the stretching (this was more of an issue for my compressor where the loads are much greater and the tensioning adjustment much more restricted than with my bandsaw).

But I do not know that link belts necessary provide any more traction than a standard V belt, it may even be a bit less, but they can certainly reduce vibration, especially with less frequently used tools, since they will never take a set.

Do note, however, that blade choice can also play a role in bogging down during resaw operations. For resawing you will want a low tooth count blade that is either skipped-tooth or a hooked tooth with very deep gullets to allow adequate room for the waste to be transported efficiently out of the cut or the waste material will build up and bind with the blade, greatly increasing the load on your bandsaw as well as heating up the blade and wood. I typically use a 1" 3 TPI hook tooth blade for resawing on my 18" bandsaw, which does quite well. If your bandsaw is on the underpowered side for resawing (mine is 2.5HP for example) then you will have to lower your feed rate to reduce the load on the motor so that things do not get bogged down, particularly for thicker cuts.

 

[Ken Massingale]

You're asking a lot from a 3/4 hp motor with a 3/4" 3 tpi blade. Most so called experts recommend (correctly) that a 1/2" blade is max for this type BS.

Since you say you can do the cut if you slow way down, I don't think a new belt is going to make you happy.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

John, as Ken mentioned above, a 3/4" blade may be too much for that saw. You might consider trying the 1/2" Woodslicer from Highland Hdw.

As for belts, I use the red link belt on my contractors TS to reduce vibration, but I've never used it on my BS.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I have that BS and have installed a red belt for vibration. Works great. But as already stated, 1/2" is the biggest blade suitable for this saw. Not only for motor considerations, but also the frame is not designed for more load.(tension and drag)
FWIW, I resaw 5" stock with a 1/2" 4 tooth Timberwolf. Keeping in mind that this is not a production machine but will do a good job, just a little slower.

 

[gesiak]

Thanks for all the comments and recommendations. I have decided to replace the belt with a v belt. Picked up a replacement at Auto Zone and will replace it today or tomorrow and remove the 3/4" blade and install the 1/2" blade and see how that works.

I do think I will replace the guide blocks with cool block next time I go to Woodcraft.

 

[gesiak]

Just wanted to update this thread on getting the bandsaw working as it should. Today I was able to install a new V-belt I purchased at NAPA Auto Parts for around $8. I then went and rechecked that the table and blade were at 90 deg of each other.

Prior to that I removed the 3/4" blade due to it being too big for this saw as indicated by Ethan, Joe and Ken. I will be recycling the blade since it is beyond dull.

I put on a new 3/8" blade, I thought I had bought a 1/2" blade at a workshop sale, but there was a 3/8" blade instead of the 1/2" in the box. I will be buying a 1/2" blade for resawing though.

As a test I did a test cut on 4" wide piece of 2x6 and the blade cut through it like butter...... I then tried resawing a piece of maghogany and it zipped thru it with the same ease.

Besides buying the 1/2' blade I will be buying some cool blocks as well.

Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to provide guidance. I really appreciate it.

John

 

[chris_goris]

According to the manual for that machine, it can handle a 3/4" blade but…. it needs TEETH… looks like the blade you were using needed dentures!

 

[gesiak]

According to the manual for that machine, it can handle a 3/4" blade but…. it needs TEETH… looks like the blade you were using needed dentures!

:rotflm:

Yep, learned a few things with this exercise. The first thing is check the sharpness of a blade prior to use! I may see if I can borrow a 3/4" blade from someone to see if the saw is capable of handling it before I spend the money.

 

[sawman101]

I do a lot of resawing on my 14" Jet, with 6" riser blocks. I cut 10" material without a problem. I use 1/2" 3tpi blades, brand unknown, but I believe they are Simonds. I always buy them from the same source, Hickory Saw And Tool, for $14.50 each. They perform as well as the Woodslicer, which was near $40 with s/h, just sacrificing the smoother finish, which isn't much. Set up is very, very important. I first square the blade to the table, then establish the saw drift. I then set my fence for the drift. It might take 2-3 tries, after a test slice, to get it right on, but the effort is worth it. There is a very good video on making your set up, by Alex Snodgrass, from Carter, on You Tube. I first tried 3/4" 2-3 pitch blades, and the results were terrible. !/2" 3 tpi blades are the best selection for that saw. HAPPY SAWDUSTING!:wwink:

 

[gesiak]

Thanks for the input Bruce. Saw is performing 200% better, but still need to fine tune a few things. I will check out the videos you mention.