Older craftsman Bandsaw

[PDXDave]

So I picked up this older Craftsman 12" band saw, part # 113 2420 at an estate sale.
Got it for thirty bucks, and other than a broken knob (already repaired) it's just an about pristine.

It has a 1/4 6 TPI wood cutting blade on it now, but is like to slow it down a bit and give it a 16 TPI metal cutting blade.

Blades are easy enough to find, but where should I look for a larger pulley?
It's a standard 1/2 inch shaft with a 3/16 key way.

 

[Cruzan80]

I think that you would need a jackshaft or intermediate pulley to slow it down enough. Most of these don't have the mass and rigidity for cutting metal.

That being said, Zoro and other industrial supply sites have pullies, and the calculators from RPM are easily found online.

 

[rsanter]

You need to set up a jack shaft/idler shaft to get the speed down

 

[driftpin]

Yeah, just swapping pulleys isn't gonna do it. I have a Craftsman 12" bandsaw and just went out and bought a better tool for metal, the Delta with metal-cutting speeds, and a wood speed, via its gearbox.

Depending on what you're cutting you might look at portable bandsaws w/a stand.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

Here’s a rundown of the parts needed….

Craftsman Bandsaw Speed Reducer

I finally managed to score a speed reducer for my Craftsman bandsaw. This reducer had been on the Bay for a very short time when I ran one of my daily searches and landed it with a buy it now for $45. The part number is 113.238961 and it is designed to provide a speed reduction down to 135fpm to...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[JZiggy]

Worm drive reducer for the win. Here's some discussion:

11b30b4’s Craftsman 103.24260 Band Saw Rebuild

This weekend I purchased a Craftsman King Seeley Band Saw (103.24260) from Offer-up for $100.00. I had not expected to pay that much for it but I also came with a spindle sander and the motor for the sander was a craftsman motor, so I figured overall the 100 was worth it. I have been...

www.garagejournal.com

I have a 15:1 on mine and it makes it perfect for metal. Think it runs about 80-100 fpm.

 

[PDXDave]

Thanks for the input guys, that's exactly what I needed to know.

I'm just gonna keep my eyes open for a decent, metal specific saw.

 

[Cruzan80]

If you are looking for a similar sized saw, and vertical, both Walker Turner and Delta (then Rockwell) made wood/metal saws in a similar size (Delta was 14", unsure if W/T made any smaller than 16"). The only Craftsman vertical saw rated for metal was the 18" Parks re-brand (some came with an option gearbox to slow it down for metal).