This is what worked on mine. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON ... otor-1LPP4
These 30 RPM gearmotors are commonly used on conveyor lines and are pretty common used.
I got it running yesterday with the correct belt, and it works like a charm on steel.
Converting a bandsaw from wood to metal?
Re: Converting a bandsaw from wood to metal?
I have a 12" craftsman wood bandsaw with a fixed 2300 FPM blade speed. Cutting 1/8 cold rolled plate is scary at this speed even with a 24 tooth as it just screams and doesn't do much else. So I bought a 18 tpi cobalt raker blade and a minibike sprocket and cog. I installed the 10 tooth X 5/8 drive cog directly on the motor shaft and then ran a 3 foot #35 chain to a 76 tooth sprocket mounted a piece of 1" pine round. I drilled a 5/8 hole in the center and slid in a piece of 1/2 copper pipe I had laying around. The original 2.5 inch V-belt pulley off the motor was pressed onto the same copper shaft and pinned with 2 nails through the original keyway into the wood ring gear carrier. This floats in a makeshift yoke of the same pine board under the bandsaw next to the motor. The original V-belt now is reduced 7.6:1 to 223 RPM and that in turn drives the original 2.5 inch pulley to a 7" power steering pulley off a Dodge Slant six (!) that I bolted to the original 5" wheel drive pulley. This gives me a final reduction of 79 RPM to the 12" wheel which gives me a blade speed of 248FPM. Even with this reduction I cannot keep the blade from stalling in the work. Im tensioned as much as I dare with barely 1/4" belt deflection. I believe I need a new belt as mine may be glazed or I have too much friction in the wood bearing surface. I could go 2nd chain in place of V-belt with another 71 tooth/20 tooth combo. You could probably do all this with a 15 speed parts bike and its cog collection as well as its chain and tensioner.