New (old) bandsaw motor

[scholar]

Forgive me if this is an ignorant question…

I am just recommissioning a bandsaw that I picked up recently - an Ixes Basa 7 which is the big brother to my Scheppach Basato 5-4 (which will shortly be surplus to requirements)).

Everything is in very good nick after a total strip down and clean - I think it has mostly had an easy life - but I am unsure about the motor.

The motor runs when switched on, but does seem rather noisy (bearings?). My first observation, though is that the motor will not turn by hand at all - this means you cannot spin the wheels by hand to true up the tracking when fitting a new blade, as I am used to doing.

The wheels on this saw are very heavy cast iron which is different to the lighter wheels on my Basato 5 and indeed my little Inca, but I would still expect the motor to turn (and to hum much more quietly when running).

So my ignorant question is: Is there any reason why the motor should be locked tight like this? (Eg a different braking arrangement?)

If it is OK like this, how does one true up the tracking? (you have to shut the door/cover to activate the safety switch before the motor will run, of course).

Cheers

 

[Fitzroy]

Sounds very odd to me. If it’s a belt drive, drop the belt off and see what you can turn then. Could be the wheel bearings or the motor bearings. May help you take one step forwards.

 

[scholar]

Sounds very odd to me. If it’s a belt drive, drop the belt off and see what you can turn then. Could be the wheel bearings or the motor bearings. May help you take one step forwards.

Thanks.

My observations are from the motor fully disconnected from the drive belt.

The wheel bearings are fine (actually one of the top wheel bearings has a hint of a tinkle when the wheel is spun so I will replace them).

Cheers

 

[deema]

There are braked motors, these have clutch type plates that stop the motor / hold it when not powered. They are normally a lot longer than a standard motor with the brake unit being behind the fan. They can also be noisey. I don’t know what type of motor was fitted to your saw originally / it could have been replaced. You need to look up the motor number to find out. It’s in the motor plate.

 

[scholar]

There are braked motors, these have clutch type plates that stop the motor / hold it when not powered. They are normally a lot longer than a standard motor with the brake unit being behind the fan. They can also be noisey. I don’t know what type of motor was fitted to your saw originally / it could have been replaced. You need to look up the motor number to find out. It’s in the motor plate.

Thank you @deema - that seems a pretty good explanation all round.

I am pretty certain that the motor is original - the lower sticker in the picture below is the Scheppach part no, I think.

I had noticed that the motor looks long and was guessing that the braking arrangement may be something like you describe.

I am still uncertain how one trues up the tracking without being able to see the wheels? The motor mount has a geared handle to tighten the belt - so thinking about it, I guess I need to loosen this when fitting a blade so I can spin the wheels without engaging the motor pulley.

All sounds good to proceed - thanks for the input.

Cheers

 

[deema]

Not sure if your taking about tracking a blade, or getting the wheels aligned. Anyway, if it’s about the wheels sorting out the tracking isn’t too difficult. We cover how to do it on a thread started by @Sideways different saw, but it’s the same adjustment system for the bottom wheel.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/scm-minimax-s45-bandsaw-teardown-overhaul.135069/#post-1545893

 

[Ttrees]

There are braked motors, these have clutch type plates that stop the motor / hold it when not powered. They are normally a lot longer than a standard motor with the brake unit being behind the fan. They can also be noisey. I don’t know what type of motor was fitted to your saw originally / it could have been replaced. You need to look up the motor number to find out. It’s in the motor plate.

Can these pesky motor brakes be de-activated, button somewhere?
or permanently so,
should one need to work on the machine, or decide on other braking methods, be it foot pedal or VFD if using 3 phase variety ?

 

[deema]

Some have a lever to activate / deactivated manually, others are just an electromagnet to release. Looking at the motor in the photo, it doesn’t appear to have a manual override.

 

[scholar]

Not sure if your taking about tracking a blade, or getting the wheels aligned. Anyway, if it’s about the wheels sorting out the tracking isn’t too difficult. We cover how to do it on a thread started by @Sideways different saw, but it’s the same adjustment system for the bottom wheel.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/scm-minimax-s45-bandsaw-teardown-overhaul.135069/#post-1545893

Thanks again @deema - I absorbed your Minimax thread a while ago with great interest - I am hoping not to have to mess with the wheel tracking, but we will see - I was referring to centreing the blade on the wheels which I do by tensioning the blade then spinning the wheels with my finger whilst adjusting and locking off the top wheel tilt as necessary.

Cheers

 

[deema]

I’m not familiar with this saw: however, from what you’ve said, it would appear that the lever to release the tension on the belt to the motor when activated would allow you to rotate the wheels to track a blade.

 

[scholar]

I assume this clutch-type of brake is stronger/quicker-acting than an electronic brake given the considerable mass of two heavy spinning cast iron wheels? The blade speed is quite a bit higher than my previous bandsaw, so there is a lot of momentum to bring to a halt.

It seems the only real downside is the added noise of the motor which is not much and in any event will not be noticed with the dust extractor running which creates the most noise in the workshop. I will see how it goes.

Cheers

 

[deema]

Braked motors have been around for a long time. I might be wrong, but I think they predate the electronic braking system. The main problem with them is that the brake lining wears out, often for old motors, either spares aren’t available, or worse still, they are / almost impossible to take apart as they were designed to be replaced as a whole unit preventing access to the discs themselves.

Electronic braking has become significantly cheaper in recent years making it a far better option in most cases than buying a new braked motor…..that are very expensive.

 

[scholar]

Ah! Let’s hope mine lasts a good while longer yet. It certainly stops dead.

Thank you for all the education.

Cheers

 

[Niall Church]

Not sure if your taking about tracking a blade, or getting the wheels aligned. Anyway, if it’s about the wheels sorting out the tracking isn’t too difficult. We cover how to do it on a thread started by @Sideways different saw, but it’s the same adjustment system for the bottom wheel.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/scm-minimax-s45-bandsaw-teardown-overhaul.135069/#post-1545893

Yeah,but if you can't turn the wheels without turning on the motor.....?