SHOPSMITH 11” BANDSAW
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Page 22
Bandsaw Speeds
The speed of the Bandsaw is determined by
the blade you use and the material you cut.
Generally, slow speeds are used with wide
blades to cut hard, thick woods and other
dense materials. High speeds are used with
narrow blades in soft materials to produce
smooth cuts. To determine the correct speed
for a particular blade, refer to
Bandsaw Blade
Selection Chart
on page 21.
Before you begin any Bandsaw operation, set
the machine to run at the correct speed. The
speed of a Bandsaw is measured by how fast
the blade travels, or “Feet Per Minute” (fpm).
The Shopsmith Bandsaw operates at blade
speeds from 2,000 to 3,000 fpm. This trans-
lates to “drive speeds” of 700 to 1,050 revolu-
tions per minute (rpm), or speed settings
“Slow” to “D” on the Mark V and “1” to “2” on
the Power Station.
WARNING
NEVER run the Shopsmith Bandsaw too fast.
If the Bandsaw runs too fast-ever for a minute-
the blade may break, the rubber tires may spin
off the wheels, and you may be injured.
If you’re using the Mark V (or Power Station)
as the power source, be sure the speed is set
at “Slow” (or “1”). Connect the power cou-
pler. Turn on the power source, set the speed
dial, make the cut, turn the speed to “Slow”,
(or “1”) and turn off the power source.
If you’re using a Shopsmith Power Stand,
remove the pulley guard and position the V-
belt on the 2" (smallest) groove of the 2-step
motor pulley to a 4-1/2" pulley on the drive
shaft of the Bandsaw. Remember to replace
the pulley guard.
You may also find instructions in other wood-
working texts directing you to operate your
Bandsaw at a certain fpm setting for a specific
operation. Should you need to convert rpm to
fpm (or fpm to rpm) to set the speed of your
Shopsmith Bandsaw, use these two equations:
2.88 x rpm = fpm
fpm/2.88 = rpm
WARNING
Never run the Shopsmith Bandsaw at a speed
higher than 3,000 fpm, 1,050 rpm, or speed
setting “D” on the Mark V (or “2” on the Power
Station).
Making a Cut
Follow these procedures every time you make
a cut:
1. Adjust the height of the upper blade guide
so that it’s no more than 1/4" above the
work, as shown in Fig. B-1.
2. Know where you’ll put your hands as you
feed the wood into the blade; make sure
the work won’t be blocked by the Bandsaw
frame, as demonstrated in Fig. B-2. Fig. B-
3 shows the correct cutting procedure.
3. Turn on the power and wait until the
machine comes up to running speed.
4. Take a comfortable stance in front and
slightly to the left of the blade, and start
your cut. As you work, you may shift
Figure B-1
Figure B-1
