Did I Ruin my Bandsaw?

[Diane Maluso]

Argh. I was cutting a large bowl blank on my bandsaw and the saw was having a rough time of it. I'd back off, wait, keep going, like that. Then the saw slowed way way down and smoke came out of the motor and it smelled like something burning...not sawdust maybe something plastic or petroleum. The motor and that hump on top were hot to the touch. The smoke stopped quickly and now the motor will run but slowly. I ran it for just a moment and the saw will cut something small but the motor is definitely slower and it makes a bit of noise now. Bad bad timing. I'm broke and I have absolutely no idea how to fix/replace a motor.

The saw is the Grizzly 15" G1148 and can be seen <A HREF="http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G1148"> here </a>. According to the spec sheet the motor is 1hp. Single Phase/60hz. It was hooked up to 110V.

Any way I can save this motor? I appreciate any advice you've got.

Thanks.

Diane

[Tom Sweeney]

Sorry to say but usually once you let the smoke out of a motor - you can't put it back in

If I were you I would look around for a good used motor to replace it with. A decent 1 HP like you describe can probably be had for about $50 or even $25 on a good day. You need to make sure the motor frame is the same - basically that it will bolt right in to your saw. It's probably a pretty standard one - forget the numbers off the top of my head.

[Todd Burch]

>Did I Ruin my Bandsaw?

No, just the motor!!

Something to watch for on the band saw is the amount of pressure you put on feeding the stock. Once you have to exert any amount of real pressure, stop what you are doing and install a new band. The teeth may feel nice and sharp, and they probably are, but the band has lost its set and is now, essentially, very dull.

Todd.

[Bob Reilly]

[
Diane it sounds like it may be the capacitor,that's the hump on the motor you refered to that was hot,two choices here, take the motor to a shop and have them test it or order a new capacitor from grizz and put it in yourself,you also may be able to get a capacitor from a motor shop locally, they aren't that expensive.

[Chad Pater]

>>Any way I can save this motor? I appreciate any advice you've got.<<


I would take the motor to a repair shop a ask what my options are. Around here they will give you a free estimate, or tell you it's junk. I'm no motor expert but fixing the old (if possible) is the best option because the pully is already on and you know mounting won't be a problem.
Look in the yellow pages under Electric Motor Repair and Parts

Good Luck

Chad

[Carl Eyman]

Bring it to your local motor shop. But whatever action you take from there, ask why motor overload protection didn't prevent the damage. This shouldn't have happened! That's what overload protection is all about. Ask Grizzly that question! I don't care how old the unit is motor overload protection should have prevented it. Carl

[Gerry Meekins]

"Broke",I feel your pain... I'm not a motor "geek" but if you smelled oil burning and the motor runs slow it sure sounds like the little hump is the problem. There should be a small screw holding the cover on the motor housing. I would unplug the motor and remove the cover to see if there is any mess inside. That's a dead giveaway that it's the capacitor. They cost about 10-20 bucks.

Hope this helps...

Gerry

[Herb Kelley]

Lots of good comments on what you can do now. But why did it overheat? Do you have a dedicated 110 source for this tool?
No lighting or appliances? Personally I use dedicated 20 Amp circuits for my tools. 20 Amp uses 12 Ga wire/15 amp uses 14 Ga. When the going gets tough the motor will draw more current. As the motor reaches the "stall" point this current increase could have/should have popped the fuse or breaker. If your wiring is minimal, resistance in the wire will cause the voltage to drop and current to increase. The result is that heat builts up in the motor. Heat kills. If you need to use an extension cord to power the saw make sure that it is as short as possible and is at least 14 Ga wire. Unless you have good electrical feed, you will have the same problem even with a bigger motor.

[Diane Maluso]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check the capacitor and maybe get lucky. But you can bet I'll be contacting Grizzly, too. I don't know whether to be more disgusted with me or with them but here's what I found out: the spec sheet says that the motor is 1hp with overload protection. I just looked at the plate on the motor and realize that the motor is actually a 3/4hp and I doubt it has overload protection. Shame on them for false advertising and shame on me for falling for it and never checking before now. Bah!

Diane

[Paul Kunkel]

Do check or have checked the capacator. Also the start switch may have slipped or become stuck causing the motor to run on the start as well as the run winding. An electrician is your best bet if you don't have the test equipment and the knowledge to use it. I doubt that any 120v motor has a magnetic start switch which would be the only overload protection available in this setup. Most dual voltage saws have only a push on-push off switch. Hope this helps.......

[Steven Wilson]

Sorry about your bumb motor. Are you by chance cutting bowl blanks out of green wood? If so, you are likely to stall your replacement motor too ! I use to often stall my 14" Jet while cutting wet bowl blanks, it's just the nature of the beast. You need a fair amount of horsepower to cut bowl blanks from wet wood. I eventually upgrade to a 4.8hp Minimax MM20 - problem solved. Anyhow, take your motor in to get it fixed or replace and you'll be on your way again. Also what blade are you using? I like the 3tpi Timberwolf AS blade for bowl blanks. It clears the kerf quite effectively.

[Wes Bischel]

When you talk with Grizzly, ask about upgrading the motor. Since they only put a 3/4 hp in to begin with, maybe you could get them to go with a 1-1/2 or 2 hp motor for pain and suffering - and so it won't happen again - if nothing else you could pay the difference between the 1hp replacement and the higher hp motor. Worth a try. Look at it as an opportunity to upgrade rather than having to replace a bum motor!

Good luck Wes

[Bill Crofutt]

Hello Diane,

Sorry to hear of the overload. It does sound to me like you slowed the motor to the point the centrifugal start switch engaged energizing the motor start windings. These windings are only there to provide the torque required to get the motor started, and as it reaches a predetermined RPM, they disengage and are not used again until the next time you start the motor. (the little click you hear as the motor slows down when shut off is the start switch contacts closing getting ready to start the motor again). They cannot be used for more than just the few seconds it takes to get the motor running, or you experience a failure.

It is quite possible simply replacing the capacitor will fix the problem, as usually that will overheat before the start windings overheat. You can order from Grizzly or get one locally using the numbers on the side of the capacitor. Oh yea, that can be found inside the "bump" on your motor. It cannot be connected wrong, there are only two wires and they can be put on either terminal.

And, isn't it surprising how time flies. You actually bought your bandsaw 7/24/99 over 4 years ago. At that time, the motors were 3/4hp although now they are 1hp.

Some folks have made comments about motor protection and circuits breakers but you cannot rely on them to protect your motor from over working it. Most cases, a circuit breaker will not trip until it's too late. They are there ONLY to protect the wiring in your walls from becoming overheated and will not provide any meaningful protection to a motor. Overload protection on the motor itself is on the other hand useful however due to their very nature will trip early when the motor is even slightly overloaded. Best approach is to not overload the motor in the first place. Sure, a little bit we all do from time to time but when resawing if you hear the motor slowing down it's time to take a look at how the cut is being done.

Let me know what you find after replacing the capacitor.

Bill

William Crofutt
Quality Control Manager
Grizzly Industrial, Inc

Argh. I was cutting a large bowl blank on my bandsaw and the saw was having a rough time of it. I'd back off, wait, keep going, like that. Then the saw slowed way way down and smoke came out of the motor and it smelled like something burning...not sawdust maybe something plastic or petroleum. The motor and that hump on top were hot to the touch. The smoke stopped quickly and now the motor will run but slowly. I ran it for just a moment and the saw will cut something small but the motor is definitely slower and it makes a bit of noise now. Bad bad timing. I'm broke and I have absolutely no idea how to fix/replace a motor.

The saw is the Grizzly 15" G1148 and can be seen <A HREF="http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G1148"> here </a>. According to the spec sheet the motor is 1hp. Single Phase/60hz. It was hooked up to 110V.

Any way I can save this motor? I appreciate any advice you've got.

Thanks.

Diane

[Ted Shrader]

Bill -

Thanks for replying here at the forum. Often the replies from the manufacturers are off line and the results don't get passed along.

I was aware that "you guys" (or y'all) monitored various forums for current topics, trends and rumors. It is good to see a direct reply.

Regards,
Ted

[Diane Maluso]

Thanks, Bill. Wow... it's been that long? I'm old.

sorry about the time confusion. I'll check the capacitor but doubt I'll keep the 3/4 HP motor on that saw. It's way underpowered.

Thanks for your helpful, informative, and quick response.

Diane

Hello Diane,

Sorry to hear of the overload. It does sound to me like you slowed the motor to the point the centrifugal start switch engaged energizing the motor start windings. These windings are only there to provide the torque required to get the motor started, and as it reaches a predetermined RPM, they disengage and are not used again until the next time you start the motor. (the little click you hear as the motor slows down when shut off is the start switch contacts closing getting ready to start the motor again). They cannot be used for more than just the few seconds it takes to get the motor running, or you experience a failure.

It is quite possible simply replacing the capacitor will fix the problem, as usually that will overheat before the start windings overheat. You can order from Grizzly or get one locally using the numbers on the side of the capacitor. Oh yea, that can be found inside the "bump" on your motor. It cannot be connected wrong, there are only two wires and they can be put on either terminal.

And, isn't it surprising how time flies. You actually bought your bandsaw 7/24/99 over 4 years ago. At that time, the motors were 3/4hp although now they are 1hp.

Some folks have made comments about motor protection and circuits breakers but you cannot rely on them to protect your motor from over working it. Most cases, a circuit breaker will not trip until it's too late. They are there ONLY to protect the wiring in your walls from becoming overheated and will not provide any meaningful protection to a motor. Overload protection on the motor itself is on the other hand useful however due to their very nature will trip early when the motor is even slightly overloaded. Best approach is to not overload the motor in the first place. Sure, a little bit we all do from time to time but when resawing if you hear the motor slowing down it's time to take a look at how the cut is being done.

Let me know what you find after replacing the capacitor.

Bill

William Crofutt
Quality Control Manager
Grizzly Industrial, Inc