My new old bandsaw...

[heimlaga]

A 700 rpm motor driving a 60 cm diametre wheel should give a cutting speed somewhere between 20 and 25 metres per second which is the cutting speed of new high end bandsaws.
Normal three phase motors run at either 2800 or 1400 rpm but this has to be a slow running motor. 700 rpm motors are uncommon but they do exist as a standard type. Some Sagar bandsaws that came out of Halifax in Yorkshire used this type of motors.

The blade that Dennis got with the saw has been used to cut carbon fibre sheets in a boatyard building superyachts. I know a man who works there and he remembered this particular bandsaw when I asked.

 

[DennisCA]

Hmmm I suppose one could control a normal 3-phase motors speed with a VFD too, much like the yanks do when they want to run 3-phase equipment in their 1-phase only shops, they say the VFD allows for things like motorbreaking, soft start and control of RPMs.

 

[heimlaga]

I am pretty sure that you have a 700 RPM motor so then your cutting speed will be correct. There is nothing to gain from altering a good design.

There are frequency converters for three phase but they cost a lot of money and tend to be hard on the motor when running at high loads. It is much easier and cheaper to build a machine with the correct speed for it's job.

 

[DennisCA]

Yeah it was just some idle speculation, didn't mean it applied in my case as I am also pretty sure the motor is of the proper type for my purposes.