Larry Jaques wrote:

Blade friction?!? The motor drives the lower wheel which drives the
blade and the upper wheel goes along for the ride. Whether you have
a 0.5 or a 5.0 hp motor should make little difference, since the
weight of the blade and upper wheel will be the same mass no matter
what motor.

The blade friction is still there and has to be overcome. Unless the blade slips on
the wheels the torque is taken by the frame. Think of it as pushing a rope which is
the reason for barreled cuts.

Grizzly's tech support was iffy on a 1.5 HP on my G1019 and had a definite
"no" on a 2 HP.

Did they say why? Were they saying no to the combo or to the larger motor? My
guess is the former, not the latter.

If you mean the combo of the G1019 and a 2 HP motor, yes the saw was designed
for a 3/4 HP motor. I don't know if the riser kit figured in, but I imagine it
would. The tech says a 1 HP wouldn't be a problem, 1.5 was questionable and 2
HP was out.

No, I meant the wider blade and higher tension. But did you tell him
you'd be using low-tension Suffolk Timberwolfs? (Or were you?) How
much difference in mass could the longer/wider blade make? 8 ounces?
That slim margin would easily be quintupled by extra tension on the
original bandsaw with the original spring. Inertial mass _can't_ be
it.

I normally use a 1/2" Timberwolf blade which Suffolk recommended for the saw. I
tried there 3/4" and as Suffolk predicted the saw can't handle the tensions produced
by the added blade friction of the extra 1/4" blade width while resawing. It is
especially noticeable when attempting to saw "green" lumber (i.e. milling short logs
into boards) which has more of a tendency to bind the blade.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
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