I finally got myself a 26" bandsaw!! Now it will be a nice addition to my shop, but the crap 14 inch bandsaw has got to go. I was told I have to move out by the end of september due to my shop being recalled by the government due to rezoning.
Here's some picture.... bicycle tire as scale reference (it's a 26" bike tire). Bandsaw uses a big handwheel for adjusting the height of the upper wheel, but the tension is held with a weight besides the saw. Meaning I need to find a way to lift the weight in order to change blades. I'm thinking of using a pneumatic cylinder that I got off of a neighbor's CNC machine to replace the weight with something a little more controllable.... The cylinder was malfunctioning due to a worn out seal, and the neighbor who owns the CNC machine bought a new one and threw the old one out. I may be able to use it to hold tension and vary it based on air pressure... But anyways the saw itself uses a weight hanging from a lever, using the mechanical advantage to actually apply tension. If you need more tension, add more weight.
These cuts were done in 10 minutes flat, on a dull blade. Looks like the Acacia finally dulled the blade too much... I think bimetal/carbide is better served here. Probably Woodmaster CT or Woomaster B...
Factory image of this particular model. Has a 5HP 3 phase motor.
Paid about 1000 dollars for the saw, purchased with my tax refund from 2017. Thank you, IRS.