Fabrication tools

I've been using a combination chop saw/vertical saw (the red one in the photos) to cut parts for my needs. Yesterday while in the middle of a cut the blade broke. So today I went to get a new blade, but what I came home with was a new saw (the green one in the photos). Now I just need a good blade, that one that came with this was suppose to be a metal cutting blade, it did, for about 2 inches, then nothing, just noise. I have a special bi-metal cetal cutting blade on order.Attachment 2238Attachment 2239

... got to watch the blade speed esp with hard metals.

Yea, I know, the band saw is sold as a wood band saw, yet they tell you that they have steel cutting blades. The slowest speed is faster then the fastest speed on my old band saw. So while I'm waiting for the new blade, I'm looking into what it will take to slow the blade speed down.

It turns out the motor for the wood band saw turns at 7200 rpm, I have a motor that turns at 1700 rpm, looks like I'm going to change motors as soon as I get a 4 step pully for the slower motor. It should be no problem to get the speed down well below 600 rpm. I'll probably set it at 400 rpm. Still waiting for the new bi-metal blade to get here.