Doing some reading on this, it seems so complicated. I just want to know: 1hp motor 8" contact wheel No step pulleys. What is the belt speed? I just want something that is not a runaway monster like my 2X42 Craftsman. After carefully shaping a profile, I hate putting it on the 2X42. Thank you.
You need to know the RPM of the motor. It's diameter of the drive wheel x Pi which is 3.1416 x RPM = inches per minute/12 equals feet per minute. Example: 8" wheel x 3.1416 = 25.13 inches per revolution of the motor shaft X the motor RPM (1750) = 43,977.5 inches per minute/ 12 inches per foot = 3,664.8 feet per minute. A 3450 RPM motor would have a belt speed twice that of a 1750 RPM motor using that same drive wheel size. Bottom line: you really want a machine with a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) so you can control the speed.
A little correction before the math police jump in. It's diameter of the drive wheel x Pi, not the circumference. The diameter x Pi gives you the circumference of the wheel. Hope that makes sense. The example is still correct.