Shopsmith Forums

John, we have been getting some complaints about these tires coming off. The vendor who supplies them is concerned and he came up today to talk about the problem. What he had to say was this: When he put in the order to the manufacturer for Shopsmith tires, he thought he specified 11" diameter wheels; but the tires that came back to him were made for 12" wheels. He didn't catch the screw-up, passed them on to us, and we passed them on to customers. The larger tires slip off our small wheels; standard adhesives won't stick to the urethane material well enough to keep them on the rims.

How do you know if you have the wrong size tire? Measure the circumference with a tape measure when the tire is off the wheel. Each tire should be 30" from seam to seam, give or take a fraction of an inch. If they are 32-1/2" or thereabouts, the tires are intended for 12" rims and are too big for Shopsmith bandsaws. Send them back to us and we'll make it right.

You also need to be careful about overspeeding the urethane tires. The bandsaw should run at about 1050 rpm -- "D" on the speed dial. The original rubber tires will stand up to three times that speed (3000 rpm) in tests we have done at the factory. The urethane tires, however, loosen at 2000 rpm -- even the tires that are the correct size.

With all good wishes,

I guess the other way to know you have the correct tire size is if it took three people, heat, lub and some clamps to get the new tire on you most likely have the correct size.

Thanks for the tip on the wrong size tire.

So, I take it urethane tires are the way to go and much worth it?

eldyfig wrote:So, I take it urethane tires are the way to go and much worth it?

Not for this guy! I am one that prefers rubber tires. I've been running on the rubber for over 8 years and they still look and perform like almost new. They have been down in South Texas, in the heat and humidity from the Gulf. They have been here in the desert for another four years. The heat in my shop, sometimes reaches over 100 degrees of dry heat. Just a little silicone on the rubber at cleaning times has helped preserve them quite well. I have a spare pair hanging in a cabinet just in case I'll ever need them, but don't think they will need replaced. No need to change what is working.

Incidentally, silicone will repel sawdust, but don't use it carelessly. I understand silicone when it get on wood will severely harm the ability of that wood to take on a finish.

[quote="charlese"]Not for this guy! I am one that prefers rubber tires. I've been ...ced. ... No need to change what is working.
/QUOTE]

A few days ago I would have disagreed. Was having great success with the urethane tires (which I foolishly replaced the old rubbers with only because I had a set of ureys deliverd by accident).
What changed my outlook (new replacement parts on order) was the urey tires deciding they'd had enough, apparently, and without so much as two weeks notice decided to quit. And it was a hostile departure. Took out a 5/8" blade and the top wheel, etc.

The new wheels will be dressed in black rubber, fer sher.

eldyfig wrote:So, I take it urethane tires are the way to go and much worth it?

I have been advised before to use urethane tires than rubber tires. I found it effective though.
My friend told me that urethane tires are specifically designed to improve the classical rubber tires we are using in our band saw machines. They are expected to last longer than rubber tires and are easy to put up in your wheel. No need for gluing. If you have a working rubber tire for now, It could save you some penny if you use it up until it’s torn out. But if you’re really planning to buy new tires and is choosing between urethane or rubber, I would suggest you to have urethane as a better option. I have been in your situation before and I came up using urethane tires.

bosox wrote:I have been advised before to use urethane tires than rubber tires. I found it effective though.
My friend told me that urethane tires are specifically designed to improve the classical rubber tires we are using in our band saw machines. They are expected to last longer than rubber tires and are easy to put up in your wheel. No need for gluing. If you have a working rubber tire for now, It could save you some penny if you use it up until it’s torn out. But if you’re really planning to buy new tires and is choosing between urethane or rubber, I would suggest you to have urethane as a better option. I have been in your situation before and I came up using urethane tires.

I would be interested in knowing what 'specific designing' was done to 'improve' other than ease of installing.

Being a brand-new mwmber and being totally clueless about the propewr procedure for asking a question, I will throw it out here and see what happens. I have a Mark 5 machine S/N 325015, Green in color. Got it recently on a garage sale and it works just fine; saw, drill press, sander and lathe. I then purchased, sight unseen, a Magna 11" band saw trhat has yet to be delivered. I hope that the Magna bandsaw will fit on this Shopsmith. Any comments from the audience?? Next, I think the bandsaw will be driven bt the upper spindle on the headstockj/power unit via some sort of a coupling. Right so far? Now, it is possible that such a coupling will come with the bandsaw, but if not, what is the next step? I see that couplings are for sale for $10-$20 but quite a few of the user reviews give them a poor rating. Can a handy individual fabricate his own??? If so, should it be a solid steel shaft or a "flexible" shaft from PVC or some sort of fiberglass? Has anyone out there ever done this,i.e.,,make your own? I have a pretty complete machine shop so metal turning is not a problem. It appears that the coupling would attach to the driving shaft on the powerhead with two set screws, and presumably the same to the bandsaw drive wheel. Hoping to get some comments/advice from this forum. Thanks in advance, Tom in Vermont

for my money (As well as personal safety) I would go straight from the mother ship on this one.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/powercoupler.htm

terrydowning wrote:for my money (As well as personal safety) I would go straight from the mother ship on this one.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/powercoupler.htm

I second that and check the price for 2, a bit better of a deal. BTW I have yet to have one fail in 36 years, of course since I have several they share the load so to speak.

Ed