Bandsaw lower wheel removal revisited

cml · Post by **cml** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:21 pm

I'm refurbing a goldie bandsaw, and I ran across a posting in the archives here that suggested the lower wheel was "easy to remove" by removing the bolt and plate which holds it in place. Mine has an issue where the outer edge of the wheel rubs against the cover, and the blade tracks WAY low on the wheel, basically at the lower edge. The retaining plate from aforementioned bolt is bent, and the bearing is clearly proud of the casing by around 1/16". I removed the retaining bolt and plate, but I couldn't budge the wheel out of the casing. It turns on its bearing just fine, though, so the bearing itself is in great shape. Before I introduce this thing to a shop press, is there anything I'm missing, anything I should know, or does it just sound like the press fit is age-glued into place? If I manage to pop the thing out with a press or a hammer, will I need to press it back in, or is it indeed meant to be freely removable, and locked into place with the retaining plate and bolt?

In other news, I am in need of the center plate for the bandsaw table (original cast iron table.) Is this is a shopsmith-specific part, or some commodity item I can find at a hardware store?

Thanks,
Chris

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:02 am

Here is a thread that should answer your questions regarding the bearing on the lower wheel. See posts #3 and #7 by Nick.
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=177&highlight=bearing

cml · Post by **cml** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:42 pm

Yeah, I saw that about the bearing. I don't want to remove the bearing from the shaft, but the entire wheel assembly including shaft and bearing from the bandsaw casing, or, at minimum, press it back into place so it's aligned.

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:18 pm

cml wrote:I'm refurbing a goldie bandsaw, and I ran across a posting in the archives here that suggested the lower wheel was "easy to remove" by removing the bolt and plate which holds it in place. Mine has an issue where the outer edge of the wheel rubs against the cover, and the blade tracks WAY low on the wheel, basically at the lower edge. The retaining plate from aforementioned bolt is bent, and the bearing is clearly proud of the casing by around 1/16". I removed the retaining bolt and plate, but I couldn't budge the wheel out of the casing. It turns on its bearing just fine, though, so the bearing itself is in great shape. Before I introduce this thing to a shop press, is there anything I'm missing, anything I should know, or does it just sound like the press fit is age-glued into place? If I manage to pop the thing out with a press or a hammer, will I need to press it back in, or is it indeed meant to be freely removable, and locked into place with the retaining plate and bolt?

In other news, I am in need of the center plate for the bandsaw table (original cast iron table.) Is this is a shopsmith-specific part, or some commodity item I can find at a hardware store?

Thanks,
Chris

The 2 1/2" Delta 14" bandsaw zero clearance insert works well for the original cast iron table. Shop around as the price varies quite a bit between sellers.

The intergrated bearing and shaft for the bandsaw is an water pump part that I have the part number but unable to find anyone to sell them to me. I have modified the idler shaft and used it as a replacement for the bandsaw bearing and shaft. The location of the lower bandsaw wheel is critical in relation to the bearing when pressing the lower wheel onto the shaft. Unless you have the necessary equipment to do this task, I recommend buying the Lower Wheel Assembly from Shopsmith (509032).

I have always been able to remove the bottom wheel, shaft and bearing by removing the bolt (30) and retaining bracket (31). I am a firm believer in "Kroil", a super pentrating oil, for use around the bearing and housing or anything that is rusty or stuck. I tap on the hub end of the shaft with a piece of wood after applying Kroil (let soak for a few minutes) around the shaft with the bandsaw wheel facing down.

Feel free to contact me off-line for any additional help.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:34 pm

cml wrote:In other news, I am in need of the center plate for the bandsaw table (original cast iron table.) Is this is a shopsmith-specific part, or some commodity item I can find at a hardware store?

Thanks,
Chris

Might look here for the insert.
http://www.califsawdustman.com/customparts.htm

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:40 pm

I have a bandsaw that is 20 years old or so. I removed the lower wheel without any other problem I just used a rubber mallet on the hum end to just "bump" out. Was not hard to remove at all.

cml · Post by **cml** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:53 pm

Bill, Bob, thanks for the tips on the insert.

I tried tapping my lower wheel out with a rubber mallet, but it wouldn't budge, and I didn't want to try pressing it out until I had a better idea of what was involved. Fortunately, it's MUCH easier than I anticipated, and a liberal dose of penetrating oil (Zep 2000, can't get Kroil around here, and I didn't want to wait on mail order :-) let me tap it out with the rubber mallet in no time flat. I cleaned it off and tapped it back in and levelled it, un-bent my retaining bracket, and now the lower wheel no longer grinds on the cover, and the blade tracks perfectly. Now just waiting for my upgraded auto-track bearings, and I'll have a brand new bandsaw!

Thanks all!

-Chris