Which Bandsaw Tires?

Wanderir · Post by **Wanderir** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:15 am

Hey there!

So, I picked up a bandsaw for $50 and it's in pretty good shape. It's got cool blocks, but needs tires.

I've searched the forum high and low, but I've yet to find a good comparison on bandsaw tires. I saw a couple of threads mention that you can't turn the speed up on the urethane tires or they might come off and one that said they're not as good for cutting metal, which I plan to do. I'm a jeweler by training.

So I figure I'll use the bandsaw for 70% wood, 30% metal.

Anyone have a tire recommendation? Rubber or Urethane?

Thanks so much!

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:59 am

All I can tell ya is that the urethane tires are easier to install.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 11:04 am

beeg wrote:All I can tell ya is that the urethane tires are easier to install.

And 'Uninstall'!:D

doug45601 · Post by **doug45601** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 11:12 am

Urethane tires wear out in time due to usage. Rubber tires will dry out and "check" overtime even without usage. Urethane will eventually harden to some degree but will not cause problems. Rubber will crumble and flake in time. Yet not really a problem for someone who keeps up with the maintenance of their equipment.

As far as blade tracking is concerned. both Urethane and Rubber seem to be bout the same.

Urethane tires are easy to install.

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:14 pm

I only use the rubber tires on any bandsaw I rebuild. I find that the urethane tires will allow the bandsaw blade to cut into the tire when it get really hot. Cutting hardwood or cutting metal can over heat the blade and cause the blade to sink into the urethane tires destroying the tire. If the headstock speed is too high when starting the bandsaw, the rubber tires will survive the higher speeds when the urethane tires comes off the wheel at lower speeds. I find using belt conditioner on the rubber tires seems to make them last a lot longer and look better over time. I find either type of tire can be difficult to install if you are use to doing this task.

I find that I had to use a different bandsaw for cutting wood and cutting metal. The metal bits will embed in the tires and then be picked up when cutting wood.

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:53 pm

My bandsaw is 20 years old used in an unheated shop. The original tires don't have a crack in them. Just FYI

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 5:22 pm

I have two bandsaws that are both about the same age as cincinnati's (about twenty years). Mine are both showing some cracking but then I think that is to be expected. I see no evidence that either one will need new tires in my life time.

The kids will have to foot that bill.

BTW My shop isn't heated either.

Wanderir · Post by **Wanderir** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 5:30 pm

Thanks for the input. Rubber tires it is. The urethane looks nice, but it sounds like rubber is tried and true!

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:41 pm

Wanderir wrote:Thanks for the input. Rubber tires it is. The urethane looks nice, but it sounds like rubber is tried and true!

I use a 3M spray-on ashesive to hold the rubber tires. I insert a 1/2" dowel under the tire and spray behind the dowel as I roll the dowel around the wheel. I find the Shopsmith rubber ashesive leaves lumps under the tire that I could never get smooth.

barsymes · Post by **barsymes** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 12:15 pm

Just put rubber tire on my bandsaw. The bandsaw manual calls for vulcanizing cement which is mostly used for tire/rubber patching. I went to a few autoparts stores looking for this and finally went with Barge All-purpose cement which has the added bonus of being toluene free.

Quick story: I got the shopsmith from a buddy of mine and when I inspected the bandsaw I noted both tires were already on the wheels. Upon closer inspection I noted the lower tire was adhered to the wheel and made the dangerous assumption that the upper tire was adhere as well. So I fired up the bandsaw and it ran beautifully...for about 5 minutes when the blade started to shimmy and began making a screeching noise. Yep, the tire on the upper wheel had just been placed on over the old glue and had slipped off while I was running it. Upon inspection, the tire was like new and had clearly never had any adhesive applied to it. Thankfully, I did not ruin the tire by running it off the wheel.

I can tell you the hardest part of the whole process was scraping the old hardened adhesive off the wheel. Not sure what most people to for this, but I ended up using a towel with lacquer thinner and scraping off with a flathead screwdriver. I am sure there is a better way and would love to know how people usually do this in a less abrasive way.

To place the new tire on I applied a good coat of Barge All-purpose cement to the wheel and stretched the tire over the wheel. Mind you, this can get messy, so using gloves and a rag soaked in lacquer thinner I wiped away the excess. Then, as per SS manuel I inserted the shaft of a screw driver under the tire and pushed it through around the entire wheel to even out the adhesive. Again, used my rag to clean the screwdriver and excess adhesive from the wheel. Then I rolled the tire/wheel with downward pressure over a flat surface to squeeze out any extra adhesive and smooth out potential bumps. The whole process has to be done quickly because the adhesive sets up pretty quickly, but I can tell you the rubber tire is on the wheel and is perfectly smooth with no bumps.

My only concern is how to make the process of removing an old rubber tire/adhesive easier when is comes time to replace.