Shopsmith Forums

nuhobby wrote:Before making your wood wheels, you may want to look at my old thread and "don't do what I did".... Some variable or another may need to be changed. Crowned wood wheels didn't work out so well:

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=9204

Interesting! If I was turning them I would make them wider and turn a raised edge. Also I would hollow out or cup them from the rim to the center axle to reduce mass and I suspect noise.

I would think with the raised edge the the belt would simply stay on.

Also I would be tempted to go whole hog and find some bearings that would work on the axle and bore the axle hole big enough to be tight pressure fit of the bears. My guess would be they would even possibly be superior to the metal idler.

Now I wish I had a belt sander to play with. I think building idler superior to the plastic ones would be fun.

Interesting thread, Chris (nuhobby)! I'm still thinking of turning a pair of maple wheels and inserting a pair of small sealed bearings in each. http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/5-16inch/Kit21046 . Haven't yet ordered the bearings.

My lubrication of the plastic idlers has been with two drops of ligh machine oil. If you've had good luck with light grease, maybe I'll give that a try after my new idlers get here (probably in June).

In the meantime, I'll likely give wood idlers a try. At this time, I've had it with those brass bushings. So far, I've gone through 5 plastic idlers and am babying the 6th one. On all of these wheels, the pressed in bushing has come loose. On the last one heat buildup caused the wheel to melt and the bushing trapped, even though the wheel was now canted. In my disgust, I threw away that wheel. Should have taken a photo.

Yes, the plastic wheels have a slight crown, but I plan on making the wood ones flat. Like Ed, I think it is a good idea to make the outside of the wheels a bit wider, and the axle area the same width as the old wheels. That way the axle screws will fit snugly.

Another search is going on, as I have inquired to Sunray Inc http://www.sunray-inc.com/wheels-with-bearings/ about purchasing a couple of small idler wheels. I asked about wheels the same size as the plastic idlers, only with flat outside surface. Their running surface is polyurethane. If these are available I'll probably get a couple. I'm waiting for their second return e-mail.

charlese wrote: Another search is going on, as I have inquired to Sunray Inc http://www.sunray-inc.com/wheels-with-bearings/ about purchasing a couple of small idler wheels. I asked about wheels the same size as the plastic idlers, only with flat outside surface. Their running surface is polyurethane. If these are available I'll probably get a couple. I'm waiting for their second return e-mail.

Very interesting site (Sunray). Let us know what their prices are!

I noticed that Sunray has a $100 minimum order.

Yep! I didn't notice that minimum order. Today I received a quote for two wheels. $51.07 each. That's $102.14 for two. Thinking I'll ask for a quote for 4 or more and see if there's any difference in the unit price. Even at that price, it might be worth the risk if they perform a lot better.

In the meantime, I've found some really inexpensive bearings. They're router bit bearings with 5/16" centers. I know they would hold up to rotation speed, but doubt if they would stand the pressure force of the sanding belt.

I ordered some replacement belts from Klingspor's. They seem to work fine.
They also carry polishing belts. See link below.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/category ... 22+X+42%22