Shopsmith Forums

I have not been happy with the plastic idler wheels on the Strip Sander. Three have melted in the past two years. It's been a pain to keep ordering and replacing. I finally bit the bullet and shelled out for a couple of steel/poluurethane wheels with bearings.

[ATTACH]25251[/ATTACH]

Where did you find the wheels?

Skate wheels?

As said the row wheels caused me to bite the bullet. Bought them from Sunray Inc. Yes, they have a minimum purchase of $100. Each of my wheels cost $51.07. If the bearings hold up like I think, they will be worth every cent.

The wheels I ordered are 1 7/8" diameter and 1 3/16" wide (1.875" diam. and 1.1875 wide) They are the same diameter as the plastic ones but a little wider.

One of the things I think causes failure in the plastic wheels is the 1 inch shoulder bolt axle is offset to the inside - leaving most of the pressure to be exerted about 1/2" to the outside of the axle.

With the new wheels, I set them on 1 1/2" shoulder bolt axles and used a spacer on the inside to get the proper alignment. A bushing that fell out of a plastic wheel was sawed and sanded to 5/16" length to use the entire 1 1/2 axle. ( 1 3/16 + 5/16 = 1 1/2 )

The sanding belts now run right in the center of the idler wheel and because of the flat running surface makes adjustment of belts really smooth. A lot better than before. Oh yeah! Quieter too!

http://www.sunray-inc.com/

The new idler wheels seem to be working like champs. Even better than expected, if that's possible. Yesterday I ran the strip sander for 1 3/4 hours without stopping. Speed was 3200 RPM. Opened the sander and felt the new axel (shoulder bolt) --- NO Heat at all!!!!! No heat in the bearings. Did the same today with same results. Tracking of the belt has also improved. No wonder! A flat surfaced idler that is stable.

A technical note: With the 1 1/2" shoulder bolt as a new axle, it was necessary to make a spacer to hold the wheel away from the case and tight when the bolt is tightened. I used one of the old bushings from an old plastic wheel, sawed it in two and ground both pieces down to 1/4". Depending on the width of the small washer next to the head of the bolt a little fitting was needed. Both ex bushings ended up to be 15/64". This way the inner race of both bearings are held tight when the bolt (axle) is tightened.

Glad that it is working out. Thanks for sharing the idea.