jere
jere HalfDork
7/11/17 9:06 p.m.

So I have this almost 100 year old 16 inch bandsaw that needs new wheels. They are sheet metal and concave.... I have been getting away with smoothing the wheels lip (where the blade rides) with jb weld. The lips on both wheels are ridiculously bent and warped. One has large solid rivet for some reason...

Anyway to which metal specialist do I turn to get 2 large balanced symetrical sheet metal disks made?

APEowner
APEowner Reader
7/11/17 9:46 p.m.

You need a machine shop with a big lathe. Depending on the shop you may or may not need an engineer to do a drawing with dimensions, tolerances and material specifications.

Donebrokeit
Donebrokeit SuperDork
7/11/17 10:13 p.m.

Could you retrofit a newer set of wheels to replace the factory set? Sounds like a Grainger or McMaster job.

Jumper K. Balls
Jumper K. Balls PowerDork
7/11/17 11:26 p.m.

I want to see pictures of this saw and these wheels.

I don't know if you need a machinist, someone with a waterjet, someone who does metalspinning or what. I wanna see how it's made

Type Q
Type Q SuperDork
7/12/17 8:43 a.m.

A good one.

Toyman01
Toyman01 MegaDork
7/12/17 9:00 a.m.

Google metal spinning. They may be able to use your old wheels as patterns.

Grtechguy
Grtechguy MegaDork
7/12/17 9:15 a.m.
jimbbski
jimbbski Dork
7/12/17 11:29 a.m.
Donebrokeit wrote: Could you retrofit a newer set of wheels to replace the factory set? Sounds like a Grainger or McMaster job.

There has to be a set of wheels from another bandsaw that could be retrofitted to your saw. Most modern band saws use cast aluminum or iron wheels. You only need to find the correct size and then make modifications to the wheel or your saws shafts to fit them.

Some machine work may be required but not that much.

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
7/12/17 12:04 p.m.

Bandsawparts.com they should have something. If that dosent work. Call do all with your dimensions and they may have something.

Alternatively just get some right dimension band saw tires and put them on. They are urethane bands that go over the wheels. Your saw should have them. The blade shouldn't be metal to metal.

APEowner
APEowner Reader
7/12/17 12:24 p.m.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Alternatively just get some right dimension band saw tires and put them on. They are urethane bands that go over the wheels. Your saw should have them. The blade shouldn't be metal to metal.

I don't know if you can or should retrofit them but a lot of metal cutting band saws are designed to run without tires with the blade running directly on the wheels.

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
7/12/17 1:22 p.m.

In reply to APEowner:

There are plenty of bandsaws out there still in service designed before the urethane tires were conceived, but I'd worry about that metal to metal Contact ruining the blade set on one side.

APEowner
APEowner Reader
7/12/17 1:52 p.m.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: In reply to APEowner: There are plenty of bandsaws out there still in service designed before the urethane tires were conceived, but I'd worry about that metal to metal Contact ruining the blade set on one side.

If the saw is setup correctly the teeth don't contact the wheel.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that a urethane tire shouldn't be used on a saw that was designed without it. I'm saying I don't know. I'd like to know because I've made several replacement wheels for older saws because they were worn out and I machined the faces on my own saw and I don't think I've got enough material to do it again. I'd really like a slip on tire if it's an appropriate repair.

jere
jere HalfDork
7/12/17 9:25 p.m.
jere
jere HalfDork
7/13/17 6:03 a.m.

From what I have been able to find of off the shelf solutions non will likely fit because of the weird offset. The jd Wallace bandsaws are pretty uncommon maybe 20 or so left being generous. The one I have was designed before a lot of the heavier wheels came into use. This one was considered "portable" in it's day at 350+lbs

I have really been considering making some wood wheels like from woodgears.ca as a hammer form or to cast in aluminum, but won't have a good way to true them up (like on a giant lathe). But maybe wood wheels might be a good short term fix.

I did end up getting urethane tires for it ( the only part new or used available for this machine). Before that it had some really old gaffers tape that wore into the imperfections in the wheel lip.

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
7/13/17 6:17 a.m.

I have a couple old bandsaws, and I really love old tools.

Having said that, have you looked at the price of new bandsaws?

I have, and would not spend the money it's gonna take to fix that bandsaw. I'd pony up for a new one, and enjoy the increased accuracy and efficiency.

Form follows function. Tools need to do their job well first. You will never get that machine functioning comparably o a new one, and those wheels are gonna cost at least half the cost of a new bandsaw, perhaps equal to the whole.

It would be different if you were a collector and wanted to set it in the corner and look at it.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
7/13/17 6:24 a.m.

If I understand your issue, the outside diameter of the wheels, the part with the blue on it, is beat so bad the blade won't track properly?

If so, can't someone tack new metal to the outside after the old surface has been smothered by an air motor or lathe?

Or do I not understand the problem?

jere
jere HalfDork
7/13/17 6:31 a.m.

In reply to 914Driver:

The lip the blue tires ride on tracks the blade fine. The problem is the lip is to warped and shakes the casting violently, to the point where I worry about cracking the casting.

jere
jere HalfDork
7/13/17 6:40 a.m.

In reply to SVreX:

I have looked at the new chinese machines and a 16inch saw is out of my price range. They don't have anything close to the build quality (sans the stupid sheet metal wheels). I would rather save this machine because I think it's cool.

That said I don't know that I will be necessarily be paying someone to make the wheels.

Toyman01
Toyman01 MegaDork
7/13/17 6:50 a.m.

That thing is awesome, definitely fix it. Most of the new saws are crap, unless you spend big money. I spent months looking for a decent one and shelled out a pretty chunk of change to get it. It's not near as cool as yours either.

You practically have a lathe to true a set of wooden wheels pictured above. The motor drives the bottom wheel, and the base is your steady rest for tools. With the DC drive, speeds are infinitely variable so you can start slow.

If you take your time, you could probably even true up your existing wheels. Cast the edges with JB Weld, bolt them on the bottom spindle one at a time, and using the base as your tool rest, turn them true. It would make a mess, but it would be a fun project.

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
7/13/17 7:40 a.m.

You don't need a lathe.

You can make a bracket that functions as a steady rest that mounts to the bandsaw, and true the wooden wheels directly on the bandsaw.

You will have to make both the upper and lower wheels in the lower position (because the upper is not driven by the motor)

jere
jere HalfDork
7/13/17 7:47 p.m.

In reply to SVreX:

In reply to Toyman01:

Oh man I see exactly what you guys are getting at! I am going to have to put some consideration into that thought.

I got a chance to Google metal spinning that must be the original process, no doubt. I am going to have to investigate the possibilities of getting a few sets made... Even in the videos they all had one off wooden forms... This might be more diy than I was thinking

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