Delta 14-inch band saw tire (advice) sought

[charlessenf]

Tire on the upper wheel came of this evening. From the look of the broken end, it was RED when new! It definitely shows wear - and age.

However, the tire on the bottom wheel is black and, I believe, rubber.

Went to Amazon and found pairs of replacement tires in Orange and Blue Urethane and from Woodworkers Tool Works individual rubber belts (for $18 with $12 Shipping!)

Sulpher Grove Tool (Pr $31 Prime)
Polybelt (Pr $31)
Ridgid (Pr $20 Prime)
Woodstock D4014 (Pr $25 Free Sipping)
Blue Urethane 1/8" ULTRA Thick (Pr $41 Free Ship)
Woodstock D4014 Black (Pr $25

It appears that I should get the 1" wide tire

Given the effort to stretch a new tire over the wheel - hate to do itmore than necessary.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks for reading

Charles

 

[junquecol]

Did you check Ebay for tires?

 

[JohnnyR]

Original tires were black. I replaced both with orange ones from Klingspor and very happy with them.

 

[Mike Davis]

The orange works great, Heat them in a pan of water and they slip on much easier

 

[Roy G]

I have a General 15" bandsaw that came with rubber tires. They came off so I put on some orange replacements. They came off so I got some rubber ones and glued them on. So far, they have held up for several years. YMMV

Roy G

 

[Wyatt Co.]

I put black urethane tires on mine that I got from Grizzly. They were $20 at the time. Now they're $25. No complaints so far and that was about 8 years ago.

 

[danmart77]

​

Charles
You have a bunch of options to choose from today. The original Rockwell tires from the day were fairly hard black rubber. The important distinction you have to watch and confirm on the Delta/Rock is if the wheel has the channel in the center of the width.

When you go to buy either the urethane or the straight rubber make sure you buy the tire with the groove if that is the type of wheel you have.
The vast majority of the wheels were made with the groove but not all.

This is a 20" tire and it is much tougher than the 14" tire replacement but doable. My technique involves using an old polished rod. You can get a whole lot of leverage on it and you can squeeze a vise grip on it and turn it round and round to walk it on to the wheel.

I did not heat the urethane tire in the photo to get it on but it will give you a fight.

My tires were 125/ea for the big boys and around 25 for the 14" years ago.

Makes a bear of a job easier. With my old delta from 1958, you have to take the top and bottom wheels off to do the job.

Turn on the radio and block off a couple hours. Maybe 3.

​

 

[charlessenf]

I ordered a pair from Band Saw Tire Warehouse on e-bay. When they arrived, they were/appeared thinner than what had come off the wheel. I called the fellow up and he told me to install it and see. When I did, I found his blue belt/tire fit significantly below the edges of the groove on the wheel. As the old plastic wheel had come loose, i could not swear it had lay proud of the wheel edges - but the black (rubber?) belt on the lower wheel certainly stood well proud of the wheel edges. When I pulled up the page on ebay, the image was of a belt/tire mounted proud of the wheel.

The fellow said that he did have a thicker tire, but it would cost more. He said that, if I paid the return postage, he would replace the belt he sent with the 'Heavy Duty' tire.

I contacted ebay and explained that what he shipped was NOT what he pictured and they sent me a prepaid return label - so off it went. He charged $33 for the pair. Interestingly enough, the page showing the tire for my model Delta band saw (proud of the wheel) showed the price as $31/pair.

Going to call Klingspor tomorrow!

 

[charlessenf]

Did you check Ebay for tires?

See my story about ebay and Band Saw Warehouse / Shopsmith Parts

 

[charlessenf]

" if the wheel has the channel in the center of the width ... buy the tire with the groove ... majority of the wheels were made with the groove but not all. "

My wheel is about 1.25 inches wide with a ridge on each side (each about .125" wide) leaving a 'channel' about an inch wide that the tire rests within when installed. The 'channel' is crowned - like a road - higher in center than at the edges.

No 'groove' to match.

 

[meikj]

I bought the Sulfer Grove tires from Amazon last year for my Delta 14" (28-276) band saw. They work great, and I was surprised at how easy it was to install them. My top tire broke, bottom was still intact. I replaced both of them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H69UKI

 

[danmart77]

Going to call Klingspor tomorrow!

If you look on Amazon for a minute you will find Peach Tree Supply in Atlanta is big in the bandsaw tire business. Like I wrote earlier, tires vary in quality and features so do your homework. Its a pain with some tools to change the tires.

For my bandsaw(20" Delta), Peach Tree sells one set for 44/pr and the other for 250 a pair. What?

I called PT and just to keep it short-- the man said the cheap ones are thinner, they will work for a while but they are inferior to the expensive ones.

I asked about the channel feature and he was lost. I knew then he was spouting sales stuff along the "you get what you pay for" line. He was lazy and wouldn't pull the two tires out and compare them when I asked and I told him I would buy one pair of them if they fit. He said he was too busy.

I called another retailer and he pulled both tires out of the same brand and said the cheap ones are not made well and they don't have the critical channel feature. That was easy. His price was higher than Peach Tree but he dropped his price and sent it along post free.

Some thing to consider.

 

[sawman101]

I have replaced 14" and 6" band saw tires for my equipment, and a friends saw. I used the neoprene tires and found soaking them in hot, soapy water worked very well. I didn't remove the band saw wheels, but installed the tires in place. The 14" tires came from Klingspors, but I don't know where my friend obtained his 6" tire set of 3. I simply used a pair of spring clamps, and a screwdriver to stretch the tires on.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I have replaced 14" and 6" band saw tires for my equipment, and a friends saw. I used the neoprene tires and found soaking them in hot, soapy water worked very well. I didn't remove the band saw wheels, but installed the tires in place. The 14" tires came from Klingspors, but I don't know where my friend obtained his 6" tire set of 3. I simply used a pair of spring clamps, and a screwdriver to stretch the tires on.

I have had the same experience times at least 6. I think the Klingspor tires are as good as any.
I installed all with the wheels mounted, but used a heat gun instead of hot water. Careful with a heat gun because it would be easy to cook the tire. I had no problems with Klingspor or Rockler tires purchased by those I assisted, however one brand proved impossible to mount. Cannot remember where they came from now.
3 spring clamps and a long shaft screw driver was all I needed.

 

[charlessenf]

" I think the Klingspor tires are as good as any."

Actually, after purchasing a tire from Klingspor for $20 and installing it, I'd have to say that Band Saw Warehouse had a (slightly) thicker tire that better fit the Delta saw I own for less money as the Band Saw Tire Warehouse charged $33.95 USD for two belts. Their belts seemed to have a finish' on the one side whereas the Klingspor belt was simply shiny plastic on both sides and was a bit wider than the Delta wheel and required pressing the edges down into the channel at several points 'round the wheel. I do believe that Klingspor offered two for $32. And BSW sent the refund and paid postage both ways.