Old Jet band saw gets an upgrade

[b4man]

A few weeks ago I decided to cut some brackets on my band saw. After I skinned my knuckles and wore a callus on my hand trying to tension the blade I started the saw and in about 10 seconds I smelled burning rubber. The sound wasn't quite right either. My first thought was the belt. On inspection it looked fine. I opened the lower access door to find the tire was all but off the wheel. I tried unsuccessfully to re-seat it but it kept creeping off.
This little inconvenience led me to my personal band saw bible, the Iturra Design Catalog. There are several books on how to use a band saw but there isn't a better book on all about band saws, in my opinion. I searched the archives here to get as much information as I could on replacing tires and recommendations on different products in addition to the catalog. It was the majority opinion that when replacing a worn out tire you should replace them both. In addition it seemed to be the preference to go with urethane instead of rubber.
As long as I was going to need tires, I investigated the solution to my tensioning problems. First, I needed to replace the spring and second I wanted to replace the knob on the rod.
I knew I could get the tires and spring locally but there was no substituting the Iturra Spinner 3 Tension adjuster! My hand is worth it so I ordered one.
I bought the blue urethane tires from Woodcraft and the bright yellow high tension spring there too. I'm not sure that the tires were the best choice because they are pretty pricey, sold individually and although they state they fit Jet and other Taiwanese models, they are about a 1/4" narrower than the wheel on my saw. I may have done just as well to have bought a packaged pair of another brand for about the same money.
In all I spent about $ 110.00 upgrading to these improvements. I'm happy with the result of all the replacements and tensioning the blade now is so fast and so much easier with the spring and rod, I wish I had done it long ago.
I have pix of the new improvements that I'll post in my gallery when it returns.
Thanks for reading.

 

[junquecol]

Barbara- Glad to here that you up graded your saw. If you will check another post I did on Enco's Aug sale flyer, you will see I referenced making you own spinner with one of the handles they have on sale till the end of August. By the way is your saw an open or closed stand and is it under powered?

 

[D L Ames]

Sounds like a nice upgrade Barbara.:icon_thum What sort of steps did you have to take to get the tires mounted? Before I got my Rikon I recall dreading having to retention the blades on my 14" Jet and would be interested in seeing the handle you added to the tensioning knob. I look forward to seeing the pix with everything installed.

D L

 

[NCPete]

DL, have you sold the Jet yet? Or do you intend to?

 

[D L Ames]

Not yet Pete. I haven't decided what I am going to do with it yet. It could very well end up in the market though.

D L

 

[woodguy1975]

Sounds like a good upgrade. There are a few more things you can do to improve things even more. Did you true up the tires after mounting them? Truing the tires can make a huge difference in the cut quality. Another thing that will improve tracking is making sure your wheels are co planer.

Truing the tires is a pretty simple task. YOu just need to build a fixture you can fix in your wheel cabinet with some sandpaper on a pad that allows you to apply pressure to get rid of any high and low spots. THis is especially helpful on flat tires like what are on my MM16.

I love bandsaws!

 

[NCPete]

I love bandsaws!

Just bandsaws?????? Your shop would say otherwise. :lol:

 

[woodguy1975]

Just bandsaws?????? Your shop would say otherwise. :lol:

Hehehehe, I didn't say just bandsaws. I just said I love bandsaw. Of course I love all wwing tools. :rolf::rolf:

 

[b4man]

My band saw is the closed base model. In addition to my most recent updates I had replaced the blocks with 'cool blocks' several years ago. One thing I haven't done yet is replace the belt with the twist link v belt type. I will do that next because I had replaced the belt on my table saw with one last year and I was amazed at how much quieter the saw runs and with less vibration. Well worth the price.


Junquecol;
Unfortunately, I didn't see your post!!!

DL
What sort of steps did you have to take to get the tires mounted?

I used the "hot water" from the dispenser at the sink, added a little dish washing liquid in a 2 gal bucket. I submerged the tires in it for about 5 minutes. I took the tire in both hands ( it was not too hot to burn me) and stretched it apart as much as I could and began the loop at the bottom of the wheel and pulled upward until I got a small section on near the top. With one hand I held it and the other I slowly rotated the wheel until it popped on. The first one was a bit difficult but when I applied the second one it was much easier with the exception of a broken finger nail!
Another pair of hands would have been nice but not really necessary.

Thanks for your comments, questions and as always the great advice.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I didn't have any 'extra hands' when I upgraded my tires either, so I used some spring clamps to help out. The hardest part was getting the glue from the old tires off of the wheels.

 

[b4man]

I fully expected to have a problem with cleaning the wheels after I removed the tires but to my surprise there was very little glue left on the wheels and they cleaned right up with a little paint thinner. This may have been because it was way past time to replace 'em!

 

[chris99z71]

FWIW, whenever I have to remove some stubborn adhesives or gunk from a metal surface, I reach for a can of brake cleaner such as CRC Brakleen. It's trichloroethylene which is a pretty agressive solvent that we, in the chemical industry, lump into the general category of MEBS (methyl-ethyl bad stuff). I wouldn't want to bathe in it on a daily basis, but it sure works well.

 

[NCPete]

FWIW, whenever I have to remove some stubborn adhesives or gunk from a metal surface, I reach for a can of brake cleaner such as CRC Brakleen. It's trichloroethylene which is a pretty agressive solvent that we, in the chemical industry, lump into the general category of MEBS (methyl-ethyl bad stuff). I wouldn't want to bathe in it on a daily basis, but it sure works well.

so I shouldn't use that as a hand cleaner after my next brake job?

 

[b4man]

Here are 2 pix of my bandsaw. One shows the spinner 3 tension wheel with the new spring and the other is my too narrow, very expensive but smooth and tight tire.:eusa_danc

 

[b4man]

Thanks Mike! I was too afraid to ask my Dad for help as the last time he came to the shop he strongly criticized my purchases and informed me that I could not buy anything else until I added on to the building:cry: He may be tired of bumping into me but never gets tired of yelling at me! :lol:
It's the price I pay for good help!

 

[sapwood]

Great job Barbara :icon_thum I'm impressed . . . and not because you are a woman, rather because I lack mechanical aptitude :lol:

You get a double gloat, one for the upgrade and one for learning to post attachments :eusa_clap

Adding a subtle hijack . . . how does one clean urethane tires? Mine are getting gunked up.

Roger

 

[DavidF]

And don't forget to balance the wheels afterwards - another very worthwhile job.

 

[b4man]

Adding a subtle hijack . . . how does one clean urethane tires? Mine are getting gunked up.

Roger[/quote]


I'll be curious what's best but I just read in an old post that a rag soaked in mineral spirits should work. I wonder if wd-40 sprayed on and wiped off wouldn't be good?

 

[D L Ames]

Nice job on the upgrade Barbara.:icon_thum I like the looks of that new tensioning spinner you added. I am sure it will go a long ways in saving you from any more skinned knuckles.

D L