Replacing tires on Bandsaw

[Craptain]

I got the new urethane tires for my benchtop 10" bandsaw and I have a question. The tires that came are 1" wide and I actually need only 1/2" wide. The instructions tell me to mount the tire and trim the excess, which seems wasteful. With the price of these things I would like to split one tire and make 2 from it. Any suggestions as to how to split accurately enough ? I considered mounting one and trimming carefully to try and keep the excess usable for the other wheel, but I am not confident it will work well enough. How perfect does the tire need to be?

Or should I just use one for each and trim the excess.

 

[astroracer]

Get one mounted and use a sharp razor knife to trim it. Use the edge of the wheel as a guide. You should be able to trim it cleanly enough it will be usable for the other wheel.
Mark

 

[Outlawmws]

Pretty much this^^^

Mount it, get a steady rest setup to support the razor and have some one turn the wheel by hand. if the bearings are tight and no wobble, you should get a true cut.

Oh yes, make sure the blade is held DEAD VERTICAL or your cut will wander no matter what.

 

[Craptain]

I guess you are both telling me what I already thought. I just didn't have confidence in my accuracy to get a good line. What the hell, I have 2 tires if I screw anything up.

I can't use the edge of the wheel though. The tire sits in a very slight depression about 1/16" in from the edge. I have to heat these things up to about 110º in water to install.

 

[Zeke]

Draw a line with chalk, lumber crayon or a soapstone to see if you can do a steady cut.

 

[zkling]

Where did you get your tires from? I made/mounted some like this for a co-worker with a small bandsaw like yours. Make sure the wheel is clean, heat and then stretch it on, even it out with a hard dowel or the like. Make sure it is all the way up against one of the shoulders on the wheel. Wait for it to cool, mark 1/2 way across the tire, then with a brand new razor blade push the blade through the tire and let the blade ride against the other wheel shoulder (the one it is overlapping). Try to make a smooth cut as any extra nicks can cause the tire to split when stretching. Just keep the blade against the shoulder and rotate the wheel. Kinda tedious, but not too terrible.

 

[Craptain]

Where did you get your tires from? I made/mounted some like this for a co-worker with a small bandsaw like yours. Make sure the wheel is clean, heat and then stretch it on, even it out with a hard dowel or the like. Make sure it is all the way up against one of the shoulders on the wheel. Wait for it to cool, mark 1/2 way across the tire, then with a brand new razor blade push the blade through the tire and let the blade ride against the other wheel shoulder (the one it is overlapping). Try to make a smooth cut as any extra nicks can cause the tire to split when stretching. Just keep the blade against the shoulder and rotate the wheel. Kinda tedious, but not too terrible.

Excellent that is what I hoped for. Someone else who had already done it. I got the tires from Woodcraft. they were the same price as others, and they sell the same model of saw that I have, so I assumed they would be a direct fit.

 

[zkling]

Try sulphur grove directly next time.

 

[thom1968]

bandsaw-tire-warehouse an ebay seller provided great customer service. Two tires for my delta 14" for 39.39 with free shipping. I managed to wreck one tire (entirely my fault) and they immediately shipped another at a discounted rate. If you can't figure out which tires you need, just email them and they will figure it out for you.
Two hints: when the instructions say warm up in hot water, they mean HOT. Say around 120 degrees. Also, pre-stretch over your knee before installing, they go on much easier.

 

[onewaydave]

I'd get a 1x4 board and drill a hole so that an exacto knife must be forced into the hole leaving the blade vertical. Tack or screw a couple of guides of furring stripe or whatever 1/2 inch on either side of the edge of the blade to guide the tire. you may want to widen the entry a cuople of inches before the tire hits the blade edge. Use care to not stretch the tire allowing the tire to wonder between the guides.

Similar to a belt/strap splitter for leather.

If it were me, I'd get a wandering cut using any hand held method.

Someone here uses vaccume cleaner belts for these small saws.

Dave.

 

[mattygee]

The last set I got for my bandsaw had a convex profile...unless yours are flat all the way across, splitting one doesnt seem feasible to me. The urethane tires will outlast the saw anyway, why chance ruining one?

M

 

[sasquatch12]

Agreed, cut with a super sharp razor blade or similar. Just take your time cutting, go slow and carefully. (After the tire is on , or possibly before you install it, although i found that real tricky to stay on the line.)

 

[gus1962]

Like this guy did, glued on the band saw tires and trim the excess on both sides of the wheel. Afterwards, he did sanding to clean up the cut/ trim.