Bandsaw Question

[Jock]

Hi Guys
I have bought a second hand Dewalt 876 Bandsaw, when i used it the rubber rings which the blade
runs around on the wheels , started to melt ...sadly they are useless now as the blade stuck to them
as they melted so badly . Can anyone tell me why the rubber rings would melt ?

Is it to do with tension of the blade ?

Im new to these machines so please bear with me . i know its probably needing set up correctly
so im learning as i go .

Thanks for any help or advice you can give .

 

[Harbo]

They would only melt through friction and implies the tension was too much and the blade was binding on the guides or too slack and the tyres were revolving against a stationary blade? Also the guides might have been too tight?
Either way the blade would not be moving properly?
I had an 876 and got rid of it - I could never get it to work properly despite many attempts.

Rod

 

[Jock]

Thanks Rod ...
I think the blade was probably too tight , it was pretty tight when i tried to take it off..it was metled to the rubber ring ...

sadly im not sure what im doing with these machines ,so ive a lot to learn , . Ill buy new rings soon
and try and adjust the blade, i wont hold my breath tho i think ill end up burning those rings too.

thanks for your reply.

 

[Harbo]

Steve Maskery of this Parish sells an excellent DVD covering Bandsaw set- up etc.
Give him a pm?

Rod

 

[jimi43]

Steve Maskery of this Parish sells an excellent DVD covering Bandsaw set- up etc.
Give him a pm?

Rod

Yup! The definitive work - all you need to know about bandsaws.

I'm afraid that the damage done is going to be a bit of a pain to fix.

New wheels are outrageously expensive and not really viable from your description of what you want to do with this.

A cheapish fix is to fit new tyres yourself...you can get urethane ones from the USA...I'm not sure they are available here yet...someone else may know.

US supplier

Rutlands sell a 12" one and a 14" one....you might be lucky.

You have to determine if they are crowned (middle higher than sides) or flat. This will determine tracking.

Get the DVD first...watch it over a few times...it will be a very useful machine once you get it going but you have to do the setup in a specific order..each stage affects the following stage if you see what I mean.

Cheers and good luck

Jim

 

[Steve Maskery]

If the tyres have melted it would seem that the tension was far too low and the blade guides were far too tight. I don't see how else the wheels could move but the blade stay still, which is what must have happened for the rubber to get that hot.
Yes, finding new tyres in the UK is a bit of a pain, but Scott and Seargeant used to sell tyre by the metre and you glued it on. Never tried it myself, but IIRC it was not an expensive fix, compared with buying new wheels.
I had its predecessor for many years and whilst it is most certainly an entry-level machine, it should be perfectly possible to get it fettled nicely.
Cheers
Steve

 

[doorframe]

cycle inner-tubes... cut to shape/size and glued on with contact adhesive. Cheap as chips and works perfect.

Roy

 

[jimi43]

cycle inner-tubes... cut to shape/size and glued on with contact adhesive. Cheap as chips and works perfect.

Roy

That worth sticking in TIPS AND WRINKLES Roy!

Brilliant!

If the tension was too loose Steve...surely the idler wheel would not burn...only the driven?

Jim

 

[Steve Maskery]

cycle inner-tubes... cut to shape/size and glued on with contact adhesive. Cheap as chips and works perfect.

Roy

That worth sticking in TIPS AND WRINKLES Roy!

Brilliant!

If the tension was too loose Steve...surely the idler wheel would not burn...only the driven?

Jim

True. So are both tyres melted? That does seem bizarre.

So the solution is: start from basics. Get a blade from Tuffsaws ([email protected]), or preferabley a selection of blades for different apps, as one will not do everything, and set your saw up from scratch. Alignment, tension, drift.
Sorted.
S

 

[Harbo]

I'm pretty sure you can get replacement tyres for the DW and not that expensive?
I had to buy a set when mine melted
when the blade jammed whilst cutting some wood.
I could never get it tensioned properly as the top frame used to bend.

Rod

 

[Steve Maskery]

Ah, well, that's one of the problems of entry level machines. We may be able to fit a wide blade but will the machine allow us to tension it correctly? Often not. But within the real capacity of the machine, it should be possible to get it to sing sweetly.
S

 

[Jock]

Thanks for all the tips , and i will buy the DVD too now.

Yes both wheel rubbers are melted . The blade was moving at the time then i seen moulten rubber starting to
drip from the guides just above the wood i was cutting .
The blade then jammed in the wood as the rubber went down into the cut ...it was a new blade too which then had to be cut
loose from the rubber rings .

I priced the rings at £12.50 each plus £4.50 delivery here >>
http://www.powertoolspares.com/tool/dew ... 1/spares/#

I was warned that id probably have some hassle with the machine as it was second hand , bought from a college , but i think
when i changed the blade i never had enough knowlege about the tension . I also changed the two sets off bearings and again
im not too sure about the position they should be in.

The DVD you guys mentioned should help a lot so ill look that up very soon .

thanks again fellas for all your help and advice.

 

[Jock]

Oh and i meant to say that im using cutting tight curves with the machine making bandsaw boxes.
the blades are the smallest the saw can take .... ill check the size of the blade on the packet and post it later.

im sure it was 1/4 blades for cutting tight curves.

maybe as i started cutting the curves the blade would be slowing down causing friction on the spinning tyres ?
as the blade was still cutting the wood at the time , it was straining slightly .

cheers.

 

[Harbo]

Sorry but my advice is to replace the tyres and sell it on.
I really tried to get mine working adequately but it never did even with fairly narrow blades like 3/8".
I even strengthened the top welds and tried to stiffen the top frame but that made very little difference.
I rate it as one of the worst bits of kit I have ever bought?
In the end I sold it and bought a S/H Startrite 352.

Rod

 

[Benchwayze]

cycle inner-tubes... cut to shape/size and glued on with contact adhesive. Cheap as chips and works perfect.

Roy

I thought about this, but to be honest, I couldn't see that it would work. Obviously it does, but I would have thought inner-tubes were not robust enough. The tyres on my bandsaw are about a quarter of an inch thick, and they are reasonably hard. Well, if we learn something everyday, then we are doing fine!

I tried re-sawing some 6" square Douglas Fir the other day. Even a new blade wasn't up to it though. I hope Tuffsaws can supply a suitable, 3/4 inch blade!

Thanks Roy... :mrgreen:
John

 

[Jock]

Hi folks..
well i thought about the inner tubes , then thought about trying old leather belts , cut to size and glued into place using contact adhesive - what do i have to lose seeing how this is an old machine right?

so all glued up , blade in place it works a treat ( so far ) ill try a cut later and see how it copes , but so far so good , the blade is tracking very well in the centre of the belt on the wheels , allthough getting it centred was hard to do.

I'll report back on this quick fix once the glue is set properly and pluck up the courage to cut some shapes out .

More than likely ill be back asking more questions about bandsaws soon anyway as im using a wooden garage as a workshop
i need a Bandsaw that can be plugged into the mains, not the 3 phaze ones, and just seen a De Walt , similar to mine goign for £180 on E bay right now , so anyone in the Durham area its got a day or so to go and is brand new.

cheers.

 

[jimi43]

I like this guy!! =D>

Jim

 

[Jock]

Update ...

the Leather belts worked great as a tyre on the wheels of the bandsaw. However im having problems keeping the blade
from either running off to the back of the wheel or the front , it doesnt seem to want to sit in the middle .

It worked fine for a few hours , but i cant seem to get it to centre properly , maybe the leather is no good after all. or just
too smooth for the blade to grip properly

putting the blade back onto the wheels is also a nightmare .

 

[9fingers]

Have you crowned the leather after fitting? this is essential to keep the blade on the wheels

Bob

 

[Jock]

no i dont know what crowning is to be hoenst .