If they have grooves or cracks, or have become brittle, then it’s imperative that you replace them. A band saw can be expected to give you many years of service if it’s regularly maintained, especially if you examine the tires on a routine basis. Therefore, if you determine that your tires are due for replacement, you’ll have to measure the wheels to find out what size of tire you’ll need. Once you obtain a measurement, plan on buying tires that are about 2 inches smaller than the size of your band saw wheel for a good fit. Home Depot provides a variety of tires for this purpose.
Sizes of Tires
For instance, you can obtain Home Depot tires, in a number of sizes, such as 6 inch band saw tires, and 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20-inch tires. Therefore, make sure, as stated, that your tire is sized a couple inches smaller than the measurement of your wheel. If glue was used on the old tire to secure it, then removal can be quite a time-consuming process. To effectively remove the tire and reduce cleanup, it’s best to use lacquer thinner when removing the tire from the metal wheel.
Removing the Tire
Pull the old tire away from the wheel using a razor knife and pour a small amount of lacquer thinner into the crevice. Wait about half a minute before proceeding. Use a screw driver to separate the tire from the wheel and place a wedge made of wood in the opening. Again, use some thinner to dissolve the epoxy on the old tire. Repeat this process until you’ve completely removed the tire.
Clean the Wheel
Once the tire is removed, make sure you clean the wheel so no residue remains. This will help in bonding the new tire to the wheel and help in further safeguarding the blade. Clean the wheel off by using a stiff or steel brush and a dry towel. Don’t use any water or cleaning solvents as they can harm the saw. Thereafter, the tire will need to be equalized, trimmed and crowned and the wheels rebalanced.
Always Rebalance your Wheels after you Replace the Tires
Rebalancing is important, so each wheel should be balanced each time the tires are replaced, especially on bigger band saws or high-speed models. Also, once you have the wheels balanced, you may want to insert a kind of brush on the saw’s lower wheel to preserve the tires you’ve just installed. A brush that touches the lower wheel is helpful in getting rid of saw dust and other debris, and therefore will keep the tire in good condition for a longer period of time.
A band saw can give you many years of use. Because worn tires are the primary reason for poor saw performance, make it a priority to inspect the tires on your band saw on a regular basis.