Bandsaw wheel balancing for Brianmexico
Brianmexico:
re: 23928.14 23928.15 23928.22
I started a new thread since the other one was mostly about tablesaws. The books by Duginske or John White should help to get your bandsaw into better condition, without the large amount of vibration. Since you’re confident it’s not the blade:
The surface of the tire should run true. You can even it up with sandpaper while spinning the wheel.
You can easily check if the top wheel is out of balance by taking off the blade and lightly spinning the wheel. Mark the part of the wheel that’s at the bottom when it stops, and repeat. If the same part always winds up at the bottom, it’s out of balance. The standard ways to bring it into balance are to either drill holes in the heavier part, or somehow attach weight to the lighter part. Make sure it’s not just an uneven tire before doing this.
The bottom wheel is done in a similar way, but of course requires removal of the belt. If you are changing the belt, that would be a good time to check the balance.
Making sure the motor is mounted so that the pulleys the belt rides on are in line with one another will help, as will making sure the stand is solid and well supported. I’ve not heard of this as important with higher quality bandsaws, but my cheapo bandsaw runs much more smoothly when I make sure each foot carries the same weight. If you grab the table and push it, and it moves more in one diagonal than the other, shim one of the feet it moves toward.
Replies
Alan, Nice post man! Your tips are right on and show a high level of sensitivity.
I missed the earlier part, but would only like to add that rough dry bearings might add a little vibration / noise, and hard to detect if you are not use to listening for it when you are hand spinning.
Oh one other thing that can add vibration is a loose set-screw in the drive belt sheaves
You can easily check if the top wheel is out of balance by taking off the blade and lightly spinning the wheel. Mark the part of the wheel that's at the bottom when it stops, and repeat. If the same part always winds up at the bottom, it's out of balance. The standard ways to bring it into balance are to either drill holes in the heavier part, or somehow attach weight to the lighter part. Make sure it's not just an uneven tire before doing this.
I used thin copper wire (from craft shop) wrapped around a wheel spoke to balance my wheels.
"I used thin copper wire (from craft shop) wrapped around a wheel spoke to balance my wheels." What a great idea! Can anyone think of a reason it shouldn't be submitted as a Reader's Tip to one of the mags??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Suggest it. Though why wouldn't you use wheel weights from the tire store? Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
View Image
Not mine to suggest. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Mark,
He is suggesting wire because it is easy to attach-merely wrap it round the spoke.
Lead wire as in solder wire is even better-less is more and it stays put.
Can anyone think of a reason it shouldn't be submitted as a Reader's Tip to one of the mags??
Yep somebody come along to steal that copper for drug money? Saw to big to take away...
I doubt if that's an original idea; I probably read it somewhere over the years. Most of my original ideas are in the landfil! I just counted the turns of wire on mine and there are only 7, so it doesn't take much. Been there 15-20 years.
But I do have one you might consider. Try Reynolds freezer wrap instead of wax paper for gluing up. Been doing it for years and I like it better.
Joe
There aren't very many truly original ideas that show up in those "readers' tips" sections. I have to laugh sometimes, when I see something that's also in 2 or 3 books on my shelves! Sometimes, I think they just like giving away money.
The copper winding thing is a new one for me, anyway. I like the idea of something that's removable if I messed up (as opposed to drilling a hole, which isn't "replaceable"). A tire balancing weight could get in trouble it seems, if it came loose. Maybe I'm paranoid......
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 6/9/2005 1:49 pm ET by forestgirl
drill holes in the heavier part.. DO that.. No weights..
DO NOT DRILL MUCH AT A TIME.. You will be suprised how little metal can make a difference.. Just do not start this project if you do not have the time to finish it..
OH... and for BOTH WHEELS!
I went to my local tire service center and they gave me a sheet of lead on double sided tape. It worked great, just cut off the amout you think you need, tape it to the inside of the bs wheel with masking tape untill you find the weight and placement you need to balance your wheel, then remove the masking tape and use the double sided tape to adhere them permantly.
Cheers, Derrick.
You can also get the lead with tape from the local Big Box.. I think for balancing fan blades... You know.. What on the roof of your house.. Ceiling?
Alan,
Thanks for taking the time for the great tips, and thanks to everybody else for their great ideas as well. I'll dig into the saw and try the copper wire trick if I need to. I'll put up a post to let you know how it came out. I have to leave on a business trip for about ten days but when I get back it'll be the first thing I do.
Thanks again,
Brian
> The surface of the tire should run true. You can even it up with sandpaper while spinning the wheel.
Just to be sure it's clear, a slightly out of round tire can be trued up with sandpaper, but you have to have a way of holding the sandpaper at a fixed distance from the center of the wheel. Think of it as a turning operation.
Pete
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled