Bandsaw Tires

[Bill Holt]

I know very little about anything, and near the top of the list is the bandsaw.  I have a Jet 18" and the tires have become loose.  I replaced the original tires probably 12 years ago with polyurethane.  The saw does not get heavy use.  It does not have a quick release so the only time the tension is relaxed is during blade change.  Just a guess and a question, is that the reason the tires stretched?  Second question...am I using the wrong tire?

I'm getting too old to fight and install new tires!  Oh well.

[Scoony]

I have a 14" Jet that threw a rubber tire on the bottom wheel not long ago. It was never glued, so this past weekend, I glued it back on. It is a bit chewed up from when it was thrown, but I dressed it up with a scraper blade. I am wondering if I need to replace them. It was pretty easy to pry them off and get them back on. From what I understand, poly tires are not necessarily an upgrade, but they have the advantage of not needing to be glued.

[jteneyck]

The unglued rubber tires on my 14" Delta stretched over time until the saw practically vibrated across the room.  I replaced them with polyurethane ones and all is well again.  It's not hard but it does take a bit of arm strength to pull the poly tires over the wheel.  I couple of 12 - 18" pry bars make the job a lot easier.  

John

[fredhargis]

There are folks that get away with not releasing tension, and it's a continual argument whether you should. But I wouldn't have thought the urethane tires would fail in the use you described...so maybe the tension thing was part of the problem. It's not that big a deal, especially in occasional use, to de-tension. You'll need tp replace them...I'd stay with urethane and de-tension when not in use.

[kroll]

I always release tension on my BS, which I have couple for WWing and couple for cutting metal. I have never had an issue with tires, which two of the saws I have had for almost 20yrs now.

[Rich_Dixon]

1. I replaced the OE tires on my Jet 18" Bandsaw a few months ago. What a pain!! I did figure out to really boil those tires and try to work fast. The 2" spring clamps help a ton.
2. I need to go out and release the tension on my bandsaw. I always forget. Maybe I need to make a sign.

BTW, I bought the widely available orange urethane tires.

[Bill Holt]

Clearly this is the price you pay for taking a tool for granted.  Speaking of price, oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!  I believe, generally, you get what you pay for.  How can there be such a huge price range?  For the 18", prices are from $33 to $202 for two tires, that's crazy.  Of course the cheapest are from China.  There are shinny blue, satin blue, red, orange, clear, and who knows?

Anyone have a bad experience with a certain tire and/or company?  I'm looking for guidance; don't want go through this again!

I will be releasing tension in the future...lesson learned!

[Rich_Dixon]

This is what I bought/installed - https://www.amazon.com/URETHANE-BAND-TIR...915&sr=8-2