Bandsaw Wheels

[f350ca]

You should be able to do it on the mill. I used 24inch 3 step D groove sheave wheels on mine. I couldn't get D section belts short enough for tires so had to machine the rim down for C section belts to ride above the steel.



I used a small DC gear head motor to power it.



Worked out well.



Greg

 

[derf]

One of the biggest problems with wheels that size is balance. A slight out of balance causes small vibrations that transfer to the blade which in turn make for a less than precise cut. Spoked wheels of that size will have a certain harmonic frequency that will tranfer into the blade, because of the lack of mass. I know some dedicated re-saws actually have granite wheels and granite tables. Granite seems to be dense and heavy enough to dampen things.
Of course this is the extreme on that end, and I would think anything strong and light would work just as good, as long as it did not telegraph the vibrations
Myself, I would build a 6" hub, and make the wheel from several layers of baltic birch plywood to bolt on the hub. The plywood would be rigid enough and have the properties of dampening, plus be lightweight enough to get up to speed without excessive horse power.
Just my thoughts....

 

[uncle harry]

wow, awesome response. thank you all and what great videos oxtool makes. I will have to watch all of them. this will be a challenge for my machining ability but also a great learning experience.

john

Welcome to the Youtube video plethora of great guys sharing their work. You may want to consider Abom 79, & Halligan 142. There are many more but these come to mind as good resources.

 

[chips&more]

Buying raw material for this project will not be cheap! And then you must take all that time to make them. I would first entertain at looking at replacement wheels from 20” band saws. I would first try Grizzly. They stock all the replacement parts for their machinery. It would be a lot cheaper and easier to retrofit that way…Dave.

 

[silence dogood]

One of the biggest problems with wheels that size is balance. A slight out of balance causes small vibrations that transfer to the blade which in turn make for a less than precise cut. Spoked wheels of that size will have a certain harmonic frequency that will tranfer into the blade, because of the lack of mass. I know some dedicated re-saws actually have granite wheels and granite tables. Granite seems to be dense and heavy enough to dampen things.
Of course this is the extreme on that end, and I would think anything strong and light would work just as good, as long as it did not telegraph the vibrations
Myself, I would build a 6" hub, and make the wheel from several layers of baltic birch plywood to bolt on the hub. The plywood would be rigid enough and have the properties of dampening, plus be lightweight enough to get up to speed without excessive horse power.
Just my thoughts....

Check out the Ephrata Manufacturing on Vintage Machinery. The band saw wheels are solid with drill holes for balance.

 

[chips&more]

Not only balance, but in the round and turning true are all very important!!!