# Band saw wheels



## Walnut33 (Mar 29, 2013)

Hello, its been awhile,

I am beginning to build a bandsaw mill. I am pushing for a 36" cut and have alot of my parts from previous chain sawmills ( Pillow blocks, rollers, ect.) I have alot of 1/4 steel square bar. But BAND WHEELS are killing me. $400-$700???? What have you guys who have made them used and WHERE can I order them. I understand that I need at least an 18" wheel. Also shaft size recommendations?

OR

Do tires and axels really work? Seems like alot of people use them.

Im am 23 and just finished college so im trying to get the best quality for a lower budget but I want to build a SOLID mill for milling hardwoods.


Let me know if I need to include any other specs.

Thanks.


----------



## Old Hilly (Mar 29, 2013)

Well mate, on the mill we built I used 26" diam cast iron, ground and balanced wheels that were designed for a commercial bandsaw. We used about 2" diam shafts turned down to fit the holes bored in the wheels and then a series of reduction pulleys to get the power from the 14HP petrol motor. We went for the big wheels to help improve band life, especially if we decide to go for thicker bands later on.
Automotive wheels and tires should do a good job, just make certain they are well balanced and truly round. Flat spots most probably won't worry things too much but they would bug the heck out of me!
Good luck!
ps. yes, the cast wheels WERE EXPENSIVE but they look good!


----------



## chaikwa (Mar 29, 2013)

Another member here and I are building a mill as well. This is the second one I've built. On both I use 19" sheaves, (pulleys), fitted with very tight fitting belts. They're probably not quite as good as the solid steel wheels, but they've worked well for me. A lot of the major manufacturers use the same set up, Woodmizer for one. On this mill, we'll be using urethane belts instead of regular rubber as the sawdust won't stick to it. 

Here's where you can find the sheaves:
Surplus Center - 18.75 O.D. H-BUSHING SINGLE GROOVE PULLEY

Look around their site. They also have 'H' bushings that you'll need to attach the sheaves to the shafts as well as the shafting, pillow block bearings and other items that will be useful. 

Personally, I don't care for the tire set-ups. They seem to work well for most people, but when I sink a bunch of time and money into a mill build, I have a problem with the end product looking like something that was converted from a trailer. I don't think when all is said and done that the set up I use with the sheaves is any more expensive than playing around with tires. Blade tension is pretty important to blade performance and longevity too, and I don't see how that can be achieved with tires. While the bigger the bandwheel the better, (in terms of blade life), I haven't had any problems with the 19" size of the sheaves. Again, a lot of the major manufacturers use the same size as well.


----------



## StubornDutchman (Mar 29, 2013)

I have had the good fortune to make some passes with chaikwa's mill and it does a great job on the logs. I really like the Lynn hydraulic tensioner too. The pressure gauge takes all the guess work out of how much tension is needed for longer blade life. It's not cheap accessory, but well worth it IMHO.


----------



## Walnut33 (Mar 29, 2013)

AWESOME!!!! Do you have a link to the urathane belts that fit? Im so pumped right now! Thank you guys!


----------



## StubornDutchman (Mar 29, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> AWESOME!!!! Do you have a link to the urathane belts that fit? Im so pumped right now! Thank you guys!



Here is the link. When I called to order the urethane belts he asked for the stamping info on the actual wheels. He said sometimes the wheel vendors change suppliers so there might be a difference in the belts needed. My wheels hadn't arrived yet so I was SOL till the wheels show up. Very pleasant guy to deal with tho. I could have just ordered for a Lynn Mill and they would accept returns but we both wanted to avoid that hassle. 

Heavy Duty Grooved Urethane V-Belts For Band Wheels | Suffolk Machinery - Timber Wolf Bandsaw Blades

Don

BTW re pumped: Boy do I know the feeling. We are close to the half way point for the total build including the trailer/frame. If only the $$$ needed matched the progress. It is a great feeling seeing it come together. I have a couple pics in another post here.


----------



## chaikwa (Mar 29, 2013)

StubornDutchman said:


> When I called to order the urethane belts he asked for the stamping info on the actual wheels. He said sometimes the wheel vendors change suppliers so there might be a difference in the belts needed. My wheels hadn't arrived yet so I was SOL till the wheels show up.


Well guess what, you're SOL again! The wheels arrived and they look good, but there's NO casting numbers, or any other numbers for that matter, anywhere on them! :hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## StubornDutchman (Mar 29, 2013)

chaikwa said:


> Well guess what, you're SOL again! The wheels arrived and they look good, but there's NO casting numbers, or any other numbers for that matter, anywhere on them! :hmm3grin2orange:



Gee, thanks for that, I guess! :msp_thumbdn:


----------



## Walnut33 (Mar 30, 2013)

So if there is no stamping then how do we know which belts to order?

The B-56 and the BMX-18.75 both say the are 5/8 wide, but aren't our wheels 7/8?

Also what blades are you guys going to run?

Will a 1 1/4" blade be able to run on that?


----------



## Walnut33 (Mar 30, 2013)

Ah just found out what the "B" width means on the pully and belt. :msp_biggrin:

but still not sure about which belts.

Heavy Duty Grooved Urethane V-Belts For Band Wheels | Suffolk Machinery - Timber Wolf Bandsaw Blades

for

Surplus Center - 18.75 O.D. H-BUSHING SINGLE GROOVE PULLEY


----------



## StubornDutchman (Mar 30, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> Ah just found out what the "B" width means on the pully and belt. :msp_biggrin:
> 
> but still not sure about which belts.
> 
> ...



I picked up one B56 belt from NAPA this morning so we could make some measurements and it fit perfectly. Monday I will call Tom at Suffolk Machine and give him the info we have. It still looks like the one I was going to order is the one I need. The width is 5/8ths wide so he should agree with that. If you have the pulley in front of you when you call him, I'm sure he can advise what you need.
"
Re the blades size. Chaikwa has me ordering 1 1/4" X .o42 X 7/8" (pitch). We think our length blade needs to be 156 7/8ths. That length is based upon having the shaft centers at 48 7/8" compressed position and 50 5/8" in full extension. Your blade will need to be based on whatever your distances are.
Whoever you order from will determine proper blade length based upon the dimensions you provide. I am going to order ours thru Menominee Saw. Their number is 1-800-582-0470. This is where Chaikwa had ordered from in the past. Note, a ten pack is cheaper and will save on some shipping cost. That is what I am going to do. I hope this helps. I'm sure Chaikwa will chime in if I've told you wrong, but I'm reading off the order notes he printed up today.


----------



## chaikwa (Mar 30, 2013)

Nope. What you said is accurate. No need for me to add anything!

I was looking at the Suffolk site in more detail tonite and the way I'm reading it, the BMX-18.75 belts may be a bit deeper in the groove than the standard B-56 belts. If that's the case, it would be better for us!


----------



## Walnut33 (Apr 2, 2013)

Got my parts taday! Waiting for the steel from my local mill. So are you guys going with the B-56 or the BMX-18.75 belts? Both should fit right?


----------



## StubornDutchman (Apr 2, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> Got my parts taday! Waiting for the steel from my local mill. So are you guys going with the B-56 or the BMX-18.75 belts? Both should fit right?



After talking to Tom at Suffolk Machine, I ordered the BMX-18.75 like chaikwa thought. Tom indicated to me that their B-56 might sit too low in the groove.


----------



## Walnut33 (Apr 2, 2013)

Alrighty. Ill order those tonight.

Are the treads suppose to line up on the H blocks and pulley? Seems like a tight fit. Or are you guys going to use the smooth bore holes in the H block? Or is this a stupid question?


----------



## StubornDutchman (Apr 2, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> Alrighty. Ill order those tonight.
> 
> Are the treads suppose to line up on the H blocks and pulley? Seems like a tight fit. Or are you guys going to use the smooth bore holes in the H block? Or is this a stupid question?



I'll let chaikwa answer that. He is the only one on our team that knows what he is doing. I get to stick to the simple stuff. :hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## chaikwa (Apr 2, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> Alrighty. Ill order those tonight.
> 
> Are the treads suppose to line up on the H blocks and pulley? Seems like a tight fit. Or are you guys going to use the smooth bore holes in the H block? Or is this a stupid question?



Not sure what you're asking really. Dumb it down a bit so a moron like me can better understand!


----------



## Walnut33 (Apr 2, 2013)

Oh I'm sure I'm the 23 year old idiot here! That is assured.

On the back of the H block there is 4 holes. 2 smooth and 2 threaded. Are the threaded (H block) suppose to match up with the threaded on the pulley? Or who cares because these only act as set screws so the H block doesn't slip around the pulley? ? ?


----------



## chaikwa (Apr 2, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> Oh I'm sure I'm the 23 year old idiot here! That is assured.
> 
> On the back of the H block there is 4 holes. 2 smooth and 2 threaded. Are the threaded (H block) suppose to match up with the threaded on the pulley? Or who cares because these only act as set screws so the H block doesn't slip around the pulley? ? ?



Ohhhh! I was still in 'belt mode'! 

The threaded holes in the bushings are used to remove the bushing from the pulley. Line up the open holes in the bushing to the threaded holes in the pulley and tighten them EVENLY so the bushing sits EVENLY in the pulley hole. If you spin the pulley when it's i n the bearings, and it doesn't run perfectly true, the bushing is off center. Loosen it and try again. I usually check for true-ness as I tighten the bushing and make corrections as I go along. If you need to remove the bushing, or loosen it after you get to tightening it, remove the bolts from the pulley and re-insert them into the threaded holes in the bushing. As you tighten them, they will bottom out on the face of the pulley, (where there are NOT any holes), and push the bushing out of the pulley hole.

The bushings are tapered and get tighter, the deeper they go into the pulley hole. Do NOT over-tighten the bolts. They are only 1/4" and will break off easily! 

Clear as mud?


----------



## Walnut33 (Apr 2, 2013)

AHHH HAAA!!!

Got ya! Thank you!

Keep me posted on your build!


----------



## StubornDutchman (Apr 11, 2013)

Walnut33 said:


> AHHH HAAA!!!
> 
> Got ya! Thank you!
> 
> Keep me posted on your build!



The belts fit perfectly and installed without much hassle. I was watching closely! :msp_biggrin: They sit just a hair above the edge of the wheels and are nice and flat with a lot of grip to them. I think Chaikwa is going to switch to these as well. More parts arrived and we got the used 18 hp engine running. I start painting the carriage tomorrow!


----------



## redheadwoodshed (Apr 19, 2013)

chaikwa said:


> Another member here and I are building a mill as well. This is the second one I've built. On both I use 19" sheaves, (pulleys), fitted with very tight fitting belts. They're probably not quite as good as the solid steel wheels, but they've worked well for me. A lot of the major manufacturers use the same set up, Woodmizer for one. On this mill, we'll be using urethane belts instead of regular rubber as the sawdust won't stick to it.
> 
> Here's where you can find the sheaves:
> Surplus Center - 18.75 O.D. H-BUSHING SINGLE GROOVE PULLEY
> ...



You can get your shafts and all your bearings and drive pulley here too for less than you can get the band wheels off of ebay.The tires that Timberwolf sells for these v-belts work good.


----------



## CerregWen (Jul 12, 2014)

Walnut33 said:


> Ah just found out what the "B" width means on the pully and belt. :msp_biggrin:
> 
> but still not sure about which belts.
> 
> ...





StubornDutchman said:


> I picked up one B56 belt from NAPA this morning so we could make some measurements and it fit perfectly. Monday I will call Tom at Suffolk Machine and give him the info we have. It still looks like the one I was going to order is the one I need. The width is 5/8ths wide so he should agree with that. If you have the pulley in front of you when you call him, I'm sure he can advise what you need.
> "
> Re the blades size. Chaikwa has me ordering 1 1/4" X .o42 X 7/8" (pitch). We think our length blade needs to be 156 7/8ths. That length is based upon having the shaft centers at 48 7/8" compressed position and 50 5/8" in full extension. Your blade will need to be based on whatever your distances are.
> Whoever you order from will determine proper blade length based upon the dimensions you provide. I am going to order ours thru Menominee Saw. Their number is 1-800-582-0470. This is where Chaikwa had ordered from in the past. Note, a ten pack is cheaper and will save on some shipping cost. That is what I am going to do. I hope this helps. I'm sure Chaikwa will chime in if I've told you wrong, but I'm reading off the order notes he printed up today.



Hi everyone,
This is a great thread and thanks for posting. I hope it's ok to ask a follow up question in the thread. I'm itching to build a mill and want to be sure to select the right parts (and not be a duffer and get it wrong!).

I'm curious to know what H Bushing was selected in the end for your mill StubornDutchman please, and what size drive wheel did you opt for, 13.75?


----------



## Hddnis (Jul 15, 2014)

Just chiming in to say that talk is fine but pictures are better.

Sound like you all have some neat builds going on.

Mr. HE


----------

