Changing Tires on WM Bandmill

[HandLogger]

Has anyone on the board had experience changing tires on a WoodMizer (WM) Bandmill? To clarify, I'm asking about the tires on the band mill blade wheels not the road wheels.

If anyone has done this, I'd appreciate your thoughts on how the job went and, possibly, how you went about completing the job.

Thanks very much for your time...and, before anyones asks, I'm not a big fan of that "other site" that's chock full of sawyers. I prefer this site much more.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I can ask my buddy, he was a WM dealer for many years and still runs an LT40.

What's wrong with your wheels and what model?

 

[ArtB]

I have a regular bandsaw with 24" wheels. Replace the cracked rubber tires with urethane a few years ago, very easy task.
Soaked the urethane in hot water for 10 minutes and they went right on, no problems since changing.

 

[blkcloud]

My WM had a sheave for the wheels with a belt that ran in the groove.. like a fan belt.. is this what yours has?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Just checking to see on a reply. I'll ask once I find out what model.

 

[HandLogger]

Thanks for the replies, folks. Sorry 'bout the delay, but I'm not presently receiving notifications of the posts.

ValleyFirewood: We own a [very] low hour WoodMizer LT40HD G28 Bandmill. The problem is that the tires on the saw's band wheels are very loose and, quite frankly, I believe that this causes
an added and unforeseen instability in the cuts. If I'm correct, this causes the blade to wobble and, inevitably, causes the blade to wander up or down. Not to state the obvious, but this results
in variable cut thickness...kind of like a 2 x 6 that's actually only a 2 x 6 at the end where the blade enters the cant and becomes 2 x 7 (or thereabout) by the time the blade exits the cant. In my
business, timber framing, this is most undesirable.

ArtB: Thanks for the hint. I will keep the use of hot water in the preparation stages in mind. By the way, we once flew into Seattle and stayed in Renton. We were on our way to the peninsula
and I have nothing but good memories about the [deep] lakes I jumped into along Route 101 (on our way to the ocean). A very rewarding experience.

BlkCloud: That's a good question...I'll have to investigate that one further and get back to you.

Thanks again for the productive posts.

 

[blkcloud]

If you start out with a 2x6 and end up with a 2x7.. you got some issues.. I would be looking more at the blade.. does this happen with new blades or the ones you re sharpen? if the grind and tooth set isnt correct you will have issues.. on my mill with a good blade the thickness would not vary over a 1 /16 of a inch if i ran it correctly.. it may be several other things.. are you running coolant on the blade? is there sap buildup on the blades? is the blade tension correct? are you running the feed to fast causing the blade to vary? does the saw head have any play in it.. are all your bearings good that the head travels up and down and back and forth the rail on? when you come out of the cut, does the blade pop back up to the spot where it entered the wood?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Do me a favor, send me your phone number and I'll have my buddy get ahold of you. I don't know much about the mills, but he certainly does. Was a dealer for many years.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Talked to my buddy, the belts on the wheels are supposed to be loose. If they are tight it would end up causing the blade to break from sawdust and sap getting under the belt and making the wheels larger.
He said it sounds like a blade guide issue or trying to cut too fast.
He asked what year and how many hrs are on it.