Urethane Bandsaw Tires

[cypher]

Can anyone explain to me what the advantage of using urethane bandsaw tires? I have read that they last longer and are more durable, but are they worth the extra cost? They are ot to expensive, but i can buy to sets of rubber tires for the the price of one set of urethane. Is there any other advantage to using urethane tires??

If it matter they are going to be installed on a Jet 12" bandsaw

 

[GeorgeH]

The rubber tires on my band saw (a 14") have lasted twenty years. The difference in price between the rubber band saw tires and the urethane variety is roughly forty percent. Unless the urethane lasts thirty years I can't see any reason to make the investment. I'd be nearly a hundred years old by then.

 

[waltben]

Bandsaw tires

Urethane tires will last longer, but as in the previous post, you're probably doing something wrong if you need to replace your tires in less than quite a few years time. Once they've worn out, they have to be replaced. What wore your old ones out will wear the new ones also, unless you fix it. The upper and lower wheels should be true. You should have the saw set for the correct tension for the width of the blade. Read your manual for any other adjustments. I've not had any noticable wear on either of my bandsaws' tires in over six years of heavy use, although their both larger.

 

[MichaelMouse]

The rubber will lose resiliency sooner. When the time comes, I'll probably put urethane on so my heirs will get the benefit.

 

[Steve Russell]

It really depends...

Hello,

It really depends on how much you will use your bandsaw. My bandsaw sees brutally heavy usage everyday and urethane tires are the best product to meet my needs. If you are a hobby woodturner that only uses his bandsaw occasionally, then the rubber will no doubt last as long as you will use the saw.

Another consideration would be whether you use dust collection (DC) on your bandsaw. The abrasive quality of the sawdust inside the cabinet, will tend to wear rubber much faster if no dust collection is used. Also, if you cut lots of green wood, your periodic cleaning of the tires to remove grunge, will add to the overall wear on the tires.

Bottom Line: If you operate with no DC on your bandsaw, or your output approaches a semi-pro or pro, using urethane might be the best choice. If you use DC on your bandsaw and you only use your DC occasionally, rubber should be just fine. Take care and all the best to you and yours!

 

[Bob Hadley]

My current 18-inch band saw has rubber tires. It is about 4 years old and the original tires show no sign of degrade. My last two band saws were lower-priced hobby-class saws. The tires cracked and split within a couple of years on both saws. Now I suspect it was a combination of cheap rubber being attacked by air pollution (I am in So. California). Smog seems to erode cheap-o rubber in a hurry.

I would guess that any band saw that is less than professional grade probably has less than top quality rubber tires. If these tires crack or degrade quickly, replacing them with urethane tires would make more sense than replacing them with OEM tires... which are likely the same grade that came with the saw.

BH

 

[Gretch Flo]

Hello,



Another consideration would be whether you use dust collection (DC) on your bandsaw. The abrasive quality of the sawdust inside the cabinet, will tend to wear rubber much faster if no dust collection is used. Also, if you cut lots of green wood, your periodic cleaning of the tires to remove grunge, will add to the overall wear on the tires.

Bottom Line: If you operate with no DC on your bandsaw, or your output approaches a semi-pro or pro, using urethane might be the best choice. If you use DC on your bandsaw and you only use your DC occasionally, rubber should be just fine. Take care and all the best to you and yours!

Steve-Where do you put the dust collector hose ? I have a Rigid (Home Despot) BS and when I put in the dust collector, I ran a hose under the platform where there was a spout, more saw dust comes out above the platform near the switch in back of the throat. (i.e it comes out both places)Gave up using the DC on the BS Gretch

 

[MichaelMouse]

Not Steve, but there isn't really a good dust collection point, or points, really, on any bandsaw I've seen. Some never makes it below the table, since you've got dust that blasts from the sides of the blade and collects atop your piece for starters, and if you have a "zero clearance" insert, you back dust up on the table. Then there's the problem of the very best place to collect dust, immediately below the table needing access for adjustment of the guides and bearings.

Take a piece of scrap wood, bore a hole to accept your wand or some PVC tubing around 1 1/4" and screw it below the table and in front of the blade. Make a 1/4 wide kerf for the blade to travel through on the end of your pickup, and you've got the best collection available. Or you could wait until the dust is carried or falls to the bottom of the case, though there it's already gumming or slicking the lower tire.