Bandsaw tyre failure issue

[rick]

I have a Record Power SBS250 bandsaw ... I don't use it much, once maybe twice a year for around 30 minutes ... but every year (or so it seems) when I do want to use it - the rubber tyres on the outside of the blade drive wheels are snapped. (both were broken when I went to use it on w/end) When you look at them the rubber seems to have deteriorated and has loads of cracks .. this makes the machine a real pain as new tyres are ~£13 each.

When not in use the blade tension is slackened off .. and you can't over tension the tyres as tension set by wheel diameter.

Anybody else have this problem ?

[John Rumm]

Not had it with mine...

Could it be related to the environment in which the saw is kept?

[Tim+]

Some rubbers perish quickly in the presence of some volatile agents (like petrol fumes).

Tim

[Bob Minchin]

There is a diy solution.

Starting with a polyvee belt either an old aux drive belt from a car or one from a bearing and belt place. you can glue it vees down onto the wheels ending with a scarfed joint cut in the direction that keeps it closed in use. Wheels quite often have a camber/crown and the poly vee follows this nicely (or stays flat on flat wheels.

If you baulk at £13 for tyres, check out the prices for startrite bonded on tyres!!

For the very best blades and free advice try tuffsaws. I like em and often recommended on various forums.

Bob

[The Natural Philosopher]

You need to keep rubber lubricated and out of UV or this happens.

Castor oil is what we used to use on model plane 'rubber motors' or glycerinene..there are custom made 'lubricants' that help.

e.g.

But I cant help thinking that the rubber should not be doing that inside in a workshop.,

My guess is you are buying a naff brand of tyre.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Ozone is another, if it's near something that generates sparks (such as motor brushes), or an air ioniser.

[rick]

Just in may garage - which is part of house - so does not get excessively cold or dry. No problems with any other kit. I did think was it fumes or cleaning prodcuts - but nothing been near it.

[rick]

Inside in my garage - which is dry & damp free (no car ever in there so no petrol fumes)

That was my thought - but nobody else sells spares for Record Power except them. So little choice. Maybe putting a smear of some lubricant on them after use might be a good idea.

They are not in daylight as wheels fully enclosed in metal covers.

[rick]

What glue do you glue these to aluminium with ? They are flat faced

[rick]

Just looked at Tuffsaws web page ... I drove past that place yesterday :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ok. Model plane experience again. Rubber to rubber joints when making tyres from foam cords or O-ring stock: use super-glue.

To hold them on a rim IF you can get them on the rim before it sets super-glue also works, or try a contact adhesive like original evostik (spirit based) but just use it like a normal glue - i.e. dont 'coat both/let dry'.

[Brian Gaff]

Heat and cold cycling in the place where it lives? Brian

[algrant109]

Are they rubber, or are they polyurethane? If it's polyurethane it could be hydrolysis, the process that makes shoe soles fall apart when used after a long period of storage - happens a lot at weddings apparently.

I bought a proper dust mask last year, used it a bit then put it in the shed. When I got it out last week the elastic in the strap had totally crumbled into black dust. The rubbery bit that fits on the face looked good as new.

[rick]

Well as its in a garage .. yes - but no more than any workshop .. it's part of house so does not get extremes as a stand-alone garage would

[rick]

The appear rubber .. but I can't be sure.

I know what you say, I had 2 pair of Army boots - put away in cupboard and the 'Tuff' soles completely deteriorated .. went very soft and pieces falling off.

Have non-MOD walking boots over 25yrs old with Vibram soles and they are still going great. MOD buying to a bargain price I guess.

[tabbypurr]

You really think no-one else sells rubber wheels of suitable size, or rubber strip you can glue on? Brand name of the tool is irrelevant.

NT

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its more about expected use. The average lifetime of a Supermarine Spiftire was about 30 operational hours. There was very little point in making it out of stuff that lasted longer.

Nor in making the engines last much longer than that.

[rick]

What I meant is that I could find nobody else providing the one piece 'stretch' to fit tyres - only Record. I'll admit I was searching using bandsaw name and various combinations of words & part number - Google didn't come up with any options. If you know different then please advise.

[tabbypurr]

That's going to get you at best a tiny percentage of the available tyres of suitable size. The brand of bandsaw really has nothing to do with it.

Search for rubber tyres. Bandsaws and brands don't enter into it, the minute you put those terms into google it wipes out most of the results.

If there genuinely aren't any tyres on the planet of suitable size, which seems unlikely, then you can use rubber strip & glue.

NT

[rick]

These work out more expensive than buying from Record.

In any event I had a response form Record and they have at least done a

2 for 1 deal .... so now have 2 new tyres fitted.

Need to look into some form of rubber solution to prevent hardening - I suspect these are not natural rubber, but can't prove either way.