Re: Rockwell 14 Band Saw

[dpb]

My father left me a Rockwell 14 band saw. It's pretty old. The blade is having

> trouble staying in alignment. I was told that the drive wheel or some other part > involved in the movement of the blade has probably dried up and is not > replaceable because of the age of the saw. > > Can anyone shed any light on this poorly described problem? Are parts available, > or do I just junk the saw?

There are rubber "tires" on the wheels. They _may_ (or may not) be the problem; it may simply be out of alignment.

After-market tires are available as well as from Delta if they do turn out to be the problem. One first step to check is to use a straightedge and ensure the two wheels are coplanar--if they're not for some reason, it's very difficult to get a blade to track even if the tires are still ok.

Definitely it is not at all likely there's anything fundamentally wrong w/ the saw; I'd wonder if the person who told you it was likely irrepairable wasn't fishing to "take it off your hands for you". :)

I'd suggest you go to the

rec.woodworking

group instead of a.h.r for more specifics...

Actually, I'll post this followup there as well.

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[Leon]

That is very likely and most likely needs to be replaced anyway. Replacement should not be a problem as many of the tires are long strips of rubber and glued with a tapered over lap of the ends. A good repair facility should be able to to the repair. IIRC Laguna tools does this repair.

See above, I would certainly not junk the saw just yet.

[dpb]

...

Possible, but Delta and replacement tires for these smaller wheels are single piece for the most part. Simply, warm them up by soaking in warm water for a while to aid in pliability and slide them on. The traditional rubber tires do need an adhesive whereas the Carter urethanes can get by w/o the mess satisfactorily.

The Carter urethanes--

OEM replacements

The other difference is the Carter is 7/8" wide instead of the full 1" of the Delta, but the saw won't take but a 3/4" blade effectively, any way, so it's not a problem.

Undoubtedly searching would uncover many imports on Amazon, etc., as well.

--

[Sonny]

I wouldn't think there should be a problem finding replacement tires.

I have a 15 yr old Delta 14" bandsaw, model 62-070, possibly similar to the Rockwell. I replaced the tries about 2 yrs ago. The original ties were more inner tube type rubber, whereas the new tires were firmer rubber and seems to hold their tracking much better than the old ones. The new tires weren't expensive. Invest in new tires and save the old, if in reasonable shape, as back-ups.

If a bushing of one or more of the wheels is/are worn, there may likely be replacements available (standard size?) or a nearby machinist (trade/tech school?) can turn some, possibly/probably inexpensively, for you.

Sonny

[Jack]

Mine was built in the early 50's, my guess is 1954.

When I bought mine, used in 1975, it gave me some trouble tracking as well. I bought replacement rubber, and turned out I just wasn't hep on getting it to track. Still have the same tires on it 36 years later and it tracks perfect. Haven't touched the tracking in years. It is a GREAT saw.

I was told that the

My original tire had lots of cracks like you would get in an old car tire. The only real important thing is there is a crown in the middle so the blade will track. You might think a crown would do the opposite, but it doesn't. Get the blade tracking in the middle of the tire, where the crown is. When I first was at this, I used to fanatically clean the tires, trying to keep sawdust from glomping up under the blade. Haven't changed the blade in years, haven't even looked at the tire... just sayin. Yeah, it is my most used, and loved tool.

My original tires from 1954 and the OEM replacements I bought in 1975 needed no adhesive. Not arguing with you, just sayin. I have no clue what they are made of, seems like rubber, but not sure anything is made of rubber anymore, including "rubber" tires:-)

[dpb]

On 10/19/2011 3:47 PM, Jack wrote: ...

They're a synthetic rubber, of course, not natural.

Look at the first link above for the Delta OEM replacement tires and note the comments associated. Unfortunately, the new P-C website is so pitiful one can't find anything useful any more but there used to be an instruction sheet for the tire replacement process. Perhaps one could find it at the OWWM site I don't know; I haven't looked.

While Delta _does_ recommend adhesive but on these small machines unless you're really straining the resaw capacity one can generally get by w/o it satisfactorily, granted.

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[Leon]

Actually the white letters and or white wall on a tire is rubber. The rest of the tire has not been since before the at least the 70's.

[Jack]

On my saw, which I have the original book, no adhesive is mentioned. Actually, I don't think anything is mentioned. It stretches over the rim like a rubber band would, not much instruction was needed. Still not disagreeing with you, just talking about my model of old Rockwell Delta

14" BS. The rubber on mine I'd say (from memory and guessing) is about 3/16th - 1/4" thick. I don't have a riser on it so don't re-saw more than 6 inches. I doubt it could slip, but I could be wrong.