Having sold my tablesaw to my dad and not having 220 (for my new tablesaw) in my garage yet, I’m at a standstill. Project wise that is. So I figured this would be a good time to tinker around with my bandsaw. I bought it in late November and haven’t used it all that much.
I have some mdf set aside to stiffen up the stand. And I replaced the belt a couple months ago. Took the old one into Advance and had the boy match it. That took quite a bit of shake out.
Next up is the tires. I don’t know how she knew, but my beautiful wife bought me a set from Rockler for Christmas. So this evening the mood struck.
Just after I get the blade off it hits me that this would be the perfect time to balance the wheels. Well, it hit me because that’s what the Ridgid manual said.
So I was wondering. Anyone else go through this? I’m not going to drill holes in the wheels. So what is the best way to do this? Lead tape? Epoxy some weights to the wheel? And where is the best place to get the tape or weights?
Also, I’m planning on buying a blade in the future. Recomendations are welcome.
-- In this world there's two kinds of people my friend. Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.
5 comments so far
Grandpa
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2380 posts in 843 days
#1 posted 770 days ago
Craftsman uses a weight with a spring clip that slides up and down the spoke of the wheel. What about the lead (or some new material these days I think) from a tire shop. those come in small increments and has tape on the back side to stick to car wheels so I would think they should stay put on a bandsaw wheel spoke if it is flat and wide enough for full contact. I don’t know what those weights would cost from Sears. I had to pay $10 for a spring clip to hold the belt guard in place.
bsherman
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76 posts in 1695 days
#2 posted 769 days ago
You can wrap wire around one of the spokes. Or tape coins to the wheels…
-- Brian
CraigMoore
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2 posts in 860 days
#3 posted 766 days ago
You can buy lead tape in a golf shop. I read an article about balancing the wheels in a recent magazine, can’t remember which one. When in doubt, ask the wise person you know, no not her.
macatlin1
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33 posts in 1111 days
#4 posted 491 days ago
I balanced my wheels with silver tape used for sealing heating ducts. Kept adding patches until wheel balanced. The tape was what I had laying around the shop and I knew it would stick really well. It was a temporary fix that has lasted 3 years.
Dwain
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290 posts in 2027 days
#5 posted 419 days ago
I would think adding lead tape makes more sense than drilling into the wheel. I would suggest the lead tape, find out how much tape balances the wheel, then (and only then) epoxy weights to the wheel. By the way, are you using a Harbor Freight link belt on your bandsaw? I am considering this change and wanted some feedback on the HF link belt.
-- When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there is no end to what you CAN'T do
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