# Blade not staying centered on wheel



## CanKuhn (Feb 21, 2010)

I recently replaced the tires on my Bandsaw and now matter how I adjust the wheels my bandsaw wonders on the wheel. All it takes is the slights bump and the bandsaw goes to the front of the wheel. Any thoughts?


----------



## RandyM68 (Jan 20, 2012)

Did you just change the rubber, or the whole wheel? If the problem began when you changed wheels, I would guess that something isn't lined up quite right. One of them may be slightly bent, or the bearing/bushing may not be seated right. Take the blade and the belt off. spin each wheel and see if there is any wobble. Check them with a dial indicator if you can. They could also be out of line ,vertically, with each other. Smack the face of each with a big rubber hammer and see if it moves into line. Probably , everything will line up. If you just put new rubber on it, it may not be flat, A hump or low spot can cause a problems too. Good luck. It's probably something simple.


----------



## CanKuhn (Feb 21, 2010)

Thanks. I just replaced the tire. I'll look to see if the tire's flat and then give a whack to the tire and see if that does the trick.


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

What saw? What tires. Rubber, urethane?
Are they crowned tires? Did ya glue them? Is the blade tensioned properly?
Are the wheels coplanar?
And finally, I'm not so sure about the "smacking" with a hammer technique.
Bill


----------



## RandyM68 (Jan 20, 2012)

If the wheels are true, don't hit it. make sure the tire is lined up evenly all the way around. If it's closer to the edge on one side of the wheel than the other it won't track right either. The hammer may not be the right approach here, but keep it in mind. Sometimes a good attitude adjustment will get everything lined out.


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

My bandsaw has an adjustment for the tilt of the top wheel. I had the same problem once and this adjustment solved my problem and kept the blade centered on the wheel. Your bandsaw might have such an adjusting wheel for the tilt.


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Sometimes flat wheel bandsaws run the blades best on the front
of the wheel. You still have to get the adjustment right. Crowned
tires pull the blade onto the crown and if both tires are crowned
the wheels should be close to co-planar.


----------



## Visions (Sep 12, 2011)

Maybe try crowning the tires before you start whacking stuff with a hammer…..

Sorry, but no hammers are needed in tuning a bandsaw, unless you want a flat-spot or a warped wheel.

First, what type of saw is this, what are the tires made from, and where did the blade ride on the original tires?

If the blade ran in the middle of the tire, you need to "crown" the tires. If you like, I will give you step by step instructions on how to fix this. I just did it myself, and my blade tracks perfectly, so I'd say I know what I'm doing.

Please slow down and think before you start whacking things, you will only hurt the machine. The wheels are NOT designed to take an impact, especially not aluminum wheels.


----------



## CanKuhn (Feb 21, 2010)

The saw is a Powermatic with a 14" wheel and the tires are Urethane. Before the tire change the blade ran in the middle of the tire. Kenny if you could give me step by step instructions on how to crown the tire that wood be great.


----------



## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

This may seem like a really stupid thing, but did you happen to put one of the urethane tires on inside out? Crown now facing the wheel?
Just a thought…


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Well, you should asses whether the wheels are crowned
or not. Urethane tires are not crowned. Rubber tires
sometimes are. Sometimes the wheel is crowned, sometimes
the wheel is flat and the tires can be either flat or crowned.

If your old tires were profiled for a crown and the new ones
are not, there's the change in circumstances for you.

I have owned band saws with both flat and crowned tires
and either style can be tuned to run well.


----------



## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I'll bet the blade guides are not set correctly. Make sure the wheels are coplanar first before anything else. Then with the blade mounted and tensioned, set the guides. The ball bearing rear guides should be clear of the back of the blade by a few thousands when the blade is tracking in the center of the tire. Only when you start to cut does the rear bearing start to turn. It's this bearing that keeps the blade centered.


----------

