12" craftsman bandsaw

[stickman]

Don't know if you remember but I got a craftsman band saw that my boss was tossing because the blade never would track properly and would jump off after about a min or so.Well after checking it out I came to the conclusion that the tires were old and the lower wheel was wobeling.so I did a search on ebay and found a lower wheel with a tire for 32$ including shipping.well it came yesterday and it seems to have helped a lot the blade dose not come off and I can cut a straight line.

Now I still think the saw vibrates too much. I think the bracket that holds the motor is to whimpy because it moves /vibrates and causes the whole saw to vibrate. any ideas how to solve.I tired to make sure the pullys are lined up and even tried to tighten the belt but nothing seem to help.

thanks MIke

[TreeWizard]

If it's like my 12" craftsman, the motor hangs on a hinged bracket and the weight of the motor keeps the belt tight. See if the bolts holding the saw to the table are tight, and check that the top wheel runs true.

[Tom Ellis]

Mike,
I had a problem with the omega clips that lock the lower bearings and shaft in place. It ended up wearing the shaft, and I had to replace that. The pulley will come off, and you can take off the clips, and check the shaft. It was around $30.00 thru Sears.
Good luck, Tom

[Iowa Carver]

I would make sure that the wheels are coplanar or as close to it as possible. It will affect vibration, the way it tracks, cuts, bearing guide wear, cut quality etc. if the wheels are not co-planar.

Corey

[stickman]

Treewizard,Tom and corey , Thanks for all the advice.

Corey, dose co-planer mean the pullys need to be lined up and running true like the wheels that the blade ride on?

[btree50]

I had a vibration in my bandsaw, replaced the rubber on the wheels with urethane, no more vibration!

[Iowa Carver]

Michael, that is right the wheels need to be lined up and true in order for the blade to track right. You can make a jig with a 2 x 4 in order to test it by laying the edge on the top wheel and the bottom wheel and if coplanar they board should lay flat on both wheels. If your saw has a frame that interferes in this you might have to cut out a notch like I did. Vibration can be a combination of things that are already mentioned here as well.

Corey

[mdallensr]

You might consider replacing the v-belt with a link belt. Mike

[stickman]

I have been thinking about a link belt. are they as good as I hear ? they are on the pricey side.

[Dicky]

The link belts are a little pricey. I bought a brand new Delta 16" drill press., not realizing it was made in China. After setup it was noisy and vibrating like crazy. I replaced the 2 V belts with link belts and the machine quitened right down and stopped jumping around. They run about $10 per foot.