Bandsaw 15 - 12" bike tubes

Popped into Kmart on the way back home from the horse paddocks to buy a couple of those 12" inner tubes that will become tyres for the bandsaw wheels.

First task is to cut around the inside of the tube.

Bandsaw 14 - Wheel tire video clip

I used my aging Kodak Z730 camera and for some reason there is no audio - never mind.

Bandsaw 13 - Faulty bike tube

As per my last post continued on to put a "tire" on the upper wheel but when I pulled the second tube out of it's box discovered it had been packaged with a funny kink - bugger.

Back to Kmart to exchange that one. Keen to push on and see a "blade" running on the wheels I fashioned one from banding tape held together with masking tape - it works!

Bandsaw 12 - banding tape blade

Video clip below of the bandsaw running with a banding tape blade.

Bandsaw 11 - improved motor pulley

I pre-cut the groove on the router table with a V-bit and then mounted the pulley on the motor shaft to finish turning with my "V-groove file" and yeah it runs quite true.

The shaft has two flats so I drilled and tapped the pulley to accept two grub screws.

Bandsaw 10 - Motor pulley problems

Over the last couple of days been trying to recover from a major setback!

While trying to turn the crowns on the fattened wheels the V-drive pulley, which is bolted to the impeller, keeps separating itself (spinning off) from the threaded motor shaft under the heavier loads. I was wondering if this would come back to bite because the motor originally ran CCW and the impeller screwed CW (opposite direction) onto the motor shaft. The blade needs to run CW so I reversed the motor direction with the added benefit that the motor could be mounted towards the back of the saw.

Bandsaw 9 - V groove turning tool

With lots of grinding I put a V point cutting edge on one of my old files to turn V-groves on pulleys and drive wheels.