[realsmiley]

I know this has nothing to do with a router but it relates to general woodworking.

I have had a bandsaw (a Delta/Rockwell knockoff) for many years. Recently when I used it, the blade ran off the upper idler wheel. I assumed an adjustment was in order so I tightened the blade real well and made sure by manual rotation that the blade was tracking right in the center of the upper idler. Same result. So I took off the upper idler cover and turned on the saw. The blade started jumping up and down on the upper idler finally coming off one side. The upper idler appears to be round. In any event no traumatic event happened recently that could have caused it to be out of round.

Any thoughts on what might be causing the problem?

 

[Mike]

Has the saw blade sat in the same position for a very long time without use? Has it turned blue? Have you checked for side play in the upper wheel? A blade which has been overheated would become brittle and not track smoothly. If there is no side play in the upper wheel and the machine has been properly cleaned and lubricated then it is time for a new blade.

 

[reible]

Hi,

My guess is that the tires need replacing.... Or if you are like most of us and don't release the tension after every use and the tension was left on for months it could be the tires are compressed at the area where they were under pressure and might just adjust them selves by using a hair dryer to slightly heat them. If it has been a lot of year then new tires maybe required... I am on my third set after 30 years... I think I did the last change maybe 3 or 4 years ago so in general I get about 8-10 years of life out of a set.

ED

 

[realsmiley]

Thanks for your suggestions. I did a little tuneup and the bandsaw now works. BUT those tires are well on the wrong side of 20 years old. So I just ordered 2 of them. On the day that I had the problem it was very cold. My saw sits in my garage which can be heated but with gas so forget that one. The cold combined with the old and thus hard tires was probably bad news.