Improvised Replacement Bandsaw Tires

The tires on this home duty bandsaw cracked from old age and fell off. New tires are available for $35, but I would like to make the saw work again for much less.

Electrical tape

My bandsaw is a light home duty machine marketed by Black & Decker around 1990. The wheels are about eight inches in diameter and plastic. My plan for adding new “tires” will require turning the wheels slowly by hand. (See the second photo.) The lower wheel is gear driven. I decided to remove the wheels from the tool rather than try to turn them slowly on the machine. I probably could have removed the motor to free the lower wheel, but having the wheels off of the machine made handling them easier. On my saw the axle bolt requires a 5/8 inch wrench. The locking nut for the lower wheel is accessible on the outside back of the bandsaw.

(See the third photo.) I began loosening the axle bolt. The retaining nut for the upper wheel is not accessible from outside the bandsaw. I could use my hand behind the upper wheel and pry the edge of the wheel away from the pressed steel frame to keep the locking nut from slipping. (The locking nut has a gripping washer.) When the nut began to slip the axle bolt was loose enough to grasp the nut with my fingers to keep it from turning.

I used oil to lubricate the axle bolts. Removing the bolts from the wheels showed a build up of some dirt on the axle. I did my best to scrape the axles clean with my fingernail.

I decided I would try simple electrical tape to make a tire for my bandsaw wheels. The top wheel has a slight convex edge already. I cleaned away small chips and dust. I wrapped the wheel with three thicknesses of vinyl electrical tape. I could see the faint outline of the end of the tape. I tried to cut the tape to fit the end of the tape on the first layer. This was probably not as much of a concern as I thought it might be.

The lower wheel has a depressed area for the tire. I used a couple of layers of a rubber electrical tape to build that up a little. Then I added two or three layers of vinyl electrical tape. (In the photo the bandsaw blade is loosened as it is supposed to be when I am not using the bandsaw.)

I am surprised at how well my bandsaw tires from electrical tape work. I have made only a couple of test cuts. Time will tell if this is a good idea or not. I will be watching for some things I fear could go wrong. But, my use for this bandsaw is quite minimal. It would be difficult for me to justify $35 for new bandsaw tires. Even if I find using tape for bandsaw tires is a poor idea, I might find it works well enough that I can remove the old tape and put on new periodically. (The cut in the photo was made with my new tires made of electrical tape. So far, the teeth on the blade have not left any marks or abrasions in the electrical tape tires.)