Take care of your tools and they will take care of you. Band saw tire maintenance is a must! A recent post in WoodNet offered some great advice on cleaning band saw tires. To round things out I dug around for more band saw tune up resources and pulled out the stuff just relating to the tires.
All resources below the body of the post.
GaryMc
I clean the (rubber) tires of caked-on sawdust by tilting a utility knife blade so it scrapes lightly as the wheel is turned by hand (with the blade removed).Then wipe with a cloth dampened with [Simple Green, 409 or 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover].
rfeeser
I scrape it with any hard edge, from the arris on a wood stick to a metal scraper. When I can get someone else to rotate the upper wheel it’s easier. An electric drill with a sanding drum does a good job of spinning the upper wheel. A delicate touch helps to ensure just the gunk is removed, not any of the tire material.
Some folks recommend a wheel brush.
Others suggest that you build your own wheel brush out of a tooth brush. Here is one method I found in BAND SAW TUNE –UP & RESAWING SECRETS:
“To install a continuous cleaning system use and old toothbrush. Cut the handle short and heat it to bend to the right shape at 90 degrees. Drill holes through the shortened handle to bolt the brush in place inside your saw on the bottom wheel of the saw.”
Resources:
How to Clean Bandsaw Tires
BAND SAW TUNE –UP & RESAWING SECRETS
Everything You Wanted to Know about the Bandsaw
Episode 13- Bandsaw Set-up/Tune-up
Bandsaw Tune Up From: Fine Woodworking
Bandsaw: Blade Drift & Resawing
Don’t forget the old trick of wiping down rubber or neoprene tires with brake fluid. Keeps my 1959 Craftsman nice and flexable. Brake fluid works good on tape or record player rubber wheels too.
I have a great old bandsaw–the wheels are 6.5″ in diameter–two of them free wheeling one of course is the drive–I need to replace the tires on all of them–I can not locate any replacement tires any ideas
I also am looking for 6.5″ tires for a Busy Bee band saw. Let me know if you have any luck. Tks
Try Sulphur Grove Tool. I found them on EBay. Custom made set of 3 tires up to 7″ for $26.95