New Member, Planning on building a bandsaw.

[Nel79]

Hi Guys,

So as the title says I'm new here.  I have been thinking about building a bandsaw mill for quite a while and now I am finally getting to it.  I have been looking at videos, pictures and manufacturers' websites to get some ideas.  I came across an old Crescent bandsaw with 26" wheels.  Just wondering if you guys think these would work.  The driven wheel has some sort of lining on it.  The idle wheel has a rubber covering.  These wheels have no crown.  Any thoughts on these?  Will they work for me?  Thanks for the info!

 

 

 

 

[DennisK]

That looks more of a butcher style saw. 

[Hilltop366]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.

Sorry no help with your questions.

[Crusarius]

If they were bandsaw wheels I would think they will have a crown on them even very slight. or the belts may just be worn out. 

They should work, 26" is a big wheel. how big of a mill are you planning? I built one setup for a 158 and 176 blade. I can have up to 41" between the guides with the longer band. I only have 19" wheels.

[Nel79]

My plans were to make the bed 48" wide and 24' long.  I know that 20" wheels would work but these were very cheap.  I haven't put a dial indicator on them yet but they seem to run very true.  The shaft is 1.25".  I was thinking of machining shafts to use 1.5" or 2" pillow blocks.  That way if they don't work for some reason I can easily change them.  The bandsaw that these came off of is likely 80 plus years old.

[Crusarius]

I would definitely recommend larger shaft. I run 1-7/16 without any issues. 

My bed ended up being 50.75" wide from outside of rail to outside of rail. I was shooting for 48 but forgot to subtract the extra 2" for the other side. It ended up being just wide enough I cannot reach my board from the wrong side of the mill. I ended up buying a hookaroon to grab the board. You may want to keep that in mind. 

[Nel79]

The saw these came off of looks like this:

 

[Crusarius]

its a shame to canalize such a great old machine. 

[Den-Den]

I think those wheels can work.  Some were made flat with the intention that crown is ground into the rubber tire.  You will need a crown, whether it is ground into the wheels or rubber tires.  Running directly on the wheels without a tire is probably best but grinding the wheels might require outside assistance.
Your idea to use larger bearings and shafts with the end machined down to fit the wheels is good.