Pulling bandsaw wheels - what do I need?

[Dean Karavite]

I am going to put new tires on my 12" Walker Turner and need some help in understanding how to get the wheels on and off (long story, they absolutely need to come off for this). Pulling the wheels is something I can imagine, but I cannot figure out how I will get the right jig and leverage to put them back on. Here are pics and here are a few links to various pullers at HF. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Are any of these what I need?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=30305
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=37824
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=37824

P.S. Bearings are fine - would like to keep them that way during this "operation." :) I have been thinking I need to buy a 14" BS of some type, but this thing is as large as most 14's. 12 1/2" throat, 7" resaw and vibrations are not even an issue. Very solid. So, I want to continue to use this and some day get a 16" for resawing. I suppose this could be gloat worthy - $150 on CL two years ago. Some say the miter gauge alone is worth that.

[Keith Westfall]

Neither of those pullers. Go and find a 3 legged puller big enough to reach behind the center hub (between the spokes) and the center screw on the puller on the center shaft.

Remove the nuts first, the top wheel may come off easily the bottom one should be keyed onto the shaft but should pull off without too much trouble.

For putting them back on - a short piece of pipe or deep socket that fits the inner race of the bearing will be good. Tap it with a hammer until you can thread the nut on and then tighten them down.

Unless there is a bunch of rust it should be pretty straight forward...

klw

[Rob Cunningham]

Some auto parts stores rent wheel pullers. You might want to check before you buy one. You don't say where you are located. A fellow creeker near you might own one and be willing to lend you a hand.
A 2 or 3 legged puller should work for you.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=gear+puller&cid=13834520421633050231&sa=title#p
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=gear+puller&cid=18389133044020221586&sa=title#p

[Adam Potack]

Dean,

I have the same saw, the previous owner changed the bearings just before I bought it. My wheels can be taken off by hand after removing the bolts.

Is that the original miter gauge? I don't have one; do you know where I can get one that fits the slot on the table?

Adam

[Heather Thompson]

Like Rob said, go to the auto parts store, AutoZone basically rents for nothing (call before making the trip to be sure they have what you want). The way it works is you pay a deposit, do the work and return the tool unbroken and money is returned, there is no time limit on usage. I would recommend using the three jaw puller, less chance of bending anything and the pulling forces are more uniform.

Heather

[Dean Karavite]

Thanks everyone. Keith, someone told me I wasn't supposed to tap the thing back on, so I was led off on a wild goose chase on some kind of jig that doesn't exist. Thanks for the rental advice. My local auto parts store has the worst customer service you can imagine, but HF has the three legged pullers for under $20, so I will pick one up today: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=32184

Adam, yes that is the original miter gauge. Apparently some of the old iron guys really covet that gauge (it has a neat little adjusting wheel) so it is not cheap ($100-$200) or often available. I'm not sure anyone has a new gauge that would fit that, but maybe the trick is to find a bar that fits the slot then fit the head of an existing gauge to it? How is the saw working out for you? Heavy little thing isn't it?

[Dwayne Watt]

a 2-jaw puller will work best on that pulley. 3-jaw doesn't have any place to fit on a 4 spoke wheel hub. Generally speaking, 3-jaw pullers are better choice if they fit the application.

[Dean Karavite]

Thanks Dwayne, I think you just saved me an afternoon of frustration and an extra trip through holiday traffic!

[Adam Potack]

Dean,

Thanks for the info. The saw is nice, I just picked up 2 weeks ago. I disassembled & cleaned the working parts, put on a new blade & tires. I haven't used it yet other than some test cuts but it is nice and solid. When I have some time I am planning on taking it apart and repainting it. Other than a little rust it is in great shape.

Adam

[Keith Westfall]

Also check the alignment of the wheels to each other - when you have them off it is a good time to shim as necessary to get them coplanar...

[Paul Atkins]

Just curious, why do the wheels have to come off if you are not replacing the bearings?

[Josiah Bartlett]

I'm guessing he is either replacing/recrowning the tires or wanting to remove the guards to paint it.

Walker Turners are good saws. I love my 16" WT.

[Bob Aquino]

Two things to consider. The HF wheel pullers are junk, Go the auto parts store rental/borrow or get some decent ones from another source.

The wheels may come off without any pulling needed. Remove the nuts and see if you can tap the wheels off with a soft mallet. Those axles also look like they have a point where you can oil them so be gentle. They are probably hollow to where they face the bearings. You may have roller bearings in there. If they don't budge then use a 3 jaw puller.

Also, If you are replacing the tires, you will need to crown them. Some tires come pre-crowned, many don't. If you don't crown the tires it will never track worth a damn. You may want to pay a visit to owwm.org if you haven't already. Plenty of corporate knowledge about these old WT's. Good Luck.

Here is a link to the Parts diagram on owwm.org: http://www.owwm.com/pubs/808/2413.pdf

[Josiah Bartlett]

I like to leave spindle nut on loose so when the wheel lets go it doesn't fly across the room. I severely injured myself using a puller on an old Jeep when a pitman arm let loose with a bang and slammed my hand against the sharp edge of an oil pan. I needed 3 stitches and scrubbing the grease out of my wound was no fun. If I had left the nut on there it would have caught it and I wouldn't have gotten hurt

[Rob Cunningham]

Dean, I see that you added your location. What part of Philly? I live in Horsham and work in Bryn Mawr. We have several wheel pullers (2 and 3 jaw) that I could borrow from work. If you can't find one let me know, maybe I could bring one over and we could get the wheels pulled.

[Dean Karavite]

Thanks for the offer Rob! I pulled the wheels no problem with the cheapo HF pullers (on sale for $12). The bottom came off with out needing the puller and the top didn't need much work. The reason I had to pull the wheels was to put on new tires and crown them. I tried this with the old tires while on the saw and it was a pain. It is too cramped in the saw to do it. Also, the top wheel has a slight (maybe 1/16th) front to back wobble so I need to create a crown that compensates for that. FYI, cleaning the old glue off was a piece of cake with acetone. Denatured alcohol did not really take it off.

Turns out I do need bearings in the top after all.

Can I ask more dumb questions? Where can I order good bearings? These are 1 3/8 outer diameter, 7/16th thick with a 9/16 inner diameter. I did a little searching online and everything I saw was in metric. I could do conversions of course, but I'm assuming I am looking for bearings in inches.

[Rob Cunningham]

Glad you got the wheels of without any problem. For bearings, try MSC or Applied Technologies
http://www1.mscdirect.com
http://web.applied.com/base.cfm?page_id=1501

[Josiah Bartlett]

The bearings should have numbers on them- order by these numbers. I've used Accurate Bearing. They were quick and inexpensive.

[Dean Karavite]

Thanks Josh. No numbers anywhere on the old bearings. Still, I think I have them from measuring and ordered a pair from Accurate. The first thing the lady on the phone asked was, "Are you a wood worker?" They get all the people fixing up old tools I guess.

I'm saving stretching and glueing on those tires for a nice relaxing evening this week. Crowning will be another adventure. You know, this just might be an excuse to go buy a lathe... right? :D