Bandsaw broken am I crazy....

[Greg Cuetara]

I have a 10" Ryobi bandsaw that was never any good until I put a good timberwolf blade on it. A while back the blade snapped and I couldn't get a new blade to stay on. I think I have narrowed it down to the bottom wheel is not running true. When I spin it freely it is about 1/16" out of true and I think that is causing the blade to not stay on etc.

I have been slow to purchase a replacement wheel, mostly because I am too cheap right now. I was reading another thread the other day about a home built jointer and I started to take a look at the website, woodgears.ca, and he has a homemade bandsaw on there. He makes his tires with plywood and then covers them with bicycle tire rubbers.

Has anyone ever really tried this. Am I crazy to think that I might be able to make my own wheel or should I just suck it up and buy the OEM tire and be done with it right now?

Thanks,
Greg

[Julie Moriarty]

It's either you have time or you have money. It seems you never have both. I've seen the homemade bandsaw. My brain went from, "Amazing!" to "Is this guy nuts?" I admire those who have the patience and engineering spirit to do things most of wouldn't even consider. But in the end you have to ask yourself if you have that same patience and spirit and then ask if you have the knowledge. You have spinning wheels and a sharp blade that can cut through wood. Machines always find the flaw when in use and if that flaw is serious enough, injuries can follow. How much do you want to take on?

[Myk Rian]

A 10" Ryobi would be my last choice for a saw. Get a real saw, like an older Delta.

[Greg Cuetara]

Julie I certainally hear you on all your points. I definately have more time than $$ right now and also have the engineering know how which makes me quite dangerous sometimes.

Myk are you volunteering an old delta bandsaw for my workshop? I picked up the ryobi about 5 or 6 years ago and has treated me well for what i have asked of it. I have been searching CL and other places locally and have come up dry or people wanting $400 to $500 for a saw that sells new for $600. Eventually I will get a better saw but until then I need to make use of what I have.

[Dave Zellers]

My brain went from, "Amazing!" to "Is this guy nuts?"
He's amazing. I think he made enough money working for Research in Motion that now he just has fun making these things in his shop and putting them up on his website.

I wish I had his engineering knowledge. He makes me feel like a shlub with some tools.

But to finish up on topic, don't try to make your own bandsaw. Buy one, and then make something nice for your sweetie.

[Harold Burrell]

He's amazing. I think he made enough money working for Research in Motion that now he just has fun making these things in his shop and putting them up on his website.

I wish I had his engineering knowledge. He makes me feel like a shlub with some tools...



Man...ain't THAT the truth!

[Julian Tracy]

I just picked up a steel-framed 10" bandsaw from Menards, a Masterforce brand (3 year warranty) I think. It's the exact clone of the Jet version which sells for about $350 on Amazon. Both are similar to but have some different knob locations as the Rikon and Craftsman 10" steel framed saws, which retail for between $199-250.

I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with this little saw (on sale at $169). I should say that I've had a Ridgid 1400 bandsaw and did all sorts of mods to it to make it a pretty workable 14" saw. I currently have a Minimax S45 18" bandsaw and had been looking for a smaller saw for curved work so I could dedicate the s45 for resawing with a wider blade.

Reviews on the Masterforce are few and far between on the web and are mixed, but I give it a 10 out of 10 for value on all counts.

features:
Rock solid frame design, weighs close to 80lbs.
Cast Iron table,
Quick-release blade tension lever
Blade tracking sight window
Quick-open doors
roller bearings
Decent enough trunion (for the intended purpose of such a small saw)
Fence that locks securely and easily
Table outboard support arm (slides in and out as needed)
LED light, a bit narrow of a beam and a bit dim, but better than nothing and built it.
Fit and finish is near perfect - Grey and green body and panels - paint nice, welds good.
Stock blade on saw, turn the saw on right out of the box and it almost purrs, no vibration, decent cutting
Have cut 2-3" no problem cross cutting, it will rip it with some care in feed rate
Stand was included in price, though I opted to install it on an existing cabinet. Stand has a nice guage steel, nicely power-coated
2" and 4" dust port hookups
T-slot miter guage (yea, cheap plastic one, but it works...)
brush for lower wheel

All in all, I can't see how any of the other steel framed 10" bandsaws could match this in quality, fit and finish or features. I've seen the Jet in person and thought that it wasn't much of a saw for $350, but this little saw is the identical twin (though MUCH nicer looking with a very similar paint job to the Rikon's and at $169 on sale is a definite value.

Years away from the crappy Ryobi 9 and 10" bandsaws I've seen at Home Depot. Literally almost no plastic on this saw at all, except for the knobs which seem a similar quality to much more expensive larger saws.

I think it sells reg for $229 or so and I'd say even at that price it's a great deal. Anybody complaining about this saw hasn't really inspected the much higher priced competition. Sure there's a few flaws, but talk about good bones - I'll gladly tweak the bearings a bit as needed for a $170 (basically half-price) saw.

JT

[Dave Zellers]

Man...ain't THAT the truth!
LOL ! Nice to know I'm not alone...

I guess that's at least better than a shlub without tools.:D

[Tai Fu]

I do not know if the ryobi saw is one of those 3 wheeled thing or 2 wheels, however blades like timberwolf won't work on a 10" saw because of their tiny wheel diameter... I had 1/4" 0.025" blade fatigue break in 5 minutes on a 2 wheeled 10" bandsaw, a better steel like the Lenox Diemaster would last longer but even then it eventually broke. These smaller bandsaws have to use "special" blades of very thin gauge (.020, .018, 0.014, etc.) which a majority of bandsaw blade suppliers don't have. Furthermore there are no good blades in those thin gauge and they will last about 2 weeks (no kidding!) and then dull. Don't even think about bimetal, nobody makes them in those special gauges.

[Gus Dundon]

I think I'll just buy new wheels.

[Art Mulder]

It's either you have time or you have money. It seems you never have both.

I think this is a core truth. Though the money question is the more important one for most people. ;)


... I started to take a look at the website, woodgears.ca, and he has a homemade bandsaw on there. He makes his tires with plywood and then covers them with bicycle tire rubbers.

Has anyone ever really tried this. Am I crazy to think that I might be able to make my own wheel or should I just suck it up and buy the OEM tire and be done with it right now?

Just to clarify... Do you mean make your own wheel AND mount it on your existing Ryobi bandsaw? Hmm, not sure I'd do that.

As far as the woodgears bandsaw (http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/homemade.html)... The guy is smart, creative, and frugal. He is not nuts.
If I did not already have a 14" bandsaw, I would seriously consider building one based on his plans.

Browse through his website. He has a page full of reader built bandsaw (http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/reader.html)s. I just counted, there are over twenty on there. A couple were even built by 15-16 year old woodworkers.

I just finished building his screw-advance box joint jig. I can state that you get very good value for the price. His instructions are clear, detailed, immensely illustrated. You get far more than most other places offer for their prices.

...art

[Greg Cuetara]

ok for anyone still reading i have done some more research and a lot of playing with the bandsaw and finally figured out that the wheels are coplaner with no blade but when i put a blade on the wheels no longer are coplaner. the bottom wheel is bowed out at the bottom quite a bit due to the blade tension. now i am thinking the problem lies within the bearings or the lower wheel shaft. when i put a dial indicator on the lower shaft without any blade or wheel i am within a few thousands so it looks to be running true there but then with the tension of the blade i think there is just a little wobble.

Could this be as simple as a new set of bearings?