bandsaw just died... :(

[julie Graf]

right in the middle of resawing a 10" piece of figured walnut... my bandsaw started acting funny. the blade was kind of hopping. so i stopped the resaw, and opened up the cabinet.

what did i see? the belt was in 2 parts, it had split along the v-groove. and half of it was stuck behind one of the rollers. ugh.

it's the rikon 14" deluxe bandsaw. i guess i'll be calling support.

anyone else have any problems like this?

["Jason Belous"]

Hi Julie, completely off subject but when you made the steam box post I looked at your website and that made me think of something I was going to share with you but forgot to. My company is a sustainable furniture and millworking company. I also provide alot of sustainable lumber to other artist and some of the crafts people that I deal with are part of a web sight called etsy.com. Dwell magazine did an article on them in regards to keeping craft alive in america. what it does is that it puts artist who do hand made items in touch with customers looking for the same, it might be worth checking out, I believe it is completely free, but sorry about your band saw. Jay.

[Jim Dunn]

Julie as I have this saw please expand your description of the problem. Is it the drive belt or is it the rubber tire on the wheels? How old is your saw? If it is the drive belt do your release the tension after using it? (I do, but I'm anal about that type of stuff:))

[julie Graf]

hi Jason!

I'm on etsy too! It is a great place for smaller stuff and there are actually a lot of woodworkers and fine artists that do well on the site.

I've been meaning to add a link to my site... perhaps i will do that now since i can't use my bandsaw.... ;)

[julie Graf]

hi Jim,

it's the drive belt. Looks like a big rubber band? I'll take a picture of it... gimme a few minutes.

I don't release the tension. (I'm pretty much a good example of a bad tool caretaker)

Hmm... we got it in March... straight from the factory.

[Jim Dunn]

I thought it might be the drive belt from your description. I think it would be worth while for you to release the tension after each use.

[julie Graf]

it is the drive belt - releasing the tension on the blade shouldn't have anything to do with it...

so i'm wondering of other people have had this problem? i would guess that the the drive belt should last longer than 8 months?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

it is the drive belt - releasing the tension on the blade shouldn't have anything to do with it...

so i'm wondering of other people have had this problem? i would guess that the the drive belt should last longer than 8 months?

Yes it should. But that's not going to stop the maker from using poor materials or methods and producing a lousy batch of belts. It happens QC ain't what it used to be.

[Jim Dunn]

it is the drive belt - releasing the tension on the blade shouldn't have anything to do with it...

so i'm wondering of other people have had this problem? i would guess that the the drive belt should last longer than 8 months?

I wholly agree that the belt should last longer than 8 months. But in my last post I was talking about loosening the drive belt.

I'm quite sure that Rikon will stand behind the belt as they sent me a new set of guide bearings just because I suggested that 1 was a little noisy.

[Bill Wyko]

I've got the smaller 14" Rikon. It's never given me trouble but I sure wish I had some resaw capacity. 6"s just doesn't(pardon the pun)cut it. I have some beautiful Quilted maple...it's 8 inches wide. It'll just have to wait. All in all I've been pretty happy with it. I'll look at mine and see if it's showing any signs of what you described. Do you have any pictures?

[Jake Helmboldt]

Loosen the drive belt each use?

I wouldn't even bother with a warranty and simply go buy a quality belt. For that matter, I put a link belt on my BS as soon as I got it to smooth it out even more. Cheap upgrade and unlikely that it will break.

[Allen Bookout]

I have never heard of having to loosen a drive belt to make it last. If it is not any better than that I would do what Jake says and just go get a good quality one from a belt supplier that is the same size.

[Joe Spear]

The Rikon 14" Deluxe can't use a link belt. It has one of those poly-v wide belts similar to the one on the Ridgid 3650 tablesaw.

[Chuck Lenz]

Could get costly if you put a link belt on it and have to change out the pulleys for machined V pulleys, but it would be better than stock I'm guessin. If you use the saw alot it may be money well spent and a drop in the bucket.

[Joe Spear]

I think Julie may have had, unfortunately, a defective belt. I have that saw and have no vibration or belt problems. Or there could be a misalignment of the pulleys that is causing a strain on the belt.

There is a knob to release tension on the belt by moving the lower wheel, but that is intended to loosen the belt for changing speeds. Maybe the knob isn't turned all the way so that the belt isn't tight enough and wiggles and abrades. Definitely call the Rikon engineers in Woburn, MA, and talk to them about it. They can be very helpful.

[Jim Dunn]

Actually the belt is flat and has an idler pulley (total of 3 pulleys) that allows you to tension it with a handle outside the saw. I'd have to say that the belt isn't of the best quality but the design, I think, is superior to others that I've seen. Speed changes are simple and require no tools.

[Sherm Anderson]

Hi Julie, I just read your plea for feedback and every reply. I agree with others about releasing tension on the blade after every work session. Doing this attributes to longer life for every part or component in the bandsaw. In the last four years, I have bought and sold the following bandsaws: My dependable Grizzly Ultimate 14" with a six inch extension block kit and I still have this saw. Others I have tried include a used Sears Craftsman 9" bench top, a used reconditioned Ryobi BS10-SV, a new Rikon 10" and finally a Hitachi CB13F (a 12" wheel) sold only at Lowe's. The Rikon throat wasn't tall enough for resawing so I upgraded to the Hitachi and it is a dream to run. All of the manufacturers owner manuals emphasize releasing blade tension. Mark Duginske and Lonnie Bird emphasize this practice in their books as well. Then to underscore this theory, I read on SMC about the 250 page Iturra Design's Bandsaw Accessory Catalog (Jacksonville, FL) and ordered one. I am at page 147 and have underscored and highlighted all the new learning, thanks to Louis Iturra. I am also placing an order to them to place soon.

Good luck in your bandsaw mission and release the blade tension every time.

[Chet Kagel]

My table saw is currently driven by a V belt which I plan to change out to a link belt (seems like there are too many other things ahead of it such as installing PALS)...

Anyhow, while I have the V belt, I lift the motor and take the V belt off of the pulley when I done working for the day as this helps it to not develop a "set" where it goes around the pulley.

[Curt Harms]

right in the middle of resawing a 10" piece of figured walnut... my bandsaw started acting funny. the blade was kind of hopping. so i stopped the resaw, and opened up the cabinet.

what did i see? the belt was in 2 parts, it had split along the v-groove. and half of it was stuck behind one of the rollers. ugh.

it's the rikon 14" deluxe bandsaw. i guess i'll be calling support.

anyone else have any problems like this?

Hi Julie

Sorry to hear about your problem. I have a "messed up" groove on my belt but the belt was fine last time I looked and doesn't slip when resawing. It'd probably be wise to stock one of these--they're "poly V" belts(?) not common V belts so are not available locally. The driven pulley is part of the lower wheel so there's no practical way that I can see to change it out to use a typical V belt. It sounds like a call to Rikon is in order. I had a motor problem and had a new motor within 2 days.

Curt

[julie Graf]

I called and left a message for tech support.

here are pictures - the first is half the belt on the pulleys, the second is the half of the belt that broke off.

thanks for all the input... last night was frustrating!!!

[julie Graf]

thanks all - i do plan to put that (releasing tension) into practice once i get it up and running again! i'll just have to make it become habit.

[Brian Kent]

Looks like teeth marks! Is there any chance the puppy snuck in to your woodshop when you were away and chewed the belt in two? Just a dogs way of saying "More tennis balls. More Chew toys. More running in the woods.";)

[Ray Knight]

The only machine issue that would make it eat a belt quickly is misalignment of the pulleys. They need to be in the same plane, on my powermatic 14 you check by holding up a straight edge to the side of the pulleys. In some you can sight it to be sure they are aligned. They are usually set-screw fixed to the shaft and can be pulled in or out to align. Check that before you risk eating your next belt. Oh and a binding up bearing can cause belt to be eaten, but that is more an automotive issue, but with the belt off check that everything else spins free and quiet. 6 months old and working well, that won't be the problem. But I would sure check the pulley alignment. Good luck Ray Knight

[julie Graf]

Update

I called Rikon and they are sending me a replacement.

their advice: leave 1/2 slack on the belt (i'm not sure if this was the way it was set up with the previous belt.)

absolutely no need to release tension on the drive belt when not in use.

very nice tech support.

i hope this belt lasts longer!

[Jude Tuliszewski]

To clarify for others, I believe Rikon was saying that the belt tension might have been too tight. The ½ of slack that was said is better described as deflection after the belt has some tension applied to it. After some tension is applied you should be able to use moderate pressure to press the center of the belt (center meaning between the pulleys with the most space between them) with your finger and get it to go about a ½ inch. Just like years ago you would give a car the thumb test. Take your thumb and press on the belts one by one and if it moved a little but not to much it was go to go.

[Curt Harms]

The first Rikon 10-325 I laid eyes on was at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta. The tension on that drive belt surrendered nothing to a fiddle string--that sucker was TIGHT! I wonder if overtension is common on new saws and if that would contribute to premature wear?


Curt


Update

I called Rikon and they are sending me a replacement.

their advice: leave 1/2 slack on the belt (i'm not sure if this was the way it was set up with the previous belt.)

absolutely no need to release tension on the drive belt when not in use.

very nice tech support.

i hope this belt lasts longer!