Rigid 14" Bandsaw Drive pulley

[sidgate]

Hello
I have aquired a used Rigid 14" bandsaw and ran into the same vibration problems others have reported in this forum. While checking the saw out, I found the drive pulley is not centered. If I put a point of reference next to the pulley and turn it, I see it wobble ( acting like a cam ). Putting a dial indicator on the shaft, the shaft doesn't have any noticeable runout. Put the pulley on and measure on the bottom of the V-groove, the pulley has a runout in the neighborhood of .017" - .020". Just curious if anyone else has had this problem ( could not find any specific reference in any other posts about the drive pulley off center ), or am I just lucky? I was thinking of buying a Rigid OEM replacement pulley, but If it is a common problem, the replacement may be defective also and I would need to find a third party replacement.

Thanks!

[wbrooks]

I have not heard much about cam shaped pulleys but I would not bother ordering an OEM, just get a good pulley of the same diameter as the original. Most time it is the band wheels that are not balanced (if you search here there was an excellent post several months ago about how to balance the pulleys by drilling holes to remove weight from the heavy spots - the area that always settles to the bottom when you spin the wheel). A link belt and a plywood shelf on the legs also helps

[Ronald]

Has anbody actually replaced the drive pulley and if so, where did you find one, was it machined steel or cast and cost? What are teh actual measurement of the drive pulley. I don't have a caliper. Thanks, Ron

[sidgate]

I guess the "cam" description was little exaggerated, basically it just is not centered. I will be searching for a replacement, not sure where. I will take the measurements and search around. Grainger has pulleys, but I think you need to be a business to shop there.

[Andrew M.]

Has anbody actually replaced the drive pulley and if so, where did you find one, was it machined steel or cast and cost? What are teh actual measurement of the drive pulley. I don't have a caliper. Thanks, Ron

Grizzly

[Ronald]

Is this one from Grizzly the right one?

G5438 Single V Groove Pulley, 6 inch Pitch, 3/4 Bore

Thanks, Ron

[Andrew M.]

Is this one from Grizzly the right one?

G5438 Single V Groove Pulley, 6 inch Pitch, 3/4 Bore

Thanks, Ron

Measure the shaft to be sure, the motor is 5/8".

[sidgate]

I believe that one will work. I eyeballed my shaft with a tape measure and the shaft looks to 3/4". I used my dial caliper and it was .745 ( give or take, my eyes are not as good as they used to be, kinda of hard to see those little marks ). The diameter of the pulley is 6". The keyway is about .190 which is close to the 3/16".

[Andrew M.]

That is a much better pulley that the Ridgid

[sidgate]

I ordered the G5438 pulley from Grizzly and got it today. I had to shave the key a little for the new pulley, but it fit fine. Turned it on ( no blade ) and it definitely fixed the bad washer machine effect I had. Now I just have the normal vibration that comes with this bandsaw. Will start working on the other remedies like balancing the wheels. Thanks for the tip on Grizzly!

[Andrew M.]

Make sure the wheels are coplanar and both pulleys are in the same plane. The link belt I have allowed me to move the motor and saw further apart which allowed the door to fully open and the saw is supported better on the edge of the base close the the 90* bend as it is stiffer there. Some add a plywood base. I also added a second set of rubber insolators(autozone) to the motor and longer bolts.
Glad to help on the Grizzly idea.