Band Saw Tires

[Robert Delhommer]

Just ordered 2 new tires for my old Craftsman Band Saw, it is about 27 years old. My question is should I put any adhesive between the tire and the metal wheel or that is not necessary, the old tire does not appear to have had any adhesive between the tire and the metal wheel.

[Jim DeLaney]

If the old tires weren't glued, the new ones most likely won't need it, either.

What kinda tires did you order - the regular rubber ones or the new(er) urethane ones? I recently "re-tired" by 1981 TaiChi 14" saw, and used the urethane ones. A bit hard to install (not as flexible as rubber) but they work well.

[Tom Niemi]

If you did get the urethane tires, soak them in hot water for a few minutes and they will install easier

[Robert Delhommer]

I ordered the replacement tires from Sears so I assume they are rubber like the originals.

[Jim DeLaney]

If you did get the urethane tires, soak them in hot water for a few minutes and they will install easier

Yeah, that helps a lot, but you gotta be quick, cause they cool pretty quick and don't stretch well unless they're warm. BTW, mine came with a caution to not use water hotter than 140°F. Don't know whether that was to protect me, or the tires...

[Paul Hubbman]

I think it somewhat depends on what you'll be doing. I have a 17" saw with urethane tires on it (no adhesive) that have never been a problem. The saw is set up for light duty work. On my 20" saw, i was resawing 12" black walnut and spun the upper tire (urethane - no adhesive) right off the wheel. Apparently it started slipping, got hot, came off, and accumulated thin strings of urethane all over the place, but especially on the blade and in the guides. When it got hot, it stretched out as well. What a mess that was. When i put new tires on, i still went with urethane, but glued them on with super glue. I've since put it through its paces with no problems.
As i understand it, rubber tires generally do require adhesive.
Good luck with it.