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The Honeymoon is over

Bruce Page

Bruce Page

Member
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1,099
Location
Albuquerque, New Mexico
I bought the little 10” Rikon band saw 2 years ago for small BS projects. I was pretty impressed with its overall build quality and wrote a mini review on it over at SMC. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=25527.
I went to use it tonight, (it’s been collecting dust for a couple of months) powered it up, and with a loud BANG the blade flies off the wheel. After the wheels stopped moving I opened the door to find that the tires had failed.
It sure seems to me that a BS tire should last longer than 2 years. I’m still happy with the BS but their tires suck!
I guess I’ll be calling Rikon tomorrow.:(

Has anyone else had this issue with their Rikon?
 

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I may be barking up a completely wrong tree but the tires look like rubber? What sort of climate was the machine stored in? It looks like they have perished from what I can see in the pic. Heat and/or moisture will accelerate perishing. So damp storage or hot storage will not have done them any favours. Not saying you shouldn't speak to Rikon but it might be worth making sure that your storage area doesn't suffer extremes.
 
Ian,

Assuming that the issue was natural rubber failure due to environment, would replacement tires made from that common polymer (yes, yes, I know I'm a chemist but polymer nomenclature just doesn't stick in my memory :doh: ) be helpful?

What is the name of that poly-whatever that replacement tires are made of? Polypropylene and polyethylene don't sound right. Here a poly, there a poly, oh never mind.

Anyhow, good luck and I hope you get back in business soon Bruce!
 
To be honest Mark I have no idea. I suspect that natural rubber, if that is what it is, is more sensitive to its environment than most "artificial" alternatives but I have no proof. I do know that I have had natural rubber items fail very rapidly from exposure to quite moderate heat sources for quite moderate periods of time. I was really just suggesting that Bruce took it into account before deciding on a storage location in the future.
 
Mark Kosmowski said:
...What is the name of that poly-whatever that replacement tires are made of? Polypropylene and polyethylene don't sound right. Here a poly, there a poly, oh never mind.

Anyhow, good luck and I hope you get back in business soon Bruce!
Click to expand...
Are you thinking of urethane tires? Not a poly, but I think that's the most common synthetic bandsaw tire material.
 
Thanks Vaughn - I think that is what I'm thinking of. Pretty sure it is a polymer as a tire, but probably not marketed as a "poly-" to avoid confusion with the finish.

I can almost imagine someone trying to build up a polyurethane tire by applying some Minwax.
 
Going on 3 years with my Rikon bandsaw. Use it about 10-15 times a month.

Thanks for the heads up. Now you got me wondering what is down the road.
 
Sorry you are having trouble with the saw Bruce, but, tires are like blades, they do wear out, and need replacing.

I'd bet that most of the bandsaws out there, over a few years old, could benefit from a new set of tires, I think they are one thing that often gets overlooked.

I do have to say, I'm a bit surprised that the tires only lasted 2 years, seems a bit odd to me, but :dunno:

Have you heard back from Rikon?
 
Something to think about. It is the general consensus over at OWWM and many on Woodnet feel the same way. Stay away from the the urethane tires unless your wheels have a crown machined in them. From what I read it's near impossible to crown a urethane tire and the crown is important to keep the blade tracking on the wheels. Also it crowning the tires and makes them truly round.
 
Thanks for your responses. Nancy, It looks like dry rot to me too. Mark, I try to always back off the blade when not in use. Ian, the saw lives in a garage in central New Mexico. It can get pretty darn hot here but we have very low humidity.
I measured the tire thickness at 3/32 or 0.093” thick. I know this isn’t a bid honkin’ BS but 3/32 seems thin to me.
Anyway, I bought it at Woodcraft and they’re looking into it for me. I sent Rikon an email but haven’t heard back from them.
 
Bruce Page said:
Ian, the saw lives in a garage in central New Mexico. It can get pretty darn hot here but we have very low humidity.
Click to expand...

Very Low??? I remember the first time we went to visit Mom and Dad out there...the new son had wet diapers when we were leaving the plane...by the time we were through hugging everyone...his diaper was dry as a bone. I actually watched my Mom hanging clothes...she started at one end...by the time she was done she was starting to take them in from where she started...dry as a bone!
 
Glenn Clabo said:
Very Low??? I remember the first time we went to visit Mom and Dad out there...the new son had wet diapers when we were leaving the plane...by the time we were through hugging everyone...his diaper was dry as a bone. I actually watched my Mom hanging clothes...she started at one end...by the time she was done she was starting to take them in from where she started...dry as a bone!
Click to expand...

You'll dry pretty quickly when you get out of the pool too!

I finally got ahold of Rikon. They are sending 2 new tires free of charge. I hope they last longer than 2 years...
 
Bruce Page said:
...I finally got ahold of Rikon. They are sending 2 new tires free of charge. I hope they last longer than 2 years...
Click to expand...
Keep 'em in the pool when you're not using them. They'll last for years that way. :p

Glad to see Rikon is handling the problem for you. :thumb:
 
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