Band saw repair help

[osage outlaw]

I have an older 12" Craftsman bandsaw that I bought used last year.  When I  bought it, it had a fair amount of vibration when running.  I found the belt pulley on the back side of the bottom wheel loose.  I tightened down the set screw that holds the key in place.  That helped a lot, but didn't completely get rid of the vibrations.  I was using it the other day and it started getting worse.  I found the pulley loose again so I took it apart.  The metal key is worn down a little and the pulley is loose on the shaft.  I just picked up a new key for it.  I checked all of the bearings out, and they are good.  How tight should the pulley be on the shaft?  I can slide it on and there is a small amount of wiggle room.  Should I try to find a replacement pulley, or can I make some sort of a sleeve for it?  I can take pictures if that would help.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[osage outlaw]

Replacing the pulley is out.  I just checked Sears parts website out and they don't carry it anymore.

[Eric Krewson]

JB Weld, fixes everyhting. I fixed a loose pulley on my wife's treadmill with the stuff.

[Cameroo]

If the pulley isn't perfectly true when the JB Weld sets up, then your wobble is there for good...

I wonder if it would help to wrap some of that aluminum tape (for duct work) around the shaft to build it up a bit.  It probably wouldn't last, but might be worth a try? 
My only other suggestion would be to find a bushing that fits the shaft tight, and then drilling out the pulley so the bushing slides in tight.  But that could be mission-impossible finding the right parts.  You'd also have to cut a slot in the bushing for the key.

[cracker]

I've squeezed a little more life out of stuff like that by cutting a piece of aluminum can wrap it around the shaft and then tighten the pully down on top of the aluminum be warned this may only work on a tapered shaft mating surface.Ron

[Bevan R.]

Not to be a 'Gloomy Gus' but you might want to get a good idea of what any fix will cost and compair that to getting a different saw. I just like to look at all options before I start writing checks.

Bevan R

[osage outlaw]

I messed with it for hours yesterday.  I tried shimming it with a piece of aluminum flashing that was .008" but that was to thick.  I tried a piece of a pop can .003" but that didn't seem to help any.  I moved the belt to the inside part of the pulley for the slower speed setting, and that made it smoother, but I didn't like how slow it was.  I ended up just replacing the key and tightening everything down real good.  The vibration is still there, but not as bad.  I will just have to use it for as long as I can and start saving money for a replacement.  I know most people like Grizzly, but is there another brand that might be cheaper but still a good saw?

[Bevan R.]

Don't know anything about the grizzly. I have had a 1hp 14" jet for several (15+) years that I like.

Bevan R

[jeffhalfrack]

  Did  you  check  the  tires?  sitting for years  can leave  flat spots,  I have that same saw,I haven't taken it apart no  need,how   loose is the pulley? Is there a  keyway in  the  shaft? has the key way worn out like  gotten wider a sloppy key will cause problems! that is what I  find on  fan motors a lot!(I'm an hvac man)  then I get a wider  key  stock and file to fit,  or as  stated before good old  'JB weld' and  make the  shaft  fatter , and sand to  fit, or fill  key way and let  a  greased! key set in the  slot till  hard!  be creative  grease the set screws!  they may need to  come out!  that  really is  a  nice saw! I looked for a  year to find  mine don't give up  to  soon  you'll  get right we  have  faith in  you  man!!  another  trick,  is  to  take a good  prick punch  and hit the shaft  at  12 o'clock  3 o'clock 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock   the  divet will  displace just enough  steel to tighten  the pulley fit,  make sure that you grease the shaft good when you put it back, you may need to  remove it!  JEFFW

[osage outlaw]

The tires are good, they look brand new.  I relieve the tension when I am done using it.  The guy that I bought it from did the same thing so there aren't any flat spots.  When I spin the bottom tire, it is fine, no wobble at all.  But when I look at the pulley on the back side, it has a wobble to it.  No matter what I do, it still wobbles.  I might try a larger key and file it down.  When I replaced the 3/16" key, it slides right in.  I really like this saw too.  I like the large table on it.   Thanks everyone for the advice.

[Keenan]

You have a few other options as well.  Drill out to an over size and bush the hub if you have enough material left on the hub. Then drill and set screw or pin. If you don't have a good drill press that can do it acurately, then check with a local machine shop. they would probably bre and bush it for fairly cheap.
 If you want to try a cheaper method then get some thin sheet metal and cut a few small slivers, sand them down and tap into place to correct the wobble. Hope that helps.

[ErictheViking]

alot of well stocked auto parts stores( especially ones with a machine shop) will have tapered shim stock used to build up the mains on engines that have too much play. comes in .001-.003.