When purchasing a bandsaw there are many options to consider. In this article I will cover the wheels of the bandsaw. As we all know, the bandsaw blade runs on two wheels, an upper and lower wheel, that are powered by the motor. Although the lower wheel is fixed, the upper wheel adjusts to allow the blade to be positioned and aligned properly.

Ok, now for the good stuff.

The larger the wheel diameter, the longer the blade will last. The reason for this is as the blade gets turned around the wheels, it flexes around the circumference of the wheel. The smaller the wheel, the more the blade has to bend. When the bandsaw is running, the blade actually is turning a few hundred times per minute around the wheels. This creates alot of stress on the metal blade. Eventually, the metal gets brittle, and the blade will break. Bottom line, when purchasing a bandsaw, look for wheels that are at least 12 inches in diameter.

Another important factor about the bandsaw wheels is the material it is made from. Standard wheels are made of either aluminum or cast iron. (However, I've seen cheap ones made out of hardened plastic if you can imagine!) Cast iron is obviously better for its durability and also because of its weight. The lighter aluminum will not have as much momentum as the heavier cast iron wheel.

Lastly, concerning the wheels, in order to work properly, they must be aligned and in proper balance. Otherwise, misaligned wheels will create vibration in the blade as it turns. Ask the salesperson if the alignment was done using static or dynamic balancing. Without going into the mechanical physics, static blanacing is adequate, but dynamic balancing is better because means that it has been static balanced plus eit has gone on step further.

So, to summarize, if you want the best quality bandsaw, as far as the wheels are concerned, you are looking for:

1) A wheel diamter of at least 12 inches

2) Cast iron over aluminum

3) Dynamically balanced over statically balanced