Patent ID: 7905024

Claim:
A method for providing a drive wheel for centerless drive of an annular saw blade of a cutting machine, said method comprising: providing first and second annular elements, each of said annular elements having a first, beveled side surface located radially outward from a second side surface, said second side surfaces of the first annular element and the second annular element being in contact with one another and said first beveled side surfaces of the first annular element and the second annular element together defining a wedge-shaped drive groove for an inner edge of an annular saw blade to be driven by the drive wheel, said first and second annular elements being formed of a highly wear-resistant material selected from the group consisting of sintered carbide, ceramic material, and cold-forged steel; wherein said first beveled surfaces are coated with a wear resistant material; providing third and fourth annular elements configured to inwardly compress upon said first and second annular elements; providing an anti-relative-rotation member for preventing relative rotation between said first, second, third, and fourth annular elements; and assembling the drive wheel by interconnecting said first and second annular elements with the anti-relative rotation member and thereby preventing relative rotation between said first and second annular elements when driving an annular saw blade of a cutting machine with the assembled drive wheel.