Good, aftermarket bearings, such as the ones from Carter are very nice, as are a good brand of guide blocks, such as Cool Blocks or ceramic blocks. The blocks more so than bearings, but the blocks are cheaper than a good set of bearings. On the larger blades, the blocks tend to wear faster, and it is typically not an issue keeping the bearings away from the teeth.
On both saws the ceramic guides made the bandsaw perform better and they are much easier to set and reset when you change blades. 04-16-2017, 10:37 AM #4 If you’re cutting wet or resinous wood ceramic guides will help scrape sawdust off of the blade, while bearing guides will compress sawdust onto the blade. If you buy a saw with bearing guides and later decide you would rather have ceramic guides, you can replace the bearings with ceramic blocks. 04-16-2017, 12:08 PM #6 HI,. I don’t have any experience with ceramic guides, but have a question which may be of interest to the OP. I seems like as far as support to the blade to reduce twisting goes, that the ceramic guides would have a much wider contact area along the length of the blade than bearing guides would. The curved bearing guides length of contact on the side of the blade would be very small, compared to the flat surface of the ceramic guides. Aggravating – as that means readjusting guides…. It looks like there will be a set of ceramic guides in my future…. 04-17-2017, 9:06 AM #11 Solid guides can work very well. Not everyone likes Ceramic guides-the gentleman that I bought the Walker Turner 14 from had replaced it with a Laguna 14-12, and he really preferred the Carter style bearing guides.
Although Iturra does not recommend using its Band Rollers with blades less than 1⁄8 “, I tested mine with 1⁄8 “, 1⁄4 “, and 1⁄2 ” blades, cutting thick stock and making tight-radius cuts to force the blade against the bearings. These bearing guides showed no signs of wear, a big upgrade from my square-block graphite guides. When cutting arcs and circular shapes-and especially in resawing-the bearings proved much better than my old graphite guides at holding the blade perpendicular to the workpiece with no twisting or deflection.
Accura has always been among our top choices because they have been making these guides for a long time and in that time, they have mastered the craft of making guides. This model sports a premium build and has three bandsaw guide bearings. The main job of the guide is to ‘guide’ the blade so that it stays perpendicular.
My Tannewitz has hardened blocks, they work great, wondering if Cool Blocks are an improvement. There are other sources for the material than the official “Cool Blocks.” Even the Cool Block branded ones are likely under $25 when bought as a direct replacement for the hardened steel blocks your saw probably already has. 02-13-2014, 05:04 AM #8 Building a resaw power feed gizmo that will include a bottom guide, and I’m wondering if I should use Cool Blocks.
best bearings for bandsaw guides Related Question:
What are bandsaw guide blocks made of?
What is the Difference? Cool Blocks are made out of graphite impregnated phenolic resin laminate. Ceramic Guide Blocks are made of aluminum oxide powder that has been compressed into shape under tremendous pressure, then heated at over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
How high should the guide be on a band saw?
Make sure the wheels and blade are in good condition. Make sure the blade is positioned properly on the track. Adjust blade guard height to about 3 mm or 1/8 inch to 6mm or 1/4 inch above the top of the material being cut. Wider gaps will place tension on the blade and increase the risk of breaking.
What is a blade guide?
6Oct by Lori Balkus. Bandsaw blade guides keep the bandsaw blade on track while cutting through materials. Blade guides should be set above and below the saw table to help reduce vibration by holding the bandsaw blade in place while cutting. This assures a precise and quality cut.
How many teeth does a bandsaw blade have?
The general rule of thumb is: For wood and soft materials aim for 3 – 6 teeth in the workpiece. For metals and harder materials aim for 6 – 24 teeth in the workpiece.
How close do you set the side guides on the band saw?
The front of the side guides should be located about 1/16″ back from the deepest part of the blade gullets. You don’t want the side guides to contact the cutting teeth of the blade since the teeth flare out at a slight angle. This adjustment is made to both the top and bottom guides.
How tight should my bandsaw blade be?
The blade should deflect no more than 1/4 in. A good place to begin is to tension the blade until the meter reads proper tension for the next wider blade. For example, if you’re tensioning a 3/8-in. blade, I would set the scale to 1/2 in.
What is the number 1 safety rule of the band saw?
Safety Rules Safety glasses are required. Never clear small pieces while blade is moving. Never adjust saw or setup while saw is running. Never cross arms.
How much space should there be between a band saw blade and the upper guide blocks?
Do both the upper and lower guides making sure that they set as close to the same place on the blade as possible. Set the front of the blade guide about one-sixteenth of an inch from the deepest part of the blade gullets (the spaces between the teeth on the blade).
When using a horizontal band saw you should adjust the blade guide as close to the work as possible?
The upper guide and guard should be set as close to the work as possible, at least within 1/4 inch. If the band breaks, immediately shut off the power and stand clear until the machine has stopped. Examine blade before installing to see if it is cracked, do not install a cracked blade.
What is a skip tooth band saw blade?
Skip tooth blades have widely spaced teeth at a 0 degree rake angle to prevent clogging when cutting soft wood, non-ferrous metals and plastics. Hook tooth blades have a deeper gullet—that is, larger teeth—and a positive 10 degree rake angle. This helps the blade to feed into the material more aggressively.
What are the different types of circular saw blades?
Blade Types: Generally speaking there are four major categories of circular saw blades. They are: Rip Blades, Crosscut, Combination and Specialty blades. Ripping saw blades are designed primarily to achieve a smooth, clean and safe cut when ripping wood or cutting in the same direction as the wood grain.