A source for Ceramic disks for bandsaw guides

[Derek Cohen]

I have a Hammer N4400 bandsaw. This uses steel European guides. Felder do sell a replacement set of ceramic guides, but they are very big $$$ in Oz. Ceramic guides would reduce heat and be capable of being set closer to the blade for reduced movement/better stability.

It occurred to me that it would be possible to simply epoxy ceramic disks over the face of the steel bearings to achieve the same result. I am struggling to find parts that can be used. 

Ideally, the disks need to have a diameter of 35mm and be around 1-2mm thick. The reason for this thickness is that there is not a lot of depth available at the sides. If this is not thick enough to minimise heat, please comment.

Here are pictures of the guides to illustrate. Note that there are two sets of guides, one above and one below the table ...





Any idea whether such disks can be purchased in small quantities? (I only need 6).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[mad_planter]

I have a Hammer N4400 bandsaw. This uses steel European guides. Felder do sell a replacement set of ceramic guides, but they are very big $$$ in Oz. Ceramic guides would reduce heat and be capable of being set closer to the blade for reduced movement/better stability.

It occurred to me that it would be possible to simply epoxy ceramic disks over the face of the steel bearings to achieve the same result. I am struggling to find parts that can be used. 

Ideally, the disks need to have a diameter of 35mm and be around 1-2mm thick. The reason for this thickness is that there is not a lot of depth available at the sides. If this is not thick enough to minimise heat, please comment.

Here are pictures of the guides to illustrate. Note that there are two sets of guides, one above and one below the table ...





Any idea whether such disks can be purchased in small quantities? (I only need 6).

Regards from Perth

Derek

what about ceramic beads from jewelry making?  I believe some of them are disk shaped.

[MarkSingleton]

Maybe Ceramic Tile?

[jteneyck]

Derek, automotive ceramic water pump seals are the first thing that comes to my mind.  Many are made from silicon carbide, which has very good wear resistance and high thermal conductivity.  They are rings, not solid disks, but that might not matter for your application.  

John

[barryvabeach]

Derek,  what about lignum vitae or some other dense oily wood? It would wear out faster than ceramic, but would be very inexpensive.  I switched out my ball bearing guides to lignum, and I am surprised how well they hold up.

[Gary G™]

IPE ..............

[Phil Thien]

Derek,  what about lignum vitae or some other dense oily wood? It would wear out faster than ceramic, but would be very inexpensive.  I switched out my ball bearing guides to lignum, and I am surprised how well they hold up.

Maybe a piece of end-grain for the trust bearings, it would be interesting to see how that would wear.

[Phil Thien]

They make casting ceramics, McMaster sells the stuff:

https://www.mcmaster.com/ceramics

You can probably find much less expensive sources.  You might be able to even make your own by mixing sharpening abrasive with a high temperature adhesive.

Then make a mold from a plastic cutting board.

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks John. I've looked into the water seals and ordered a few to explore their use.

Barry, thanks as well. I began looking at ceramic. It may not pan out (heh), but I will stick with this hunt first.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[bandsaw]

Perhaps a diamond hole saw to cut a disc out of a suitable material - watched a flooring guy cut inside corners in ceramic tiles. He would cut for about 30 seconds then dip the tool in a bowl of water to cool it. Went through a 1/4" tile in a couple of minutes.