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Axehandle said:
Im not fan of cool blocks. They abrade too easily I think and then defeat the purpose of having a "guide" at all.
Reading this I was left wondering how much distance you have behind the blade, and in front of the back up bearing. Especially on smaller sized blades if you allow too much gap, your teeth will easily contact the guides. On metal it just wrecks your blade, on cool blocks it could be seen as fraying the block.
I had a BS with the same set of cool blocks on it for a bunch of years, and they didn't have this wear you speak of. Perhaps it may differ on different saws too, with blade guides differing somewhat?
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barryvabeach said:
Arlin, I have the Grizzly GO513x and replaced all the original bearing with ones from Accurate Bearings when the stock ones started to seize.Then decided I didn't like the bearing setup, so I converted to rectangular holders, and use scraps of lignum vitae. If you have access to a welder, or can braze, it is not too hard a conversion.
How does it differ then the G 0636x that I have?
Also do you have a link to Accurate Bearings?
Arlin
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It would help to know what saw you have, and the intended uses.
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Accuratebearing.com
Toll Free 800-323-6548 or 630-543-2100
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E-mail:
sales@accuratebearing.com Note that this company does most of its business in large orders, but they are very helpful to those of us who need only a few odd bearings to rejuvenate old machinery.
This post on the old woodworking machines bulletin board has instructions on how to be respectful of this very helpful company. It tells you what you need to know before you call.
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Steve N said:
[blockquote]Axehandle said:
Im not fan of cool blocks. They abrade too easily I think and then defeat the purpose of having a "guide" at all.
Reading this I was left wondering how much distance you have behind the blade, and in front of the back up bearing. Especially on smaller sized blades if you allow too much gap, your teeth will easily contact the guides. On metal it just wrecks your blade, on cool blocks it could be seen as fraying the block.
I had a BS with the same set of cool blocks on it for a bunch of years, and they didn't have this wear you speak of. Perhaps it may differ on different saws too, with blade guides differing somewhat?
[/blockquote]
Well, Maybe I am off here but unless I am scrolling, I don't want there to be any marks in my blocks from incidental contact with the set of the teeth. I set my blocks up pretty painstakingly every time I change anything. This is why I can get away with using the metal blocks all the time. If I get lines in them I lap them out until they are smooth again. When I did this with cool blocks they abraded too quickly for my taste. And I had to do it a lot. They just seem to need more attention. They establish play faster and need to be readjusted, lapped, and set more often. The get chewed up too if you happen to ever use one of those wood/metal bandsaws on metal. For sure.
I guess I am just being fussy but I am pleased with the results. I don't have any complaints from the band saws I have used. None have had roller guides either. I have heard both positive and negative on those. My main points are this though. For wide blades I wouldn't use them. For smaller blades that need full support into the teeth, they would be better but it would be more economical and just as good to use scrape wood. Ipe or Lignum vitae if you have some but really any hardwood will do.
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I have been using a set of Lignum Vitae blocks for a couple years now. No issues with them. They seem to be wearing less then the cool blocks they replaced.
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The way Cool Blocks should be used with scrolling or small blades is to surround the blade with the Cool Block. Re-flatten periodically.
Howie.........
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I use blocks made from Lignum Vitae on my 14".
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When I bought my Delta, it had steel..I replaced them with cool blocks...They wore out quickly, so I made a set of roller blocks using the ball bearings from router bits..They worked fine but were too small so I converted to Carter BB guides...problem solved.
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Timberwolf said:
When I bought my Delta, it had steel..I replaced them with cool blocks...They wore out quickly, so I made a set of roller blocks using the ball bearings from router bits..They worked fine but were too small so I converted to Carter BB guides...problem solved.
How in the world can cool blocks wear out so fast. They are not designed to rest against the blade. I have had a set on mine for a good 10 years now and I resaw alot with my bandsaw. I flatten on occassion and good to go.
John T.
