Bandsaw cool blocks

[Bill Mains]

Getting ready to install. Set right up to n touching blade or not touching blade. Been told both ways locally. Thanks. Bill in South Dakota

[Herb G]

Read the instructions on the back of the pack.
Seriously.

[Steve N]

I've always had good luck with using the crispest one dollar bill I could find as the spacer worked well for me. they are .0043 inches thick by most accounts.

Directions say to make them .003 to .005 on either side

[vernonator]

Read the instructions on the back of the pack.
Seriously.

That's just CRAZY talk. Why do that when you can ask random strangers on the internet?

[Bill Mains]

Read directions. Have heard both ways around town. Yes I read directions.

[Admiral]

I've always had good luck with using the crispest one dollar bill I could find as the spacer worked well for me. they are .0043 inches thick by most accounts.

Directions say to make them .003 to .005 on either side

+1.  A dollar bill sits on the shelf next to my BS blades, just for this^^^^^^^

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I use bandrollers on my saw and set them using the dollar bill trick. I can hear them spin up when the blade deflects. It usually means that I am feeding with a heavy hand. As for cool blocks, I think either way works--dollar bill or "kiss" close. They are self correcting anyway. If you set them too close, the blade will polish them and reduce them to the correct size.

[Huxleywood]

Cool Blocks were really designed for use with narrow blades and the "magic" of Cool Blocks is there ability to be set in contact with the blade, this is per the inventor Mark Duginski and he notes this in all the editions of his book.  

Properly dressed steel blocks have advantages with wider blades and can be replaced with ceramic from Space Age if you prefer not to have to dress the steel blocks.  

On a block guide saw I would run Cool Blocks on blades more narrow than 1/4" and for 1/4" and wider I would run ceramic.  In both cases I would run the blocks just touching the blade, there is no need to back either one off the blade.  The biggest caveat for the ceramic blades is to make sure the thrust bearing and side guides are set properly to prevent the ceramic from contacting the teeth, the same as you would for a steel block.

[MichaelMouse]

You been looking in my shop, Hux?  Wet wood workers like turners appreciate ceramics the most. 

As to cool blocks, blades <1/4 are likely to twist and wander, so contact is the answer.  Me?  I use oiled maple, and capture the blade.

[Steve N]

+1.  A dollar bill sits on the shelf next to my BS blades, just for this^^^^^^^

You must have a better class of citizen coming into your shop than I do. That dollar would go poof within a week