Blades guides for a vintage Craftsman 12” bandsaw
#12
(01-21-2020, 11:39 PM)stoppy Wrote: I’m not interested in spending a $180 for Carter guides. I bought the saw new in the 70’s. What other options are there to upgrade blade guides? Ceramic? Other options? It has new urethane tires, a linkbelt. It needs new guides though. It has a new 1/8” blade also. I have a 17 in Grizzly for heavy lifting. Want to make some band saw boxes and toys with lots of curves a 1/2 “ blade on the Grizzly can’t do.

The $180 carter guides do not sound like the best choice if you want to cut a lot of curves.  The carter "stabilizer" at about $ 80  is designed for tight curves and narrower blades.  


The stabilizer eliminates the need for the OEM guides on your saw.
Setup is totally different than the normal upper and lower guides found on saws. Setup is also simpler and faster.
The cost seems really high for what little you get, but it works well for cutting curves.  If Peachtree has a site wide sale you might be able to save a couple bucks 

The only downside is that the stabilizer doesn't work as well for straight cuts like resawing. This is a moot point as you have the 17" griz.   

When I rehabbed a delta homecraft 10" bandsaw I put a stabilizer on it, that has never come off.  
For straight cuts, I use a 3/8" or 1/2", 3 to 4 tooth per inch blade on a 14" rikon.
My .02
Karl




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