Richard Bell CA
08-03-2009, 9:49 PM
The following is a description of a bandsaw blade guide modification I alluded to in another thread. James Baker SD requested some additional details, so I will attempt to describe it. Hopefully this is not too confusing. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1187479#poststop
In 2001 I purchased a Laguna LT18 bandsaw (18" Italian made steel frame). At that time, Laguna was offering their ceramic guides as a $40 upgrade from the european style ball bearing guides. I have been happy with the ceramic guides, although the saw was limited to 12" nominal resaw capacity (11 3/4" actual). This was frequently a limitation for me, so I decided to rebuild the blade guides. The first photo shows a side view of the original configuration of the upper guide.
124512
The second photo shows the finished upper guide, which resulted in a new resaw capacity of 15 1/4" - an improvement of 3 1/2".
124513
The modified guide consists of three machined aluminum pieces. The first is a square block bored to fit the shaft, with drilled and tapped holes to accept the remaining parts. Second, an L shaped bracket was fabricated to hold both the side guides (the blue pieces in the lower left) and the thrust pad. This bracket is attached to the square block from the bottom using capscrews. The third piece is an arm, attached to the square block, to support the yellow blade guard, which was cut to remove the lower stepped portion seen in the original configuration. New holes were drilled in the guard to allow bolting to the new bracket. In this photo you can also see where the flat on the vertical round shaft has been extended to allow greater vertical travel.
124514
The next photo shows the bottom side of the guide. The two capscrews holding the L shaped bracket in place ride in slots to allow front to back adjustment. The thrust pad is a ceramic disc bonded to the end of a round shaft (OEM), inserted in a hole immediately behind the blade. A pocket has been machined in the bottom of the L shaped bracket to allow adjustment of the thrust pad, which is locked in position with a setscrew from the bottom.
124515
The final photo shows the back side of the guide. Note that there is a square key machined in the blocks to maintain alignment. Immediately above the key is the setscrew that holds the assembly on the vertical shaft. Also note that the right side of the block has been tapered to fit the steel frame of the saw.
124516
The lower guide is a simpler configuration, consisting of a new longer block to hold the guides and the thrust pad. This modification brought the lower guides approximately 3" closer to the bottom of the table, so the unsupported blade length at maximum height is approximately the same as the original configuration. The side to side adjustment for both guides is provided by the mounting slots incorporated in the original guide blocks.
I have been using this new configuration for several months, and I am pleased with it.
James, hope this helps for your modification.
Richard
In 2001 I purchased a Laguna LT18 bandsaw (18" Italian made steel frame). At that time, Laguna was offering their ceramic guides as a $40 upgrade from the european style ball bearing guides. I have been happy with the ceramic guides, although the saw was limited to 12" nominal resaw capacity (11 3/4" actual). This was frequently a limitation for me, so I decided to rebuild the blade guides. The first photo shows a side view of the original configuration of the upper guide.
124512
The second photo shows the finished upper guide, which resulted in a new resaw capacity of 15 1/4" - an improvement of 3 1/2".
124513
The modified guide consists of three machined aluminum pieces. The first is a square block bored to fit the shaft, with drilled and tapped holes to accept the remaining parts. Second, an L shaped bracket was fabricated to hold both the side guides (the blue pieces in the lower left) and the thrust pad. This bracket is attached to the square block from the bottom using capscrews. The third piece is an arm, attached to the square block, to support the yellow blade guard, which was cut to remove the lower stepped portion seen in the original configuration. New holes were drilled in the guard to allow bolting to the new bracket. In this photo you can also see where the flat on the vertical round shaft has been extended to allow greater vertical travel.
124514
The next photo shows the bottom side of the guide. The two capscrews holding the L shaped bracket in place ride in slots to allow front to back adjustment. The thrust pad is a ceramic disc bonded to the end of a round shaft (OEM), inserted in a hole immediately behind the blade. A pocket has been machined in the bottom of the L shaped bracket to allow adjustment of the thrust pad, which is locked in position with a setscrew from the bottom.
124515
The final photo shows the back side of the guide. Note that there is a square key machined in the blocks to maintain alignment. Immediately above the key is the setscrew that holds the assembly on the vertical shaft. Also note that the right side of the block has been tapered to fit the steel frame of the saw.
124516
The lower guide is a simpler configuration, consisting of a new longer block to hold the guides and the thrust pad. This modification brought the lower guides approximately 3" closer to the bottom of the table, so the unsupported blade length at maximum height is approximately the same as the original configuration. The side to side adjustment for both guides is provided by the mounting slots incorporated in the original guide blocks.
I have been using this new configuration for several months, and I am pleased with it.
James, hope this helps for your modification.
Richard