Best replacement guides for Grizzly G0514X2 bandsaw?

[Michael Heffernan]

I 've had my G0514X2 for over two and a half years now and and have been very happy with it. I do a lot of resawing and it's time to replace the upper and lower stock guide bearings. The one thing I've not been keen on are the bearings. Difficult to adjust and they tend to gum up often. I've had to take them off more than a few times and clean them to get them rolling freely. I think that they're at the end of their life.
So the question to the bandsaw experts out there is; what is a good replacement setup for this saw? Euroguides, coolblocks, etc.? I'm thinking of moving away from the stock setup of bearings to something else. Or should I just replace the bearings? As I said, adjusting the bearings is cumbersome on this saw, as the lock bolts for each bearing tends to move the bearing as you lock it down, messing up the clearance between the blade and bearing.
Any suggestions and links to a better guide setup would be appreciated. Hopefully, there is an easy retrofit kit that doesn't take any mods to the saw; just take off the old and bolt in the new.
Thanks.

[Mike Wilkins]

Check with folks at Laguna Tools to see if one of their ceramic guide systems will fit. I know they sell replacement guides for other makes of bandsaw, so maybe they have one to fit the Griz. Good luck.

[Van Huskey]

The Laguna guides may just do the trick for you but they aren't cheap, but they are easy to adjust and don't gum up like bearings. Carter almost certainly makes guides but although they will be easier to adjust they will be bearing guides and bearings need to be replaced on a regular basis, nature of the beast. I don't know of any easy retrofit to solid block guides.

[Michael Heffernan]

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the Laguna and Carter guides.

[joe milana]

I replaced mine with higher quality bearings. Ordered them from VXB bearing I believe. Cheap, and they've lasted a long time.

[David Hawxhurst]

for resawing i don't really use the side guides much just the rear thrust one. i have euro guides but i will replace them with ceramic when they where out.

[Bruce Page]

Both Laguna ceramic and Carter bearing guides are well regarded. I have been pleased with the Carter guides I put on my MM last year.

[Michael Heffernan]

I saw these replacement steel guides for my saw from Grizzly. Any thoughts? Any better than the existing bearing guides?
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Metal-Guide-Set-for-G0513-G0514-Series/T21972

[Van Huskey]

I saw these replacement steel guides for my saw from Grizzly. Any thoughts? Any better than the existing bearing guides?
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Metal-Guide-Set-for-G0513-G0514-Series/T21972

Those are made in the European guide tradition BUT they are far more of a pain to adjust than the quality Euro guides. They would probably provide a little better control of the blade due to the wider surface area but would NOT be something I would spend money to change out. To make a major difference in the guides (again it will mainly be with adjustment not ease or quality of the cut) you really need to look at Laguna or Carter. With a proper resaw blade and proper tension on said blade the beam strength of the blade should be high enough that you aren't really using the guides much at all, even then only thr thrust guide. If the guides aren't too much of a pain to set just replace the bearings, get the bearings from a company like VXB or Accurate on the net or a local seller. They will be cheap and do a fine job. If your primary motivation is to make the guides easier to set look at the Laguna or Carter guides.

[John Coloccia]

I tried to replace the stock guides with Carters. Honestly, the stock guides on that particular saw are superior to what Carter has for that saw. I couldn't get the stabilizer to work with that saw either. The Grizzly guides are ridiculously easy to set, anyway. They're cammed and they move smoothly. I do wish I could get high quality Euro style guides for it, though. Grizzly on makes nice ones for their higher end saws, and this saw gets the cheap guides.

Michael: The reason the bearings move when you tighten them is that you over tightened them and there's a groove or dent worn in them now from the set screw twisting on the shaft. Just replace the little cams and replace the bearings. When you set the guides, snug them up by hand and then give a small twist with the wrench...just snug it up. At some point I'm going to toss a little metal pressure plate in there so it doesn't actually contact the screw anymore, or maybe I'll polish up the screw. You can even replace them with knurled bolts or pop one of those knurled plastic caps on them so you won't need a wrench at all.

In the mean time, because it's a cam you can do one of two things (because you've likely always used them with the bearings either in the "up" position or "down" position. Simply twist the cam and start using them in the opposite position, or if you're like me and just need to have them in the "down" position, pull them out and swap them left to right. They pull right out when you back out the set screw. You'll have a clean surface to play with. and it won't move.

[Phil Thien]

I like plain old guide blocks. Hardened steel is good. Personally, I use lignum vitae, but any oily exotic would be fine.

[Michael Heffernan]

John,
Thanks for the tips. I know that's the reason they move when tightening the set screw. I don't crank them too tight, but I suspect that the cam shaft steel is soft and is prone to indentations. I like the idea of putting a flat steel disc between the set screw and the shaft. (any idea where to get something this size?)
I have had good intentions to replace the allen socket head screws with knurl knobs, just haven't gotten around to it. Would definitely make it easier to set, especially the bottom rear guide. It's a little tight back there to get the allen wrench in. Not a big deal, just a little fiddly at times.
I'll try rotating the the cams to the downward position and be more gentle with tightening the screws.

As Van and Joe mentioned, I'll get some sealed VXB or Accurate bearings for now. For a few bucks, I'll try the bearing guides and see how it works with new bearings. Any idea what size bearing this saw uses? probably in the specs in the manual. I'll have to check.

If I still don't like it, I'll probably go with the Laguna guides, if the retrofit is available for this saw.

Thanks everyone for the good advise.



I tried to replace the stock guides with Carters. Honestly, the stock guides on that particular saw are superior to what Carter has for that saw. I couldn't get the stabilizer to work with that saw either. The Grizzly guides are ridiculously easy to set, anyway. They're cammed and they move smoothly. I do wish I could get high quality Euro style guides for it, though. Grizzly on makes nice ones for their higher end saws, and this saw gets the cheap guides.

Michael: The reason the bearings move when you tighten them is that you over tightened them and there's a groove or dent worn in them now from the set screw twisting on the shaft. Just replace the little cams and replace the bearings. When you set the guides, snug them up by hand and then give a small twist with the wrench...just snug it up. At some point I'm going to toss a little metal pressure plate in there so it doesn't actually contact the screw anymore, or maybe I'll polish up the screw. You can even replace them with knurled bolts or pop one of those knurled plastic caps on them so you won't need a wrench at all.

In the mean time, because it's a cam you can do one of two things (because you've likely always used them with the bearings either in the "up" position or "down" position. Simply twist the cam and start using them in the opposite position, or if you're like me and just need to have them in the "down" position, pull them out and swap them left to right. They pull right out when you back out the set screw. You'll have a clean surface to play with. and it won't move.

[John Coloccia]

fyi: on the left bottom guide, I never do anything other than hand tighten it and it's never come loose. That will give you an indication of how little force you need to lock them in place :)

[Van Huskey]

For sizing the bearings the current bearings should have the number right on the side, I guess they are a 6002RS but you need to check. You want sealed and not shielded for that application.

[John Coloccia]

The stock bearings are 6202zz (i.e. shielded both sides). I suspect they choose shielded over sealed because sealed will have higher friction.

Whatever you do, though, don't buy them from VXB. If you simply type in 6202zz, the first links that come up are VXB links, and they seem to get lots of positive reviews. I bought 10, and every single one is an absolute piece of junk. They're actually worse than the trashed ones I was replacing. Pitiful. For some reason, the bad review I left seems to have disappeared.

[Van Huskey]

The stock bearings are 6202zz (i.e. shielded both sides). I suspect they choose shielded over sealed because sealed will have higher friction.

Whatever you do, though, don't buy them from VXB. If you simply type in 6202zz, the first links that come up are VXB links, and they seem to get lots of positive reviews. I bought 10, and every single one is an absolute piece of junk. They're actually worse than the trashed ones I was replacing. Pitiful. For some reason, the bad review I left seems to have disappeared.

I have had good luck with VXB but it could vary widely lot by lot, that in and of itself is enough to look to a company like Accurate.

I always use sealed bearings on guides, it is true they offer a bit more friction over shielded but you don't need them to spin that freely and they will last longer in the dust heavy environment.

[John Coloccia]

Maybe it's just this model. It they felt like they came preloaded with sand in them! Maybe their sealed bearings are better.

[Michael Heffernan]

Van,
Any idea where you can buy Accurate bearings? I checked the VXB bearings on their site. Surprised to find that the sealed bearings 6202-2RS are over 7 bucks a piece (I'll need 6 bearings for the saw) and the shielded 6202-zz are under 2 bucks each. As John hasn't had a good experience with the VXB ones for this saw, I figured I'd try the Accurate ones.


I have had good luck with VXB but it could vary widely lot by lot, that in and of itself is enough to look to a company like Accurate.

I always use sealed bearings on guides, it is true they offer a bit more friction over shielded but you don't need them to spin that freely and they will last longer in the dust heavy environment.

[Mikail Khan]

6202 2RS should be available from any automove parts store. I paid about $3 ea.

MK

[Van Huskey]

First you can buy those bearings just about anywhere. The sealed ones are going to be more expensive but I feel like they are a better buy in the long run, I had been paying about $4 each for the ones I needed for my saws. $6 each should be for something like an SKF brand not a "generic" bearing...

Accurate is a seller of bearings not a brand, they are an excellent company to deal with, when you call make sure you know what you want, they are very good about dealing with hobbyists especially with unusual and bizarre bearings and we want to keep their time on the phone to a minimum when dealing with our very low volume orders.

http://www.accuratebearing.com/

As you may have guessed the bearings aren't really ruined they just have sawdust packed up in them, you can try this http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?184990-New-video-at-youtube-Bearing-rehab&highlight=bearing to extend the life. Without repacking them with grease they won't last as long as they initially did but sometimes you can get decent life back out of them. I have soaked them before but never thought of Hank's trick, it may be worth a try on such a low speed, low load application.

[Michael Broz]

Hi all. My first post here. Just picked up a G0514X2 off of CL this past weekend and am in the process of setting it up. First up is new guide bearings. The info in this thread (among others) has been helpful so I thought I would add a little more info I have found.

Here is a link to the Grizzly page that shows all part numbers for the G0514X2:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0514X2/parts

From that you will see there are 2 sizes of bearings:
- 6202 (2 left and 2 right bearings for upper and lower, plus 1 for the upper thrust bearing - 9 of them total I believe)
- 6000 (lower thrust bearing - 1 of them)
As mentioned above the stock bearings are shielded (eg. 6202 ZZ) but the recommendation is to get sealed (eg. 6202 2RS)

Also note VBX has the double rubber sealed 6202 for $2.37 each (http://www.vxb.com/6202-2RS-Bearing-15x35x11-Sealed-p/Kit21475.htm?gclid=CIiV7qzQ19ECFYRnfgoduKALeQ)

Note: if I have violated rules by posting URLs, I apologize for that. I can see how the VBX link might be considered an advertisement but that is not my intent. I ordered from them and will report back my impressions of the bearings once I get them installed.

[Michael Broz]

FWIW: the bearings fit great and I am happy with them. Much better than the old ones in that they actually spin :-) and are double sealed so hopefully they will last a long time. Even when I get them adjusted a little too close to the blade for the wood I'm pushing through (and they spin a lot) they do not heat up or impact the saw as far as I can tell.

[glenn bradley]

Great to hear. I bought a tube of each when I got my saw. I think I have swapped the whole set twice in many years. Cheap and easy to swap. Like supplied blades, the supplied bearings work but, not real well.

[lee cox]

If you don't like the guides why not sell the saw and buy one with the guides you like?