Powermatic 44 bandsaw - replace guide bearings?

[George Troy Hurlburt]

Thinking about replacing guide bearings with the Carter guides, they are $209.00 for this model. IS it worth it. Big reason here. The bearing & bolt vibrated loose and I can' find it in surrounding area. This is just one side.

[jack duren]

I've got the 44 and I wouldn't, but I use it for general use only. It may be different for you..

[Mike Cutler]

George

I have the Carter bearings on my Jet 14", and they are a big improvement over the OEM's. In your case though the design is essentially the same as what you currently have. I don't see $209.00 in improvement for your situation. Don't get me wrong, they're a quality product, and I love the set on my Jet.
The bearings are easy to source and the bolt is a shouldered metric bolt. If you can't find them they can certainly be replaced for less than the cost of a set of Carters

[Steve Rozmiarek]

My little experience with Carter guides left me seriously unimpressed. My Oliver saw had been retrofitted with a set of Carters by some previous owner. It's a 36" saw, so it takes a pretty serious guide. The Carter guides were cast aluminum, or pot metal or something. The castings are just plain pathetic. I'm sure they might have been adequate if everything was working right, but I want a little more on my saw. I ended up going with a NOS set of Tannewitz guides, which are the exact opposite of the carters. They are nuke proof.

This is all subjective, and the "rational" for my decision, however I wouldn't expect anyone else to do it like that. I did learn something during the process that is important though. There are a lot of guides out there. There's lots of overlap on mounting styles. Don't think that the only option that you have for your saw is Carter or stock. Figure out what you want, and then find a saw that used it. Oliver, Tannewitz, Jet, Grizz, whatever, and source the guides from them. You will probably save mega bucks over the overpriced (IMHO) carters. In your case though, I suspect that the Powermatic guide was pretty darn good, and new guides will do nothing except cost money.