Retrofitting Jet 18” bandsaw with Laguna ceramic guides

[Clint Baxter]

I recently picked up the Laguna ceramic blade guides for my Jet JWBS-18QT-3. The kit did not come with any guidance on the installation, and the only installation guide on Laguna’s site only addresses ACM and Meber bandsaws.

Looking for any knowledge the Creek might have on such retrofit. I found one comment where an individual mentioned installing the ceramic guides on an 18” Jet, and having to drill and tap into the housing of the saw.

Does anyone have any installation instructions for this saw? And if not, has anyone done this retrofit and can confirm that I need to drill and tap the housing in order to install the lower guide assembly?

I did reach out to Laguna technical support and their initial response was to point me at the installation guide for the ACM/Meber saws. Am still doing some back and forth with them but wanted to check out the knowledge here as well. The bandsaw is in pieces while waiting on some guidance/confirmation on which direction to proceed.

Appreciate all assistance you Creekers might provide.

Clint

[Clint Baxter]

Did some back and forth with Laguna technical support and though they didn't have any specific guidance, (no official instruction). Ended up determining that the lower guide assembly mounts to a separate mounting plate that must be fastened to the saw housing. These parts including the fasteners for the mounting plate are provided in the retrofit kit.

In case anybody else can benefit from my experience, here is what I determined needed to be accomplished to mount the lower guide assembly.

Remove the bandsaw table, the factory lower guide assembly and the hinged blade blade guard that is mounted below the table. No portions of the factory lower guide assembly are to be reused.

When the factory lower blade guide is completely removed, there is an exposed flat ledge on which this mounting plate can be installed. I positioned the blade guide assembly on top of the mounting plate and then tried to align it, as closely as possible, with the upper guide which I'd previously installed on the saw. Once i had the plate in position, i then marked the holes where I needed to install the fasteners to hold the plate in place. The supplied bolts are 1/4-20 machine screws, so drill and tap accordingly for them. Secure the mounting plate to the saw and then attach the guide assembly to the mounting plate. Adjustment of the guides is per their instructions after that.

If anyone runs into issues doing one of these, feel free to PM me. I've had my bandsaw out of commission now for a couple weeks trying to resolve this, but look forward to putting it through it's paces with the new ceramic guides.

Clint

[Geoff Crimmins]

The earlier Jet JWBS-18 had lower guides that attached to a flat plate that attached to the frame of the saw with large machine screws/bolts. I bet the Laguna guides were designed to fit that saw, and that's why it took some extra work to fit your newer saw. Just a guess, though. In any case, thank you for sharing the information on how to attach them to your saw.

[Clint Baxter]

That’s interesting to know. Makes sense when you learn their was a different mount on the earlier version. I think I’ll pass that on to Laguna customer support. Maybe they can add to their knowledge database.

Clint

[lowell holmes]

I have roller guides on my 14" Jet. Are ceramic guides any better? I'm just curious.

[Nick Decker]

Lowell, I think the answer to your question depends on your saw, and how it holds the guides in place. Recently, in cooperation with Space Age Ceramics, I tried to switch the roller guides on my 14" Rikon over to ceramic blocks. The ceramic guides work well, but I don't care much for the way they're mounted. Not the fault of the ceramics, just that Rikon designed the saw for rollers, not blocks.

The ceramics, on my saw, are quieter and seem smoother. They will, depending on the carbon content of the blade, throw a few sparks occasionally.

My opinion, if you're happy with your roller bearings, leave 'em be.

[Clint Baxter]

I just finished putting back together my Jet 18” bandsaw and wanted to note one other item required for the retrofit.

The blade guard that that moves with the upper blade guide cannot be reinstalled without modification after the Laguna ceramic guide has been installed. A notch must be cut out of the blade guard, near the mounting holes, to allow reinstallation. I cut out a section about 1/2” high and 3/4} wide.

Everythings back together and and working great.

The new guide assembly allows a slight increase in depth of cut, about 1/4 to 3/8 inch. It, however, does not go all the way down to the table, stopping about 1/2” shy. The gap is small enough that I don’t worry about the minimal amount of exposed blade.

Clint

[Geoff Crimmins]

377234Here is a photo of the stock lower guides on a JWBS-18 bandsaw so you can see what I'm talking about. Does it look like the Laguna guides were designed to replace these?

--Geoff

[Clint Baxter]

Looks like it may have installed directly in the existing holes.

The mounting plate for the guide assembly definitely mounted in that location.

I ended up drilling and tapping holes further back from the front edge, (right in your picture). There is a fair amount of adjustment on the Laguna guide assembly and I didn’t want the guides to be too far forward when using a narrow blade.

Clint