Zero clearance insert for band saw table: material choice

[Dan Gaylin]

Hi folks,

I own a Jet JWBS-14SFX. Pretty happy with it, although the table insert has a big slot, so I decided to make a zero clearance replacement. There are no aftermarket ones available. I made a "good" one out of aluminum. By good I mean that it fits properly and seats well on the table. My question is whether aluminum is not the best material for a zero clearance insert and whether it might be better to make one out of HPDE or similar? I ask because I get a bit of a shrieking noise (not all that loud really) when the blade makes contact with the side of the plate. I don't mind the noise particularly, but wondering if this is hard on the blade. The edges of the slot are very smooth...

Thanks,

-dan

[Zachary Hoyt]

I use aluminum for throat plates for my 18" Jet, but they're not zero clearance. I didn't like the really wide slot in the factory insert, so I made mine about 1/8" wide, enough for the blade to only touch the sides if I do something wrong.

[Mark e Kessler]

Aluminum is fine for a bandsaw ZCI, how tight is it to the blade, maybe just open it up a little. I reversed engineered mine for the mm16 and 3d printed them in nylon with carbon fiber (the standard material for the Markforged printer), I find having a little room around the blade helps the dust collection quite a-bit and doesn’t cause too many issues.
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[Richard Coers]

The noise would drive me nuts. I'd either use a waxy exotic wood or UHMW.

[glenn bradley]

I have used HDPE and also pegboard/hardboard. If you use the solid plastic type spoil control can be an issue . . . ergo . . . pegboard ;-)

[Jeff Ramsey]

I just made inserts on my CNC for my Powermatic 141 from HDPE and it works well.

[Robert Hayward]

I use HDPE for mine. A true zero clearance stops almost all of swarf the from going down to the dust collection tubes. If doing a lot of cutting that requires a zci I rig up a temporary overhead dust collection hose.

[Bruce Page]

Aluminum will be fine. I would open up the slot a smidge to prevent any rubbing. I made one out of brass after blowing out the OEM insert on my MM16. I cut a little 45* bevel on the underside for clearance.

[Alan Lightstone]

Aluminum will be fine. I would open up the slot a smidge to prevent any rubbing. I made one out of brass after blowing out the OEM insert on my MM16. I cut a little 45* bevel on the underside for clearance.

That's a work of art, Bruce.

[Mark e Kessler]

Aluminum will be fine. I would open up the slot a smidge to prevent any rubbing. I made one out of brass after blowing out the OEM insert on my MM16. I cut a little 45* bevel on the underside for clearance.

Bruce,
Thats sharp, how do you level the insert, I ended up epoxying blocks in the corners of the openings so I didn’t need the legs like on the original. My opening isn’t perfectly square, I don’t even think it is machined so I had to tweak the insert on the edge sander here and there and taper it slightly. Makes it fit tight though so it doesn’t rattle around

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Alan :)
Mark, I machined the counter-bore into the BS table to an exact .250 depth to accept the .250 insert. No adjusting necessary.

[Dan Gaylin]

Thanks all. Very helpful. It doesn’t rub very often. Agree that widening it just a bit seems like a good idea especially considering the dust collection aspect

[John Kananis]

You can use the factory insert. Tape the top, flip it over and fill with either epoxy or bondo.

[Dan Gaylin]

That’s clever John. Didn’t think about that.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Rockler and others sell blank inserts to fit most 14" saws.

[Dan Gaylin]

Bruce the Rockler inserts and several others that say they fit most 14” saws, including Jet, do not fit the JWBS-14SFX. I believe they fit older Jet saws.