why cool blocks on a bandsaw?

[Frank Fusco]

This question came up on another thread but was never answered. Usually, the questions have to do with fitting cool blocks. I don't understand the advantage/disadvantage of blocks vs. rollers on a bandsaw. Can someone explain?

[tod evans]

frank, cool blocks either purchased or homemade work great for burrying the blade. if you use 1/4" or smaller blades it`s nice to totally surround the blade for support...02 tod

[Eddie Darby]

Yes totally surrounding the small blades is a great advantage.

Also Cool Blocks are actually better at supporting the blade than supports that use bearings. I know that bearings look very impressive, but the blade touches the bearing only on a very very small area that is on a tangent to the bearing surface. That very very small area is also higher up from the work piece than it would be with a Cool Block, by the distance of the radius of the bearing. All this adds up to working against, rather than for what you are trying to achieve with supports, and that is support!

One company that I know, that sells bearing supports will also gladly sell you another separate support for small blades, so that the side set of the teeth on the small blades, used for clearance in the cut, are not crushed by the bearings.

I lubricate/soak my Cool Blocks for my 14" Delta bandsaw every so often with Pam kitchen spray, to help reduce any unnecessary friction.

[Aaron Beaver]

I was thinking bearings would have less friction on the blade and hence making them cooler. Maybe there is not as much friction using blocks as I am thinking.

[Steve Hayes]

What would you suggest to use to make your own blocks?

[Eddie Darby]

I would have to say that the primary role of any guide system is to guide the saw blade. No guide system would produce no heat. Once you have that support, then you attack heat as a secondary concern. I use one of those wax-like sticks on my bandsaw blades and my scrollsaw blades as well, to help reduce friction. Also works well on driving screws into wood!

I like the Cool Blocks on their own because they are slick, and with a little Pam spray they become "Cooler Cool Blocks". If the price for Cool Blocks was off the scale, then I would use Hard Maple blocks and see how well they work and also try Maple blocks with Pam spray. Spending $10 to $20 on Wax-like blade lubricant, and Cool Blocks in-order to get more life out of $200 worth of blades, seems though, like a pretty good investment to me.

[tod evans]

What would you suggest to use to make your own blocks?


lingum virte(sp)? ever-how you spell the greasy exotic that doesn`t glue well...or plain ol` hard maple........if ya` want to do it right buy oilite bushing material it`s available in square stock through most supply houses...02 tod

[Frank Fusco]

Somewhere, a long time ago, I did read about lignum vitae, hard maple, etc. being used in place of ceramic. Reasons given for blocks vs. rollers do make logical sense. I have a lot of hard, oily woods available, LV included, (pen blanks I'll never get around to using) that should work. I'll look into holders for my Grizzly G0555. Thanks, y'all.

[Russ Filtz]

Wouldn't UHMW plastic work well too? You can buy chunks of that fairly cheap. It's often used as bearing material in conveyors, etc. Abrasion resistant too.

[Tom Berninghausen]

Hi Frank,

To save wear and tear on the search button:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36340 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36340)


Tom

[Frank Fusco]

Hi Frank,

To save wear and tear on the search button:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36340 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36340)


Tom

Thanks. I did remember the portable outhouse. :D

[Ian Gillis]

Wouldn't UHMW plastic work well too? You can buy chunks of that fairly cheap. It's often used as bearing material in conveyors, etc. Abrasion resistant too.
I started a thread on that a few weeks back. I made them, tested them a bit and they were okay. Someone else reported melting on long resaw runs. I believe it could happen. They certainly work well for quick cuts.

Cheers

IG

[Blaine Harrison]

Wouldn't UHMW plastic work well too? You can buy chunks of that fairly cheap. It's often used as bearing material in conveyors, etc. Abrasion resistant too.

I think that UHMW would not work well. It doesn't wear well enough nor is it hard enough to provide lasting support. You need something hard, like the stock metal guides or the ceramic cool blocks. The UHMW is soft, will get scored, which will allow the blade to twist rather than hold it in place as is the purpose of the guide blocks.

Blaine

[Noah Katz]

"if you use 1/4" or smaller blades it`s nice to totally surround the blade for support"

How is that possible with the tooth set?

[Al Navas]

frank, cool blocks either purchased or homemade work great for burrying the blade. if you use 1/4" or smaller blades it`s nice to totally surround the blade for support...02 tod

Tod,

Cool blocks provide very little support after only a few minutes, especially if cutting tight curves.

On a 17-inch band saw I have no problems with blade support, even when resawing 4-inch wide boards with a 1/8-inch blade. The Carter stabilizer does wonders, and makes the band saw behave almost like a scroll saw on very tight curves. When using this stabilizer there is no need for lower blade guides.

When using a narrow blade, it is desirable to have the blade twist from side to side a little (but ONLY slightly!!!) - the stabilizer allows for this movement; in fact, if the blade has been tuned properly, you end up with a cut surface that has almost no blade marks:



----- Al




http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/Sandal_Woods/Shop%20Tools/Stabilizerand0.jpg

[Gary Keedwell]

"if you use 1/4" or smaller blades it`s nice to totally surround the blade for support"

How is that possible with the tooth set?
I'm assuming you put the blocks just behind the gullets.
Gary K.

[James Carmichael]

I'm assuming you put the blocks just behind the gullets.
Gary K.

That's pretty much the standard method of setting guide blocks and doesn't sound like "totally surrounding the blade" to me.

One disadvantage to cool blocks that hasn't been mentioned is the need to dress them as they wear.

[Pete Bradley]

Well you said "blocks vs. rollers" so I'll be the first in this thread to say for most tasks, steel blocks work great. They support very close to the work and wear very slowly. The claims of overheating that you'll find in some books are totally bogus.

To the person who asked about burying the band in a UHMW or cool block, you can actually set the blocks right against the back of the teeth and they'll eat into the block rapidly. This perhaps an advantage with very fine bands on big saws if you had difficulty getting the blocks and guide bearing adjusted.

Pete

[Rick Potter]

I made a jar full of blocks a few years ago, using both hard maple and teak. I haven't used the teak yet, because I haven't worn out the first set of maple blocks yet. When they get bad I simply take them out, square them up on a sander, and replace them.

About burying the blade...I completely bury my 3/16 and 1/4" blades, teeth and all. It has worked fine for me.

About the regular steel blocks...they are great, but after once having the rear bearing back out a bit because I didn't tighten it enough, I made the wooden ones. It took about 5 seconds to ruin a new Timberwolf blade with the steel blocks touching the teeth.

Rick Potter