Setting bandsaw guides

[James Hart]

Recently purchased a Rikon bandsaw. The users manual says to set the bearing guides 1/32" from the blade on both sides.

Bought Mark Duginskes BandSaw book and he says the width of a dollar bill.

Quite a difference between the 2. Leaning toward the tighter setting but I'd appreciate some input from you folks.

Thanks,

Jim

[glenn bradley]

I'm no expert and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express lately but, I used a dollar bill or like thickness paper for quite awhile. With the eccentric knobs on the G0513X I'm now comfy doing it by "feel". I'm with you on tighter the better but as in all things, it depends.

For precision re-saw I want as little blade deviation as possible so I really take my time to get things pretty tight. For rough resaw I am more relaxed. For 1/4" or smaller blades doing curvy stuff I run relatively loose (like a fat 1/32").

[Michael Faurot]

Recently purchased a Rikon bandsaw. The users manual says to set the bearing guides 1/32" from the blade on both sides.

Bought Mark Duginskes BandSaw book and he says the width of a dollar bill.

Quite a difference between the 2. Leaning toward the tighter setting but I'd appreciate some input from you folks.


I don't bother with using any sort of feeler gauge at all. What I do is put tension on the blade, and then move a guide bearing in until I can see it just start to touch and deflect the blade. At that point I move it back, away from the blade. Repeat with the guide on the other side. Now I check the bearings by manually spinning the wheels. I look to see that the bearings are as close as they can be to the blade--without the bearings turning. If the bearings don't spin--I'm done. If one of them turns, then adjust and recheck by spinning the wheels.

I use the same procedure for the thurst bearings as well.

[Pete Bradley]

1/32 is a reasonable number for the space between the blade and the thrust bearing and I'm betting that's what they meant. You can probably go smaller. For guide blocks in the sides of the blade, you want about .004 total. I use a piece of cash register receipt paper on both sides of the band.

Pete