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Thread: Bandsaw blade guide options biger bandsaw

  1. #1
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    Bandsaw blade guide options biger bandsaw

    Executive summary: Big bandsaw rebuild (not restoration) needing guides. I know about Carter and I am ignorant of other options.

    I have a 36" bandsaw project in (slow) motion. This weekend I took the blade guides off and cut through the grime. This saw had at least 2 lives before it came to me. Life 1 was at a lumber yard (or so the lore says). Life 2 was at a machine shop in a smaller town. In life 2 it got converted to cut metal (complete with a 3 speed transmission).

    The blade guides (wood blocks with a wheel in back) are horrible. The lower guides have been braised by way of repair (I will try and post pictures). The upper guide set looks that cylinder style you see on Northfield saws but everything has been sliced into with the back of a blade - and I don't think this cylinder ever rotated to support the back of the blade. I cannot fathom how many hours of work this saw did to destroy these guides in this manner.

    Who should I be considering for blade guides?:
    • I know about Carter Products - they do have a custom blade guide entry on their web site and a large number of different fixtures and parts. I have a set of the rollers for my Rockwell and I like them - but thumbscrews would be better than hex keys.
    • Who else should I look to?
    • If I had to I could probably made some guides I can fab-up small (simple) metal projects - I know how to use a file. Plus I have a bit of lignum vitae stashed away for something like this.


    Parameters of the saw and the project (for those who love detail):
    • 36" wheels (actually 35.62 to be exact).
    • 2" wide wheels
    • I don't really know what blade I will run yet - the only wood blade that came with the saw is 1 3/4" and is older than I am.
    • Yerkes and Finan brand (similar to Hall and Brown and a number of other cast iron G-frame saws that were made in the late 1800s and early 1900s).
    • I am NOT attempting an original restoration - this saw was heavily modified already to serve a metal shop. Preserving that modification would serve no historical purpose.
    • USE 1: I am thinking a lot of resawing (I can get thick slab-sawn boards from a local mill in quantity)
    • USE 2: I am also thinking some quartersawing - getting log quarters from the same local mill and breaking them down.
    • Metal cutting will not be supported any longer (I have access to a HEM saw for that anyway).
    • I have a smaller bandsaw (20" Rockwell) that I use for curves so this saw will be all about the slicing.
    • The transmission has come off. If do any speed modulation it will be done with electrons.
    • I am going to use some tricks I learned elsewhere to dampen vibration to see what works and what does not.
    • If get this thing running well enough I may finally cast off my pet table saw (14"/16" RT-40) that takes up too much of my shop.
    Last edited by Devon Prescott; 06-17-2019 at 11:09 AM. Reason: Open parenthesis needed closed.

  2. #2
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    Wright guides are my favorite, especially for large blades. Dave

  3. #3
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    YnF Misc 3.jpg
    Lower BG middle-top, Upper bottom after a good "English cleaning".
    (let me know if I am not doing the pictures correctly, please)
    YnF Lower BG.jpg
    Lower BG (note braise job)
    YnF Upper BG.jpg
    Upper BG those are greasy wood blocks on top (Note multiple repairs on the bracket -its as much bronze as steel at this point).

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Kumm View Post
    Wright guides are my favorite, especially for large blades. Dave
    David, That looks just like what I need! Thanks.

  5. #5
    I have an extra set of Carter guides and paddock guides.

  6. #6
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    Exeter, CA
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    I had to laugh when you said you had a smaller bandsaw for curves - 20" wow. I have an 18" for "big stuff" and straight cuts and a 10" for curves. Randy

  7. #7
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    I had a Delta 14" with a riser for many years and it was a great saw. This all started when I found that 36" in the back of a "room" with only part of a roof over it. I was not looking for it - but for about $200 the man loaded it on to my trailer. This started a chain reaction of bandsaw swapping that lead to me buying the 20" and letting the 14" go. I still miss it - I had upgraded the motor to a Baldor 2hp and that saw would cut whatever you could wrestle on the table.

  8. #8
    I would rather run a 36" saw for everything. that's why I have a few, different blades on each one.

  9. #9
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    Darn how about some pictures.
    I have a 30 inch Cresent and have seen a 36 inch and it is a lot bigger than mine. I retired my wheels. Made my guides and installed a 5hp, 3 phase motor with a VFD.5hp, 3 phase motor with a VFD. 5hp, 3 phase motor with a VFD. 070.jpg 024.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Brian Brightwell; 06-18-2019 at 12:04 PM.

  10. #10
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    Brian,

    Are your blocks made from wood, steel or sintered bronze? I can't tell form the pictures.

    My tires were held on with wire (its complicated and terrible) when i got the saw. I think the Shop who owned the saw ordered 36" tires and those wheels are not quite 36". Also, may be related to running a metal cutting blade like they did.

  11. #11
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    I used a phenolic material for my guides. They are holding up well. When I retired my wheels, it was a real bugger getting them on. I thought they sent me the wrong size. The saw came with a flat belt. I think belt slipped enough at startup to allow it to get up to speed. When I went to V belts I also had to go to a VFD. Did you notice my saw is a left handed. 007.jpg019.jpg030.jpg

  12. #12
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    No, I didn't spot the LH orientation at all. I never know when pictures might be flipped, etc.

    I have been considering making some guides up. David Charleworth made some brass ones (if you internet search "David Charlesworth precision bandsaw" you can see pictures) for his Brickford. I spent about 2 hours last night finding the slipperiest stuff in my shop. I have some AL Bronze, UHMW and some C2 Carbide blanks. The carbide squares are too small and I don't relish cutting that AL Bronze. I worry that the UHMW would melt at 270f. I have small amounts of lots of hard woods as well. I read into the small hours of the morning about coefficients of friction and short of raiding a lab in Iowa for some AlMgB14 (BAM!) I don't think I going to do any better than some bearing bronze (I would have to order this in the right size - probably 1" round bar). I also plan to stop by Wholesale Tool today at lunch and look for some AL Oxide "pucks" that are the right size for use as ceramic blocks.

    Here is what I have found out about pricing new guides (in late Spring 2019):


    • Wright guides Model 2 (Jasper parts): $347.00 for a set (Steel, not carbide)
    • Paddock guides Model 20: $450 per set (not sure about the contact material)
    • Carter guides Model NORTH36: $375 for a set


    All of the above might require some additional brackets, etc. This is all much more than I paid for the saw in question so I am taking a pause before striking. I'm planning on deciding this weekend to buy or build.

    Thank to all for the input!

  13. #13
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    The beauty of a 36" saw is you can tension so you don't really need guides for wide blades. I take mine off when I need the extra resaw height. If you are patient, you can find those large size guides on the used market. I'm not sure my steel pads even touch the blade on the big saw. They are useful on my Y20 with a 1/4" blade but irrelevant on my 1" Trimaster. Dave

  14. #14
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    Location
    Oklahoma
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    YnFTopGuide.jpg
    Here is a better shot of the top of my top guide holder. Note that V grove that the back of a blade has cut - I guess that is why old machinists tell you to always stone the back corners of your blade.

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