Grizzly GO555X Resaw Problem Fixed

[Leo Vogel]

I have owned a Grizzly GO555X bandsaw for several years, but could never get it to resaw the way I wanted. I always wanted to get some cool blocks for it, but could never find them. I contacted Grizzly and got the following email immediately:

“We appreciate your interest in our products. We do not sell an upgrade kit to put cool blocks on the G0555X. However, a previous model bandsaw had cool blocks. The parts are still available, and fit the G0555X. Please see the table below.”

Quantity Item Number Description Price (each)
4 PTS002 Thumbscrew $1.00
2 P1019Z071 Guideblock Holder $5.25
4 P1012008 Guideblocks $1.00

I ordered the parts, and after a little filing on the holder, they fit perfectly. It appears they support the blade much better than the bearings.

I also ordered a Wood Slicer blade from Highland Woodworking and installed it. I read all the testimony about the blade and some cuts not even requiring planing or sanding. I thought, sure, I will have to see that.

Well, let me tell you, WOW. I could not believe the difference. The saw is much quieter, and has absolutely no blade drift. The cuts are almost as good as from my cabinet saw. They certainly will not require any planning, and little sanding. I have found the perfect blade for my saw.
If you are experiencing some problems, give this a try. Amazing.

[Neil Brooks]

Honestly, I'm not even sure I AM experiencing the same issues, on MY 555X, but ... am going to order those same parts, now.

Thanks very much !

[Howard Acheson]

I ordered my Grizzly GO555X with guide block holders for Cool Blocks. I already had Cool Blocks from a prior saw.

I find the Cool Blocks support the blade much better and improve resawing particularly. A big plus is they are much quieter.

[Neil Brooks]

Ordered !

Thanks again, Leo

[Dan Friedrichs]

I also love the Woodslicer, but I've heard that Iturra Design's BladeRunner is the same stock for less money. I think they're about $5 less than the WoodSlicer.

[Neil Brooks]

I also love the Woodslicer, but I've heard that Iturra Design's BladeRunner is the same stock for less money. I think they're about $5 less than the WoodSlicer.

My daily-use blade is a 1/2" 3TPI TimberWolf.

Using it, I have NO complaints about the saw's resaw performance.

Now ... that said ... does anybody have experience with using THAT blade AND either the Wood Slicer OR the BladeRunner ?

Will me switching .... make the resaw THAT much better (ie, big feed rate improvement or much cleaner cut)?

TIA,
Neil

[Van Huskey]

My daily-use blade is a 1/2" 3TPI TimberWolf.

Using it, I have NO complaints about the saw's resaw performance.

Now ... that said ... does anybody have experience with using THAT blade AND either the Wood Slicer OR the BladeRunner ?

Will me switching .... make the resaw THAT much better (ie, big feed rate improvement or much cleaner cut)?

TIA,
Neil

In very general terms the Kerfmaster/Bladerunner/Woodslicer will start out sharper and dull a little quicker, though the silicon steel blade will also dull much faster than even carbon blades. The VP of the Woodslicer type blades will help with harmonics when doing tall resaws. The bottom line these types of blades allow saws incapable of tensioning a wider blade do a solid job on tall resaws but with a short life, they are also useful if you need to reduce waste for a certain piece of expensive wood. More info on both these types of blades can be found in this thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...hlight=bandsaw

[Neil Brooks]

TYVM, Van.

I actually bookmarked that (great) page of yours, but ... didn't think to turn to it, in this case.

I'll be printing it out, and mulling it over.

Thanks again!

[Leo Vogel]

Neil Brooks - the 1/2" 3TPI TimberWolf blade is the exact same blade that I replaced with the Wood Slicer. Although the TimberWolf is a good blade, I could not get it to resaw the way I wanted. I will say that I have used every bit of spring on my GO555X to tension the Wood Slicer blade. I am running the 105 inch blade.

[Leo Vogel]

Van Huskey - I don't know why you said you weren't a bandsaw blade expert. I just read your thread that you referenced and it is superb. The best article on bandsaw blades that I've read.

[Neil Brooks]

Thanks again, Leo.

Doesn't seem to be any reason NOT to upgrade the blade, at the same time.

As to torquing the tension spring to its limits, who has replaced the spring with a Carter (no, Van, I _still_ haven't read your article, but I did print it ), and with what results.

I'll do a site search on that one.

My (pretty knowledgeable) brother told me -- when I bought my G0555X -- "Great. Now go shop on the Carter website and make that think really sing !"

[Prashun Patel]

I have the G0555 and one of my biggest complaints has been the bearings and the loudness of the cuts. I would love to try the cool blocks. Do you know if these parts fit the G0555 too?

[Leo Vogel]

Prashun - I don't know for sure, but I would be surprised if the bearings and holder are not the same.

[Neil Brooks]

Update:

This MAY help Prashun....

The OEM bearing holders are secured to the saw via a "tab" that's:

• .589" high
• .316" wide

The replacements that use blocks, instead of bearings, are:

• .601" high
• .365" wide

So ... Prashun ... if your mounts are the same size as the ones I measured, you should be good. You might look at the parts diagrams of the G0555 and the G0555X, side by side, for further confirmation.

I received and installed the parts. At the same time, I also installed a Carter Ratchet Rod and Cobra Coil tensioning spring.

I never installed my riser block, but now will. So ... I simply went to the "Van Huskey's Band Saw Blades Primer," and followed his advice [thanks, Van !] on blade selection.

Pics:





Fun, fun, fun hot-rodding a band-saw

[Prashun Patel]

Neil-
Thanks. I actually ordered the parts last week. Should arrive tomorrow.

I never knew about the Carter Ratchet rod. Tell me your thoughts once you use it. I dislike my tensioning knob and have been looking for a crank style tensioning mechanism. There are cheap ones on Amazon, but I think I might just get the Carter...