Euro Guides

[Burt Alcantara]

Is there any reason NOT to use euro guides? I see a lot of posts where saws that come with euro guides are most often replaced with Carter guides.

I'm upgrading my G0555 and need guides as the current bearings are stuck and falling out of the guides. Making any kind of adjustment is futile as after the blade runs a few cycles the guides are already out of adjustment.

I like the idea of a euro guide because it gives more support to the blade and the blocks are easily replaced with oil soaked wood.

95% of my sawing is on logs. I've got a Timberwolf 1/2x3AS blade due any day. I'm still trying to find the best jig.

I'd like to hear all opinions on either side.

Thanks,
Burt

 

[Mark Mandell]

Bart,

My JET [18"] came with euro-style guides that JET replaced once for failed bearings. I was not a fan, and when the second set began to screech and seize up, I went for the Carters. BIG difference in the saw! The roller bearing are always in contact with the blade so it is much better controlled. The Carters' configuration also increased beam strength because the thrust bearings are in closer proximity that the Euro set's were. Lastly, even with full contact, the Carters are quieter.

BTW, that TW is my primary blade. The AS blade is more stable and cuts very smoothly.

mm

 

[rightuppercut]

I make my own from lignum vitae (sp). Works great and uses up the little scraps I don't want to throw away.

 

[Burt Alcantara]

What guides do you use? I need to buy a new assembly. Do you soak them in oil?

 

[john lucas]

I don't like roller bearings for green wood cutting. I get stuff stuck all over the outside of them and have to clean them off before I start dry wood projects that need accurate cutting. I prefer cool blocks or some other such fixed guide.
that may just be me but I've had both and now that I have the bearings I don't like them. With A properly tuned bandsaw and the right feed pressure the guides really aren't used.

 

[Ron Sardo]

I make my own from lignum vitae (sp). Works great and uses up the little scraps I don't want to throw away.

I do the same

 

[johnstun]

blade guides

Burt, I have the same saw that you do. I called Grizzley and got a set of cool blocks. That way there is no build up on the rollers or blade from cutting the green wood. The blocks and holders come from another saw tht Grizzley has. I got two of the uppaer holders and blocks for mine. They plugged right in.

Hope this helps,
Jim

 

[Bill Boehme]

The Euro guides are just fine, especially on larger bandsaws with wide blades. I bought a set of Carter roller guides for my MiniMax bandsaw because I thought that the Euro guides were not as precise at holding the blade position as they ought to be, but I immediately discovered that I had made a very bad decision. When cutting green wood, resin and wood chips get stuck to the blade and what is needed is something to scrape the blades clean. Unfortunately, the Carter guides are the worst thing to use for this particular situation because the bearings just roll the stuff down harder on the blade and make the blade run very rough through the guides. The stuff also builds up on the outside of the bearings making it necessary to clean them often if cutting green wood. It was a very expensive lesson. Also, adjusting the Carter guides on a larger saw such as the MiniMax is a very tedious affair. It is much simpler to do with the Euro guides or simply wooden guide blocks.

After many years of searching for the Holy Grail of bandsaw guides, I have concluded that the best solution is also the simplest and cheapest -- simple guide blocks of wood or Cool Blocks meet all the necessary requirements. If you use an oily tropical hardwood such as cocobolo or lignum vitae, it will meet your needs for most sizes of blades, which is good because I hate changing guide sets just because I am changing blade sizes. The wooden guides keep the blades wiped clean, you can run them very close to the blade and you can even have them set so that the teeth run inside the guides.

For the gentleman who had problems with the Euro guides wearing out, possibly this could have been due to having them running too close to the blade. With Euro guides, a bit more clearance is needed. That is the drawback of Euro guides -- they are good for wid blades, but cannot be used well with blades narrower than about 1/2 inch.

Bill

 

[webturner]

The side bearings that come on the 555 will lock up fairly quickly. Luckily, they are a standard low cost bearing that can easily be replaced. Search eBay for "608 bearing". They are a standard size used in roller skates. I recommend the double sealed type: '608-2RS ABEC-7'. They cost under 50 cents each if you buy 10 at a time.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Oops

Oh, you meant for GREEN WOOD? Sorry, I missed that. Since I don't cut green wood on my band saw, I should have stayed out of the discussion.

For green wood I use a chain saw.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Mark,

I would agree that for well seasoned thoroughly dried wood that the Carter guides are better than the Euro guides, especially if resawing. For narrow blades, I prefer fixed guides that use CoolBlocks or just plain hard wood. The problem that I have with ceramic guides is that I believe the guides should be softer than the steel and I do not believe that is the case for ceramic.

Bill

 

[MichaelMouse]

Ah, you'd love the ceramic. Unlike cool blocks, where the one side wears from the pressure of turning the blank against it, they stand firm. If you think about it, they're as frictionless as rollers, but impervious to gunk. You do have to make sure you keep the teeth ahead of the guides, and you want to be careful of the "cold" sparks from the thrust bearings which have ignited dry dust from spalted wood under my table insert on a couple of occasions.

For those who haven't tried 'em, they're worth the money. Still have a barely used set of phenolics on the shelf which I removed to try the ceramics about three years ago. They may never go back in.

 

[Hugh]

Michael
What is a "Cool spark"? I have ceramic guides and I like them also. I do get the sparks off the thrust bearing surface - and I do keep an eye on it. No smoke yet though. To me - a spark is a spark. Something has to get hot enough, small enough to become a "spark". Anything that gets that hot needs to be watched for getting the fine dust to combustion temperature. Same thing when using the grinder.

When I had my Delta 14" bandsaw - I tried the cool blocks and they were an improvement over the metal blocks that came with the saw. Then I found the ceramic guides and loved them. Then I bought a bandsaw (larger) that came with ceramic guides and do not use the Delta anymore.
Hugh

 

[MichaelMouse]

Michael
What is a "Cool spark"? I have ceramic guides and I like them also. I do get the sparks off the thrust bearing surface - and I do keep an eye on it. No smoke yet though. To me - a spark is a spark. Something has to get hot enough, small enough to become a "spark". Anything that gets that hot needs to be watched for getting the fine dust to combustion temperature. Same thing when using the grinder.

Quote from the packaging. I got a kick out of it, too. My thought was that the amount of material involved in producing the spark would be so small as to run out of fuel early in the process, but unless you clean up the back of your blades with a stone early on, there can be a bit of material vulnerable.

Delignified beech and birch dust is where I've had some smouldering. That nice soft white stuff that's almost like divinity.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Since I have never given the ceramic guides a shot, I'll accept the testimonials from you guys who have that they are very low friction. I had a mental image of something like unglazed steatite or the ceramic sharpening stones that are used with water.

One point, however, in defense of the graphite impregnitated phenolic guides (a.k.a. CoolBlocks) is that I have not encountered any tendency to wear when using them, and ... ahem ... one should not be side loading the guides ... always cut straight ahead and make turns that are within the width of the kerf ... yeah, I realize that most of us stretch the limits on the tightness of a turn.

Bill

ps - I do thoroughly work over a new blade with a stone before actually cutting any wood with it.

 

[robert davis]

i have been using white oak for ten years.keep blade lubricated which in turn lubricates the guides..atropical hardwood would probably be better.