Felder Band Saw - New Ceramic Guides

[Keith Outten]

I purchased the new Felder ceramic band saw guides for my FP610. Installation of the new guides went pretty smooth even though the instructions provided were only drawings, there were no written directions.

The guides installed perfectly and the fit is first class. The original guides were fine but I felt given the quality of the saw and the fact it is my last one it is prudent to do this upgrade. I also found the time to order a Lennox Trimaster saw blade that arrived Friday afternoon but I haven't installed it yet.

[Jamie Buxton]

Hmm! I hadn't been aware of those Felder guides. They look a great deal like the ceramic guides which Laguna has been selling for quite a while, but bigger. Do they reduce the resaw height, compared to the old Eurostyle guides?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Keith, I'm hosting a band saw seminar at Felder Ontario next Saturday and part of the seminar features the ceramic guides.

Glad you like them, they do work well........Rod.

[Mike Heaney]

Interesting- does anyone know if they can be made to fit a Hammer saw too?

mike

[Craig Behnke]

Interesting- does anyone know if they can be made to fit a Hammer saw too?

mike

Mike, i got a promotional email from Felder, I read it (but since deleted it) and I am 99.9% certain the promo info on the ceramic guides said they retrofit to the Hammer 4400 and 3800

[Keith Outten]

Hmm! I hadn't been aware of those Felder guides. They look a great deal like the ceramic guides which Laguna has been selling for quite a while, but bigger. Do they reduce the resaw height, compared to the old Eurostyle guides?

As far as I can tell the resaw height is not affected by the new guides, it looks like an even swap space wise. The adjustments are a bit easier the way the new knobs work. I hope to have the new bandsaw blade installed tomorrow morning so I can give the whole upgrade a good test.

[Keith Outten]

Interesting- does anyone know if they can be made to fit a Hammer saw too?

mike

Mike,

Here is the text from the email I received:

NEW X-LIFE ceramic guide
... extremely wear resistant and ensures maximum blade stability

Ceramic guides guarantee excellent cutting results and maximum blade stability with four guiding blocks positioned directly on the saw blade. With reduced friction and less heat generation, ceramic guides are practically wear resistant and enable an extremely long usable life and consistent cutting quality when compared to conventional roller guides.

Can be retrofitted to every Felder (FB 510, FB 610) and Hammer (N3800, N4400) bandsaw.
.

[John Coloccia]

So the guides are actually in contact with the blade? I look forward to reading the results of your first cuts.

[Keith Mathewson]

I hope your experiences are better than mine have been on a Laguna. The side guides aren't so bad, although they are a pain to setup but the rear guide which should be a thrust bearing is pure rubbish.

[Susumu Mori]

Hi Mike,

Here is the link;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt02_OuO1Dc

I also got the Felder ceramic guides recently.
The fit and finish of these guides are quite impressive. I have several glitches and need some part replacements, though.
I installed to my FB510. Oddly, with the 1-inch resawking, the upper guide interferes with the blade guard.
Keith's fourth pic shows he had no problem with FB610. Also, the compartment for the lower guide is so small in the FB510 and the horizontal adjustment of the thrust guide is very difficult to adjust.
Other than that, the cut quality is quite good. Maybe I can achieve the similar results with the original euro guides, but the set up is much easier. Just lightly pinch the blade with the ceramic. Then the blade has no place for wobble in all directions.
I think it's worth the upgrade.

[Susumu Mori]

Hi John (sorry Keith jacking your thread),

I have done only few resaws so far, but results have been quite smooth.
As I mentioned, I think I could achieve similar cut with the euro guides but set up is much easier.
In the beginning, I used a dollar bill but soon I stopped doing it and just lightly pinch the guides. So, the guides are actually touching the blade. I make sure not to have too much resistance, though.
Both the Hammer video I linked and the instruction of the ceramic guide indicate the guides can gently touch the blade.

[Mike Heaney]

Thanks Craig, Keith and Susumu- I will check them out

thanks

mike

[Silas Smith]

Two quick questions, I have the fb600 (you win by 10mm ��) but does anyone know if the guides are different? The other question is what they cost? I have access to the machine shop at work and I'm curious if I could make my own or if it would be worth it

[Susumu Mori]

Hi Silas,

It was $128 each (upper and lower sold separately).
Not sure about FB600.

[Mike Wilkins]

Ceramic is a great upgrade over the standard Euro guides. I made the switch for my Laguna LT 18 several years ago, and it was sweet. Probably why Laguna started putting them on all their bandsaws.
You will love using the saw after the upgrade.