Would Roller Guides Noticeably Improve Bandsaw Performance?

[Mike Henderson]

I have the same kind of guides as you have. One problem I had with narrow blades is that the blade would go too far "into" the guides. I was having the same problem with the guides "closing". What was happening was that the "set" of the blade teeth was being removed from friction with the guides on the side. Once the set was removed, the cut would burn because there was not enough clearance between the kerf and the blade.

That ruined the blade and I had to replace it. Now, I make sure that a narrow blade cannot be pushed into the side guides to the point where the teeth are behind the front of the guide.

Mike

[John TenEyck]

My opinion is the flutter test is useless. Why? Because it's some combination of blade tension and a whole bunch of other factors including the unsupported distance between the wheels. So a 14" and an 18" saw running identical blades (except for length) will flutter at different tensions even though they should be run at the same tension. The only way to know whether or not you have an appropriate amount of tension is to measure it. Once you do that you will know the correlation between the spring setting on your saw and blade tension and can use that in the future to apply something close to the correct tension. From there you can adjust tension up/down for best performance.

Julie, running a 3/16" blade at the 5/8" setting is likely a recipe for early blade failure. The other possibility is your spring is shot.

John

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the same kind of guides as you have. One problem I had with narrow blades is that the blade would go too far "into" the guides. I was having the same problem with the guides "closing". What was happening was that the "set" of the blade teeth was being removed from friction with the guides on the side. Once the set was removed, the cut would burn because there was not enough clearance between the kerf and the blade.

That ruined the blade and I had to replace it. Now, I make sure that a narrow blade cannot be pushed into the side guides to the point where the teeth are behind the front of the guide.

Mike

That's really good advice, Mike. I have to remember that.

[Julie Moriarty]

What I had been doing, Mike, was lining up the gullet just clear of the side guides, and then pushing the thrust bearing into the back of the blade to make sure the teeth remained clear. I had accidentally combined two different setup applications from my recollection of the Snodgrass video, resawing and scroll cutting. It wasn't until I went back to watch the video again that I realized my mistake. Now I have the thrust bearing about 1/16" back and take a block of wood and push the blade into the bearing to make sure it stays clear. But if the blade bent to one side, as it can when feeding too fast, maybe the teeth could contact the guide.

I'm pretty sure the reason the side guides closed on the blade had to do with my inability to sufficiently tighten the guides. I don't know if it's loss of hand strength through retirement and aging, or the wear and tear factor on the bandsaw, but the new method I've come up with seems to be working. But I haven't had time to give it a real test. We've been working to get the house ready to put on the market.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a bandsaw mill, as well as a MM16, and running the mill has been very instructive about band blades. A mill blade only runs for an hour or two before it needs sharpening, and flatness of the blade, set and sharpness are all very important as far as cutting go. I run into a blade occasionally that will dive or raise during the cut, and has to be changed. Also, if you hit a tiny bit of dirt your blade is done.