Can I cut Cool Blocks?

[cgallery]

My bandsaw takes 3/16" SQUARE guides. The previous owner couldn't find Cool Blocks in that size (nor can I), so he used 3/16" ROUND guides. Works okay, but sometimes I would like a little bit more support. When using a 1/4" blade, the round profile of the guides means there is darn little guide in use.

Can I purchase 1/2" square guides and cut them with my brandsaw into quarters?

If so, any tips for cutting the material?

TIA,
Phil

[Tom Miller]

Somewhere out in the land of virtual woodworking I came across homemade guide blocks. They were either made out of a type of wood that had some lubricating qualities, or it was a porous wood, and then they were soaked in something. Or, it was just wood....

If I think of where I saw it, I'll let you know. In the meantime, you might consider googling the topic.

Regards,
Tom

[cgallery]

Somewhere out in the land of virtual woodworking I came across homemade guide blocks. They were either made out of a type of wood that had some lubricating qualities, or it was a porous wood, and then they were soaked in something. Or, it was just wood....

If I think of where I saw it, I'll let you know. In the meantime, you might consider googling the topic.

Regards,
Tom

Great minds think alike?

I had seen the same thing previously. Last night, I cut some Paela into 3/16" square strips and then cut those into 1" long pieces. Paela is a pretty hard wood (according to the fingernail test and what I've read online). I've seen postings from people that uses everything from ironwood (which is apparently pretty self-lubricating) to oak. Some users soak the oak in a small container of WD-40. I suppose teak would work well, as I've always read that it is hard to finish due to the fact that it is naturally oily. But it is pricey. But not as pricey as Cool Blocks.

Anyway, I chucked my Paela guids in my saw and actually pushed them lightly against the blade. I tried replacing just the top two first. My initial impressions were positive, so I replaced the bottom two, as well.

I had previously noticed that the round Cool Blocks that the previous user had installed shifted in use. Almost within minutes they would open-up and the blade would start to wander. This is very frustrating. I think a lot of it had to do with the rather small set screw contacting a round profile--just not being able to hold tight. However, it is possible that the cool blocks were just wearing REAL fast. I never measured their length to find out.

The set screws hold the square Paela blocks nice and tight. The set screws actually dig in a little. And when I examined their ends after cutting one tight radius after another, there were only very slight signs of wear--quite surprising. No burning or anything.

So I guess I'm going to stick w/ the Paela guides for now. After all, I already have over a dozen spares. I may or may not try dipping them in WD-40. Although I've read positive comments about the WD-40, I'm still thinking I don't want any on my tires or the wood I'm cutting.

Thanks for the confirmation, Tom.

[Ken Massingale]

Phil,
I've been making guide blocks from Oak and Maple for several years with no problems. You should be good with Paela, I guess it has to be harder than Red Oak. I have soaked mine in WD but I let them dry good before I use them. I have not seen any residue get into the tires or stock. I only soaked them 'cause I read that's what others do, I'm not sure it's necessary.
ken

[SARGE..g-47]

Looks as if Tom has steered you in the right direction, Phil. The wood blocks work find as replacements for cool blocks. The cool blocks are made of composite phenolic im-pregnated with graphite. They will last longer than the wood blocks, but you can make many wood blocks for the price of a set of "cool blocks". As with cool blocks, keep the face squared off or you will end up with the same effect as the round guides and that's not all the surface touching as they become un-even.

The use of wood blocks is not a primative art form. On the large Italian BS's that use Euro tri guides, the guide surfaces are just too large to clear the blade gullet when running under a 1/2" blade. In lieu of purchasing an additional set of smaller Carter guides or special cool block guides (ala Mini Max), most just use hard-wood dowels in those round shaft holes when switching to the 1/2" and under blades.

I would be leary of using WD-40. I am relatively sure it now contains a lubricant (originally it was a cleaner lubricant free). I'm just not sure what the lubricant is? Silicone based lubes are a no-no as it will penetrate the wood and cause finish problems. I would use cooking PAM as used on skillets. I spray my blades with it friction (old WW's trick to reduce friction from blade to stock, especially on under-powered machines). It doesn't contain anything that will contamidate the wood!

Regards...

[SARGE..g-47]

Opps.. while I was posting, Ken M. just erased my fears on the WD-40 with his post. Disregard my concern as given an okee-dookey by Ken. ha.. ha...

[gjat]

I'm pretty concerned with using wd-40.
I have a ton of this super heavy and hard mahogany they deck heavy equipment trailers with. It has no knots and a super tight grain. I was going to dilute linseed oil with mineral spirits and soak it in that to use for blacks. I was looking for better stability and was going to let the blocks extend past the teeth of the blade. I figured the first pressure would cut away the block near the teeth, but I would have the maximum support for the blade.

I'm not real experienced, does anyone see any flaws in this plan?

[Tom Miller]

Glad you got some good confirmation from others concerning the wooden blocks -- my "RAM" is getting more and more dynamic, if you know what I mean. Not to mention how it's becoming "write only", too.

gjat: I like the concept of enclosing the entire blade in the guide block. The problem I see with it is that you either have to tighten down the blocks before you start the saw, which could flatten the teeth, or you have to tighten down the blocks with the blade running (much like you cut a ZCTP on a TS), which seems like a bad idea for several reasons.

I think you can support quite a bit of the blade (90%?) without doing that, though.

Regards,
Tom