Bandsaw Guide Upgrade Kit

[WoodyWood19]

Anyone kind enough to enlighten as to why (or why not) I should be getting an band saw guide upgrade kit for Laguna 14|12.

Current guides are all messed up and budget is kind of tight. As a newbie woodworker, my shop is my haven, and I can't do anything with a busted guides.

Do you think it'll be a worthy investment?

[LCHIEN]

Lagunas are supposed to be nice bandsaws, by reputation.

If the guides are messed up you have a choice of replacing with OEM parts or installing upgraded kits that replace them with better guides, bearings, whatever.

I'm not familiar with what comes on that model saw but upgrades are usually an improvement and OEM parts from the maker are generally not cheap. I'd surely consider going with upgrades and for not a whole lot of money get a working quality bandsaw.

[leehljp]

I don't have a Laguna, only a Grizzly 14", one model up from the lowest. For that, I did get an upgrade and it sure helped.

If yours are busted, anything new would work. I am not sure what an upgrade is for the Laguna, but in general in the bandsaw world, particularly "Carter" upgrades guides are worth it - from everyone that has cared to comment on them that I have read.

[dbhost]

Laguna is a brand typically well above my price range. However if that saw was fitted with guide blocks instead of roller bearings, in my experience with my Central machinery 14" (told you Laguna is too rich for my blood) it really helped out that old saw, even when it was new... A fair warning though on budget. The bearing guide upgrades now cost more than I paid for my Central Machinery 14" bandsaw I guess 15 years ago now... Inflation and all. I did mine with Accura roller bearing guide kit and that came in at $129.00 at the time. Not sure if Accura does a kit for Laguna though, but this one has been spot on for me.

[JamesDean19]

Where do you think is the best place to get a replacement for it?

[leehljp]

I would google upgrade guides for your bandsaw and choose the ones you settled on, then google again for the best prices. I do this often and am surprised at the places of lesser prices.

[WoodyWood19]

I got a decent one from Sawblade.com for around $200+ which is actually really good. Just got back in the shop by the way.

[dbhost]

Hopefully they work out well for you. Let us know.

[capncarl]

I have a several yr old Rikon 14” with bearing guides. I prefer bearing guides over guide blocks because of the ease of readjustment when changing blade sizes. My saw came with “Patented Toolless” guide adjustment. What a bunch of malarkey. It might work for someone with hands that haven’t been beaten up by years of whacking your knuckles on everything you ever worked on and trying to remove jar lids that are self welded to the jar. First thing I did, since it is a band saw, is cut a slot in a short piece of mop handle that just fits the tiny little tab on the toolless nut so I have a tool! Several weeks later I started looking for a source of bearings. Apparently they install the cheapest bearing available and it fills up with dust and starts howling. I found some 2RS bearings that last substantially longer for $5. When they start howling I replace them…. Remember, it’s “Toolless” so it only takes a minute with my mop handle tool, and drop them in a jar full of motor oil. The ones I soak in oil last longer than the new bearings before they start howling.

Someone is going to say that they shouldn’t Howl if properly adjusted! That’s probably correct, but it doesn’t hold true for someone cutting contours on a 16” long piece of cherry firewood.
capncarl

[mpc]

capncarl - I too have a Rikon 14" bandsaw that pre-dates the toolless guide bearing system... I was one of the first to get the upgrade kit offered by Rikon - actually I emailed them before the kit existed after seeing the new guides on the updated version of my bandsaw in my local Woodcraft asking "will you offer an upgrade kit?" - and when it was available I grabbed one. Like you, I've experienced howling and even jammed bearings as they are not very well sealed. Cramming a 2 1/2 inch dust collection flex-hose next to the bearings didn't seem to help much either - surprised me. I've had good luck prying out the seal washers/disks using a tiny screwdriver and spraying the guts with brake cleaner sold at auto parts stores. Then a quick re-lube with router bearing lube when I re-assemble the bearings. It takes just a few minutes to do and has let me re-use bearings multiple times. I'm still on the first set actually after several years.

As for needing a tool to loosen the knobs... part of my "put things away at the end of the day" routine is to loosen the knobs and de-tension the blade. That seems to keep them from magically self-over-tightening over the next few weeks. Your simple slotted tool makes a ton of sense. I have something similar for a different tool. I also bought the HF kit of T-handle Allen wrenches and spread the wrenches around the various tools. It worked out well: the bandsaw and lathe use Allen headed fasteners (aka "cap screws") but fortunately not the same size - so I can permanently store the appropriate wrenches near/with each tool. Much more hand-friendly than normal Allen wrenches.

As for the Ford-vs-Chevy style debate on bandsaw guide bearings vs. guide blocks... My prior bandsaw used small bearings. That saw had a limited resaw capacity (maximum vertical distance between the table surface and the guide system for those of you that aren't familiar with bandsaw terminology); the guide bearing assembly was rather big. I fabricated a replacement assembly that used dowel-like "cool blocks" sold as guide block replacements for many saws. My self-made guide assembly added almost a full inch additional resaw capacity so I could make bigger bandsaw boxes. The cutting performance with the stock bearings or with the cylinder-shaped cool blocks was pretty much the same - with either setup I could cut a straight line or follow fairly tight curves. The quality of the bandsaw blade - and how new/sharp it was - was a far bigger factor than which type of guides were in use . But, as capncarl noted, adjusting the guide bearings was typically quicker/easier than adjusting my guide blocks.


To the OP:
Laguna bandsaws typically use their ceramic guide block system - which are known to work fairly well. Is that what is on your saw? And what actually is failed/busted/worn-out? Given my experience, spending the money for an aftermarket guide bearing conversion might not be all that much of an upgrade unless fixing your saw with OEM parts is more expensive. Carter makes all sorts of bandsaw accessories and upgrades... they tend to be at the pricey end of the scale but also of good quality. Were you satisfied with the stock guide setup? Are you near any woodworking retailers such as Rockler or Woodcraft? They have bandsaw classes and thus have bandsaws that are more than just "on display." I'll bet they'll let you "test drive" a bandsaw with guide bearings if you tell them you're thinking of converting to the Carter setup that the store can order/sell.

mpc

[WoodyWood19]

So far so good on those guide kits from Sawblade.com! It was initially a ceramic guide block which was very amazing but it just won out and had to be replaced.

[capncarl]

There are a lot of bands saws offered with larger motors, larger tables, better guides, larger cut, mobility kits, why haven the manufacturers thought about dust control? That’s possibly the most important item on every woodworkers list!

[Jim Frye]

My 10" Dremel band saw came with some sort of composite guide blocks, which wore excessively. Since they were 1/4" square, it was easy to make replacements. I cut some white oak into 2"x1/4"x1/4" pieces and soaked them in Danish oil for a couple of weeks to ensure complete absorption. After curing, I mounted a set (4), and adjusted them. They work great and small blades can be imbedded in them. Since the blocks are square, they can be rotated when worn and can be cut to expose new ends, since the 2" length is way more than needed. I initially made a dozen pieces and still have some left after all these decades. The saw also has a 2 1/2" dust collection port just under the table and brush wheel wipers also. Resaw capacity is 7", which is pretty good for a 10" two wheel saw.

[jabe]

As you mentioned, it's busted/messed up and your shop is your haven. You answered your own question, just bite the bullet and replace the guides then you'll be happy again.

[JamesDean19]

So what is the updates on this? Were the guides good? OP?

[JamesDean19]

Been meaning to buy one myself. I was from a major hospital ooperation and it sidelined me for a long time. But right now, I am good and been meaning to get upgrades for myself too.