Bandsaw Guides

We all want our vertical band saw to work as smoothly and efficiently as possible, right?

So it is essential that you get to know the types of band saw guides and maintenance that generally go with band saws and their blades. Without the right adjustments the saw will not be doing the job properly.

There are many types of guides available, and I will go over a few of the most common later. But in my opinion, no matter which type you have or choose, always go for bandsaw guides that can be greased. There are cheaper guides that are not greaseable but they are nowhere near as long lasting as a greaseable guide.  Overtime you will find that you have to keep replacing them, so then any savings made at first are very soon lost.

If you were going to be using your vertical band saw all day, then I would recommend that you grease the bandsaw guide twice. Apply grease once in the middle of the day and then again towards the end of the day. After a full days work the rollers in the guide will have reached their peak temperature and this is usually when damage occurs. So if you do get lazy, please at least remember to grease near the end of the day.

The 3 most common types of bandsaw guides you will come across are:

• Greaseable Roller Guide – The blade moves through guide between the two bearings, which also move to reduce friction. This where the lubrication from the grease elongates the working life of the bearing and there the bandsaw guide.

• Sandwich Guide – This type of guide “holds” the blade to guide it whilst cutting. It is normally found where throughput is more important that prolonging the useable life of the blade. This is why they are commonly found in saw mills.  Sandwich guides are also known as Block Guides.

• Retrofit Roller Guide – This is a hybrid of bandsaw guides  that combines the roller guide with a bottom control guide too. The lower guide is not normally in contact with the blade unless you hit a bad spot, such as a knot. It then comes in to play and prevents the saw from taking a dive in to the lumber. Once past the nasty bit the blade does not touch the bottom control again, unless of course you find another knot.

It really is worth taking the time to look after your bandsaw guides, as they are quite pricey to replace. You can be looking at $100 upwards depending on type and stockist.