I’ve got a Rikon 10-305 ten inch bandsaw that I’m mostly happy with. I do a lot of small projects in a small shop. The one thing I don’t like about it is adjusting the little guide bearings after changing out the blade. I’d love to do a cool block upgrade, but I haven’t been able to find one for this model. Do you know of one?
I did come across some ceramic blocks offered as an alternative. I’m a little concerned about friction and heating the blade. Does anyone have any experience with using ceramic guide blocks?
Thanks
Replies
Ceramic blocks work fine for me. In fact I prefer them to Cool Blocks which wear out too soon. Friction and heating is not a problem.
I have used the "space age ceramic blocks like on the space shuttle" ( can't remember the name though...) For my 20" delta Rockwell. Far better than I expected. There is just no heat build up. Ever. I had one block that was slightly to tight. It was easier to adjust the metal with a diamond file to get a good fit. I tried to sand the block and could not. Been using them for a year and they are great!
Ceramic works for me too, after all, the blade should only kiss the guides once in a while . I just finished resawing on the band saw 12 inches wide boards from 1 inch to 1/2 inch X 60 feet total length of sugar maple boards and they have not moved.
Thanks for the feedback, very helpful
An easy improvement for me on the 10-305 was a 5mm hex/ball driver. I got a Bondhus for under $10.
https://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-3764-Screwdriver-ProGuard-Finish/dp/B002M3GCR8
It makes it easy to reach and move the guide fittings and easy to snug them once adjusted. Unforeseen benefit is that it fits my 17" saw's guides too. Certainly cheaper than a new guide setup. It may be worth a try before you spend up to 10 times as much.
As user-160982 said, the Cool Blocks wear too quickly. I recently switched to the ceramic ones and they work just fine. No issues so far.
Why would you replace roller bearings with blocks? The bearings on my Rikon 14" saw work extremely well and as a personal preference I would never go back to my old Delta bandsaw that I had installed cool blocks on. The roller bearings are so much easier to adjust and the Rikon tracks so much better than my Delta did. We all have preferences and that's why I love this forum. I get a lot of good info from here.
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