I just changed over to an 1/8″ blade on my bandsaw, and have a new set of Cool Blocks installed. Am going to be cutting some very fine molding into little pieces and need super-good stability of blade. Can these touch the blade and not cause any problems? I’m not talking about squeezing the blade, just touching it.
TIA!
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Replies
Forestgirl,
I believe they should juuuuussssstbekissing that blade when it is moving. Well that is my experience anyway.Can't do any harm that way.
Forest.. I agree for what that is worth..Just check the blade weld.. If it is nice and flat you should be OK..
If not you could do like me and get out the big old tack hammer and file...
I set mine up with a real rub. I tension them against the blade so I can still turn the wheels by hand but there is definite friction and resistance. Some hack by the name of Maloof taught me that trick.
The biggest problem you'll have is keeping that narrow blade in the guides. Backing out of cuts is likely to bring the blade out of the guides so try to avoid that if at all possible.
Lee
"Some hack by the name of Maloof taught me that trick." Hangin' out with those amateur's again, eh? ROFL! Thanks Lee.
I won't have to worry about backing out for this project, but I'll remember what you said when scroll-time comes up in the fall.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Lee,
I've found that backing out with the 1/8" blade nearly impossible (Delta 14"). It pulls the blades off. Could it be that my blade tension was too low or is usually a headach with thin blades?Thanks
MarkVisit my woodworking blog Dust Maker
Without seeing you do it I'd guess it's a narrow blade issue. Unless you backtrack perfectly in the kerf you will create drag and it does not take much to pull an eighth inch blade out of the guides, However an eighth inch blade will cut a really tight radius so backtracking should only be a quarter to a half inch at most and if you're really careful and tied your left shoe first that morning you should be able to pull it off. And, if the saw is set up right the blade should seek those guides and pop back in with just a bit of gentle persuasion.It's really tight curves that demand an eighth inch blade. Come by my workshop and 999 days out of a thousand a 1/4" blade is in the saw. I find it is adequate for what I do and I hate mucking around with blade changes if it's not necessary.LeeMontanaFest
I turn off the saw before backtracking. Do others? I found out that trying to backtrack with the blade running resulted in popping the blade off the wheel and twisting (ruining) it!
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
I turn off the saw before backtracking. Not here.. I push it off the back and hope my table extension will hold it!
I find it easier to backtrack with the blade moving but you should certainly do whatever you're comfortable with.LeeMontanaFest
Oh, think D-flat for tension.Get a sense of what the note D-flat sounds like and tune your saw to sing this note when you pluck it. That is unless you're using a Timberwolf in which case you just tension the flutter out.LeeMontanaFest
Is that d flat above A 440 or below? :-)Mark
Visit my woodworking blog Dust Maker
Oh and thanks for both posts.
Mark
Visit my woodworking blog Dust Maker
Lee,
Do you know what sound a piano makes, when you drop it down a mineshaft?
A flat minor. (Say it out loud.)
Cheers,
Ray
Cool blocks are layers of phenolic resin impregnated with graphite. They are actually made to fit tight to blades, especially small ones. By eliminating the metal to metal contact with normal blocks, they reduce heat and help to extend blade life. Are you doing scroll work or just looking for a way to keep the small stock from snapping, flying away and getting eaten by other saw methods? Bandsaws don't give the smoothest cut for miters and end cuts.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
"...or just looking for a way to keep the small stock from snapping, flying away and getting eaten by other saw methods?" Partially. Mainly, I need to do these miters really fast, and I think I can do them alot faster on the band saw. I've tested it, and the quality is fine as long as there is plenty of support and zero clearance underneath.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I normally run the Iturra bearing guides on my 14" BS. For an 1/8" blade I'd use maple blocks and bury the blade between them.
John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
The more things change ...
We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.
Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC
Hi John, before I bought the cool blocks, I had wanted to make wood blocks (I have some, uhhhhhh.....darn! what's that stuff called? the really, really hard dark wood that weighs a ton and is kinda self-lubricating??......anyway, I have a big block of that too. However, my guides are round! Darn! Too much work without a lathe.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Lee's right -- and my info comes straight from the horse's mouth -- Mark Duginske, the inventor of these things.
Cool Blocks are made from graphite, and the whole point is that they can actually rub against the blade, with no damage to the blade.
With an 1/8" blade especially, you can push them right up to the blade, turn the flywheel a couple of times, and you will plough a path right through the cool blocks.
********************************************************
"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
"With an 1/8" blade especially, you can push them right up to the blade, turn the flywheel a couple of times, and you will plough a path right through the cool blocks." Makes a heck of a noise, that why I backed 'em off, but sounds like it's ok. Thanks, Nikki.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 8/19/2005 12:50 pm ET by forestgirl
Take my comments with a grain of salt... Coolblocks will, as noted, wear rather quickly. You can put them cheek to jowl with the blade and, in no time, the blade will cut itself a small slot. You can put them cheek to cheek and the blade will cut itself its own relief. If you twist the blade a bit it will tend to enlarge that relief, leaving the blade with less support.
Wood blocks should do OK, they will have the same tendencies as the coolblocks but will, IMOO, support the blade better, longer.
Bandrollers, lovely as they are, aren't recommended, IIRC, by L Iturra for such narrow blades.
I would suggest following the directions and using the .003" gap. While it provides less support, you are less likely to damage your guide brackets.
"you are less likely to damage your guide brackets." I appreciate the tip, but am not sure how the guide brackets would get damaged, especially with such a tiny blade. I can imagine that with a big blade and significant set to the teeth that there might be some force exerted. Hopefully, even my old Grizzly brackets can handle anything the 1/8" blade dishes out.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
One of the benefits of Cool Blocks is that they can completely enclose the blade on narrow blades. Just embed them into the Cool Blocks. When you are finished, reverse the Cool Blocks and use the flat ends for wider blades.
Mark Duginske used to demo them fully enclosing the blade.
"When you are finished, reverse the Cool Blocks and use the flat ends for wider blades." Excellent point. There are days (or nights, which is when I get lost in the "woodworking zone") that it might take me awhile to notice that possibility.
Howie, I miss your handle! forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
forestgirl,
I have used Cool Blocks a lot and they are great (although my new bandsaw, the Powermatic, uses rollers).
When I'm running Cool Blocks, I push them right up against the blade, so they are surrounding the blade entirely.
However, I agree with the previous comment about miter cuts on the bandsaw. How come you're doing this?
Edited 8/19/2005 12:18 pm ET by MatthewSchenker
A dowel would work too. It doesn't matter if it's a bit to small for the hole, The set screw should take up the gap. I've used maple and even birch with no problems.
Maybe you can use a plug cutter on the end grain of that 'heavy' wood and make your own guides.
In the old days they would keep a jar with wood guides soaking in mineral oil next to their saw.
I remembered! Lignum vitae. Ahhhhhhh, I feel better.....forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Lignum vitae. Ahhhhhhh, I feel better..........the tree of life. You should feel better ;-) aloha, mike
Yup, D flat. It's a deep bass note. Most tension indicators on band saws are not reliable but a musical note is. It's all part of tuning the bandsaw, right?And here's the inevitable caveat.... Unless you're using a low tension blade like Timberwolf, then it's tensioned just enough to stop the flutter. LeeMontanaFest
Why else do you think they call it a "Band" saw? ;)
D
Why else do you think they call it a "Band" saw? ;)GOOD ONE!
It's all part of tuning the bandsaw, right?
Yep till ya was a Tank driver and can't hear hardly anythin'!
Touching the side of the blade behind the teeth is cool but just slightly is best. Most importantly, make sure the blade is running at the highest spot on the wheels before setting up your backup bearing and cool block spacing for the longest life and best directional stability of the blade. If you are cutting curves run a mill file at 45 degrees to the back of the blade on both sides to remove the bur from the edge and you'll get really smooth arcs. I always turn my bandsaws on and squirt a shot of WD40 right on the blade and guides letting it run for a minute at the days first start up. Have fun and let us know how it turns out. aloha, mike
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