Hi all, I have a 12 inch Delta Band saw Model 28-190. I want to upgrade the guide system from blocks to rollers but am having a hard time finding a retrofit kit. Everything I've found is geared towards the 14 inch models and don't give much mention to the lowly 12 inch. Can someone enlighten me on whether the mounting configuration is similar from the 12 to 14 in models? If not the name of a supplier that makes such an animal would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
They are a waste of money IMO… you are better off with the original HSS blocks. This may be of some interest to you: Bandsaw Guide Comparison by Jim Mattson (at the Woodworkers Gazette). In particular, see the conclusions on the second page.
There's a company on Ebay that sells a reasonably-priced retrofit kit. Not sure about your saw, but I'm looking at a set for my Delta 14" You can't find them anywhere except there….and they have a good rating, too.
The exception to cool blocks, or the equivalent, is the Carter Stabilizer, if you can find one to fit your machine. They are remarkable for up to 1/4" blades.
I'm with Brad: stick with the original HSS blocks UNLESS you are wanting to use blades in the 1/8-3/16" size. Then I would heartily recommend the Carter Stabilizer.
Keep the cool blocks. I retrofitted to bearings - what a waste - as the damn things are always freezing, no matter how they are adjusted. And they ain't cheap! :-(
Again, and I speak from first hand experience with Cool Blocks, stock blocks, roller guides and the Carter Stabilizer, the Stabilizer changes the game. It replaces all ten bearings, on my saw, or all the blocks on another, with a single, grooved bearing. It will give a cut square to the table and blade even in thick stock and it lets you cut a smaller diameter turn than another other guide system allows.
The only limit I've found with the Stabilizer is, you can only use one with up to a quarter inch blade.
Keep the blocks and spend your money on something else. Rollers aren t going to help bandsaw performance. They may actually reduce performance.
Again, and I speak from first hand experience with Cool Blocks, stock blocks, roller guides and the Carter Stabilizer, the Stabilizer changes the game. It replaces all ten bearings, on my saw, or all the blocks on another, with a single, grooved bearing. It will give a cut square to the table and blade even in thick stock and it lets you cut a smaller diameter turn than another other guide system allows.
The only limit I ve found with the Stabilizer is, you can only use one with up to a quarter inch blade.
Keep the blocks and spend your money on something else. Rollers aren t going to help bandsaw performance. They may actually reduce performance.
The problem I have with the stabilizer is that I only have 1 bandsaw, and to use the stabilizer I would have to remove the whole upper guide block holder, and back off the lower guides all the way, which is not a quick procedure. Then, if i wanted to use a bigger blade, i'd have to reverse the whole process. All the extra work required in order to use it on a non-exclusive bandsaw isn't worth the potential gain, at least not to me. In my dream shop, i would have 2-3 bandsaws, one of which would be exclusively for the stabilizer.
I'm not knocking or desparaging Carter products at all, it's just that it wouldn't work for me in my current setup.
Woodcritter, you are right about backing off the lower bearings, but I have to adjust mine to drop from a half inch to a quarter inch anyway. As such, going to the quarter inch from a half or so is a non issue, since using the Carter is just a matter of moving the guides back a little farther than I would for the quarter inch, or eighth inch blades.
With the larger blade out, it takes me about thirty seconds to swap the two upper guides. That I keep an Allen on a rare earth magnet on the back, where this is done, makes it a quick swap.
Any time lost for the swap to the Carter from the stock guides is more than made up by that I do not have to adjust the upper bearings, other than, once the blade is on and tensioned, I have to push the blade out 1/8" inch and lock the single, grooved bearing in place behind it.
All this is because both my upper and lower bearings are complete assemblies. Different saws would change the circumstance.
In the end, I hate changing blades anyway, unless it's just to swap a dull one for a sharp one. However, the gain from going to the Stabilizer will make you say, "[w]hy didn't I do that sooner"?
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