The American Peasant

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The American Peasant
The American Peasant
Band Saw Upgrades – Some That are Questionable

Band Saw Upgrades – Some That are Questionable

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Christopher Schwarz
Feb 01, 2024
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The American Peasant
The American Peasant
Band Saw Upgrades – Some That are Questionable
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My beloved metal friction guides (on my JET saw).

The machine I know the best (and love the most) is the band saw. All three of our band saws get rode hard every day.

So, I have opinions, especially about “accessories” for this machine. Some of these opinions are contrary to what you’ll hear from other machine gurus. So be it. I just want to save you a few dollars and make your life easier.

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Band Saw Guides

If your band saw comes with inexpensive metal friction guides (shown above), keep them forever. Refuse to “upgrade” to bearing guides. Refuse to “upgrade” the metal blocks with composite blocks (sometimes called “cool blocks”) or ceramic blocks. I have used both. Neither impress me.

Just keep the guides that came with your saw, and you will be at maximum happiness.

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