Todays dumb question

[snowshoveler]

Okay now don't be chasing me around the mill with a stick for this one..but i have to ask.
On a band mill you use roller bearings for blade guides.
How come we use wood on circle saws.
It wears and we have to adjust.
I realize that the bearing couldn't touch all the time or the blade would heat.
But the wood pins are there to correct the blade from knot dodging...I think.
I don't mean to be stupid on this and haven't actually used my mill yet.
But I wondered about this and knew you folks would have the reason.
I suspect it is the heat.
Regards Chris

[ALWOL]

  I am not sure either, but I do know that the rim of a circle saw travels at 2 to 3 times the speed of a band, and the circular path that the bearings must travel might not work.
  As for the guide material, I use a sort of carbon/graphite material designed for saw guides. It lasts much better than any wood, even Lignum Vitae.
     
          Alan

[lyle niemi]

Thats not a dumb question cause I dont know either.....Lyle

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Okay now don't be chasing me around the mill with a stick for this one..but i have to ask.

Oh don't worry SS....I asked a question one time about storing Cherry Cants." THEY JUMPED ON ME LIKE A PACK OF DOGS". Chewed me up.....poked me with sticks and twisted them in my skin until I YAPPED!

But I learned something. 

But I think your OK on this question...... say_what   At least I think so.  :D

[steve phillips]

hey snowshovel

if i remember correct  ( please correct me if i am wrong ) if you take notice of the shafts they are ballanced out , big pulley on one side may also run the carriage ect .

as for the wooden blocks , most likely they are baved , google it lol
  hope im right and this helps 
                                                         steve

[dblair]

those wooden guides don't touch the blade, don't think you can see it in any of the pictures on the video I have on my intro post , but they clear the blade about 1/16 or less after the blade stretches out if it rubs have your blade hammered or machine your collar . it should run closer than having to run against the wood guide .

[Larry]

Most bandmills defect the band 1/4" downwards.  The only way to do it and avoid excessive wear/heat is with bearings.  At least as far as I know.

Normal and even industrial band saws may use steel blocks, cool blocks (proprietary), wood, or bearings.

[bob in iowa]

Okay now don't be chasing me around the mill with a stick for this one..but i have to ask.
On a band mill you use roller bearings for blade guides.
How come we use wood on circle saws.
It wears and we have to adjust.
I realize that the bearing couldn't touch all the time or the blade would heat.
But the wood pins are there to correct the blade from knot dodging...I think.
I don't mean to be stupid on this and haven't actually used my mill yet.
But I wondered about this and knew you folks would have the reason.
I suspect it is the heat.
Regards Chris

I hope I'm replying to your question correctly, I couldn't find a "Reply" button.
I mostly just lurk and enjoy you sawers. My Dad had a circle mill and I worked with him when I was a youngster.
My thought on the little wood rub blocks is that when a circle blade is stationary it has a dish, that's the way they're made. When the blade spins at the correct speed, it flattens out. The correct speed is very important for this reason. The rub blocks are to limit the wandering or vibration of the blade as it saws.
Right or wrong that's my story.

[bandmiller2]

The saw guides are sort of a failsafe system and not designed to be in contact with the saw, only to prevent dodging around knots or anything else that would cause the blade to deflect.The saw will pass the knees with less than an inch of clearance. Frank C.

[Ron Wenrich]

They're made of wood because its a sawmill, and wood is handy.  At least, that's how it used to be.  I made some from locust, and they seemed to last the longest.  One old sawyer told me that they used to use leather that was soaked in oil.  It was put over the ends of the wood and lasted a long time.  Now they use composites that last a lot longer.

Here's my guides:

[snowshoveler]

Well i have a lot of Angelique from South America and was planning on using that for the pins.
But did kind of wonder about the bearings. My blade is 38 inches so it shouldn't wander around a lot unless I am into some nasty wood.
I will whittle some pins out on the lathe.
Thanks folks.
Chris

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Not a stupid question at all Chris  ;) ;D Early Small Bandmills used what where called sandwich guides the top one put down pressure on the band and the bottom one was a keeper which ran with abit of a clearance  just to keep the band from diving downwards to far if it wanted to deviate from the line of cut they work well as I used Ironbark ones on My first bandmill after the original ones wore out and they would last for a long time you just had to make sure you where getting even wear on them and swap them out if it was looking uneven ;) now things change and evolve over time and thats where we ended up today with roller guides on 99% of small bands these days  ;)

Most big bands run like a large block of bakerlite that get dressed with every band change you change you band you swap out your guide blocks and put new ones in and line them up  ;)

In Circulars I have always used Ironbark or Grey Box guides Like Ron I have heard of the leather trick but only used one mill with them set up on the guides like that  ;)

Regards Chris

[bandmiller2]

My guides are hard maple turned on a lathe with an oil-lite sintered bronze bushing pressed on the outside soaked in a jar of light oil.My saw is rarely into them anyways. Frank C.