Bandsaw Upgrades

[tvgordon]

I was at the Woodworking Show this past weekend and ended up buying some Carter guides for my 20 year old made in the USA 14" Delta bandsaw. Then I bought a Carter tension spring and a link belt for it.

Are there any other upgrades that are worth doing?  I see Carter sells tires for the wheels and I know when I put a link belt on my tablesaw I also put on machined pulleys too. I'm still using the original fence, are any of the aftermarket fences worth buying.

I figure I'll buy what I need then spend an afternoon installing and adjusting all of it and hope I notice a difference

Thanks,
Tom

 

[flair woodworks]

Tom,

If the original fence serves your needs, why change it?

One thing I do like is a quick-release tension lever.  I'm guessing your saw is without one.  Other than that, I can't think of anything else.

Regarding the guides you got, are they the new micro-adjustable ones?  A friend got a set for his saw and, boy, they are sweet!

 

[Oops Now Fix]

Maybe you saw the bandsaw clinic by Alex Snodgrass at the Carter booth?  Here's a link to his presentation:



Depending upon what type or work you want to do (resawing mainly for me) you might need nothing more.  I followed Mr. Snodgrass'  setup instructions on a 14 inch Harbor Freight bandsaw that was given to me (worth everything I paid for it) and wow - 3/16 inch resaw cut in six inch wide oak stock with the original cheap blade and a squared up 2 x 6 as a fence, no wander at all.  You will find the link belt is definitely worth the investment.

- R. Beverly
  Wisconsin Winter Wonderland

 

[billg71]

+1 on the micro guides, they rock! If you got the regular ones Carter is good about letting you upgrade, better if you contact them before they ship. They're great folks to deal with, I bought the upgrade kit for my Laguna, didn't realize the micro version wasn't what I bought, they were really nice about swapping out.

Anyway, great folks to deal with, can't say enough good about their CS. And they make good blades as well.

If your tires are good you won't gain much by going to urethane. The quick tension release is nice to have but not essential.

Have fun with the upgrades!

Best,
Bill

 

[tvgordon]

Chris, I didn't know if there was a better fence out there. I can't say I have a problem with the delta fence. I would like a taller fence for resawing that adjusts quickly for blade drift.

R. Beverly, they gave me the video when I bought the guides. I haven't watched it yet. Alex was there though. I'm hoping that upgrading the guides and belt result in a smoother cut. The samples they had at the show were really smooth.

Bill, I think they're just the standard guides. I brought them home with me so they're not shipping them. As far as I know the tires are good. Didn't know if the urethane tires were an improvement. I don't have the quick release lever but have a crank handle which is faster than the knob. I've been using Olsen blades. The one on the saw is getting dull so maybe I'll try another brand and see if there's a difference.

Thanks for all the help,
Tom

 

[flair woodworks]

Tom,

The Laguna DriftMaster fence is tall and has an even taller accessory fence.  It is also easy to adjust for drift and has a lead screw for fine adjustments and resawing multiple veneers.

Chris