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Two or three years ago the subject of bandsaw guide blocks resurfaced on rec.woodworking. Lawrence L'Hote, a frequent poster - who has his own web site, described the use of hardwoods as replacements for the steel guide blocks found in many bandsaw guides. Apparently the idea originated with Lonnie Bird but that is what I have heard and no specific reference is known to me. Not being satisfied with the lumps of steel I had been provided when I bought my bandsaw, I had been contemplating the purchase of some higher priced alternatives that had just hit the market. Now, my bandsaw is a Taiwanese knockoff. It works fine and the castings are alright, but the milling is crooked and the old blade guides could not be placed square to the blade. Reasoning that this would make the purchase of an expensive alternative a waste of hard earned cash, I opted to try hardwood blocks.
A couple of years ago I refurbished my bandsaw, a project that was long past due. Aside from adding a new, shop built stand, rewiring it and replacing the switch, and doing some painting, I replaced the broken lower blade guide post. The original broke the first week I bought the saw. This is important as the original lower guide post required round guide blocks whereas the upper guide post required square blocks. Propitiously, the replacement post uses square blocks of the same dimensions as the old upper post. This stroke of luck simplifies things tremendously for me, but you may run into the problem of having different sizes and shapes of blocks required. All I can say to this is make up a bunch of stock from which to cut them right at the start, then you just have to cut off a new guide block as required instead of having to re-mill stock every time.
About a year ago I wrote Mr. L'Hote and went on to try this idea out. I took a nice piece of straight grained cherry off the pile from which to make the blanks. After measuring the dimensions of the guide post, I ran the cherry though my thickness planer until I had a slab of the proper thickness. Strips of the appropriate width were ripped off in the table saw then cross cut, in a crosscut box, to the size of the finished guide block.
The result after trying them in the bandsaw was a significant reduction in dulling of the blade (produced by the metal blocks coming loose and riding against the teeth), the elimination of instances where the guide blocks work loose, reduction in vibration during cutting, greater accuracy and control, a smoother cut, and a reduction in blade deflection and wandering. Remember, I have a cheap saw so I have less control than some people may experience. Overall I was ecstatic with the change in cutting.
Even with these results I noticed a little scorching, or darkening of the guide blocks and I was hesitant to press them right next to the blade. Mr. L'Hote's web page indicated that some rec.ww posters soaked their guide blocks in WD-40 for better results. He indicated that he had not attempted this, but I felt it was worth a try.
A couple of months back I decided to do it. I removed the blocks from the bandsaw and flipped them around so I was working with fresh ends. I placed them, new ends down, in a plastic container with a little WD-40 in the bottom and soaked them. It is highly interesting to note the speed with which the WD-40 was drawn up through the blocks by capillary action. Literally within seconds, the WD-40 was coming out the top of the block, which was standing free of the liquid. A further two or three minutes seemed enough to ensure that the blocks contained an even distribution of WD-40. I removed them and wiped them off as I was concerned about an excess of oil staining or damaging the wood I cut on the bandsaw, but this concern proved unfounded.
With the dry wood blocks I never felt comfortable pinching the blade, but with the WD-40 soaked blocks I had no problem with pressing the blocks rather firmly up against the blade. This improved my cutting accuracy and further reduced the blade's tendency to wander. I had been concerned about the blocks starting to smoke, especially since I noticed what looked like scorch marks on the dry blocks, but I have not experienced any smoking yet. I get an even smoother cut and I have noticed no residue whatsoever being deposited on the wood I cut. The WD-40 even seems to reduce the amount of scorching on the blocks so the blade appears to be lubricated but not over lubricated.
In all, I am very happy with the hardwood guide blocks for my bandsaw. I have decided not to look for any further solution as my bandsaw is operating quite well now. If you are in the market for something to improve your saw's performance, I would highly recommend trying this as it is a very inexpensive alternative and has worked well for me.
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