Ball-bearing bandsaw guides and wet wood

[Geoff Crimmins]

I have a Minimax S45N 18" bandsaw that has ball-bearing guides. I love everything about the saw except the guides. It cuts great, has plenty of power, and has the best dust collection of any bandsaw that I've used. But any time I cut wet wood for turning blanks, the moisture get into the lower ball-bearing guides and causes them to seize. Often, I can get them functioning again by spraying them full of penetrating oil and spinning the bearings by hand until they loosen up and start working again, but that's kind of a hassle. Has anyone found a better solution to this problem? As far as I can tell, SCM/Minimax doesn't offer ceramic guides for this model, and Space Age Ceramics doesn't have retrofit ceramic guides for it. I could just leave the bearings alone and think of them as round guide blocks rather than ball bearing guides, or I could sell the saw and buy a Laguna or another brand that has ceramic guides. Has anyone found another solution that works well? Thanks!

 

[Mike Selser]

Will these fit your MiniMax? https://www.acmetools.com/laguna-to...6715.html?slasRedirect=true&slasRedirect=true
I put them on my Agazzani and love them.

 

[hughie]

The question I would ask, are the bearings sealed? If not then thats your problem

SKF

www.skf.com

 

[Jon Rista]

The question I would ask, are the bearings sealed? If not then thats your problem

SKF

www.skf.com

I was going to ask the same thing. If the ceramic guids won't work, I'd just find bearings of the same size that are sealed, and replace the ones you have.

 

[Tim Hunter]

Ball bearing (side-blade) guides often quit turning because of build-up on the outer race, especially with wet wood. That's why they are typically considered a second-rate solution.

Tim

 

[John K Jordan]

Ball bearing (side-blade) guides often quit turning because of build-up on the outer race, especially with wet wood. That's why they are typically considered a second-rate solution.

Tim

I use a Rikon 18” and cut many hundreds of blanks from wet log sections for drying. The ball bearing guides, both side and thrust, never seize up. I replace them every few years just for fun. I’d have to look to see what kind of seals they have.

I keep them adjusted and use powerful dust collection AND upper and lower tire brushes which help keep junk away from the bearings. If I occasionally get buildup of gunk on the insides of the blades when sawing particularly sticky wood, I clean it off with a tool I made, while the saw is running.

(Do the same on my Woodmizer sawmill when sawing sappy Virginia pine.)

JKJ

 

[Tim Hunter]

Stationary side guide blocks tend to scrape any residual swarf off a blade. In contrast, roller side guides tend to mash swarf onto a blade and the rollers themselves. That’s why you have to occasionally clean your blades. Stationary side guides such as those sold by Wright are considered some of the best.

Tim

 

[Bill Alston]

Bearings are generally available with a couple of different sheilds (or no sheilds) it may be worth contacting a local bearing supplier for advice.
Some bearings are also available with ceramic balls but I don’t know if they’d be suitable for this application.