There are two 18 inch jet band saws in amazon. One has a shipping weight of 241 pounds and the other 320 pounds. Does anyone know what the differences between these machines that cause the weight differential are?
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Replies
Pete -
The heavier model comes with European blade guides and mounting hardware. The lighter model only has roller bearing guides with the standard mounting hardware. I don't know if this makes up for the 79 lb. weight difference - but that's the only apparent difference between the two machines.
Dan Kornfeld - Owner/President, Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
j.c. what are benefits of european guides to roller guides? just bought the 18 and have the rollers thanks bear
Bear,
You made the right choice in buying the saw with roller bearing guides. On a European guide rig, your blade is supported between the flat side-faces of two bearings. This means that the blade is actually rubbing between them, as opposed to rolling. When you have the chance to check out a saw with European guide assemblies, you'll realize that they're much larger than the blocks or roller guide rigs. This not only reduces your saw's resaw capacity, it also means that the manufacturer had to mount the lower assembly farther away from the table - the increased span between the upper and lower guides means more opportunity for the blade to flex! About the only real advantage the European guides is that they're fairly easy to adjust by means of a locking bezel (no tools needed).
I would recommend picking up a set of Cool Blocks for your saw (about $12 - $15). Roller bearing guides don't provide as much support as a set of blocks because less surface area is actually touching the blade. Cutting a tight curve with a narrow blade is a definite no-no. Your rollers are great for resawing, and by having the blocks at the ready for narrow blades and tight curves, you'll have the best of everything to cover all of your sawing needs!
Dan Kornfeld - President/Owner, Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
thanks dan will do with the cool blocks, i have looked around for them . as far the graphite impregnated, but have to look at the configuration of the bearings and all. thanks for your time and effort..... cheers staywelll bear
There really shouldn't be a 241 lb. 18" JET band saw. Even their new 16" machine weighs more than that (from looking the JET web site). The new version of the 18" has Carter roller bearing guides, reputed to cause less blade friction and therefore a longer lasting blade. The older version has "European" style guide which essentially have the face of the wheels guding the blade instead of the sides. Lonnie Bird of the Tauton band saw book seems to say that steel blocks, the cheapest of the 3 common guide types, are actually the best (although no band saws that I looked at come with them). It seems to me the European style guides are closer to the steel blocks as they have more surface area to guide the blade. The book indicates that friction is a more imagined than real problem so long as you make sure to keep whatever guides that you use behind the gullet of the blade.
I bought the older model Jet 18" saw with European guides because I got 200 beans off at a local store for a floor model. I figured if Lonnie Bird wasn't saying the american style bearing guides were a step up from the European guides, I (poor slob that I am) would likely never know the difference.
Good luck.
matt
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