whoa! amazing bandsawing
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That is the Carter Stabilizer I was talking about just today in another thread. One of the best things I put on my 14" bandsaw when I had it.
The reindeer is their trademark thing at the shows ... very cool.
The reindeer is their trademark thing at the shows ... very cool.
I have that guide for my 14" as well. It seems gimmicky, but it really does work as well as advertised IMO.
That is amazing,but I am easy as in I have a 10" craftsman.That is not like the craftsman blade I buy.Tony
That's nuts! 
I wouldn't mind getting one of those. :eusa_thin
I wouldn't mind getting one of those. :eusa_thin
Here's a linky...http://www.carterproducts.com/product_list.asp?cat_id=14
And a review of the old model (just a different color I think) of it at Tom's website ... http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/carterstabilizrrvu.html
When I had mine, I was using a 3/16" blade (I chose Timberwolf, but I imagine any high quality blade -- not Sears or Ridgid -- would work fine). There really isn't much "magic" in it, just some good ol' innovation.
The way it works ... the upper guides are removed and the lower guides are pushed away. The Stabilizer is installed where the upper guides were. The Stabilizer has a grove in the one bearing that the blade rides "in" and then the Stabilizer is adjusted 1/8" or so forward causing some pressure into the groove. From there you are cutting curves quickly and accurately.
I bought mine at the Charlotte woodworking show last year because the demo you saw in the video was so impressive. Took it home, installed it and IMHO it was the best single upgrade I had ever done to a bandsaw NEXT to using a carbide tooth blade for resawing :thumbs_up. Unforunately for me I since sold that saw to upgrade to something larger (Grizzly 17") and now my new model doesn't have a Stabilizer available (yet, I hope)
With all due respect to Jeremy, I would think that operator skill, blade choice, tension and wood choice are bigger factors than the particular type of blade guide used. I have seen someone's post in the MandolinCafe builder's forum with pictures of cutting a dime size circle with an old Oliver 36" BS. I bet the back corners on that blade have been stoned smooth.
Of course, and I agree :icon_thum. Those things do help and will impact you no matter what it is that you have tool-wise. However, I can tell you that I could not have cut near as scroll-like with the graphic stick-style guides that my 14" bandsaw had, but when I popped in the Stabilizer I was movin' and a grovin'. This is one place where I do believe the product made my saw much, much, much more capable. My operator skill was only average, but in two attempts I was able to make that reindeer in pine (easy to cut with , no doubt) with all of the quick turns and all. Now, that isn't to say they have made hundreds, heck thousands, of them and go much quicker ... and almost make it look magical. It isn't magical, but is functional.
I guess I really don't understand what the stabilizer does. With just about any blade guide, you can adjust the guides so that the blade can't twist, move side to side or backwards very much. Where they vary is what effect they have on the blade when pressure is applied to go beyond the limits of movement they have been adjusted to. They cheap ones throw sparks and heat up the blade; I know this well because I have cheap guides. If I apply side pressure it looks like I am welding. But the blade continues to cut true (true meaning where I am feeding wood from, which doesn't always correspond to where I wish it was cutting). I guess you can choose to adjust them looser to keep from damagin your blade. I try to do a better job feeding the wood in so that the guides are inconsequential.
But the blade continues to cut true (true meaning where I am feeding wood from, which doesn't always correspond to where I wish it was cutting). I guess you can choose to adjust them looser to keep from damagin your blade. I try to do a better job feeding the wood in so that the guides are inconsequential.
The Stabilizer actually does the opposite ... it lets the blade flex side to side as needed, while staying in a constant place against the bearing. There are no side supports, as the back of the blade rides in a groove to provide the support. This allows you to twist and turn much easier. The teeth never touch anything and the blade never heats up (there is no point for friction)
There are probably some videos online about it in more details than that one, and I'm probably not the best to explain it ... but that's the best I know how. :dontknow:
I will have to hunt some videos down. I am having trouble getting my mind around it. If it were possible to stabilize the front (teeth) of the blade and let the back swing around a little, it seems like that would allow tight turning easier so doing the opposite is counter inutituitve to me. but no matter what you do, you can't escape the geometry - blade thickness, blade width behind the teeth and kerf width are used to calculate the minimum radius you can turn. Stoning the corners helps by effectively reducing the blade size by bringing the corner in closer, but it weakens the blade (I just broke one I stoned a few nights ago on my little BS; I am not stoning the WoodSlicer on my larger BS).
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