I have been looking at the Carter  guides.  They seem nice and the Euro ones I got on the saw have been showing some wear.

 

But I had it in my head that they were too spend-O-licious for what they were.   Yipper I'm a cheap Ba$%#$d.

So I set about figuring  how to build 'em.   Seemed easy peasy.

First I mocked it up from wood and hot melt glue just to get the feel of it

 

 

Cute huh?

 

I know what you are thinking - - - did he turn it on with wood  just hot melted together?  Is anyone that INSANE?? 

well sort of,  the video is  still uploading   so you'll have to wait to certify me insane.

 

But it looks like it's a do-able  thing

 

 

 

The DUTCH  ANGLE  for drama

 

 

through the front door

 

From the side

 

An intimate view from the rear.

 

 

So after all this  I have  still to  turn the steel pillars for the lower guides.   I'm thinking maybe the Carter Guides  ARE worth the money coz it's been a busy couple days so far.   Wasn't so easy peasy as I imagined.  But it's sturdy and works great. I've already used them.

 

Looks like a real nice job, Cliff. 

I have a set on my Shopsmith saw and they make a big difference. I have the set for the 1/8" blades as well. Haven't got to use them yet, though.

 

I went thru the same phase a couple of years ago. Then I checked the price of quality bearings and discovered that the Carter setup isn't that expensive after all.

 

Nice job, though!!

 

Edited March 10, 20169 yr by lew

It's about $200  for my saw.   I thought it'd be a snappy quick thing  to make my own.  It wasn't. 

 

I've come away from the experience  with the advice that   people should just buy the Carter  guides if that's what they want and not screw around trying to DIY them.  It can be done.  It can be done  very very well.  But the effort required is greater than I expected.   I just happened to have the half inch aluminum around and the 1" steel bar stock and a slew of 1/4-20 internal hex screws.  So I was 20% there at the beginning.  Add to that a $10 set of bearings from the flea bay and some shoulder bolts from Bolt Depot and  the rest was a lot of busywork grinding, milling,  drilling, cutting and turning.   And in the end I should have just ponied up the $200 bucks and let the mail man do all the hard work.  

 

 

 

 

But still  you know how it is when you do a thing and it's done well.  It feels good. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 20169 yr by Cliff

What you did turned out nice, and  kudos to you for your forthright opinion. I often read of some complicated DIY alternatives to an expensive dodad and I've never (ever) heard someone say they should have just went ahead and spent the money. Of course, I've never done that mostly because I'm not smart enough to do the complicated dodads. That said, you should feel good about it, nice job.

Those guides look pretty sweet, and you ended up getting some shop time in on them;) At least they work well. 

 

I bought the Carter guides many years ago when I still had my 14" bandsaw. I definitely would not have been able to make them. But those are good skills to have. 

 

Thanks for sharing-