The ceramic guide system is the primary reason I selected the 1412 bandsaw. With 5 ceramic points of contact above the table, and 5 points of contact below the table, you’re in complete control. While I’ve never experienced an issue, I read two blog posts where the woodworker’s hands weren’t strong enough to snug up the knobs that secure the blade guides. I wanted to come up with a solution if you’ve had this issue, but soon realized it’s a great upgrade for any woodworker. Read on to learn my simple, inexpensive and totally effective solution.
Start by removing the 8 knobs that secure the ceramic blade guides. You’ll find three knobs on the upper guides, and five knobs on the lower guides. If your lower guide block fore/aft adjustment knob has been moved to the optional ‘front’ mounting location, you won’t even have to remove the bandsaw table. Just tilt the table backwards slightly to allow removal of this knob.
Dip the knobs in a container of denatured alcohol, and give them a good scrubbing with a wire brush to remove any debris. This will deep-clean the knobs to prepare them for a rubberized coating.
Dry the knobs thoroughly with a heat gun. If you don’t have a heat gun, a hair dryer on high heat will work too. Basically, you want the knobs clean and fully dry before dipping them in the rubber coating.
Dip the knob into a can of Plasti Dip rubberized coating. Dip the knob twice into the container for a thicker coating of rubber. Let the excess material drip off the knob, before inserting it into a cardboard box to dry. Let the rubber coating fully cure overnight.
I dipped the wooden handles of these small F-style clamps in red Plasti Dip about five years ago. They’ve since been used on every one of my panel glue-ups in the shop, and the rubber coating has held up quite well in a busy shop environment.
Of course, it goes without saying that you’ll cut power to the saw before removing the guides. Either unplug the bandsaw entirely, or remove this handy little cutout lock on the Laguna 1412 bandsaw.
The treated knobs look virtually identical, but they sure are easy to cinch up now! You won’t believe what a difference this makes for such a simple and inexpensive modification. Try Plasti Dip on your bandsaw knobs, and once you have a can in the shop, you’ll be tempted to dip all sorts of tools and gadgets. Have clamps with slippery wooden handles? It works great on those too!
