Record Power BS350S Bandsaw Modifications - Part 1: Blade Guide Upgrade Using Rikon Tool-Less Kit

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Mike is there any reason why this is no longer available: https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums...r-record-power-bs350s-bandsaw-t104848-15.html

Also a couple of other threads I started on the Record Power guide modifications.

Mike,

The thread is still there, but is likely a formatting error in the URL from the conversion to XenForo. If you are clicking on embedded URLs from within threads, the links might not work if they were created before the conversion. If you find any of these, report the post and I can fix the URL.

Here is the link to the thread from your post, which is a remnant from the previous software:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/axminster-rip-fence-upgrade-for-record-power-bs350s-bandsaw-t104848-15.html

Here is the new link for the thread before I changed the title to add the Sabre 350 guides:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/axminster-rip-fence-upgrade-for-record-power-bs350s-bandsaw.104848/

The thread URLs were changed during the conversion to XenForo, but embedded links in posts were not converted.

The important part of the URL is the six-digit number at the end. Everything between "threads/" and the number can be deleted and XenForo will still display the thread. For example,

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/104848/

and

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/rip-fence-upgrade-for-record-power-bs350s-bandsaw-axminster-and-sabre350.104848/

will still navigate to

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...bs350s-bandsaw-axminster-and-sabre350.104848/
 
Thanks Mike K for putting the photos up for me to look at.
Please speak freely if I got this wrong.
The picture showing lower guides on the Sabre mounted higher through aperture of the top plate making an enlarged opening tells me that I shouldn't have any reason for concern to cut out a larger opening on my saw if that's the route I have to go with.

I like your idea to try and position the bracket on the underside of the top plate and it does look from the photo that its a definite option. If I need to make any modifications to the bracket or make a new one, that could be option two.

I have Emailed RP to ask if they sell the guides and hopefully they will come back with some good news.
Haven't been able to find one in other places just yet..

Many many thanks

Dave 😃
 
When you look at the later Sabre guides and compare to the earlier BS guides they both attach using that round pin, I would have thought that by now Record would be selling these later guides as an upgrade for earlier saws just like they have with the later fence which is available as an upgrade part.
 
When you look at the later Sabre guides and compare to the earlier BS guides they both attach using that round pin, I would have thought that by now Record would be selling these later guides as an upgrade for earlier saws just like they have with the later fence which is available as an upgrade part.

Thanks for your reply.

Fingers crossed that they do sell an upgrade set of guides for older saws.

Thanks

Dave
 
Hi there, does anyone know where/how to get hold of one of the Rikon tool-less guide kits in the UK? I can't find anyone on the internet selling them. Thanks!
 
Thanks for your reply.

Fingers crossed that they do sell an upgrade set of guides for older saws.

Thanks

Dave

If they were going to do this they’d have done it by now. I suspect the cost of packaging the bits up together with a failsafe set of instructions together with the number of supports calls and quantity they’d sell probably just doesn’t stack up. Plus they’d really like you to buy a Sabre, I note they now have a 10 inch Sabre variant and wonder if the 12 inch version is also on the way….
 
Well I took the plunge and bought the Sabre top set of blade guides as a complete kit.
As expected, some modifications had to be made to the blade guard as the Sabre guides are a good bit larger compared to the OEM version. Had to and remounted the guard about 15mm hight in its mount position so just drilled and tapped an new thread to secure it. I am really pleased with the result and now I have bearings facing the correct way guiding the blade as they are intended.

I am going to order a lower set if RP have them in stock and see if that will fit. I am pretty optimistic after seeing what has already been done by Mike K.

Thanks Mike
 
I put the table back on the saw and then put the 1/2-inch 3TPI M24 blade on it. After aligning the table to the blade in both axes, aligning the fence to the miter slots, and then aligning the fence and table to the blade, it was time for a test cut.

I fed a short piece of 125mm x 52mm kiln-dried beech through to see how well it would resaw. Not to be too greedy, because I don't have a tall resaw fence and didn't think to make a temporary fence using MDF, I made three consistent 3mm slices of 125mm beech. As Doug Marcaida would say, "it will cut".

I have never been able to resaw anything on this saw since I had it and it was marginally effective at cutting plywood. I'm sure most of the success is from using quality blades, and maybe a little from better blade guides. I might spare it from the river after all.

Also, I bought the three-DVD set The Complete Bandsaw from @Steve Maskery, but have only watched the first DVD so far. I would have never checked to see if blade was tracking properly on the lower wheel, but did so after watching this on Steve's DVD. Sure enough, the teeth were almost at the front edge of the bottom wheel with the blade tracking properly on the top wheel. Apparently, this has been the condition since the saw was new. The wear marks on the tire were only on the front edge. A few small adjustments of the axle bolts, and the blade was where it should be. For me, this was worth the price of the DVDs, so I should watch the others now.

I made several modifications to my Record Power BS350S bandsaw over the past few weeks and decided to post them here in case anyone with a similar bandsaw was interested.

Here are the modifications I made and will be documenting here. I’ll update the list below with links to the other threads as I add them::

1. Upgrade upper and lower blade guides with the Rikon tool-less kit made for the Rikon 10-324 and 10-325 bandsaws.
2. Add an electrical outlet to the upper frame so I can power the magnetic base LED lamp.
3. Add blade shroud to improve dust collection.
4. Rip Fence Upgrade
5. Replace the stock wheeled base with a sturdy cabinet with drawers, locking casters, and push handle.


=====

I watched several YouTube videos about the Rikon 10-324 bandsaw and noticed immediately how similar it was to the Record Power BS350S. I decided to take a chance on the tool-less upgrade kit, fully expecting it to not be a simple install as shown in the Rikon videos. It was not a simple install, but I accomplished everything using common tools. The only powered tools I used were a cordless drill and a Dremel with a cutoff wheel. If I had some metal cutting blades for my jigsaw, I would have used it instead of a hacksaw.

Note: If you are concerned about the warranty of your bandsaw, this is not the kit for you. A complete installation requires making several permanent modifications to the bandsaw frame.

Here is the Rikon tool-less kit as it arrived in the mail.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-1-L.jpg



A view of the inside of the box showing the components. I first noticed that the upper blade guard was longer than the OEM guard, so this would have to be cut in order to fit in the upper wheel section. I also noticed that the optional scale for the upper blade guard was marked in imperial and metric; however, for some metric haters, the scale was in centimeters.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-2-X2.jpg



A comparison of the stock and upgrade upper blade guides. The Record Power BS350S guide is on the left and the Rikon tool-less blade guide is on the left. The upper blade guide was the only part that was a one-for-one exchange and did not require any modifications to the bandsaw to install and adjust.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-3-L.jpg



A comparison of the stock and upgrade lower blade guides. The Record Power BS350S lower guide components are on the left and the Rikon tool-less lower blade guide is on the right. All of the RP components are mounted to the trunnion, while the Rikon guide is attached to the frame. Unlike the upper blade guide, the lower blade guide required some modification to the bandsaw frame in order to fit.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-22-L.jpg



Here is an image of the Rikon tool-less upper blade guide attached. The exchange was easy and took seconds. One bolt holds the blade guide to the upper arm.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-4-L.jpg



Here is another view of the Rikon upper blade guide installed. The black knobs on each roller bearing lock the bearing in place. When the knob is loosened, the spring-loaded shaft moves the bearing away from the blade, so you have to push the bearing back to the blade for each adjustment.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-5-L.jpg



Here is a comparison of the Record Power and Rikon upper blade guards. The Record Power blade guard cannot be used with the Rikon upper blade guide, because of clearance issues. Likewise, the Rikon blade guide can’t be used as is because it hits the upper wheel housing safety switch.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-6-XL.jpg



Another interference issue is with bracket that is part of the upper wheel housing. The bracket prevents the upper arm from fully raising because it makes contact with the blade guard and the upper blade guide. The only purpose for this bracket is to catch a moving slide on the stock upper blade guard. Since I removed the stock blade guard, this bracket is no longer required. A single pass with the Dremel cutoff wheel, and the bracket is history.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-7-X2.jpg



The modified blade guard and blade guide installed. The blade guard has a clear plastic window in order to see the upper bearing and make adjustments.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-8-X2.jpg



Another view of the new blade guard and blade guide in the fully raised position.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-9-X2.jpg



A view of the upper blade guard with the access door opened.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-10-X2.jpg



A view of the upper arm in the fully lowered position. The bearings are in contact with the table.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-11-X2.jpg



Available height of cut with the stock Record Power BS350S blade guides installed.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-12-X2.jpg



Available height of cut with the Rikon tool-less blade guide upgrade kit installed. I lost about one centimeter of cut height (10mm for those of you who fear or despise the lovely centimeter).

BS350S-Blade-Guide-13-X2.jpg



And now the fun begins. I realized as I unpacked the Rikon tool-less kit and tried to dry fit the parts, that the lower blade guides would require most of the effort in this project. Here is the stock lower blade guide. Despite several cleanings, the only roller bearing in the stock setup constantly seizes. It might as well be a stack of washers for all the good it does.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-14-X2.jpg



I had to cut a wider section in the lower frame to accommodate the Rikon lower blade guide assembly. I also drilled two holes in the lower frame to allow attaching of the guide bracket using two M5 screws. The normal installation uses one screw and a locator grub screw in an elongated hole already drilled in the Rikon 10-324 lower frame. I like my version better, since there is no way for the lower blade guide to twist.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-15-X2.jpg



Another view of the lower wheel housing showing the modification to the frame.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-16-X2.jpg



The new Rikon tool-less lower blade guide upgrade installed. There is plenty of room for movement to accommodate a 3/4-inch 3TPI blade without the side roller bearings interfering with the teeth.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-17-X2.jpg



Another view of the Rikon upgrade.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-18-X2.jpg



To make adjusting the right roller bearing a bit easier, I drilled a 20mm hole in the side of the frame. The hole is covered up in normal use by a bracket I made for the blade shroud dust collection modification.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-19-X2.jpg



I fitted a 1/2-inch 3TPI M42 blade I bought from TuffSaws and set the rollers.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-20-X3.jpg



Another view of the lower blade guide with the blade fitted.

BS350S-Blade-Guide-21-X3.jpg
Why do you think the new Rikon blade guides are so much better? I recently bought the Hammer N2 35 which looks like another clone of the Record, but the blade guides, apart from being a little awkward, to adjust seem to work fine.
 
Why do you think the new Rikon blade guides are so much better? I recently bought the Hammer N2 35 which looks like another clone of the Record, but the blade guides, apart from being a little awkward, to adjust seem to work fine.

The bearings on the Rikon and Sabre 350 blade guides actually turn upon contact with the blade instead of acting like little surface grinders as the original disks did. Even though I was using the blade that came with the saw, the sides slowly became polished as it contacted the lateral thrust disks. The only bearing on the original lower set was seized, which might be due to a very cheap bearing.

After nearly three years, the Rikon guides are still great and I have not had any problems with them.
 
Thank you! These guides are also standard on the Rikon 10-326 bandsaw, which looks strangely similar to the Record Power Sabre-350. However, it appears that the RP retained the split upper blade guard and extended the locking knobs for the upper guide side rollers.

I found only one source, A.L.T. Saws and Spares Ltd, that makes aftermarket upper roller guides for the Record Power BS350S, but they only make the upper guide. According to Lee at ALT, the upper guide performs 80 percent of the work, so they don't bother with the lower guide.

Roy, if you want yet another option, Lee at A.L.T. Saws and Spares LTD offers a direct replacement set of upper roller guides for the Record Power BS300E, BS350S, and BS400. In August, he quoted £83.40, which included the 20-percent VAT. I have no idea if the price changed. The part number is RPRG1, but it is not listed on his website. I found a reference to these guides and emailed Lee.

View attachment 96100
Image from A.L.T. Saws and Spares LTD


The literature for these state the upper guides do 80-percent of the work, so he doesn't offer the lower guides. There is a loss of 50mm in cutting height with these rollers.
I was thinking of getting this from Lee at A.L.T. Saws and Spares LTD, I did email him and he still has some in stock, the cost is just under £100 with VAT and postage, is this a straight swap over, I thought this would improve and not have to do any cutting on the machine, I was going to leave the bottom guides as they are, what do you think of that idea?
 
I was thinking of getting this from Lee at A.L.T. Saws and Spares LTD, I did email him and he still has some in stock, the cost is just under £100 with VAT and postage, is this a straight swap over, I thought this would improve and not have to do any cutting on the machine, I was going to leave the bottom guides as they are, what do you think of that idea?

The A.L.T. upper guide was my first choice before I found the Rikon set. However, you will lose more cutting height with the A.L.T. guides than with the Rikon guides.

As an alternative, I recommend looking for a set of RP Sabre350 upper guides. These appear to be the same as the Rikon guides and are a direct replacement for the BS350S guides.
 
Thanks Mike, I will have a look at the Sabre guides in the morning that sounds like a better upgrade, I have already ordered the Sabre fence upgrade that should be here tomorrow
 
I made the mod a good while back (I'm in the thread somewhere)and have never regretted it for a minute.

I've done this too plus the Sabre fence upgrade. Both very worth while.

Don't be put off by the cutting needed for the guides - it's really not that difficult. The whole job took me a couple of hours, plus a bit for making the table & new fence square to the blade again.

Also, get rid of the standard blades and go Tuffsaws - https://www.tuffsaws.co.uk/ - another excellent upgrade, plus if you call for advice, they are super helpful.
 
I've done this too plus the Sabre fence upgrade. Both very worth while.

Don't be put off by the cutting needed for the guides - it's really not that difficult. The whole job took me a couple of hours, plus a bit for making the table & new fence square to the blade again.

Also, get rid of the standard blades and go Tuffsaws - https://www.tuffsaws.co.uk/ - another excellent upgrade, plus if you call for advice, they are super helpful.
I am not put off by the cutting required, it is just that if it can be avoided then why do it I have been looking for the Sabre top guides as an upgrade but can't seem to find them, I have emailed Record Power this morning to ask if they do them as an upgrade, they are not advertised on their website, also I have ordered new blades from https://www.tuffsaws.co.uk/ so if I can get the Sabre guides then I will do that, otherwise I will go with A.L.T. Saws and Spares LTD and loose 2 inches of cut height which I doubt I will need, and if ever I do I can change the guides back to the originals
 
I got a reply from Record Power

From andrews on 20-02-2024 10:53​

Hi,
thank you for your enquiry,
unfortunately this i not an upgrade we offer for this machine as they are slightly different fittings

Kind Regards
Andrew
 
The A.L.T. upper guide was my first choice before I found the Rikon set. However, you will lose more cutting height with the A.L.T. guides than with the Rikon guides.

As an alternative, I recommend looking for a set of RP Sabre350 upper guides. These appear to be the same as the Rikon guides and are a direct replacement for the BS350S guides.
I have a set of the ALT upper guides for sale. £55 plus postage. PM me for details.
 
I have a set of the ALT upper guides for sale. £55 plus postage. PM me for details.
I hope you are not directing this offer at me. If you want to sell the upper guide, why not list it in the For Sale forum instead of this thread?
 
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