I’d be willing to be that a good percentage of us started our bandsaw journey with a Craftsman 137.224320. It’s sort of the Toyota Corolla of bandsaws – cheap, durable, and reasonably effective at getting you from point A to point B with no thrills and zero embellishments. It’s the bare minimum.
The only real downfall with these machines has been the lack of an upgrade path. Once you’ve outgrown its capabilities, you’ve really had no options other than to sell it and re-enter the market for something more capable. And this predicament often came sooner rather than later due to the saw’s barely adequate guides.
Last week, I got an email from Andrew Essink. He’s decided to extend the life of the Craftsman by introducing the “Epic Ball Bearing Guide” for the Craftsman 137.224320. I no longer have this saw, so I can’t do a proper review… BUT, I have owned this saw in the past and know all too well the problem this guide solves.
I was so excited that I gave Andrew (Econaway) an ad spot on the house and have agreed to help with any testing he needs done when he moves on to making guides for my own saw.
In any case, this is pretty damned good news for some of you. If you own a 137.224320, you know what to do.
