Any chance of riser block misalignment?

[Mark Burnette]

This one has me scratching my head...
I'm currently in the process of "hot-rodding" my Delta 14":
Riser block
Urethane tires
Link belt
Welded mobile base
Kreg fence
Carter tension release
(I had previously installed the Carter roller guides and machined steel pulleys)

Runs much smoother with less vibration now but I noticed the new blade was tracking on a different position on each wheel. My straight edge found the top wheel set back 1/4" from the bottom wheel!

I have the Duginske book and several years ago had tuned up my saw so how the heck did the wheels get so far out of alignment? Is there any chance the riser block did this? It came with dowel pins so it can't be installed "wrong"...right?

[dana foley]

Mark, I installed the riser block on my Delta when it was new. I was kind of a newbie at the time. I always had trouble tracking the blade, even to the point of the blade slipping off the wheels when running! It got to a point where it sat there for a year without being used. I had a few hours one day and decided to "tune it up". I read a lot of solutions to wheels not being coplanar and how it really shouldn't matter. I figured the problem was with the riser block so I drilled the holes in the block (not the saw) slightly bigger, I then reinstalled and was able to adjust the top so the wheels were coplanar. I tightened everything down and it has held good to this day. I haven't touched the tracking screw since, change the blade and it tracks perfect. I now love the saw and look for excuses to use it! Im sure you have them but a 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 open end wrench is needed to tighten the bolts. I hope this helps!
Dana

[Callan Campbell]

Mark, I seem to remember Powermatic having a problem with the riser blocks on their 14" BS. The solution was generally what Dana F. did until they corrected their quality control and made better batches of the parts. So, if it can be mismade or machined wrong by any company, then you may have a similar issue with your riser block.

[Steve Schoene]

There have been reported seemingly minor aspects of the riser blocks that have been responsible for problems. One of these is the possiblity that paint has flowed to the machined surfaces. That should be cleaned off. I had no problem when I installed my riser block so it's not a universal problem.

[Chip Lindley]

There is always the possibility of skewed dowel holes in the riser block. Sounds like this may be your problem. I installed a old but never-used Rockwell riser on my '92 Delta 14" in two-tone gray. It is dead on! No tracking problems after reassembly.

Quality control may have suffered on newer riser kits, but this one is perfect, but for some discoloration on the longer guide bar. The 1/4" steel dowel pins were a press fit into the upper/lower castings. No wiggle room at all!

[Mark Burnette]

My saw is 16 years old and the riser is brand new. I assumed the parts would fit & line up perfectly but there may have been changes over the years. Funny thing is the top frame overhangs the riser towards the front a little--which would bring the top wheel forward of the bottom wheel...but mine is recessed. I hope I don't need to separate the riser from the lower frame--I had to use a lot of percussive motivation to assemble it.
When I get my current project done I'll need to completely disassemble the BS and start over, checking everything. It might be a simple as fitting a 1/4" sleeve behind the upper wheel to space it out but that sure seems like a lot of shim for an American made name-brand saw.

On a good note--even with the gross misalignment it resaws 7" thick dry oak great. Huge amount of bias needed--couldn't use the nice Kreg fence I just bought--but once a fence was clamped down the cut stayed true to that line and cut clean, smooth and quiet. This gives me hope that I haven't wasted the money I just put into this thing.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Ittura Design sell washers specifically to fit your machine. I have three 14" Deltas, two with, and one without a riser block. Both saws were bought used with blocks already installed, so I'm no help.

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I have a ~20 year old Delta 14" and I had to add shim washers behind the upper wheel to get it to track correctly. And this was without a riser block.

Get a long straight edge (or make one on the jointer) and see how coplaner your wheels are.

[Mark Burnette]

I know this is a fairly dead thread but I wanted to wrap up loose ends...maybe it'll benefit someone later with a similar problem.
I finally got opportunity to dive back into my saw in search of the misalignment. I did find it and it's a stupid, totally avoidable issue. I removed the blade, table, guards, post & guide and upper door so I would have easy access to the bare wheels. I verified nearly 3/8" gap in front of the upper wheel. I removed the wheel and then the top frame. It was then I noticed a sliver of light showing between the lower frame and the riser block. The riser clearly rocked on the bottom frame. This was due to the 16+ year old original dowels being longer than the holes drilled in the new riser! The new dowels for the top frame that came with the riser kit are pointed but my old dowels are square with just a tiny chamfer. The holes in the riser are not square and not deep enough. I drilled them an additional 1/8" deeper and the pieces went together tight and square. After reassembly the top wheel is now precisely co-planer with the bottom wheel--no adjustments needed.

Delta needs to take into account the possibility that a new accessory might be used on an older saw and at least include a note in the instructions to keep an eye out for this problem.

[Phil Thien]

Congrats on a positive outcome, and thanks for the follow-up.

[Ron Kellison]

There is always the possibility of skewed dowel holes in the riser block. Sounds like this may be your problem. I installed a old but never-used Rockwell riser on my '92 Delta 14" in two-tone gray. It is dead on! No tracking problems after reassembly.

Quality control may have suffered on newer riser kits, but this one is perfect, but for some discoloration on the longer guide bar. The 1/4" steel dowel pins were a press fit into the upper/lower castings. No wiggle room at all!

At one time (early 90s) I owned a Chinese clone of the Delta 14" saw. I installed a riser kit and the performance went down the sewer! After a bit of troubleshooting I found out that the dowel holes were, in fact, misaligned by about 3 degrees. I could get the wheels co-planed at the back and the top wheel would be 1/2" out of alignment at the front! I ground off the front dowel pin and then really tightened the main bolt holding the riser in place. It wasn't great performance after that but at least it was usable.

Regards,

Ron