Riser Block -14" Band Saw

[Kris Cook]

When I bought my 14" band saw I just had to have the riser block to increase capacity for re-sawing. In the time since I have rarely needed that capacity and I think generally I worry more about blade flex. I am thinking about removing the riser block. If I need the re-sawing capacity I will add a bigger band saw.

Curious what others have experienced.

[Alex Zeller]

I started out with a 14" bandsaw with a riser block and after a few years I replaced it with a bigger saw. At first I was going to keep both but I just never used the smaller saw. I guess if I did work where I was swapping between blades often I might have felt differently. The bigger saw cuts better, has a larger table, and a better fence. I've repurposed the area the smaller bandsaw took up for a different tool I've always wanted.

[lowell holmes]

I have had one on my saw for years and I will keep it. I have had no blade flex. Use it for a while to see if there are issues.

[Pete Staehling]

I bought a used delta that came with a riser block. I have always used it with the riser block. I have sometimes considered removing it, but have not for two reasons. First I have always had a bunch of blades on hand and second the re-saw capacity is just a little too limited without the block.

I sometimes wish I had a 2 or 3 inch riser block. It seems like that would be adequate for all of my re-sawing and have much less flex at the upper guide.

By the way... I have found trick to eliminate most of the flex most for of my re-sawing. Since my re-sawing is re-sawing thin pieces from veneer to 3/8" and mostly 4-6" wide, I find that I can set the saw up where the upper guide presses down on the fence. That locks it in and prevents any side to side flex. It pretty much eliminates all of the flex in that long rod that the upper guide is on. It only really is effective when re-sawing stock substantially less than 12" high and if the fence is substantially less than 12" high.

[Matt Day]

If you have blades (and they’d be easy to source since so many people “upgrade” to a riser block and can’t use their smaller blades) I’d suggest removing it and getting a bigger saw for bigger work. Too many people try to make that little saw do stuff it just can’t really do and wasn’t designed to do. It’s an excellent curve cutting saw.

[joe maday]

I always wondered if you could stack the blocks and have the saw cut 18" of resaw......

[Alex Zeller]

I always wondered if you could stack the blocks and have the saw cut 18" of resaw......

I'm sure you could but depending on what saw you have it may not be possible to modify the upper blade guide and guard to be able to be lowered all the way. Also the saw having too much flex would be an issue when trying to tension the blade. Then you would have to upgrade the motor as cutting 18" is going to require at least 2hp (3 to 5 would be much better). I think you would spend so much money trying to make it work that you would be better off buying a saw designed with that much resaw.

[John TenEyck]

Check the bolt through the riser block. It needs to be super tight; put as much tension on it as you can. That bolt is what keeps the frame from flexing and if it's not pre-tensioned, a lot, it can't do it's job properly.

I've had a riser block on my 14" Delta saw for 15 years or so. I now have a larger saw, better suited for resawing, but I see no reason to remove the riser on the Delta.

John

[Richard Coers]

I'm a strong proponent to the theory that if you are getting blade flex, you are not using the saw correctly. If you move the wood at the correct speed to let the teeth pull the sawdust through the kerf, there is no flex. I can resaw as well with a 3/8" blade as a 3/4". Same goes for curve cutting. Just move the wood with your finger tips so you can feel the blade cutting. If you feel it binding, you are using too wide of blade or you aren't anticipating the curve before you get to it. Bandsaw skills are no different than any other skill required in woodworking. It takes practice and feel. I once took off my top guides to increase a resaw capacity. With just the lower guides I cut some 13" figured maple and got 3 boards from 7/8" thick stock. So a riser block has nothing to do with cutting issues, it's the operator.

[Pete Staehling]

Check the bolt through the riser block. It needs to be super tight; put as much tension on it as you can. That bolt is what keeps the frame from flexing and if it's not pre-tensioned, a lot, it can't do it's job properly.

I've had a riser block on my 14" Delta saw for 15 years or so. I now have a larger saw, better suited for resawing, but I see no reason to remove the riser on the Delta.

John
I have never noticed the actual frame flexing on my delta with riser block (the bolts on the block are tight). What I do find is that the top guides are somewhat poorly supported laterally when they are lowered halfway and I am re sawing. The problem being the extra long guide post and the inability of the saw to properly tension wider blades.

A very sharp blade and great care to feed at the proper rate go a long way toward minimizing this issue, but it still can be an issue. I am all for keeping a fairly fresh blade in the saw, but I start to see problems in re sawing before I am willing to give up on a blade. That said, for most of my use the work around I mentioned earlier in this thread works well enough to eliminate the problem.

[Jim Becker]

There will always be potential trade-offs when "extending" a machine in this manner, but in most cases, these 14" saws seem to generally be fine with the riser block setup since they can't really tension to super high levels which would be more of a factor for "bending" of the structure. If one stays away from too-big bands that require high-high tension, issues shouldn't be anticipated. I would say that if one needs the extra height for a specific reason that doesn't warrant buying a larger, heavier saw, the riser block is a decent solution...as long as it also includes updated guards, etc., for safety. It also helps provide better visibility. And you CAN resaw with a narrower blade just fine. The tooth configuration is more important than the blade width, IMHO, especially with a good fence involved and a slow feed speed. A wider blade can help with straightness, but they tend to require a lot more tension to work well. More compromises...

[lowell holmes]

If you get one and you do not like it, you can probably sell it.

My 14" JET has one on it and there are no issues.

[Kris Cook]

A lot of good input here.

I was mostly curious about the physics of a longer vs. shorter lever. I was thinking the flex was a function of the distance between the guides - while that is part of it, on my saw (Grizzly GO555LX) the rod that extends down from the frame and holds the upper guides must also be a big contributor. With the block in place this rod is unsupported for an additional 6" and is much less beefy than the frame. That said, I am impressed how straight I am able to cut through most materials.

I think I will keep the block in place. When I get a larger saw I will probably keep this saw and remove the block.

Thanks to all for the helpful input.

[Tom M King]

I have one on a 14" Delta, that hasn't needed that much height since the 24" came home. I would rather it didn't have that riser on it now, but it's not worth the time to take it back off.