Bandsaw upgrade

[Mitchell Ristine]

I am looking hard at a new Laguna 14 l 12. Right now I have a Delta 28-243S. It's a made in the usa 1980s 14 inch saw. I put a 1 hp baldor motor on it. It's in very good condition. I am wondering what these are selling for on CL right now? Could I get $600 - $700 for it?

[Jim Becker]

Since folks can buy an equivalent 14" saw for that kind of money brand new from some sources, I'd be doubtful you can get that much for your old Deta.

I will also suggest you consider if going to another 14" saw is really an upgrade in capability. Personally, I'd be shooting for something larger to enhance what you can use the tool for. But that's me. :)

[Mitchell Ristine]

Since folks can buy an equivalent 14" saw for that kind of money brand new from some sources, I'd be doubtful you can get that much for your old Deta.

Yea, that's kinda what I thought. It's either a new saw or a riser block.....

[Justin Rapp]

if you want to stay in a 14" saw (I know people always say go bigger, but there is a reason for 14" saws, some people don't need bigger), see if you can stretch a bit to the 14bx. It's just a heavier machine. i was set on the 14|12 and once I saw them side by side at a woodcraft store, I purchased the 14bx. But if the 14|12 is a good fit, go for it.

[Mitchell Ristine]

Justin,

When you were shopping, were any other brands in consideration (Griz, Rikon, PM...)?

[Clark Hussey]

I have the Grizzly 17” G0513X2. It is a well made saw and I have not had any issues with. Good bang for your buck.

[mark kosse]

IMO, I'd go riser block. I've used a lot of bandsaws in my day and nothing beats that Delta. I few are equal, but none beat it.

[John TenEyck]

A steel framed saw will run circles around the old cast iron Delta. I have one with a riser block and 1.5 HP motor. It's a fine little saw, but you can't put much tension on it so it's never going to compete with a steel framed saw. To get specific, about 12ksi is all the Delta can muster on a 1/2" blade. Modern steel framed saws will let you put 2X that on the same blade and some 14" ones will do it on a 3/4" blade. 20ksi on a blade will make it cut so much better and faster.

You should be able to get around $400 for the Delta if you want to sell it. But I wouldn't. I'd keep it and put a 1/4" blade on it and buy a 16 or 17" saw with at least 3 HP. Two saws gives you the best of both worlds IMO.

John

[mark kosse]

I have steel framed rikons I'd give away if I could.

[Jim Matthews]

What task has your Delta flubbed?

A fresh blade and drive belt can work wonders.

FWW contributor Michael Fortune does most of his daily work on similar saw (tuned perfectly, natch).

[Mitchell Ristine]

What task has your Delta flubbed?

Nothing. The resaw capacity is too limiting. If I want to resaw bookend veneer / tops for guitars, I figure I need about 8" of capacity.

[John TenEyck]

Nothing. The resaw capacity is too limiting. If I want to resaw bookend veneer / tops for guitars, I figure I need about 8" of capacity.

Then the riser kit will do what you need if your needs are modest. I sawed a lot of 10"+ veneer with my Delta and it did OK with a 1/2" x 3 tpi blade if it was set up really well. It's slow, but it works. It's pitiful compared to the speed of my 5 hp bandsaw with a 1" carbide blade but I managed just fine for many years.

John

[Tom M King]

With a 24" saw now too, I wish I had time to take the riser block off of mine.

[Mark Gibney]

A steel framed saw will run circles around the old cast iron Delta.
John

John, this caught my eye. I had a 20" (metric) 1980s Italian made bandsaw, really heavy steel, cast iron wheels, but it needed work. And a 20" Davis & Wells, which needed more work.
I opted to keep the D&W, it's a fine saw now, but I wonder about the Italian saw.
At that size do you still say the steel saws have the edge on cast iron framed saws?

thanks, Mark

[Mitchell Ristine]

Then the riser kit will do what you need if your needs are modest.

Best place to source a riser kit for an old delta? On ebay they're going for 250+. Wondering if there's a more cost friendly source.

[Jim Becker]

Best place to source a riser kit for an old delta? On ebay they're going for 250+. Wondering if there's a more cost friendly source.
I'm not surprised at the cost for the OEM...it's both the block and the retrofit guard, etc. Grizzly's kit for their similar saw is about a hundred bucks. Not sure i fit will work for sure or if the guard components will be compatible.

[Mitchell Ristine]

I'm not surprised at the cost for the OEM...it's both the block and the retrofit guard, etc. Grizzly's kit for their similar saw is about a hundred bucks. Not sure i fit will work for sure or if the guard components will be compatible.

I know. I could make it all work but the actual riser. Getting the pin locations EXACT is necessary and I don't have a milling press or vise.

[Mike Henderson]

There's a guy on eBay that has just a riser block for a Delta 14 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Riser-Block-Only-Part-for-Height-attachment-for-Delta-14-Bandsaw-Delta-894/113542441863?hash=item1a6fa82b87:g:icQAAOSwyApcNz5 g)" for sale for about $135. Don't know if it fits your Delta. If it doesn't, ask him if he has one for your saw.

You can search on "Riser Block Only Part for Height attachment for Delta 14" Bandsaw"Mike

[Dave Sabo]

I have steel framed rikons I'd give away if I could.


PM me your address and I'll send someone round to pick them up ,and help you free up some shop space.

[Alex Zeller]

I wouldn't worry to much about the pins. Chances are you'll want to get your wheels coplanar which mean those pins will have to come out. I have (Shop Fox I think) riser kit I bought for a Harbor Freight saw. The pins were on opposite corners of the block so I removed them and had new holes made so they would line up correctly. Was money flushed away because I ended up removing them so I could adjust the saw. Once I did the saw ran well for a sub $300 saw. But it quickly became clear that I was going to have to throw money on upgrades if I wanted to use it's new capacity so i sold it and got a 19" Grizzly. It'll cut circles around that 14" saw. I removed the riser kit and it's somewhere's in the shop. If you want to try to see if you can get it to work I can try to find it.

[Myles Moran]

I agree with Alex. I made a riser for my 12" out of some scrap walnut and it has no pins. Once I got the wheels aligned and tightened it down, it now cuts significantly better than I did before I installed the riser. The guards fitting will be far more important.

[Mitchell Ristine]

If you want to try to see if you can get it to work I can try to find it.

I'd love to. I'd happily pay for shipping.

[Alex Zeller]

I'll take a look tonight.

[John TenEyck]

You don't really need the pins at all. I put a Powermatic riser block kit on my 14" Delta and the pins didn't line up so I cut them off. It's fine. It takes a little more work to align the two castings but there actually is a benefit in that you can EXACTLY align the upper half so that the blade guide is where it's supposed to be fore/aft, left/right. The bolt is what holds it all together. Mine hasn't moved since I installed it about 10 years ago. Whatever you go with make sure you torque that bolt up really, really well, because it needs to resist the bending forces applied by the blade/spring.

John

[Mike Kees]

Mitchell does your saw have the round guide bar ? I have a riser block on my saw that is Delta. It is the round guide bar version that is/was on the newer saws. I think my saw was built in 1989. You need a new guide bar(longer) when you put a riser block in these saws. I would be willing to make a deal with you if you would send me your old guide bar and blade guard, the one on the left side bolted to the cast iron frame. PM me if you are interested.

[Alex Zeller]

I took a look last night and find this sitting in a box. It looks like there's the riser block, the large bolt, the two blade guards (the adjustable one and the fixed one), and the post for the upper guide that's machined with teeth (that might not work for your saw). I tried to send a private message but I couldn't include a photo unless it was on the web.

447306

[Derek Cohen]

I agree with Alex. I made a riser for my 12" out of some scrap walnut and it has no pins. Once I got the wheels aligned and tightened it down, it now cuts significantly better than I did before I installed the riser. The guards fitting will be far more important.

Myles, I am curious to know how adding a riser block, whether walnut or cast iron, can improve the performance of a bandsaw? As I undestand, a riser block simply increases the throat capacity. Indeed, it can make the performance less than before as a longer blade requires more stability, and this comes from the frame, which may not cope.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Myles Moran]

Derek - the biggest issue I had was the wheels were very far off from coplanar without a riser block. (this saw was a floor model hitachi that cost a whopping $150. If you have a better built and already aligned machine my point here is moot) I was able to track the blade, but it ended up with SIGNIFICANT drift as a result of the misalignment. The guides then were either fighting that bit of twist in the blade (unsuccessfully generally, as they are the small 1/4" diameter cool blocks) or too far away to really do anything. It left me with a saw I couldn't really use a fence with and rather rough cuts coming off the machine. As a result I never really used it as much as some people do, and it really sat in my shop just for resawing when I wanted bookmatched panels.

Once I added the riser block (so I could resaw a wider panel) I was able to use a straight edge to get the top and bottom half aligned. Now when I track a blade, be it centered on the wheels or gullets on the crown, it cuts straight. I have the guides set using the dollar bill method (well I use a folded sheet of paper) and now my cuts are significantly cleaner, and I can use a fence without having to adjust for drift. I'm now seeing the results that a properly set up bandsaw should be giving you, and the saw sees a lot more use.