Riser Block for Older Grizzly 18" Bandsaw

[Todd Cioffi]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I have an older (about 1986 or so) Grizzly 18" bandsaw and I want to put a riser block on it. Can I use a standard riser block or because it's an 18" saw will I need a "special" riser block?

Thanks,
Todd

[Josiah Bartlett]

I thought the older Grizzlys were welded steel? How would you fit one?

Also, I'm pretty sure a riser block for a 14" saw would fold under the tension imposed by a bigger saw.

[Brian Coe]

I assume you have one of the older style cast iron 18" saws, that look like the 14" Delta on steroids. They have a two piece frame, like a 14", but to my knowledge, no one ever offered a riser block for them. Most of those 18" import saws had a resaw capacity that hovered around 8"-9". I did make a custom riser block for the one that I owned out of a 3/8" thick piece of steel square tubing that was machined parallel on both ends. I ended up with about 13 or 14" of resaw as I recall. Unfortunately, the quality of those older saws wasn't the best, and it was never accurate or sturdy enough to do what I wanted. I eventually sold it, and have acquired a series of bandsaws since. Of the older saws, a 20" Powermatic or Delta 20" would be a good choice, as well as anything by Northfield, Moak, Tannewitz, Crescent, etc. Of the newer saws, I have and recommend the MiniMax series. I have a 24" model that's about 5 years old, and it's awesome for rip and resaw work.