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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.Originally Posted by Mitchell Ristine
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
[OP]
Member
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.
Contributor
There's a guy on eBay that has just a riser block for a Delta 14" 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
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
PM me your address and I'll send someone round to pick them up ,and help you free up some shop space.
Contributor
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.
Contributor
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.
[OP]
Member
I'd love to. I'd happily pay for shipping.
Contributor
I'll take a look tonight.
Contributor
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
Member
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.
Contributor
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.
riser.jpg
Contributor
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
Contributor
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.
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