Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 17, 2007 06:54pm | #1

   One thing you could do is take measurements off the Ridgid at Home Depot and see if it might be the same frame as the Delta.  Never know when the stars are aligned properly to give you a break.  The other would be to check with a local machinery shop that carries Delta and ask if they'd give you a break on the price if you pay (cash) in advance.  Maybe get the price down to $90 or so.

   I got the new motor for my old (old!) Jet saw from a machine dealer who ordered it and sold it to me for not much over wholesale.  The strategy was actually suggested by the CS rep at the Jet warehouse when I called there. ;-)

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
2. 
   HowardAcheson | Sep 17, 2007 09:51pm | #2

   Remember, there is more to the "riser kit" than just the cast iron riser. You also need a new guide post and shield assembly and maybe a couple of other things. These items may be unique to specific manufacturers.

   Howie.........
1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Sep 17, 2007 10:12pm | #3

   Howie,

   It wasn't that long ago that the Delta was about $80, now it's pushing $130.  I was at the plumbing supply store yeaterday and a 10' length ¾" iron pipe now costs over $40!  I remember buying 'em for $10.

   Guess I've been out in the woods too long!

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

3. 
   douglas2cats | Sep 18, 2007 04:22am | #4

   This is one where I wouldn't mess around with substitutes. Even the ones made for the specific machines wont go together if there's so much as a trace of powder coat overspray on the holes. If you're doing it to get resawing height, I'm not sure it's worth it. I could never get satisfactory results on my previous BS (a 14" Jet with Riser block). It just didn't have enough HP, blade tension, or frame stiffness to resaw anything well beyond about the 6" original height without the riser block which sort of defeats the purpose of buying it. Just my 2 drachmas.

   If you build it he will come.

1. 
   saschafer | Sep 18, 2007 04:35am | #5

   "Gotta be the blade." I was very frustrated with resawing on my Ridgid BS1400 with riser block and its whopping 3/4 HP motor. As little as 4"-wide soft maple would cause the belt to slip.

   Switching to a Wood Slicer blade was like night and day. I recently resawed some 9"-wide curly bubinga without the saw giving even a hint of bogging down.

   -Steve

    

1. 
   douglas2cats | Sep 18, 2007 12:25pm | #6

   I was using the Woodslicer and didnt have problems with belt slipping or bogging down although I did have to keep the feed rate extremely slow. The problem was mostly not being able to tension enough to keep the cuts from barreling. 6" and below and all was smooth sailing. If you build it he will come.

2. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Sep 18, 2007 02:42pm | #7

   2cats,

   I'm wondering if your experiences are atypical of 14" BS's ingeneral.  If so then it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to invest in the $130 if I can't resaw up to 12" stock reliably.  Or is it a matter of being underpowered?

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

   Edited 9/18/2007 7:43 am ET by KiddervilleAcres

1. 
   douglas2cats | Sep 18, 2007 03:27pm | #8

   Well I've read quite a few similar comments from others so I know I'm not alone. But I also know there are folks that seem to get decent results resawing taller stuff on 14"+Riser saws. I wasn't one of them. I also had Carter Guides on mine, taller resaw fences, etc. that helped, but still didnt solve all the problems. I think it's do-able but often not without an extreme amount of fussing, adjusting, voodoo chants, wearing your lucky underwear, etc. Just saying that if your primary goal is to start resawing wider bookmatched panels or veneer, you may be disappointed. If it's just an occasional thing, go for it. Yeah they're underpowered for the wider stuff, but you can deal with that by really slowing the feed rate down. I think the bigger factor is frame stiffness and just not being able to tension the longer blades as well. I have to ask myself this: If the saw was designed to be able to cut 12" wide stuff, how come you even need a riser block add-on to get to that height? Not a bandsaw expert - just telling you what didn't work that well for me.

   Doug

    If you build it he will come.