Replies

1. 
   patternmaker | Dec 16, 2004 01:31am | #1

   I have an ancient Delta Milwaukee 14 saw that I added the riser to.
   The length of the blade goes to 105"
   The distance from the cutting edge of the blade to the edge of the riser block is 13",a loss of 1"
   If you need that extra 1",you can use a 2" thick spacer on top of the table.
   I have resawed boards 11- 1/2" wide with no problem. I rescued this old saw from the back of a meat market where it was cast aside years ago.After a complete rebuild, it has served me for the last 45 years. I am not familiar with all the new saws on the market,but my guess is that more users find the standard 14 inch saw will fulfill their needs.
   If I were doing resaw operations on a daily basis,I would buy one of those that use the 3 inch blade.Thank you,Mr.Croney,where ever you may be.
   Work safely ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

   
   

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   Edited 12/15/2004 10:52 pm ET by Pat

2. 
   billballeza | Dec 16, 2004 06:24am | #2

   I bought the Grizzly GO555 14" and ordered the riser block (which comes complete with the longer blade guide).

   As for why they don't just add the riser to begin with I refer you to Karl Marx's treatise on the evils of free enterprise and the self perpetuating profit motive.

   You really don't lose anything by increasing the resaw capacity of your bandsaw except that you can't use the inferior blade that came with the machine and must order the longer 105" blade. I recommend buying the best blade you can afford.. preferably a 1/2" 3tpi Timberwolf blade.

   The GO555 is billed as "the world's greatest bandsaw" or some such and, for my money, it is.

   Git you one.

    

1. 
   budreaux | Dec 17, 2004 04:52pm | #8

   I looked at the Grizzly G0555 and that what I have my sights on(with a riser block).  Thanks to all for your help.

3. 
   forestgirl | Dec 16, 2004 06:55am | #3

   I sure didn't give anything up when I (finally!) installed one on my Grizzly 1019Z.  Really, really wish I had just ordered it when I first got the saw.  Right after I put it on, I resawed a nice piece of juniper that'd been sitting around because it was "too big."  Saw did a great job, as usual, no different from the pre-riser-block quality.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

4. 
   BG | Dec 16, 2004 03:23pm | #4

   treefreak,

   I don't think you 'give up' anything from a functional viewpoint when you modify the 14" bandsaw with a riser block.  On the other hand, a modified 14" bandsaw is not a 12" resawing machine either....It just isn't engineered for that purpose.  So you can modify the 14" to accomodate the wider stock but you can't throw on wider blades and tension them appropriately...etc.,etc.

   Please note the difference in cost between Delta riser block and Grizzly riser block..

    

5. 
   douglas2cats | Dec 16, 2004 05:01pm | #5

   It's good you're thinking about this up front. The last thing you want to do is get a bunch of money invested in standard length blades and then make the switch.

   I've got a Jet 14" w/ riser block and have been pretty happy with it. The only thing I remember 'giving up' was the placement of the on/off switch. I'm at work so I can't look at it to jog my memory. If I recall, the switch mounted in a recess on the frame. When adding the riser, the switch had to mount somewhat differently. I think it ended up being in a bit more exposed location, possibly allowing more dust to get into things? Haven't had any switch problems. I just remember thinking that they could have done things a bit better design-wise. The riser kit did come with one 105" blade (think it was a 3 or 4 TPI) as well as the longer blade guard. I do remember that they managed to get powder coat in the mounting holes of the block, which I had to remove before I could get the riser to mount on the frame.

   Echoing BG's comment - On the other hand, a modified 14" bandsaw is not a 12" resawing machine either. Nuf said.

6. 
   GHR | Dec 16, 2004 05:27pm | #6

   Without the riser block the upper blade guide extends down a certain distance.

   With the riser block it extends down further.

   This allows the upper block to flex more. That may be important.

   The riser block also makes the machine taller. That may be important.

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 17, 2004 08:06am | #7

   I'm not sure I'm following you.  It doesn't seem to me that the fact that the blade guide extends down further would affect the flexion of the frame of the saw.  What do you mean by "upper block"??  Do you mean the upper portion of the frame, above the newly-installed riser block?

   At any rate, the blades I use don't require so much tension that the frame of the saw is likely to flex.  That's one reason I like the Timber Wolf blades.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   AlanWS | Dec 17, 2004 11:00pm | #9

   Forest Girl:I think what he means is that the guidepost extends down a longer distance from where it's anchored to where the upper blade guides are held, so flex in the post (or anywhere else in the frame) can allow vibration to be more of a problem. That's true, and the question is whether the vibration goes from being nonexistent to being unmeasureably small, in which case there's no problem, or if it goes from being acceptably low to unacceptably high vibration. I have a _very_ cheap bandsaw, and can report that adding a riser block did cause a bit more vibration when the post is down low to cut thin stock. It took some fiddling to get rid of the vibration, but it was definitely worth it to add a riser block.

1. 
   AlanMikkelsen | Dec 18, 2004 12:12am | #10

   I have the Grizzly 1019Z, too.  I think I gave up about $40 and some shorter blades that I sent back to Suffolk (Timberwolf) when I went to a riser block.  The 40 bucks tells you why manufacturers don't sell them initially!  ;)Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934,  Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT