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Adding a riser block to a Delta 14” bandsaw

Lou Jacobs

Lou Jacobs

Joined
Jul 18, 2018
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Location
Baltimore, MD
Website
loujacobswoodturning.com
I’m curious to know if anyone has put a 6” riser block on this saw and what your experience has been. I have an old faithful saw that has given me terrific service cutting bowl blanks, as long as the 3tpi blade is sharp and I am careful to feed in a concentric circle. Sometimes I crave an extra inch or two of height capacity when I’ve got a blank taller than 6”. Otherwise I have to rely on the chainsaw to cut as round as possible, then move to the lathe. The motor on the saw is only 1/2 hp, but is usually able to cut whatever I throw at it. This morning I processed 15 pieces of fresh oak, ash and maple into 30 blanks. Most were under 6”, but a few had to be left to the chainsaw to cut round. Please don’t suggest a bigger saw. I’m not there (yet). Thanks!
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I used to have a 14" Delta that I put a riser block on. It was better than nothing, but certainly not nearly as easy and fun to use as my Laguna that was made to handle thicker pieces and has the power necessary...sorry :)
 
I added the riser to mine 25yrs ago and used it for 5-10yrs until I chose to afford a new bandsaw. I was ~happy with it (and several other mods I did to the Delta) during that time. Not sure, but I think mine might have been 3/4hp, I think your largest issue will be power. If you go this route things won't be as convenient for you as a new saw, but you'll have a much better bandsaw than nearly anyone had 100yrs ago, and they did some nice work back then
 
My first bandsaw was a Delta 14" purchased new in 1961 with paper route money, owned and continually used until 2017. The list of changes include the 6" riser, a 1HP motor upgrade and Carter bearing guides. The saw always performed well but it could have benefitted from a larger motor for cutting thick green turning blanks or resawing.
 
I put the riser block on the week I bought it 20+ years ago and have never regretted it, often appreciated it. After I burned out the motor that came with it doing something silly I put a 2 HP motor I already had on that has been humming along ever since. Handled all my resaw needs for a very long time. I also added the Carter guides.

Last year I acquired a Centauro/Minimax 20" saw with a 7.5 HP motor, and I have to say it's better for many tasks, especially those involving resawing 12-15" boards. I've kept the Delta and have not removed the riser.
 
I purchased my Delta 12" bandsaw around 1990. Bought the 6" riser block at the same time. Made my own blades. Actually, a pretty nice saw. I still have it. But, it needs a larger motor. I have a 1 1/2hp Baldor motor in the box waiting for me to make a new stand and put the larger motor on. In 2005 or so, I did buy a Laguna 18" saw. 4.5hp. One saw for small stuff and one saw for larger stuff. Like the riser block though. Is it possible to still get the riser block?
 
I added the riser to my late 30s Delta about 25-30 years ago. I also upgraded the motor to 1 HP at the same time, from the original 1/4 or 1/3 HP motor. It was well worth the time & effort.
I was young & strong when I did it back then, all by myself Now, I'd definitely want help to re install the upper arm.
Is the riser kit still available?
 
I bought my 4 speed 14" bandsaw new in 98, and assembled the stand and saw, then went to get the riser set, and not surprisingly the pieces did not exactly fit with precision, so removed the pins that where off and bolted the pieces together, got a couple of straight edges and lined the wheels up in both planes, then drilled a couple holes and pinned the pieces together, never had to touch this again.

I also hung a small motor on the back of the stand that gives me the ability to saw metal, it works just fine, but for large pieces of wood I use the chainsaw and cut the piece to a octagon shape, as I find it too difficult to lift the heavy wood up on that smallish table and than steer it around cutting a circle, I am glad I did add the riser as I am able to saw higher than the 6" it was able to initially.

Also added a couple of wheels that enable me to lean the saw over and roll it to where ever I want to, the wheels are just above the floor when upright.

Grizzly does carrie riser backs for their saws, you do need to make sure they will fit your saw, as the other parts, other than the block, are not all alike.

Blank to be rough turned.jpg Pinned riser block.jpg band speed fpm metal and wood.jpg metal sawing motor on the saw.jpg wheels added.jpg
 
I have a king canada delta clone. Put the riser on and it was definitely worth it. It's never not cut any blank I needed and I've resawn 8" ash without issue, just have to be patient.
 
I had an aftermarket copy of the Delta. I bought a riser from grizzley because they looked the same. The alignment pins were not the same as the holes in my saw. Still I made it work. Then I got a Delta saw with a bigger motor and put their riser on it. Worked fantastic. I would still be using it if I had not found an unbelievable deal on a 16"mini max.
 
I bought my 14" Delta sometime around 1990. . When I added the riser block, I also upgraded the motor to 1 HP. I still have it, and until last year, it cut all my bowl blanks. Worked just fine.

I did shim one side of the riser block to get the wheel alignment just right.

I also made an extension table which I highly recommend doing. I rarely used the rip fence, so I used those attachment holes to blot on a table, with a diagonal support down to the stand. Increasing the height will mean you will be cutting larger and heavier blanks. The table on that saw is just too small to safely hold bigger logs.

IMG_5497.JPG
 
I added a riser to my Ridgid 14" a few years ago. I also added a $100 carbide from Amazon 6 months ago. I am happy camper. Blade greatly increased tracking and saw provides plenty of power due to blade. I do not recall where I got the riser from but I can get details on the blade if you want it. I do recall that I did not get it from Ridgid but it lined up.
Pat
 
Thanks Pat. I’ve been very happy with the Olson 3TPI 1/2” blades I’ve been getting from Amazon. If I make this conversion, I see they are available in 105” size, so I’ll probably stick with them. I’m primarily using them for cutting wet bowl blanks and have been getting terrific performance and life from them. I think only about $12/ blade.
 
Lou Jacobs said:
I’m curious to know if anyone has put a 6” riser block on this saw and what your experience has been. I have an old faithful saw that has given me terrific service cutting bowl blanks, as long as the 3tpi blade is sharp and I am careful to feed in a concentric circle. Sometimes I crave an extra inch or two of height capacity when I’ve got a blank taller than 6”. Otherwise I have to rely on the chainsaw to cut as round as possible, then move to the lathe. The motor on the saw is only 1/2 hp, but is usually able to cut whatever I throw at it. This morning I processed 15 pieces of fresh oak, ash and maple into 30 blanks. Most were under 6”, but a few had to be left to the chainsaw to cut round. Please don’t suggest a bigger saw. I’m not there (yet). Thanks!
View attachment 41344
Click to expand...
In my experience, adding the riser block only magnifies all the inherent little faults of the saw.
 
I have an old Delta 14" saw. It's so old it has the hexagonal blade guide shaft. I have a larger motor on it (3/4 or 1 hp, I forget and I'm too lazy to go look), and I decided to put the riser on it. Delta risers were available, but pricey, on ebay. I got a deal on a Jet set. It's clearly a copy of the Delta riser but one of the locating pins is slightly offset from the Delta riser's pin. I tried and failed to drill a new hole but realized that it doesn't matter. The riser clamp bolt holds it so tightly that it's not going anywhere. Besides, every time you put a blade on a bandsaw you have to adjust the guides anyway, so being 1/32" off with the riser is no big deal. I did have to make a new blade guide shaft from some hex stock, but that was super easy.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
In my experience, adding the riser block only magnifies all the inherent little faults of the saw.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about inherent faults of the saw. I do know over the years as foreign competitive heated up Delta made some cost cutting mods to the saws. The first notable change was the rod used to hold the upper blade guide was changed from a hex shape to the less expensive round rod. A few other not so noticeable changes were made at the same time, around 1980 (?).

Then a bit later they changed to the enclosed stand that had issues with the motor mount and were prone to vibration. The enclosed stands made motor upgrades very difficult.

My 14" Delta is from the 1940's and has the two speed gearbox to slow the blade for metal cutting. All in all, I'd say the older Delta's are better than the later models wiht their cost cutting mods.

As to the only 6" depth of cut for bowl blanks... by tilting the table 45 degrees and a simple pin point pivot jig you can trim round blanks far thicker than 6 inches. I'm sure Youtube or Googling will turn up a design for the jig.

One problem with the riser block is the need for longer blades. The standard 92-1/2" blade is common and widely stocked. Sometimes the longer blade has to be a special order. When you need a new blade at 6 o'clock Sunday night Home Depot won't have the longer blade.
 
I ran my 14" Delta with the riser for years. Worked fine but was underpowered. I did a lot if work with it. I always struggled on really thick blanks but it did the job. I got a 16" minimax that is 5hp. Huge difference in rigidity and cut quality but then it's a $3800 saw vs $1200 for the Delta.
 
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John Snow said:
I have an old Delta 14" saw. It's so old it has the hexagonal blade guide shaft. I have a larger motor on it (3/4 or 1 hp, I forget and I'm too lazy to go look), and I decided to put the riser on it. Delta risers were available, but pricey, on ebay. I got a deal on a Jet set. It's clearly a copy of the Delta riser but one of the locating pins is slightly offset from the Delta riser's pin. I tried and failed to drill a new hole but realized that it doesn't matter. The riser clamp bolt holds it so tightly that it's not going anywhere. Besides, every time you put a blade on a bandsaw you have to adjust the guides anyway, so being 1/32" off with the riser is no big deal. I did have to make a new blade guide shaft from some hex stock, but that was super easy.
Click to expand...
I bought my 14" Delta new in 1961 and I believe I bought the riser in the 1980's. The original blade guide shaft was a 7/8" hex and the replacement was a 7/8" round with a flat machined for the clamp screw and it worked just fine. The 7/8" hex is still in service for another purpose that being a handle for some gun drills. The process was to bore an air hole through it, threading one end to mount the gun drill and threading the other end to accept an air gun.
DSC00849.JPG
 
I think the bottom line is that the riser block is a good thing for improving the Delta 14" band saw's capacity.
Be careful about expecting to make it into a 'resaw'. It isn't. The top wheel carriage is flimsy aluminum.
The original guides are the best. Side rollers emboss the blade with gummy sawdust if you're cutting blanks from green wood.
 
Lou Jacobs said:
I’m curious to know if anyone has put a 6” riser block on this saw and what your experience has been. I have an old faithful saw that has given me terrific service cutting bowl blanks, as long as the 3tpi blade is sharp and I am careful to feed in a concentric circle. Sometimes I crave an extra inch or two of height capacity when I’ve got a blank taller than 6”. Otherwise I have to rely on the chainsaw to cut as round as possible, then move to the lathe. The motor on the saw is only 1/2 hp, but is usually able to cut whatever I throw at it. This morning I processed 15 pieces of fresh oak, ash and maple into 30 blanks. Most were under 6”, but a few had to be left to the chainsaw to cut round. Please don’t suggest a bigger saw. I’m not there (yet). Thanks!
View attachment 41344
Click to expand...
I did and it worked great. was going to get a new saw but decided to add the risor block. very happy with it. Belongs to my brother-in-law now as I moved up to a Laguna 14-12
 
I did the 6" riser block upgrade to my old Delta 14". I could not find a delta kit, so used the way cheaper Jet kit, knowing the guide bar would not fit, using it for a couple years before getting a 15/16" bar to machine to fit. Overall been very happy with the upgrade.
Here is what I would like to have seen for $169
www.ebay.com

Delta Height Attachment for 14" Bandsaw 28-984 F - Complete | eBay

Nice clean height adjuster for your bandsaw. Includes all pieces and instructions. No visible corrosion, rust or pitting on pieces. Post is smooth with minor staining.
www.ebay.com
Looks like it has the correct bar.
I upgraded the motor to 1hp, still need more hp
 
I had a similar saw and added a riser block, and it worked great. This increased the blade to 105".
Need to change the hex bar to a longer version which is available through McMaster-Carr, and add a longer shroud cover by the upstroke
Never had issues on power and I cut a lot of bowl blanks.
The dual gear system was handy if you need to cut metal, but the changeover made it tedious.
 
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I have that saw with a 6” powermatic riser. Came that way when I bought it used a couple years ago.

It does work, but agree with @Tom Albrecht that there are some shortcomings with the saw.
1) 3/4 hp is too small to reliably cut an 8” wet blank. I upgraded to a 1.5hp tefc from harbor freight.
2) the mount for the top wheel is a little flimsy. Blade tracking changes on its own on a pretty regular basis.
3) the table is too small.
4) getting it aligned correctly was difficult. The PM riser alignment pins didn’t quite match.
5) the blade guard above the top guides is a bit finicky. Need to adjust the guard separately from the guides.

All that said, it works. Someday I will upgrade to a better saw that doesn’t have those shortcomings, especially # 2 and #3.

imho the stock blade guides are much better than the Carter guides. MUCH easier to adjust, and they don’t gum up.
 
Mounting the 28-984 riser kit can be tricky to get right. The blade and upper guide arm need to be parallel. The top hinge can be moved by removing a little metal and adding various thickness washers.

28-984 a .jpg 28-984 b.jpg 28-984 3.jpg
 
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I put a riser kit on a 14" Delta band saw and it worked okay. But...some problems with alignment of the riser and some fiddling with it. It did add a few inches to the capability and it did run okay. A larger saw will be built more rigidly and be better for the wider blades a large saw likes.
 
Good discussion you started, Lou.
I’ve made 6” risers for two Delta bsaws both of Oak aligned with end grain vertical. I ripped 4 pieces precisely, glued them with epoxy such that a space for a centre bolt was created, and bolted them tight(!) with a class8 bolt. Both saws worked fine - no alignment issues even after years of use. My newest saw came with 1HP which is good improvement! By removing the blade guide entirely, and using high tension, I can cut 13” height easily as long as I’m adjusting tracking continuously.
Great mod!… and I’m surprised that running at high tension has not broken blades often.
The end grain Oak was v old white in both cases, and has not shrunk even a little bit!
 
Paul McGaffey said:
Good discussion you started, Lou.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the mention Paul. I’m glad some folks have found it useful. You’ve probably noticed that there was a gap of 2 3/4 years between posts in there before it was revived. After my initial question, I wound up deciding to go the route of a larger (Jet) saw which I’ve been thrilled with. I did keep the old Delta, making my shop even more cramped than it was before, but the Jet is set up for roughing out bowl blanks and re-sawing boards from logs, while I use the Delta for more traditional flat work in dimension lumber.
Having said all that, your solution of making a riser block out of end grain white oak is very appealing. So glad to hear your experience with that modification. Thanks!
 
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