bmorretta Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hi all, I have a new bandsaw that I picked up at one of those year end sales. It came with a free riser block kit. I am interested in opinions about the benefits and drawbacks that come with installing the riser block. Right away I see one pro and one con. The pro is the ability to handle larger stock. The con is the cost for longer blades. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. Regards, Bobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikepdarr Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hi Bobbie, I have the Powermatic 14" bandsaw with the riser block installed. You will hear of some stories that the block is difficult to install or the holes do not line up. Mine installed without a hitch. I did mine by myself but should have had a second person. I think 105" blades might be a couple more dollars each. Not a big deal unless you are buying resaw king blades. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 i added one to my 14" grizzly ultimate i love it. now i have a 12" resaw capacity instead of 6" for a couple bucks more for a blade it's well worth it. save the old hardware if you don't like it take the riser off. enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgfore Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hello Bobbie. Like higtron, I also purchased the riser block for my 14" Grizzly. I really like the added area for larger stock. My will hold up to a 3/4" blade, so I can do some pretty hefty resawing if I want to. Like Mike, I did it by myself. I fully recommend that you get some help. I am a pretty good size fella, and it strained me at times. When if you install the riser block, make sure that you carefully read the instructions. I mostly glanced over them, assuming the darn thing was pretty self explainitory. However, I missed the part about a LITTLE bitty spring and ball bearing inside of the guide post. I found the ball bearing, but the spring is still lost. I had to order a replacement spring from Grizzly. You will read that some people fill that the riser blocks make the bandsaw cut a little less stable, but I have not really found that to be true. If you get the correct amount of tention on the blade it should still cut the same. Chances are if it cuts crappy at 6" it will cut crappy at 12". my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteJr Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 I have the riser on my Powermatic and love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab73180 Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 i have heard that adding a riser block kit makes the saw flex more from the added height. maybe they have addressed that problem with the newer machines. ill be interested to see what people say. i think my next purchase will be a bandsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave's Not Here Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Much depends on the bandsaw you purchased, which saw id you buy? The size of the motor is IMO quite important when resawing. Smaller motored bandsaws will resaw if setup properly but often times the going can be slower than a snails pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 i have heard that adding a riser block kit makes the saw flex more from the added height. maybe they have addressed that problem with the newer machines. ill be interested to see what people say. i think my next purchase will be a bandsaw. maybe somebodys doing some extreme woodworking that i'm unaware of but i've never noticed any flex in the frame of my saw. and i've resawn maple logs that i've recovered from the river no problem and never anything flexing in normal operations. one thing you might want to consider is buying a good blade i was amazed at how much better my saw cut once i got rid of the stock blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorretta Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Much depends on the bandsaw you purchased, which saw id you buy? The size of the motor is IMO quite important when resawing. Smaller motored bandsaws will resaw if setup properly but often times the going can be slower than a snails pace. First, thanks to all for the thoughts and experiences. Yes, that is a good piece of information I should have included; what is the band saw? The band saw in question is the Powermatic 14. It came with a "free" riser block upgrade kit. Bobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave's Not Here Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 In that case, I wouldn't hesitate at all and go ahead and install the riser block. If you haven't already put you saw together now would be the best time to install the riser block as it will be a lot less of a hassle to now. The 14" Powermatic bandsaw is IMO one of the best bandsaws, in that class of saws, you can buy so I'm positive you'll be happy with it. When I was in the market for one my last two choices were down to the Powermatic and the Rikon 10-325. I choose the Rikon but am confident that I would have been just as satisfied with the Powermatic. My choice came down to price and at that particular time the Rikon was a little less money. One suggestion I would make when it comes to blades is to at least start out with a ½" x 3TPI blade for resawing. Powermatic will say that the saw is capable of running a ¾" blade, as does my Rikon, but so far I've found that a ½" serves me just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorretta Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 In that case, I wouldn't hesitate at all and go ahead and install the riser block. If you haven't already put you saw together now would be the best time to install the riser block as it will be a lot less of a hassle to now. The 14" Powermatic bandsaw is IMO one of the best bandsaws, in that class of saws, you can buy so I'm positive you'll be happy with it. When I was in the market for one my last two choices were down to the Powermatic and the Rikon 10-325. I choose the Rikon but am confident that I would have been just as satisfied with the Powermatic. My choice came down to price and at that particular time the Rikon was a little less money. One suggestion I would make when it comes to blades is to at least start out with a ½" x 3TPI blade for resawing. Powermatic will say that the saw is capable of running a ¾" blade, as does my Rikon, but so far I've found that a ½" serves me just fine. Thanks for the response. The information and thoughts you took the time to share are what I was seeking. Bobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 This is on my short list as well. My question is if anybody that added the riser to their B.S. after they had it for a while noticed any increase in vibration? I have an old 14" Rockwell tank and the Delta kit will fit, I just want to use up some of the blades I have now so they aren't wasted. The other reason I am hesitant is when I get the riser I am sure it will light a fire under my butt to upgrade my 6" jointer to at least a 8"! Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpetten Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 This is on my short list as well. My question is if anybody that added the riser to their B.S. after they had it for a while noticed any increase in vibration? I have an old 14" Rockwell tank and the Delta kit will fit, I just want to use up some of the blades I have now so they aren't wasted. The other reason I am hesitant is when I get the riser I am sure it will light a fire under my butt to upgrade my 6" jointer to at least a 8"! Nate I added a riser block to my 14" King Industrial bandsaw and the vibration was very noticeable. I made every adjustment and tweak I could find or think of, and it still walked across the floor. It also couldn't hold adjustment well. I was going to remove the block, but by that time I had upgraded bandsaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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