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+-- Thread: Shop made riser block? (/showthread.php?tid=7323330)
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Shop made riser block? - Pirate - 09-30-2016
After seeing a WTB post for a bs riser block, I was wondering if anyone has made one.
Out of metal, would require a milling machine to get faces parallel.
How about one made from a lamination of hard wood (Ipe?) Then run it thru the planer, to get faces parallel.
If I didn't luck into a factory one I might try it.
a 4' long x 6" thick lamination, would yield more than 10 riser blocks.
A longer bolt and a guide post and your all set.
I bought a stainless steel hex post from a steel supplier for $20
RE: Shop made riser block? - WoodTinker - 09-30-2016
There is probably a reason they are made of metal.
All that tension might be bad for one made of wood.
Just saying.
RE: Shop made riser block? - jteneyck - 09-30-2016
I think it would work IF you ran the grain parallel with the axis of the BS (to minimize seasonal expansion issues), and you glue a 1/4" or similar metal plate on both ends where it meets the BS frame. I think hard maple or some other dense hardwood would be fine. The riser is under compression, from both the bolt and blade, and end grain wood is very good in compression.
But you need several other parts to complete the conversion to 12" height, like the new guide rod and longer bolt you mentioned, as well as two new blade guards. You can buy a riser block kit from Grizzly for $84, which can be adapted to 14" Delta saws. Seems like a lot of work for minimal and possibly zero savings to me.
John
RE: Shop made riser block? - AHill - 09-30-2016
Theoretically, it could work, if you got wood in a configuration that would not flex when applying tension to the blade. Any wood, including laminations, is going to be a lot less stiff than steel or cast iron. If the lamination had vertical pieces of steel plate in the mix, it might add the stiffness you'd need. Otherwise, I think you'll introduce more problems than solutions using wood. My opinion is offered without any engineering analysis, so take it with a grain of salt.
RE: Shop made riser block? - Admiral - 09-30-2016
I'd be hesitant of wood. Cast iron, unless you know someone in a foundry, would be difficult. If pressed, I'd bolt(or weld) together a bunch of 1/4" steel plate and engineer it from there. Griz would work and would save a lot of time, but they appear to be always back ordered.
RE: Shop made riser block? - Steve N - 09-30-2016
(09-30-2016, 12:17 PM)WoodTinker Wrote: There is probably a reason they are made of metal.
All that tension might be bad for one made of wood.
Just saying.
My thought too
You could machine one easily enough if you had the capabilities though.
RE: Shop made riser block? - JGrout - 09-30-2016
If I was really pressed to have one I suppose I would use heavy wall steel tubing for the riser with two mounting plates above and below drilled to take long bolts with nuts. If you undersized the core tube conceivably you could mount all the parts on the saw get it all working as you wanted then tack weld the plates to the tube.....
this is JMO but I would sure try this over wood......
Joe
RE: Shop made riser block? - kurt18947 - 10-01-2016
I saw what Joe suggests done once but I believe the guy was a metal fabricator. He used thick walled steel square tube about 4" square with a metal plates about 3/8" - 1/2" thick welded on each end. It seems like the tricky part would be to get the cuts on either end of the square tube dead-nuts square. Drill holes in the end plates for the long bolt. I'd think that having the bottom and top halves of a bandsaw almost but not quite aligned with one another could lead to hours of amusement trying to figure out why the thing won't track a blade right or drift or ............
RE: Shop made riser block? - packerguy® - 10-01-2016
(09-30-2016, 12:17 PM)WoodTinker Wrote: There is probably a reason they are made of metal.
All that tension might be bad for one made of wood.
Just saying.
Wasn't shop made band saws made of plywood a common thing in the late 70's and early 80's?
I have no cat in the fight, I am past trying to mcguyver things that have easy solutions like this. Cant get a riserblock, and need more resaw, buy a BS dedicated for RS, like I did.
10 years ago, I would have fooled with it though.
RE: Shop made riser block? - Willyou - 10-01-2016
I realize that the OP was about making a riser block. I also don't think that a wood block is a good idea. Unless you have good metal working equipment and skills, I suggest you try Ebay for a factory block. I had a good experience there a few years ago finding, in two separate purchases, a block and a long guide post. I then purchased a longer bolt from a local supplier. I then made a longer left side blade guard out of 1/4" acrylic and fabricated a right side blade guard out of some sheet metal. I don't remember what I spent, but it was a small fraction of the cost of new parts bought as a set.