Customer Reviews

Powermatic 1791217 Riser Block for 1791216K Bandsaw

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

April 2007: As another reviewer stated I got this block with the purchase of the 14 inch bandsaw as a freebie. I too noticed others having issues with the alignment of the riser block and I went through my own dealings with Powermatic/WMH tool reps to resolve it.

The primary concern for most, and for myself at first, was the issue of coplanar wheels. I went through two blocks and both did not keep the wheels aligned coplanar wise. The offset is about 3/8 inch.

I called Powermatic/WMH three times. Call number one suggested cutting 1 of the pins off. Which didn't solve it so I cut both as did other users. This left me with a riser block that was offset from the upper assembly by 3/8 inch. Not terribly attractive. It also removes pins, though the bolt should have kept the assemblys from moving, I did not feel comfortable with that.

Exchanged for block number 2. (Confession, I did not get this from amazon or I'd be spending a lot of time waiting. I got it from WoodCraft). With block number 2 and call number 2 to powermatic, I get the reccommendation to drill new holes in the bottom arm of the upper assembly of the saw. I got off the phone, looked at the assembly and with my limited brain cells couldn't see myself being very accurate in drilling into a piece of iron that would be hard to secure.

Call number 3 to powermatic suggested that I drill in the bottom of the riser block instead and also offerred some insights into the construction of the bandsaw. It is not designed to be coplanar. Also, the bottom wheel is not parrallel. It is tilted for better tracking. Secondly, he said that coplanar is not really that important.

I'm not sure I totally agree with "coplanar not being that important" because as my friends at Woodcraft told me it all depends upon your intended usage. if you're cutting logs, who cares. If you're doing scroll-like work or resawing, then you may care a lot. (Did I mention I'm a new woodworker and this is my first bandsaw?)

So, take it for what it's worth. I wouldn't cut the pins off, like some have done. The last powermatic rep also said that no bandsaw is 100% coplanar. True. But 3/8 of an inch seems a bit wide to me. I could be wrong. I did redrill holes in the bottom of the riser block. You need a 1/4 inch bit for metal. It's not "100% coplanar" but it's closer to it than it was prior.

Why only three stars? Because this stuff should be documented somewhere in either the bandsaw manual or the riser block instructions. From what I can see people have run into this since 2005.

As I said I'm new to woodworking. I've read books and articles about proper bandsaw tune-up's and they all mention the coplanar issue. So I assumed that it was really important. Though I think 3/8 inch difference is pretty big in my mind, I recognize that I have a lot to learn and have eased up some on the coplanar requirement.

One final thing to note is that this same block is used in the Jet 14 inch bandsaw only it is painted black. Maybe trying to use one block for two different saws is part of the problem.

JUNE 2007 UPDATE: I think I found a reason why it may be that the riser block should not be set to make the wheels coplanar: When using larger blades (like a 3/4 inch wide blade), having the wheels coplanar actually makes the rear bottom guide bearing press on the back of the blade pushing it forward. Not a good thing. I couldn't figure out how to get around this. So the riser has been moved to use the factory guide pin holes instead of the ones I drilled to make the wheels more coplanar.

I recently purchased the Powermatic 14" bandsaw and ordered the riser block from Amazon. It came a few days later and nicely matches the mustard yellow saw, you either love the color or hate it. One thing I wish someone had told me was what the riser block kit includes, well for anyone wondering, it comes with the block of course that you put between the saw frame halves. Also included is a metal guard for the left side of the saw where the blade is travelling up to the upper wheel. This is a nice replacement to the plastic one included with the saw. There is also a new guard for the right hand side/front of the saw where the blade is coming down to the upper guide bearings. Lastly there is the main upper guide bar which is the same as the unit which comes with the saw, it's just longer.

I was able to install the system myself, but be careful, the top of the saw is bulky enough to damage you and itself if dropped.

The main guide rod has a V notch ground into it to accept the locking knob feature. The problem I had was that the V notch was not ground in line with the axis of the rod, it was out by about 0.050", enough out that the upper guide bearing would rotate left and right as the assembly was adjusted up and down. Basically every guide height change required a bearing to blade clearance adjustment. I took mine to a local machine shop and had them grind it true to the axis of the rod. Now it works perfectly. I could have sent it back but didn't want to chance ending up with another one that was problematic, besides I figured the machine shop would grind it in much better than the factory. Anyhow, this is the only reason I gave it four stars, the riser block kit is well worth the $$ if you need to resaw anything over the 6" capacity of the saw itself. Just remember to purchase a couple of 105" blades when you get the riser.

After reading other reviews, I was leery about getting this riser block, but I wanted the added capacity. Well, it arrived today, and the entire conversion took less then 1 hour. (Can be done by one person, if planned out correctly - like having the bolt in close reach while putting the top back on - and being careful not to drop the top assembly during removal and replacement.)

These are the answers to the questions I had before ordering:
First and foremost, the riser block fit was perfect. It went on with a couple of mallet hits - no grinding of pins or removal needed. Wheels remained in total alignment and coplanar.

Second, the picture shown here is wrong, the item is Powermatic "gold" not Jet white.

And even though it does not state so, this kit also include a new 105" blade.

Over all, a smooth upgrade to a very nice saw.

I ordered the saw, mobile base and riser block at the same time - all from Amazon. I received the base & riser kit in 2 days, the saw in about 8 days. After reading the reviews regarding the riser block issues I was concerned and called Powermatic Technical Service before attempting the install. The person I spoke with (Danny) assured me they had corrected the manufacturing problem on the riser and all NEW inventory would install properly. He did warn me that there could still be legacy inventory in the channels and that I could receive one of the problematic risers. He stated that if that is the case, I could either return it to Powermatic for a replacement or enlarge the holes on the upper castings OF THE SAW to 3/8". He also mentioned that if I did receive a problem riser he would send me a couple of blades for my trouble. (This was a nice offer but from what I hear about the PM blades I'm not sure how generous the offer really was). He said they sell hundreds of these riser kits per month and he only gets 3-4 calls every couple of weeks with the alignment problem. As it turned the block I received from Amazon was fine and the saw assembled and aligned with out any problems.

My advice is to order the Riser Kit from a place that sells through them quickly - like Amazon. Or from a vendor who drop ships directly from the vendor - like Amazon. See the the theme, I believe if you get the kit from Amazon you shouldn't have a problem.

I purchased this Block with the saw; followed the strait forward installation instructions (the only tricky part is to slip the new extension bolt through the saw head,extension,and base) as the instructions "read" you will need some help to stabilize the head)when threading the bolt through. Also use the extra washer at the bottom when you tighten up the nut it will tend to collapse the single washer otherwise. I checked the two wheels with a straight edge they were perfectly true, I followed the rest of the steps and came out just perfect it took me the entire morning to complete the installation. I did some cheating however as I spent the evening before getting acquainted with the parts and manual.
I highly recommend not only the block but the entire Saw the extra height gives the advantage for re-sawing or cutting large blanks for lathe turnings. Unlike review's I have read here I might have been a lucky one and gotten a perfect unit. I hope this helps you make the right choice.
Armand.

I bought the riser block along with the band saw. I assembled the band saw one day, and the riser block the next. After doing it this way, I'm not sure there was any advantage to be gain by trying to install the riser block at the same time as the general saw assembly. (In other words, I think I did the right thing is doing it the way I did.)

All the parts for the riser block were in the box including the necessary larger 105" blade. I've heard many reports of the stock blade being low grade, but it seems to cut fine for me. (This being my first band saw, I have nothing to compare it with, so I don't doubt that a better blade would cut better.)

The instructions weren't as clear as they could have been, but I managed to do the installation in, what seems to me, a decent amount of time. A helper would have made installing easier, but I managed to get it done solo.

I did not have the problem of misaligned pins that some others have had. Everything matched up perfectly so I guess Powermatic has solved that issue.

Other than that, it's a hunk of metal that increases the resaw capacity of the saw. It's well made, painted nicely to match the saw, and does exactly what it's intended to do. When all is said and done, there's nothing not to like about it so it gets my 5 star rating.

I don't know if Powermatic reads these reviews, but I would venture to guess that a lot of buyers purchase the riser block along with the saw. It would make a good deal of sense if they had an option to buy the saw with the riser block already installed. Less work for the buyer, and they'd save some money on parts that the riser block kit replaces. I don't know what to do with those leftover replaced parts but I hate the idea of throwing them away too.

I purchased the powermatic 14" bandsaw riser block the same time as I purchased the powermatic 14" bandsaw. I read the reviews written and have found one common theme - those that had problems installed the riser block backwards. It can fit on the saw 2 ways and the instructions, although poorly written, do state to put the riser block with the arrow/markings to the rear. The rear of the bandsaw is to the right of the bandsaw when standing facing the 'powermatic' nameplate.

Installation went smooththly and I'm glad I purchased the riser block the same time as the bandsaw because otherwise I would have had to dismantle a few parts of the bandsaw.

The riser block came with extended blade guard, instructions and other parts necessary to equip the powermatic 14" bandsaw with the added resaw capacity. Shipping time and packaging were good.

I assembled this by myself, but as the instructions state, it would be best to have a second person since the top of the bandsaw is rather heavy. Also, the hex bolt that holds the top of the bandsaw to the bottom (through the riser block) is not 5/8 - it is also not SAE, it's metric and slightly (maybe 1 or 2mm) wider than 1". The nut is smaller and can be held with a 7/8 inch open end wrench or vise grips - I didn't have the metric wrench that fit either end but made my way with SAE wrenches. I fully assembled, adjusted and tested the saw in about 6 hours. Very happy.

Handy item if you intend to do a lot of resawing. The instructions are skimpy but installing this item isn't a real hard to understand operation. I STRONGLY recommend having a helper before proceeding. I managed to fit everything together by myself but it was a real struggle. Wheel alignment was perfect with the riser in place so it seems the manufacturing defects I've seen mentioned in other reviews have been corrected. The only problem I have with it is that the rear table extension will not fit now because the throat capacity has been reduced about an inch. This is not a serious problem for me but it may be for others.

I bought this just a few months after I bought the saw. I took a little bit longer then I expected to get here but was in great shape, very happy I added this to my saw.

I installed the riser block and the guides didn't lineup. The top guides were over a half inch forward of the bottom guides. I called tech help they informed me that this is an on going problem. They told me to remove the pins from the saw body. They said the pins are for alinment porposes only. They have nothing to do with holding it all in place. I am concrned this won't stop the top half of the saw twisting while under blade presure. They assured me it wouldn't be a problem. Let's hope it isn't a problem.