Delta Bandsaw Alignment

At the place I bought my blades from (local woodworking shop) they had a pack of cool-blocks and a plastic insert for my bandsaw. It's a zero clearance insert, meaning it comes with no slot in it, and you cut it as you put it in. Since it's soft plastic (UHMW?), you won't wreck any blades with it. It will get torn up if your blade flutters, though.

Clint

Warning! If you thought dust collection was a problem with the big gap around the blade, you'll be appalled by what doesn't get pulled through a zero clearance cut in the plastic insert.

I can't wait to see that ! Actually, I don't think zero clearance is as important with a bansaw, but what about drilling small holes in the zero clearance insert (and of course easing the edges so nothing snags) to allow dust to be sucked in ?

I think I've seen pictures of the Laguna bandsaw that have some sort of a perforated plate behind the insert. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm wondering about the alignment of the riser block. Is it made to fit in only one way or is it possible to flip it front/back or top/bottom? If it is, can flipping it realign the top wheel? I guess I'd expect to see the riser fit without messing up the blade alignment too much. Is it possible to shim the riser?

Mike

First, I would check to make sure that the riser block was installed and aligned properly. A call to Delta seems to be in order on that score. If that does not solve the problem, or if the saw is otherwise performing to your satisfaction, I would buy a pack of plastic inserts. They are cheap and can be cut to provide any clearance you want.

It's probably between 1/16" and 1/8" we're talking about here. I looked at moving the table, but didn't remember an available adjustment. I'll look again. That is the obvious fix, but I suppose I could shim the riser a little at one side as well.

Thanks for the help.

-- Andrew Bell snipped-for-privacy@iastate.edu

andrew! I had the same BS as you. the table position is movable. LOOK AGAIN! I had the same issue--the blade hit the insert, even when it was tracking correctly on the wheels. Since I don't have it today, I can't go out to look at it, but trust me, if you loosen up the attachment bolts it will move fore, aft, left, and right. GRAB A WRENCH!

DAVE

Andrew Bell wrote: