Originally posted by cliff cook:
G`day guys
I need a biger bandsaw but as usual i can`t aford one, at the Perth wood show a salesman told me about these extension pieces you can get for my tiawanese clunker that gives you a heap more cut. My question is do they work and are they safe?
The only reason he told me this was to stop me drooling all over his bloody expensive machines but thats all right i`ve been kicked out of better places for doing the same thing!!
cooky
Hi Cooky,

I have just been through drama with my 14" bandsaw. It appears that I have one the same as yours, sing a 3/4 hp motor and have sucsessfully used a riser for about 3 yrs. I have cut 12" sucsessfully on a regular basis, both wet & dry hardwood & softwood. Take it slow and easy and you will be OK most of the time. The biggest problem is cutting circles for bowl blanks over 6" thick when the blade bows a bit, creating a "fat" cut. Yes, I know, tighten the blade, but it is an "el cheapo" and will stand only so much tightning.If I was to make a series of straight cuts, this would be easier and less savage on the machinery. The other trick is to make sure that your work is supported properly, thus avoiding any unexpected movement. Anyway, back to the drama part. I was cutting 10"slabs of dry jackaranda a couple of days ago and cooked the motor. I am up for a rewind or a new motor. I have opted to for a 1hp Australian made unit WITH AN OVERLOAD CIRCUIT and reset switch. If the original one had been so fitted, I wouldn't have ended up with a cooked motor. This new setup could be a bit harder on blades but good quality, sharp, 3tpi, used patiently will see me cutting a heap of decent sized wood in the future. Buy one and give it a go.
Mike