Michael,
I am purchasing a Bonny Doon press that does not have the riser block included. I am new to this equipment and was wondering if it necessary to have the riser block, what would be the benefits of having it or the drawback of not having it.
Congrats on the great purchase! A riser block is simply used to take
up space and withstand 20 tons of pressure. The newer Mark III
presses, and some older models (gold in color) have a deeper throat
(10"), a longer space between the upper and lower platens. A lot of
press tools don’t require the 10" space to work and since the jacks
ram is only so long, or can only go so high (5"), you need a really
beefy block to take up the extra space. Check the bottom platen, if
it has two holes drilled catty corner on one side and the
measurements between the upper and lower platens are 10" then you
should get a riser block. If it’s an older press it will have less
than 10" of throat and there will be no need for the riser block. You
can special order a riser block from us, or use stacked 6"x6"x1"
acrylic spacers, not the best option but it will work in a pinch.
Please call me or e-mail me if you have any questions, I’ll be happy
to assist.
Sincerely,
Thackeray Taylor
Rio Grande Technical Support
505-839-3000 ex13903
800-545-6566
technical@tbg.riogrande.com