New Delta 40-690 questions part II

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Love the new saw but have two questions. First, not having a removable plate requires that I get on my knees to see the bottom clamp and since there's no bottom to the clamp device my blades keep falling to low.  Has anyone come up with a solution or do I just have to "cowboy up" ?  Secondly, I remember talk and seeing that "magic lift" [that gets the upper arm out of the way when threading] which I now find would be really helpful - but of course, Alzheimer has again prevailed. Where do I look.  Thanks in advance for the help. Brian

[dgman]

Hey Brian, Your right, there is no stop to keep the blade from falling out of the bottom clamp. The trick is to mount the blade in the top clamp first! If you are a top feeder, this comes naturally. One important tip. Remove the guard that is in front of the lower blade clamp. It's there to protect your fingers if you reach down there while the saw is running, So don't reach down there while the saw is running! Removing that guard will make clamping easier.
As for the Jim Dandy easy lift, I used to have one on my saw. Since I top feed, It was just in the way. I took it off and chucked it years ago!
Google Jim Dandy easy lift, You will find where to buy it.

[Mainewoods]

Brian,
As far as the blade loading goes.....What Dan said!   I used to bottom feed before I got my Delta, but now I find top feeding way easier.  Put your blade down through the hole, line it up in the upper clamp, clamp it, then you can put it in the lower clamp.  Requires a little thinking at first, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it.

The easy lift is available through Wildwood Designs among other places. 

Good luck!

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Thanks Guys  Guess it's top feeding from now on - kind of like that approach anyway.  As for the lifting mechanism, I hold off on that until I get used to top feeding. Thanks again  Brian

[MOONIE]

After seeing the Easy Lift on Steve Good's DeWalt, I bought one from Jim Dandy.  I wouldn't be without it.  Works great!