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I also recommend getting yourself a nice 3rd party 1/4" blade and some of those resin impregnated bearing blocks for this saw. This Delta beauty however required almost no fine tuning to get it running as vibration free as bandsaws get. I give it my highest recommendation for a bandsaw, don't suffer through any other tool. I've owned 6 different bandsaws of all types. Stay away from roller bearing for wood work; they're not as useful at woodcutting speeds. This unit is rock solid, super easy to adjust and runs exceptionally smooth. This cast iron 14" Delta model with the polished stage and the quick tension release handle is heads and shoulders above the others. I had an JET 18" steel framed saw that I had to weld extra fins to, just to prevent the table from wobbling around because the steel box design was soo flimsy.
Another 20 minutes with a file and it fit.Neither of these are huge items, but deburring parts and making sure parts fit are things that Delta should do at the factory.Once enough rework was done to make parts fit together, I started the saw and it works great. At this price I would take a very serious look at the Grizzly G0457. I shopped around for quite awhile and had my eye on this saw for quite awhile. Well packed, no damage or missing components. More frequently, it is shown at $899 or more. It won't matter at all when ripping or resawing and will be negligible otherwise. There's a chamfer on the cover but it's not big enough -- it took about 20 minutes with a file to remedy.(2) The table insert that goes around the blade wouldn't fit -- it was close, but had a lot of burrs around the edge.
Changing blades is easy and adjusting the tension is easy, and adjusting the guides is fairly easy (an on-board allen wrench would be a nice touch).I feel like I got a great deal on this saw at $672 and expect it to be a "mainstay" of my shop for many years. The dust collection is OK -- could be better.
The table was flat from left to right and from the back to the miter slot, the front was about.020" high. It runs smoothly and quietly with no vibration, the blade guides work well, and it has plenty of power -- I resawed a scrap of 4 1/2" thick white oak and it didn't sound any different than cutting 1/4" plywood.
I couldn't quite justify the "normal" price compared to other saws, but when it popped up at $672 on Amazon one day, I ordered it.Shipment was fast -- arrived in about a week. I used the included 1/4" blade to do some curved cuts and a 3/4" blade to do some ripping and resawing.
It's about the same price and with Grizzly you get more motor power, cast iron wheels (not aluminum), a larger table, all ball bearing guides (not blocks), a fence (not included on the Delta), and 10" resaw height w/o a riser block. Assembly took 2 or 3 hours working by myself.
There were two small problems:(1) When the blade guide is fully retracted (maximum height cut), the steel "cover" rubs on the upper wheel.
I brought a used 28-212. I wasn't impressed with the finish of the table as it had an ground edge. Don't waste your money on the new Deltas, spend it on older Deltas.Delta will not learn until its too late. After seeing one example at Acme Rents, I wouldn't buy one. An unknown quantity are cast in China and imported here.
OTOH, it is amazing that this could be sold for around $1,000, so that is my perspective. After six months of learning how to tune it right, mine now runs perfectly smooth. Cheap blades and bad guide adjustment will make a terrible noise and vibration. I still use the old steel blocks that work well once you figure out how to adjust them properly.On the postive side, all components are heavy duty stamped steel and cast iron. You can spend a lot of money upgrading with aftermarket parts but by the time you're done you might just as well have bought a better saw from the get go.My tension adjuster crapped out after 6 months.
Note that vibration is usually the result of poor set up. The mobile base is nice, but makes it more likely to fall over.A major negative are the lower guide controls that have "pencil" knobs and require the use of pliers to adjust them because they are very stiff. Checked tolerances on all aspects and all was okay. If you buy this machine be prepared to spend some time learning to adjust and use it right and it will perform well for you.
The Jet seems an exact copy.The blade guides are crummy but serviceable. That said, this machine is an antique and belongs in a museum as they haven't improved a thing in 50 years. I've had this machine a year now. I'd take the vibration complaints with a grain of salt. Not sure ball bearing guides are worth the cost.
If you are not familiar with them, beware that it takes time to learn how to set it up right. I haven't noticed other low end machines with anything better. I also bought the Kreg fence which, with these two items makes it a decent machine at additional cost of about $200.00. Arrived with no problems.
Worth every penny of $60. I bought the machine wheel upgrade from Highland Hardware which is a 6" wheel (not a finger-breaking 2" knob) with Acme threads. I routinely saw 1/16 x 6" wide veneers accurately with little strain on the motor. Once I got used to adjusting them, it's not a big deal. I highly recommend it.
Using the right feed rate and sharp blades is critical. It's probably no coincidence that all the negatives are upgradable.Set up right, it performs reasonably well. If you think you can just start jamming pieces of wood thru it without knowledge, you'll be disappointed and end up writing nasty reviews. Another $200 for bearing guides and this'd be a fine machine.
Start with the fact that band saws are cantankerous machines -- need a lot of TLC. The standard threads couldn't handle the stress. My machine got knocked over with a horrible crash onto concrete floor and suffered only minor damage to motor housing. This is the best of the low end machines, fine for hobbyists but not so fine for pros.Wheels are balanced and track well.
The problem is likely the operator and not the machine.
Assembly and tuneup went very quickly, except for the motor mount, which tends to let the motor skew so that the drive and pulley are not square. The motor without a belt runs so smooth you barely know it is on.
A link belt helped a little, but probably wasn't necessary. Mine was shipped with a 2HP, which cuts through anything with ease, given the right blade.
Bought this saw after comparing to Jet and overseas Deltas. I resorted to a band clamp around the motor and a pipe under the base to hold the tension while I repeatedly check the wheels with a straightedge.There is a bit of vibration from the driven pulley, as it is die-cast and not perfectly round, but the saw manages the Standing Nickel Test on the table for smoothness, at least after start up.
Add Timberwolf blades for real cutting enjoyment. This saw definitely has beefier castings and more solid feel.
This make a _lot_ of difference in the smoothness of the saw, so work to get drive & pulley aligned and coplanar.
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