2 years ago I purchased a Delta Model 28-206 14″ Bandsaw.
It’s the last Delta Tool I will ever purchase.
Out of the box the fit and finish were terrible. I spent a lot of time filing, reaming and sweating just to get the thing together.
Then I found out that my miter gage wouldn’t slide in the table’s slot. Delta shipped me a new table, (6 days for delivery) and I still had to file the slot before the guage would slide properly.
The saw was used lightly, (I was living overseas for 6 months), and one day I noticed I couldn’t track the blade. Well, the adjuster had stripped. A homemade fix to a 5/16″ bolt and new 5/16″ threads solved that problem.
Today when I went into the shop I noticed the table at an odd angle. Lo and behold, BOTH trunions had broken!! Now, the table weighs about 30 lbs. The trunions, (unbeknownst to me), are made of soft steel or pot metal about 1/16″ thick. So the weight of the table sitting on the trunions has caused them to break. (I haven’t used the saw for about three months).
Of course in Houston there are no Delta parts stores open on Saturday. (What the he*l is up with that?) So, I ordered the needed parts to fix the table and the blade tracking from the internet . I also ordered a spare of each part and had them shipped 2nd day delivery. Total cost, USD 90.00.
This band saw is a cheaply made piece of Chinese junk. If you don’t own one don’t waste your money buying one. I’m stuck with mine. But as I say, it’s my LAST Delta tool ever.
Replies
Mine was the exact opposite;
Purchased about 2 1/2 yrs ago, assembled great, did have trouble in the first month with the tensioning bracket which I think I put a slight bend in it overtensioning a 3/4" blade and then applying too much presure on the tension lever....replaced same day by Tegs Tools where I purchased it. Although it lacks a bit of power I think, compared to others available, it's a very good saw. I added a riser kit and had to fine tune it, bringing the wheels into plane with a shim and shiming for travel of the guide post. At first I also had a bit of a problem with the "spinners" on the trunions locking the table into place and maintaining that position....however, for some reason, that problem seems to have dissappeared. I've added a Kreg precision fence and the unit has been a good addition to my small work shop. Having said that....I don't believe I'll buy Delta again, not because I wasn't happy with my Delta tools but there are better products available....at better prices.
Sounds like a total loser.
Don't put another dime or any more labor into it other than donating it for scrap. Bite the bullet and go for another unit. So many are out of work now you may be able to score one through a garage sale or Criag's List. Watch for estate sales, too.
How does the song go? "know when to hold'em & know when to fold'em"
...The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home....aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
North, how much did you pay for that item? I take it you were unable to try one or at last inspect one before buying?
Of course, it is cheaply made....recently I heard on the news that several million Chinese workers were unable to have their yearly leave from toil, because of the bad weather. They work 12 hour days and get one day off every two weeks. They will churn anything out for anybody to whatever standard is set- from the highest international standard down to random crap.
So the fault lies with Delta- they did not oversee and set acceptable standards and keep trying to cut labour costs at the expense of the consumer....
Before I bought this "machine" I read several online and magazine reviews. It was picked as "Editor's Choice" in a couple of mags. The one I saw at my local dealer was nice and shiny and ran smoothly.
It's my fault, I know. I guess the $1400 lesson here is, "only believe half of what you read and none of what you see."
FWIW, I couldn't agree with you more. I've had horrible luck with Delta, and got rid of all the tools, save one of my dust collectors, made by them. Even the dust collector is crap, as there's more dust on the floor around it than there is in the bag.
Perfectly good waste of cast iron, delta tools are.
Jeff
The first generation of all my major tools was Delta. Slowly replacing them all. Its just a brand name at this point, not a company, IMO.
I've got the model one step down, 28-276. It's got an open base and a 3/4HP motor. I've been quite impressed with it - no complaints other than the 3/4HP motor. Since then, I've acquired a General 14" with riser block which I now use for resawing. The Delta is used for scrolling and other general tasks. My only complaint is how Delta now machines their tables. It seems now that all their bandsaw and table saw tables have a ))) pattern of milling marks on the surface. The tables are not smooth as are found on other makers tables and on their jointers. A minor complaint, but a valid one.
Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Actually I prefer the unpolished surface, less sticktion.
I have noticed lately in a lot of Delta and Porter Cable adds they are pushing "Quality" as the main ad theme. Do you think they know they are starting to get a bad reputation?
Ben,
Sadly the advertising men have failed to realise that the label saying "quality" is somewhat different from that attribute as an inherent parameter of the tools. Apparently it's still the age of appearance triumphing over substance, in Delta-land.
But perhaps they will have a tour of Lie-Nielsen or Lee Valley and a little light will go on inside their tiny heads?
Or perhaps not.
In all events, vote with your wallet!
Lataxe, who has a rebadged Delta lathe from France and is quite impressed by it (their belt-sander was rubbish, though, so was given away years ago).
PS German machine tools are generally very gut, as are the Italian and the Swiss. The Czechs are coming on, even the Belgians. Philip has been known to recommend the Portugee!
If it weren't for the downfall of quality in Delta tools, Steel City wouldn't exist. A lot of Steel City employees are old Pentair boys.
Want a old Delta? Buy Steel City.
Yeah, what's up with that. What's the connection and what (if any) is the change?
I don't know the details behind it but I hear it's a bunch of laid off and fed up Pentair employees deciding to give it go on their own once B+D bought the Pentair Tool Group. Whether or not Steel City machines are old Delta clones I'm not sure, but I would imagine they're pretty close.
Oh, someone said they were a new division of Delta, but you're indicating otherwise. Thanks.
No... my hunch is that Steel City is the reason B+D is now putting an emphasis on Delta/Porter Cable as "professional woodworking tools" and focusing more on quality because Steel City has taken some distribution from Delta. But that's just a hunch.
I haven't actually seen the machines. In pictures, they look like carbon copies. Do you know if they're really doing anything differently or better?
No the only thing I know is that they are the ones marketing granite fences on their jointers and titanium nitrate surfacing on their table saws to reduce rust and scratches.
In addition to what Flaim mentioned, their milling of tabletops seems to be better. New Delta's have distinct )))) shaped milling marks while SC's are much more refined.Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
One thing I have seen mentioned numerous times is that SC has a longer warrantee on their machines, 5 years I think.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Take a look at the trunnions and the cast iron mounts that are anchored to the cabinet on a SC.. then look at the other. Slide the Industrial fence on a SC and then the other guy. Run to the end of the rail on the SC before you do it though, or it could "launch" and end up a couple of counties away from you.
Have a look at the double springs on a SC Band-saw and the way the upper case arm is re-enforced. Then compare bearing and hub size along with convenience of adjusting such. Compare the dust collection on a SC to the other guy.
Check the split head on the SC Drill press. Just like an industrial model that allows to adjust slop down the road with a 6" quill travel.
I won't go on, which I could.. Just compare "your-self" and see if you see a difference. I thought the same about looking alike when they first hit the market. I went and found out by comparting to all others from the Pacific Rim at the International WW Show in Atlanta in 2006.
I found enough difference that I have 2 of their machines and would have 4 if two of mine weren't already in place. And a 5 Year Warranty.. that's just icing on top of an already "sweet cake".
The proof is in the puddin".. go look and you will find the real proof. :>)
Regards...
Sarge..
I will indeed. I've only seen them in catalogs where EVERYBODY'S stuff looks like clones of one another. Thanks.
All,
This is sort of sad.delta used to be the stuf to buy. Most of my shop is older delta stuff.
Frank
I got many of my powertools from my Grandfather. When it was time to expand my toolset I went to my local dealers. They told me that Delta's quality had taken a turn for the worse, and recomended that I not buy any. This was from a national comany what sells Delta, and a few other makes. At first I thought that they were just trying to sell me something else at a higher profit. But then they showed me side by side comparisons of simular tools. The other makes we're better engineered, better built, and roughly the same price as the Delta. After that day I vowed never to buy anything with the Delta name on it.
I have the same BS as you and I have had only two problems with mine; Both related to vibration.
1. When powering OFF the saw when winding down almost to a stop it shook/vibrated a lot. I fixed that by changing the tension on the motor to the frame.
2. It does vibrate a bit when running. At first I thought it might be the mobile base but taking it off the mobile didn't change it; it still vibrated when running it. I have minimized that by balancing the wheels and reinforcing the base with ¾" plywood. The vibration is now almost gone.
Installed the riser block kit about 6 months ago and it required NO ADJUSTMENTS. Added the Kreg fence last November and have not looked back. Ala in all I am very pleased with my saw. I doubt that it would appropriate for a production shop but it suits my needs quite well.
For about $600 with all of the above I feel it represents a good value. I don't think I would have paid $1,400 for it though! Also, I have added the 50-760 1½ HP Dust Collector that has worked flawlessly so far and I still use my 26 year old 10 " Delta contractors saw.
Luck of the draw maybe? I'll hold 'em!
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Hey Bob,
I have the same bandsaw as you and I also have the same vibration problem when shutting down the saw. You said you adjusted the tension on the motor? Can you walk me through that so I can work on mine tonight? Thanks Bob,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I', at work now but I believe it is diagrammed in the Operators manual. Anyway, if you look in the base where the motor is you will see a bolt that applies tension to the motor and tightens the belt to the pulley.
I just tightened it till the vibration almost went away and also tightened up the motor mount bolts. This saw was preassembled at the store wher I bought it (Western Tools, Inc.). I posted this problem here a while ago and it was recommended to start the saw without the blade and then shutdown first to make sure it wasn't the blade, which I did to no avail.
I didn't get all of it though but at least enough so it didn't sound like the saw was going to self destruct! Let me know how you make out.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
You shouldn't have to be stuck with it. Some times we consumers bend over a bit to easily on blatant misrepresentation.
This is not warranty, it is likely a breach of the original sales contract. What did they offer and what did you accept? These issues are governed by the sale of goods legislation in your area, but the sales literature etc. supplied at the time of purchase can weigh in your favor.
You may not think it worth your time, but at least a letter to the manufacturer may get you some results. Be honest and objective and polite. It is worth a shot.
Don
This band saw is a cheaply made piece of Chinese junk.
Like a lot of things made cheaply in China, Delta stuff isn't all that great, but it might work ok for your purposes. However, the prices aren't commensurate with the quality; they're charging name-brand prices for no-name quality.
You'd probably be better off going to your local Harbor Freight and getting "Central Machinery" tools. The quality isn't great there either, but the prices are dirt-cheap, there's a 30-day return policy, and you can buy extended warranties, so you can return things if anything goes wrong with them.
If you'd like to pay more for quality, so you don't have to hassle with returning defective junk, don't buy Delta.
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