Can anyone give me feedback on this bandsaw... do you have one?

Discussion in 'All Things Boats & Boating' started by lewisboats, Jan 29, 2015.

  1. lewisboats
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

  2. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    It's not a bad saw, but it does have some issues. The frame, though better than most will flex, so after you get it setup and working, weld a backing plate across the back of it, to keep the head from pulling down when you tension the blade. Also consider reinforcing the motor bracket with some angle stock, which will help with vibration. There are other little things, that all saws may need, which you'll discover in use. Most of these just need to be addressed with some garage engineering.
     
  3. TeddyDiver
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    TeddyDiver Gollywobbler

  4. michael pierzga
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    michael pierzga Senior Member

    Yah...if the price is right go for it. The delta has a good, best bang for the buck , reputation.

    A pro shop will have a big pro band saw for resawing and heavy work, plus a delta for small stuff.
     
  5. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    The Delta 14" bandsaw with the great reputation is the one with a two piece cast iron frame they built for many decades. It is the most common bandsaw in North America. Taiwan and Chinese manufacturers have built many clones. A riser block can be added to increase thickness capacity from 6" to 12". Parts are readily available. Used Delta 14" saws show up frequently in most parts of North America.

    http://www.popularwoodworking.com/w...d: woodworkingmagazine (Woodworking Magazine)

    http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-guide/product-finder/delta-14-in-bandsaw-28-280.aspxs
     
  6. lewisboats
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    Here is what I ended up buying... not the top of the line but the best I can convince myself I can afford..

    [​IMG]

    It is the extreme version, with 1/2hp extra, cabinet base, re-saw fence, longer table etc. I'll build my own mobile base because I need bigger wheels to navigate the cracks in the floor of my garage.
     
  7. SamSam
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    SamSam Senior Member

    I have a Delta like the first site DCockey posted, with the extension, and am not too fond of it-friction guides, no fence, cheap miter gauge, underpowered. The rod that moves the blade guide up and down is a crude affair that is not precise or even works correctly in different positions without adjusting the guides, and I even had them give me a replacement one before I ever used it.

    Delta went through many hands over the years. I know it went from Delta to Delta Rockwell to Rockwell Delta and then to Rockwell, because over the years I've had them all and it was a downhill slide of quality. According to the second site posted by DCockey, apparently Stanley now controls the name, and so the slide continues. This is from the 'user reviews'...
    I'm thinking you'll be pretty happy with the Grizzley saw, a lot has to do with setting them up right to begin with. I always un-tension the blade when I'm done using it to keep the rubber tire from getting squashed out of round, as it might be months before I'll ever use it again. Let us know how the saw works out you.

    They are very top heavy, so make the base wide enough and be very careful when moving it over a rough floor.
     
  8. lewisboats
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    Well... the saw came today. Dumb Scheits sent it to my narrow 1 block street in a semi!

    I suspected stupidity so I was prepared. When I got off work this AM, I hustled over to Menards and picked up some wood supplies and built a spacer for my little hydraulic lift cart. It only goes to 28" or so and I expected the truck to be higher. Rather than just build some one off dealy so I could get the heavy box off the truck then scrap it...I drew up a table this morning at work that, after being used as the spacer, I could stick some wheels on and my planer and use it as a rolling planing cart. So this is what I came up with:
    [​IMG]

    I already had the pre-cut 4x4s (scraps) from a previous project (the lumber rack in my soft shed) and I expected they would be perfect for the job. I'm going to add additional 1x4's and use the surface area to hang lots of clamps all around the cart. Rolling clamp storage, except for the longest ones (I only have a few of those).


    It isn't exactly the same but I didn't have the drawing in front of me when I built it either. I also didn't have the dimensions to go by when I drew it, so I took a stab at the basics of the construction.

    [​IMG]

    It doesn't have the wheels yet because it is just too freakin' cold to do anything more... I nearly froze several necessary appendages in the 1.25 hours it took me to set up, build it and clean up.

    I put it on here with a few of these clamps:

    [​IMG]


    and was able to bring it right up to the lip of the truck bed... it worked well enough to get it down to a reasonable level to transfer the box below (all 180 something lbs of it) to a larger cart to roll it down the driveway (through the ice and snow) to the garage.

    [​IMG]

    The box is a little dinged up but there was foam inside and the saw looks intact and safe. Now it will sit for a while until I have time to put it together... after I build the base for it. Probably this weekend and or Monday.
     
  9. lewisboats
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    Griz has another saw with dual ball bearing guides... I think I might order those later on and add them to this saw... or come up with something myself. As it stands... this saw will be miles above the quality of the little 8-9" Pro-Tech el cheapo saw that I have now. I'll either give it to my son to mess around with or perhaps use it for little stuff when the big saw has a heavy blade in it. I appreciate the fact that they sent a longer blade with my Riser kit... I won't have to buy one right off the bat to use it. A little detail but an appreciated one. Good service!
     
  10. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    Stanley never owned Delta. Black & Decker owned Delta for a few years and sold it several years ago.

    My experience with the Delta 14" band saw I purchased about 25 years ago has been much more positive than what SamSam described. I use the metal miter gauge Delta supplied with table saws. I also added an accessory fence. I did swap the metal guide blocks for synthetic ones and haven't had any problems. Accessory ball bearing guides are available from suppliers.
     
  11. viking north
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    viking north VINLAND

    From my tool buying research, other than General made in Canada (verses General made overseas) I can find no other North American company that actually do their own castings or actually fully build their own, table saws, drill presses, planers, or band saws. All the big brand names have their castings or complete tools done in China or Taiwan with Taiwan I consider being superior. 99% are identical with different branding, most parts are actually interchangeable. The OP's bandsaw is the non casted or welded up type again 99% made in China and sold thru out the world with different branding. PAR is correct they are not as rigid as the cast iron frame type. The General Made in Canada brand of which I have had alot of experience are some of the finest stationary shop tools now made in the world but be prepared to pay 50 to 75% more than those made in Asia.
    P.S. I presently have an Asian manufactured welded up framed band saw similar to that posted by the OP and while not as good as my old cast iron General it serves my purpose just fine.
     
  12. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    I've found in recent years that is often best to find old, well used, but stout relics and rebuild them. New motors, guides, bearings etc. and you have a heavy, stout, but accurate and bullet proof tool. New ones seem to be made to last only a few years, likely engineered to live as long as the mostly likely part is intended to wear out. Thee was a time you could replace brushes and bearing and revive a tool for another decade of service. Now, it's not worth the bother. I've got the third set of brushes and second set of bearings in my 40 year old little table saw. A buddy on mine has a 5 year old Rigid of the same size that's got arbor wobble already and no way to fix it without a whole new shaft, pillow block and frame setup. I have a nearly 100 year old resaw machine (3" blade) that was in commercial service until the 60's, then it was warehoused. I rebuilt the motor and bearings and it's still bullet proof, but it does weigh 1,500 pounds.

    These old tools can be hard to find in some places, but if you look around, find closing business, estate sales, etc., you can find them.
     
  13. lewisboats
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    Hee... hee... after digging in a little more thoroughly into the box and taking stuff out... the term "Some Assembly Required" has new meaning! Ironically... the saw blade is installed in the machine! This will take several hours of time and much referencing the manual to get things right. Plus I'm going to install the riser right off the bat. Anyone interested in a 93 1/2" blade?
     
  14. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Setup on these puppies is the key to getting them right. You'll spend a few hours, just adjusting it. The guides will likely need some reinforcement, the blade insert should be tossed in favor of a zero clearance, home made deal, the motor reinforced, so it doesn't shake the machine to death and of course the back side, needs some sort of reinforcement, as blade tension will move the upper arm a surprising amount.
     

  15. lewisboats
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    The frame is cast iron... will I really need to reinforce it? This isn't for production use and sure as heck beats this:

    [​IMG]
     
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