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[Ken Casser]

A Word of Caution

I don't know how I could have avoided what happened to me, but maybe others will benefit from this experience.

I bought a used Delta 28-203 Bandsaw a couple of weeks ago. Decent condition and a reasonable price, but the deeper I've gotten into it, the more I've found wrong. But, that I can live with. What I want to caution you about is this. I looked at the owner's manual that came with it, and it clearly shows a 'special washer' on the top wheel axle, just under the retaining nut. Mine didn't have one so I went to the DeWalt/Porter Cable/Delta Service Center to get one. I also noticed that it was missing a washer under the knob that controls the table tilt, so I thought I'd get one of those, too. Then, I was reading about Tracking, and figured I should get a couple of extra 'special washers' just in case I needed to shim out the upper wheel.

Off I went, happy that my machine would soon be back to spec. At the Service Center, they looked up the part numbers, but neither was in stock. So, we place an order for three 'special washers' and one for the knob. The bill was $29.79. My initial reaction was that 10% of the price I paid for the saw might be a bit steep for four washers, but my options were limited.

On my way home, I stopped at HD to pick up a washer to use under the knob while I was awaiting my purchase.

Here's where it gets interesting. A few days later, my package arrived - a small envelope, which is what you would expect. The washer for under the knob which the Service Center charged me $1.26 for is virtually the same as the 13 cent washer I got from HD. (ereplacements.com has the nerve to charge $4.85 for this washer, but maybe theirs is more special) I then went online for other reasons, and happened to notice that none of the diagrams I pulled up for this saw showed a 'special washer' under the upper wheel retaining nut. They show it behind the wheel itself, only. These washers were $5.21 each (I bought three). Delivery (the small envelope) was $10.50. Why they couldn't just deliver the parts to the Service Center and let me pick them up is beyond me. Later on the day I ordered the parts I wanted to add a couple of other small things and was told that they would have to charge me another $10.50 for delivery.:mad:

My point is not to argue about how the Service Center prices things - I'm taking that up with them. My point is, make sure you know what you're ordering in advance, and order everything you need at the same time. As it turns out, I didn't need any of the three 'special washers', and could have stuck with the HD 13 cent washer and saved $29.79.:(:(

[Lee Schierer]

What you experienced is not unusual in the parts business. Basically you are paying for the labor to get your parts one at a time off their shelf and the carrying charges for maintaining an inventory for your convenience. Many places have a $25 or $50 minimum order amount.

If you ordered all the parts for your saw from the replacement parts place you would get the same saw, but the cost could be at least 10 times what the same saw would cost new in the showroom.

[Ken Casser]

I agree that if I needed a trunion, or a wheel, or some other proprietary part, that they have every right to charge what they need to. That's their business. But I guess I expected more from Delta. In the manual for my Craftsman 12" Bandsaw, there are a good number of parts in the parts list that are asterisked, and it gives a description and size of the part, and says at the bottom, "* Standard Hardware Item - May Be Purchased Locally". That saves time and money for both me and Sears. I expected the knob washer I got to look like the one under the other knob, not like the one from HD.

And I didn't mean for this to be a rant. I sincerely just want to give a 'heads up' to others who need small things to finish their machines. I would mention that the description on my receipt says, "Steel Washer 7/16 Made In United States", and I would defy anyone to notice the difference between this one and the 3/8" one from HD, but that might turn this into more of a rant.:o