20 " Delta Bandsaw

[Tom Mitz]

I have a lead on a bandsaw- 20" Delta for $ 500- its 15 years old....

Any comments ? Its hard to pass up, but Im worried about it being able to be tuned up well or not....

[george wilson]

I have a 20" Delta from the 50's I'm gradually repainting. Mine has all the parts.That is what you should be concerned with. Are all the parts for the guides there? Delta wants huge money for their "Historic Parts". Historic potmetal is what many of them are,but unless you are a machinist like me,you are stuck paying way too much money.

A Kreg fence can be fitted to your saw,with a bit of re drilling of holes. I refitted a 20" Delta at my former job with a Kreg,though it was for a 14" saw. It worked just fine. Delta has no more fences,and they were very expensive,just stupidly so.

$500.00 is a good price if he saw is all there,I paid $500 for mine,though it had a horrible barn brush shop class repaint job I've been sanding smooth. Mine has the old tires,and so does the 1950's one at my old job. They aren't perfectly smooth by any means,but they still work fine.

Can you inspect this saw? Is it 3 phase? Mine was. I had to change the motor,and make a bushing to fit the pulley to the new motor shaft. The old bandsaws don't have motors as powerful as we seem to think we need for new saws. they've served me fine,but I wouldn't use a static converter on one,and only get 2/3 power. A VFD can be had for about $100.00,maybe less. It uses 1 phase,and puts out 3 phase. It's the cheapest way to go,but you don't need the variable speed.

[Pete Bradley]

There's a world of difference between the 1950 Delta/Crescent 20" band saw and a 15 year old model. However the evaluation is much the same. Look carefully for broken/missing parts (guides *may* be findable for newer machines) and check if the motor will run on power you have. George's issues with old motor sizes are not applicable to a 15 year old machine, but a VFD may still be the way to go if it's 3 phase.



Pete

[Chip Lindley]

Tom, since you are in Florida, and I'm in Missouri, I will say that $500 is pretty awsome (and cheap) price for a Delta 20"! If I were in your neighborhood I would be trying to beat you out of that bargain!

3-phase is not a problem for me. It is for many though. Broken or missing parts would be the major issue. Bearings and tires can always be replaced. Paint can be sandblasted and redone.

If the saw is solid, you better jump on it! $500 for any 20" BS is an absolutely bottom dollar price--UNLESS its a real basket case!

[george wilson]

What issues of mine with old motor sizes do you refer to?

[Pete Bradley]

What issues of mine with old motor sizes do you refer to?
The Delta/Crescent 20" used motors with frame sizes (NEMA 66, 181, 182) with a 3/4" shaft. Also, the double pulley has a closer spacing than those of today so swapping a pulley generally means swapping both. It's still a great machine and those old motors really pull. Mine's a little earlier than yours, probably '47-'49 (it has a Crescent serial number so the Delta year chart doesn't apply).

[george wilson]

I just turned a bushing for my new motor. No problem for me.

I haven't bothered to research how old mine is,but it was painted olive drab on the inside. I wonder if it started in the military,and went into a school later as surplus?

[Bob Aquino]

Is this an American made saw or a Taiwanese one? If its the US version, then yes, its well worth the money. New these saws would be around 5 grand in todays dollars and is industrial quality. If its the Taiwanese one, then its probably a good machine too, but you can tell where my preferences lie.

Here is mine, its a 20" rockwell from the 80's and weighs in around 900 lbs with a 2 hp motor:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nh7rpc89jO0/SMxQMjH0YHI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/lUpNpKtNsqE/s800/P1030344.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nh7rpc89jO0/SMxQNKZnUeI/AAAAAAAAERA/5zSICmQmkOo/s800/P1030343.JPG

[Frank Drew]

Tom,

I'm not familiar with the machine you're looking at, but 15 years isn't considered old for quality equipment (that's been used but not abused); my last bandsaw was from 1949.

[Tom Mitz]

I was ready to pull the trigger on a new Agazzani 20..... but this is gettin harder to pass on...

[Pete Bradley]

Not sure where you're located but this 1964 model is for sale in Orange, CA.
http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr242/funhunting/Delta%2020%20in%20Bandsaw/SALE001.jpg
No connection to the seller, just saw it on OWWM.

Pete

[george wilson]

That is just like my 20" Delta. It has been my favorite bandsaw for many years.

[Jeff Duncan]

It won't be hard to pass on for long, someone is going to buy it and soon. Like the others said $500 for a working Delta 20" bandsaw is bottom feeder pricing. Personally if I was in the market I wouldn't have wasted the time typing something out here, I would have gone and bought it.
As for where it was made it won't make a difference. My saw is a 02' model and although it's not a high end precision saw like some of the Italians out there, it works fine for what I do. The only drawback for me is I think the guides could be better. Other than that it's a good sturdy machine.
good luck,
JeffD

[george wilson]

The 20" Delta I've used did everything I ever required of it. Of course,you have to know how to get the most out of a bandsaw.