Bandsaw decision

[John Sanford]

Afternoon folks,

I have three possible options for getting an interim bandsaw, all 14".

A lightly used Rigid 14", asking price is $300. (New is $369).

A 1946 Delta 14", asking price is $275. I have no idea what size motor it has, or anything else, as I haven't seen it yet.

The Lowe's deal, a 14" Delta Model # 28-276, 3/4 hp, for $150.

Or should I continue holding out for a NIB (actually, on pallet) Jet 18" 1.5hp (previous generation), for $1k, and put the money towards the big 'un, skipping the whole "interim" aspect?

Your recommendations and ruminations are solicited.

[Matthew Hills]

My first thought would be to take a hard look at the older delta. If it is in good condition, that would be my preference if you can get it for a good price. Right now, the used equipment market seems to be pretty soft, so you can probably negotiate fairly well. Things like guide bearings/belt/tires/blades/insert/tapered pin/switch are all consumables/losables that you should keep track of and factor those costs in. I prefer to have the blade guards (and ideally belt guard, too), although you can always create something else. An installed riser block or closed stand would be big pluses. Really small motor or jalopy stand would be minuses. Motor should sound good; check castings for any breaks/repairs. Check wheels to confirm they are still round (I've seen some squashed wheels before).

Otherwise... a tossup between the ridgid/delta. The price on the delta is very good, so hard to go wrong there. If you ever want more bandsaw, you should be able to resell it for close to what you paid for it.

Matt

[Eddie Darby]

What is the final sized BS that you want to end-up with?

Some people have a big BS for re-sawing, and a small 14" or so for scroll cutting work.

Do you plan on keeping the small BS, or will you sell it later?

[Dick Bringhurst]

Interesting thread. I have a '46 delta 14 inch. It was my dads. It currently has a 1/2 hp on it. it run very well. I also have a 16 inch Jet. Good combination. Dick B.

[michael case]

If re-sawing is your aim in life, bigger is better. I doubt the rigid or the newer 14" Delta will serve for re-sawing. As for the ancient Delta it probably not a real re-saw machine either. I bought a 14" Powermatic and has a 2 Hp, and I still wish I bought a bigger more powerful saw.

[Cary Falk]

If you are not going to keep it for the long term then the Lowes Delta will be fine. I think the Ridgid is overpriced based on all of the bad reviews I see for it. The lod Delta is probably the best built out of all of them. I had a 28-206 14" Delta with a 1hp motor on it. It had a bad vibration problem and was underpowered once I started to get into resawing. I now own a 17" Grizzly and am very happy.

[Pete Bradley]

The old Delta's the best of these by far. I posted some brief information on this model a while ago. Check post #3 in this thread:
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=127081
You can check out the OWWM site for more details.

[John Sanford]

The immediate need can be satisfied by a 14" saw, even a wimpy 3/4 hp one. Long term, yes, there's the full gamut of bandsaw shenanigans, including resawing, in mind.

Sounds like it's a split between the old Delta and the new Delta, with price and condition of the old Delta being the driving factor. Reckon I'll have to head out an take a look at it tomorrow. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to pick up the Unisaw he's also selling for $375. :eek: I wouldn't be able to use it.

:(

[Vic Damone]

If performance rather than price were your priority I'd blow off any bandsaw that didn't have a rack an pinion upper guide and a blade tension release. I have a handed down mid fifties Milwaukee / Delta 14" with a 1/2 hp motor. I recently went through the saw's adjustments and installed new tires, expensive but nice Carter blade tensioner, link belt, etc. It works much better but the design of the upper guide is frustrating to me. It's under powered and the dust collection is jury rigged. Old iron isn't always the way to go.

In hindsight I would of got a new saw with more power and better dust collection and guides. IMO the guides are what separate an adequate saw from a truly good one.

[Willard Foster]

I bought a 14" Delta about 20 years ago. No complaints.

Now I have been getting into bowl turning and I wish I had a saw that had a bigger (more than 6") capacity. Also, I wish I had a 10 - 12" resaw.
My advice, wait until you can afford the bigger Jet.

Good luck,

Bill

[Joseph Tarantino]

delta would be my suggestion, assuming it's fairly complete. the ridgid, even though i bleed orange, is probably the weakest link in their tool line up. the lowes $150 on delta BSs thing is hit and miss as it varies from store to store. as for a 18" jet, i have one. it's a good tool, but there are better saws out there that are comparable (and as for jet's customer service, they are some of the nicest and least helpful people out there. if mine wasn't a $40 craigs list find, i never would have bought it). don't forget to check out grizzly. their 14" ultimate band saw gets consistently good reviews:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/The-Ultimate-14-Bandsaw/G0555

if you go with a welded steel frame saw, research it enough to determine how sturdy the frame is purpoprted to be. frame flexing is one of the knocks on the jet saws that have rectangular columns as their frames. HTH

[Don Whitten]

I just brought home a Lowe's Delta special and after a wee bit of time with it I come to the conclusion that it is a real good saw and will be a great saw with a couple cheap mods.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

That new Delta is a decent saw. I have one that I use for lighter work. I would prefer the older Delta saw though, just because it is a bit heavier machine. Like some of the other guys brought up, either will be a resaw compromise. I like two bandsaws for that reason, one left set up to resaw, one set up for everything else. Good luck!