Delta Replacement Parts

[Sean Nagle]

About four years ago I picked up a used Delta 33-890 12" radial arm saw for my shop (it was made in 1996). I worked on getting it dialed in right away and I never could get a perfect cut; the blade seemed to wander in the cut. I never pursued looking into every probable cause and abandoned my tuning effort soon after. Many other projects and life have taken priority since that time. A couple weeks ago I finally picked up my investigation from where I left off. It turns out that I have some play in three of the four carriage bearings. I figured I'd just order some new ones.

I contacted Delta and found out that they aren't making or selling the bearings any longer. I exhausted my online search for any that might be sitting in inventory without success and contacted several of the vendors that are still listing the part. All these vendors order their parts from Delta when an end-customer places an order. I also talked to a local industrial machine supplier who had no substitutes and no suggestions.

I'm really frustrated with by my lack of options. Right now the tool is pretty much a boat anchor. I'm open to suggestions or ideas anyone might have.

This is what the bearing looks like:
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/images/part_424020800002_med.gif

[George Bokros]

I am sure Delta did not make those bearings, they bought them from some supplier. Try to get in touch with Delta engineering and see if they can find and give you the name of their souring company. It may be an off the shelf bearing their supplier makes.

George

[Art Mann]

Sorry for your misfortune. What a sad state of affairs. Delta's reputation for abandoning their former customers may very well put them out of business. I would certainly think twice before buying anything new from them. I recently passed up making an offer on a recent model Unisaw on Craigslist for that very reason.

[Frederick Skelly]

Couple long shots, for what its worth
1) I wonder if an auto parts store might be able to steer you to a general source for buying bearings in your area.
2) Look online for bearing suppliers - not Delta parts suppliers. At one time, you could find people whose sole business was selling bearings.

[Cary Falk]

Does it have a part number stamped on it somewhere? If you can find the bearing number call Lynn at Accurate Bearing 800-323-6548. This is where most of the OWWM people get there bearings. If she don't have them you probably can't get them. It's too bad about the state of Delta.

[Michael W. Clark]

Can't tell for sure from the picture but you may find it as a v-groove cam follower or cam roller. Osborne is one manufacturer, Motion Industries or Kaman may carry them.

[Myk Rian]

Does it have a part number stamped on it somewhere? If you can find the bearing number call Lynn at Accurate Bearing 800-323-6548. This is where most of the OWWM people get there bearings. If she don't have them you probably can't get them. It's too bad about the state of Delta.
^^^^Your best bet^^^^

[Peter Quinn]

Get a set of micrometers so you can accurately spec the important measurements or just send it to a good bearing house for comparison and replacement. They are out there.


The thing I really love about Delta is that they will obsolete parts and then very politely invite you to jump off a cliff rather than cross reference or make any attempt to help you. "Sure, I'll be happy to get someone in our technical department.....even though it wont make a sale, it might engender some much needed good will...." That never happens. I went around with them twice, trying to get a spec on planer gear oil, all they told me was "Delta special oil" at roughly $40/oil change, forget them, I called WMH to get a spec for their planer, they gladly gave it, works fine in the DC-380! Needed bearings for a new cutter head, called them for the bearing numbers....Delta special part number............Drop dead! I wouldn't take another delta machine in my shop if it were free despite the fact that the ones I already own work great, just because they make me angry the way they behave. When they finally close out the brand, I'll have to call it a suicide.

Good luck in your search. And delta, if your listening.....DO SOMETHING>>YOU ARE DYING!

[Frederick Skelly]

^^^^Your best bet^^^^

Sure sounds like it.

[CPeter James]

Are those a standard bearing with a grooved rim pressed on?

CPeter

[Doug Ladendorf]

Sure sounds like it.

Lynn is very knowledgable and a pleasure to deal with. Have the numbers on your bearing close at hand and be respectful of her time. We are small potatoes compared to the usual large orders they get.

Doug

[Ed Labadie]

2 of the bearings are mounted on eccentric studs, that allows adjustment to remove play in the carriage. Did you try adjusting them?

Those bearings usually don't go bad, they don't turn enough rpm's to wear out. The grease in them may dry out, but that's about it. 2 of my 3 ras's were used commercially (50's vintage), both still have the original carriage bearings.

Ed

[Al Weber]

You might try eReplacement parts. I've had good success with them on some items, not so much on others.

[Mark Bolton]

I'd bet if all else fails and your willing to spend the money you could find a bearing with the proper i.d. and a small enough o.d. to have a machine shop turn and outer sleeve for you with a press fit.

That said, Ed's reply with regards to wear and adjustment would seem promising.

PS with accurate measuring you may even Google "v groove bearings" and source it on your own.

[Joe Kieve]

You might be able to press those bearings out and press new ones in. A bearing supply house should be able to get accurate measurements and provide the correct bearing.
Just my 2 cents.

[Kevin Bourque]

About 10 years ago I ordered a part for my 13" Delta planer. Of course they don't make it anymore + they still haven't refunded my $$$.

[John Piwaron]

At some point *every* manufacturer stops making parts for old models. Every one. Ford, GM, Westinghouse. Everybody. Why does everyone think the pieces and parts for a machine made 40 years ago should still be stocked and readily available? How many of those are going to get sold? And who could pay the cost for them to carry a part that long? For them, that inventory is money. And businesses need to make a return on their investment. It's why they're in business.

I'd like to think I can get parts for any of my things but the truth of the matter is when it's old, it's probably no longer supported. I do have a shop full of Delta machines. I'll be disappointed if the time comes that something has broken and a new part isn't available. OTOH, most often the kind of parts that fail are also fairly generic. Bearings, belts, electric motors, etc. Those things, if not available from the OEM, can probably be bought from someone else. Something that fits and works just like it.

So, step back, take a deep breath and move on. Eventually the machines made by whomever is in favor today are themselves going to be old, obsolete and unsupported. Will you then wish them to go belly up too?

[Sean Nagle]

Thanks so much for all the suggestion. They are very much appreciated.

I called Delta again this morning. I was told that no one from Delta is with the new company any longer :eek: I was transferred to a technician when I asked to speak with someone who would know where I can source substitutions. He didn’t answer and I left a message. He called me back later and left me voicemail about not having the parts any longer. He told me to contact RenovoParts.com.

I contacted RenovoParts. They said they might have one used bearing and a lead on a set of new bearings, but wouldn’t know until another parts person is back in tomorrow.

I also contacted Lynne with Accurate Bearing. Without a number (there are no numbers stamped on these bearings), she wasn’t able to help me and referred me to the OWWM forum. She said they had been documenting machines and part numbers. I checked the forum and my 1996 RAS is just not yet vintage enough to get attention on OWWM.

I did call back Leneave Supply, which was the name that Delta gave me the first time I called them, since they hadn’t got back with me for over a week. The fellow there said he felt confident he could locate the bearings, but would have to get back with me tomorrow.

There are a multitude of bearings that are a close resemblance to the bearings I need. The closest match to what I’m looking for are called “U-groove guide track roller bearings”. Unfortunately the groove I need is somewhere between a “U” and a “V”. I found Chinese operations selling numerous varieties on eBay. Unfortunately, none of the critical dimensions seem to come close.

My local bearing supplier speculated whether there is a rim attached to a standard bearing, like a pulley or sheave. I don’t have a bearing press, but that didn’t stop me from trying to remove the bearing from the rim on one of my bearings. Unfortunately, I now have one destroyed bearing. I went from having a saw that cut poorly to a pile of parts, unless I can locate at least one bearing.

Ed, I should have spent some time trying to tighten the bearings on the eccentric studs. However, I was observing noticeable rocking on three of the four bearings, which is why I was looking for replacements. I suspect the bearings could have been damaged when the previous owner moved the saw from Oregon to Colorado. I think the carriage might not have been secured during the move. I probably shouldn’t have purchased it, but I figured bad parts could always be replaced. Ha, little did I know.

As for the state of affairs with Delta, when I purchased my Unisaw 20 years ago, the choices were the Unisaw, Powermatic 66 or a Jet. The consensus at the time was to purchase the Unisaw since parts would always be available. At the time you could get practically every critical part for 50 year-old Unisaws. Considering I have a shop full of Delta [and DeWalt and Porter-Cable] equipment, I’m a very dissatisfied customer.

Thanks again to everyone for their input. I will be updating this thread with news of my adventure.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

2 of the bearings are mounted on eccentric studs, that allows adjustment to remove play in the carriage. Did you try adjusting them? Those bearings usually don't go bad, they don't turn enough rpm's to wear out. The grease in them may dry out, but that's about it. 2 of my 3 ras's were used commercially (50's vintage), both still have the original carriage bearings. Ed
Same thing with my two RAS's. You are more likely to wear flat spots on the rail ( which can be rotated to a new surface ) than wear the bearings out.

[John Piwaron]

As for the state of affairs with Delta, when I purchased my Unisaw 20 years ago, the choices were the Unisaw, Powermatic 66 or a Jet. The consensus at the time was to purchase the Unisaw since parts would always be available. At the time you could get practically every critical part for 50 year-old Unisaws. Considering I have a shop full of Delta [and DeWalt and Porter-Cable] equipment, I’m a very dissatisfied customer.

Thanks again to everyone for their input. I will be updating this thread with news of my adventure.

I too have a shop filled mostly with Delta, DeWalt and Porter-Cable. I'll be watching this thread.

[Sean Nagle]

The fellow with Leneave Supply got back to me. He was able to find two bearings for me. That will at least get my saw working again after my fiasco. Considering I do have one tight bearing, maybe three tight bearings will keep the carriage riding true enough.

[Ronald Blue]

They are called track bearings if you google it. Clearly the bearing is one piece on the outer race. Is it a radius or a v groove? I can't tell in the photo. It appears to be a radius. Have you checked the Sears website in case they might have used the same bearings. Just a thought.

[Sid Matheny]

VXB has track bearings. You might check their site.

http://www.vxb.com/SRCH.html?Store_Code=bearings&Search=track+bearings


Sid

[Peter Quinn]

At some point *every* manufacturer stops making parts for old models. Every one. Ford, GM, Westinghouse. Everybody. Why does everyone think the pieces and parts for a machine made 40 years ago should still be stocked and readily available?

I'm not asking them to go back 40 years, but it might be nice if they went back 10-15. If they can't do that, they aren't getting a pile of my money for a tool that should last 30yrs but will only get parts support for 10. And to make a realistic assessment of what constitute "parts likely to require replacement" and perhaps stock a small selection of those, not every part. What they have done is tantamount to divesting themselves completely of their past, and for me any good will that went with that. Slogan used to be "tools to last a lifetime?" I saw that in some old FWW. Maybe so, but the company has changed hands so many times, each new wave of bean counters has some brilliant plant squeeze a few more bucks out of the business, lost track of core values and customer service. My shaper was not an IPAD that goes obsolete in 18 months, it was a cast iron machine whose design was essentially unchanged since the 1940's, and it was less than 15 years old when they pulled the plug. "So could you tell me the thread pitch so I can have one made or sourced on that bolt?" Sorry sir, there is nobody here that knows ANYTHING ANYMORE was basically the answer. I can still get all the parts for my 20 yr old Nissan. Chevy still stocks parts for my 12 year old van, and many vehicles much older.

My point is some companies do this much better than they have, some tool companies like powermatic for instance continue to support older machines as much as it makes sense, so I continue to support them. I know parts is a liability, but if its one they can't manage effectively, they end up where they are now.

[Myk Rian]

Maybe someone at Steel City would know. After all, a bunch of Delta Engineers went there. ;)

[Mark Bolton]

I'm not asking them to go back 40 years, but it might be nice if they went back 10-15. If they can't do that, they aren't getting a pile of my money for a tool that should last 30yrs but will only get parts support for 10.

I have to say I'm with John on this one. It's all a matter of scale. Heck you can't buy a 100K farm tractor or piece of equipment barely that will guarantee parts production for 10 years. Auto makers don't make parts for the maximum lifespan of a vehicle. It's all about scale. If there is enough volume an outside manufacturer will make parts to get a return on investment. Someone maintaining an inventory of parts just arbitrarily is just crazy. If there is a demand, and the demand covers the cost of manufacturing and inventorying those parts, they will be there.

If there were enough demand for old delta parts for it to be a viable component of the business they would be available.

I agree it's not good customer relations but to think a company should inventory a large percentage of the components for a machine for 15, 20, 30, years is a bit of a stretch when your talking about such a low volume industry.

[Duane Meadows]

I agree it's not good customer relations but to think a company should inventory a large percentage of the components for a machine for 15, 20, 30, years is a bit of a stretch when your talking about such a low volume industry.

Mark, you are absolutely correct! Coming from the electronics world, I know that Japan(for example) don't repair much stuff. If as a reseller I order 20,000 of "x" model TV, I must order any spare parts I think I will need at the same time. A manufacturer will not retool a production line to make you one part or even a few hundred for that matter!

As mentioned above it cost money for storage facilities, inventory tax, etc to keep them. For low volume part, it is just not worth it, especially with today's shorter product life cycles.

I worked on RAS's among other things for nearly 40 years, and including my 40 year old Craftsman, have never changed a carriage bearing. Not much profit in keeping those in stock! Actually it would be a loss, financially!

[Justin Barius]

Not to hijack this thread (but I am)...was able to find some small replacement parts for a recently acquired Delta TS (36-979) like a pulley cover, leveling foot, and dust chute direct from the Delta site, but there are definitely a good handful of products that I cannot find ANYWHERE. Specifically I am looking for a replacement foot (part # 651026-00) and have had zero luck. I would've thought this would be a more generic and readily accessible part but it's not, or that at least there would be a stash of a couple somewhere. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would be eternally grateful! :)