Delta Band Saw ills

[Jerry Olexa]

I'm in process of preparing a small Delta benchtop (BS100) Band Saw for delivering to my SIL. After cleaning up, decided a few test cuts in order....All the cuts surprisingly, are drifting off to the right substanially (as opposed to a right angle 90 degree cut), ..The final cuts are an extra 20-30 degrees off the 90 cut.Fatter at bottom.
Though not a band saw expert, I researched and did: adjust for coplaner of 2 wheels, checked and adjusted both upper and lower blade guides, corrected the blade stops, tightened blade more than I normally would but the drifting pattern persists..Tried couple of variations but no luck....The band saw ran square and true (fairly) when I bought it....I am concerned that it now can't cut a simple rt angle cut in 1X3 test pine....(FYI-This is still the original blade..)
This reminds me of my frustrations with a bigger Jet floor model BS I sold several years ago.
What I am I not doing or should I be doing?? Your help will be appreciated...Thanks,

A dedicated WWer (except for Band Saws),:)
Jerry

[Jason Beam]

change the blade.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Keep the blade - change the bandsaw!

The blade is probably the best part of it!

The Delta Shopmaster is one of the worst pieces of junk ever foisted on the buying public in an attempt to cash in on the Delta name.

You know there's some serious issues with something when people recommend a Ryobi product over something and say the Ryobi is head and shoulders better.

& yes - - I do happen to own one of the Delta Shopmaster band saws.

[Jason Beam]

So without changing the blade, how do you know it isn't the culprit?

[Duane Meadows]

So without changing the blade, how do you know it isn't the culprit?

Jason, I agree. Change the blade. I also have one of those saws, and with a good blade it cuts well. Not a great saw, agreed, but it will cut small stuff well with a good blade.

[Jerry Olexa]

Would the blade cause it to drift that much on a routine cut??

[Jerry Olexa]

Do agree it needs a new blade for better performance...But this type of drifting !!!!????

[John McClanahan]

If the teeth on one side of the "set" are damaged, it will try to cut curves.

John

[Jerry Olexa]

Forgive my ignorance, but please define "set". Saw it in some of articles but not sure I understand....Thanks

[Jason Beam]

"Set" Refers to the tips of the teeth being bent outward - they alternate - one tooth goes left, the next goes right, the next left, etc. This causes the teeth to cut a kerf that's wider than the steel body of the blade to make it easier to cut.

A dull blade will drift all over hell and back - you can't assume anything if the blade isn't new (and even then, not necessarily!). Typically cheap blades for small saws are punched - which means they have a burr on one face and a roundish surface on the other which will also impact drift.

If the blade has some mileage on it, it could be duller on one side than the other (possibly due to that punched burr surface) and will lead one way or the other. You can tweak the saw all you want but until you replace the blade you don't know if it's not the root of the problem to begin with. :)

[Rich Engelhardt]

So without changing the blade, how do you know it isn't the culprit?Probably because the saw itself is a total piece of junk that's incapable of making a straight cut.
Buying a new blade for it is just throwing good money after bad.

This particular model is a "Delta" in name an price only.

They were sold mainly through Lowes and made specifically to hit a price point.

At best, it's a $10.00 tool - and even that's being very generous.



I also have one of those saws, and with a good blade it cuts well.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day ;).
All kidding aside, the frustrating thing about pure junk is that once in a great while a decent one slips through the cracks.

Or - are you 100% positive you have the Delta BS100?

The BS100 is the Shopmaster series. Delta made a couple other 10" band saws that were and are decent little saws.
The DELTA 28-195 was the immediate predecessor & it wasn't all that bad, as far as low budget tools go.



The whole Delta Shopmaster line is and was ultra low end quality - - we're talking junk that makes Harbor Freight look decent - tools sold at a price point priced well below the competition (Ryobi).
I paid either $89.00 or $99.00 for mine at Lowes.

As a point of interest, I also bought a Delta Shopmaster series 8.5" compound miter saw for $79.00 at Lowes.
Again, low quality/low budget tool that gets the same mixed bag reviews as the band saw.
I have a high regard for this saw. It's ultra portable and cuts 2x4's easily and a lot safer than using a circular saw when I'm on a job site somewhere.

Having said that - if someone asked if they could get a better cut with a Shopmaster 8.5" compound miter saw if they put a new blade on it. my advice there would be about the same - save your money and just upgrade to a better miter saw.

[Jason Beam]

So if he happens to already have a blade laying around, he shouldn't try it, Rich? Is that what you're saying? The saw's just junk and he should throw it away...

Clearly you have some bad blood with this saw. I have absolutely no experience with this machine myself and honestly don't think it matters when it comes to troubleshooting. It's easy to spend someone else's money and tell 'em to just buy a new saw - some people aren't in that position and good for those who are. He's got a machine, it used to cut okay, suddenly it doesn't - we don't know more than that.

I'm trying to help a guy work with what he has - and you can't say his saw is junk until you've ruled out the blade being the culprit. To NOT change the blade is putting a whole lot of faith in the most likely cause of problems and that's not logical.

He has a saw.
It used to cut.
Now it doesn't.
Same blade.
Same saw.

Which is the wear item in this case? Which is the most likely cause of all bandsaw drift problems?

We get it - you hate the saw. Ranting about it won't help this guy maybe get what he once had already with this machine. Feel free to say "i told you so" after he changes the blade if it still leaves the owner dissatisfied. Until then, what's the harm in trying to help the guy instead of tell him how crappy his machine is?

[Jerry Olexa]

Thanks guys...All good advice/thoughts....Called Suffolk this morning and ordered a new 59 1/2" blade ....$20 investment w/postage but hopefully, will help narrow down the possibilities.
It cut well when I bought it but now there is a pronounced and persistent Drift to right.

[John Donhowe]

Okay, let me suggest a couple more things that I don't see yet mentioned, and don't involve throwing anything away.

You might want to try tweaking the blade tracking. I don't know anything about this specific saw, but I assume you can adjust where on the (top) wheel it rests. For testing, I'd back off on all the guides a bit, so that nothing can bind against the blade. Ideally, with the blade tracking at the top of the crown of the wheel, it should track straight, but different blades (and saw geometries) may vary the sweet spot. I usually try to line the point just behind a tooth gullet at the crown. If not cutting straight when at the crown, adjust the tracking in both directions (toward the front or rear of the wheel), to see what effect it has. If you get it to track well, then adjust the guides.

If that doesn't work, check to see if there's lateral blade move when hand turning the wheel, due to either a kink in the blade, or an out of round wheel or tire. With the blade off, check both wheels for excessive play, which could be bad bearings, or just not snugged tightly enough.

Otherwise, I'm out of ideas for now- just my .02 good luck!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

So if he happens to already have a blade laying around, he shouldn't try it, Rich? Is that what you're saying? The saw's just junk and he should throw it away...

My interpretation would translate into: "this is a $100 saw, no point in purchasing an expensive blade that costs more than that when the saw itself is generally no good"

[Rich Engelhardt]

So if he happens to already have a blade laying around, he shouldn't try it, Rich? Is that what you're saying? The saw's just junk and he should throw it away...Yep - pretty much nails it down. That's been my experience and the experience of a lot of others that have owned this saw.


Clearly you have some bad blood with this saw. I have absolutely no experience with this machine myself and honestly don't think it matters when it comes to troubleshootingI have no bad blood with the saw. It's a cheaply made piece of equipment that Delta and Lowes tried to push at a very cheap price.
I thought, because of the Delta name, that it would be a better tool.
It wasn't/isn't.


[Feel free to say "i told you so" after he changes the blade if it still leaves the owner dissatisfied. Until then, what's the harm in trying to help the guy instead of tell him how crappy his machine is?That's not only childish, it's mean spirited. Jerry has been nothing but helpful to me since I've been here.
I believe I was trying to point out that sticking any money into something as bad at the Shopmaster isn't a wise idea.

Jerry said - at one time it worked somewhat...now it doesn't.
With all the different pieces that people that have actually owned and used this saw, report breaking, it's also questionable to put money into it - just to have something major fail with in a very short period of time.

I could disagree more. Hands on experience with something trumps - "well, I think if you do this....." any day of the week and twice on Sunday.



Which is the wear item in this case?
Just about everything on this low end plastic pot metal saw is a wear item.
Feel perfectly free to read the reviews of this saw online - there's quite a few of them - and you'll quickly see that countless different items break.

[David Eisenhauer]

I believe you are supposed to be able to lightly "hone" the teeth on the side it is drifting to, by holding a stone flat on the table and then sliding it sideways to barely touch the ends of the teeth, to help eliminate drift. If it is the original blade, I too would change it as the next step after the coplanar/guides/balancing/etc has taken place. A 10" blade cannot be that expensive. If it will not square cut a 1x3, issues for sure. I fought an older typical Delta 14" for years and never got it to do much very well at all other than curve cuts in thinner materials. I adjusted, I bought blades, I balanced, I changed parts, I used fences, I freehanded, etc. I then sold it to someone and bought a new MM with lots more motor and all of my problems disappeared. I am not suggesting that Jerry sell it and buy a MM (not starting that war but yet again), but I am saying I do understand what Rich is saying. Sometimes some tools just don't perform very well, especially after the "new" is gone and wear has set in on the "iron" parts. I find that the simple old band saw is not as easy to chase problems on than

[Len Mullin]

If I'm working with any type of saw and run into cutting problems, the first thing I do, is change the blade. By doing so, I solve 99% of any problems that I'm having. I can't imagine purchasing a new saw, over trying a new or different blade in the saw you already own. Change the blade and see what happens to the quality of cut, then decide if you need a new saw.
Len

[Duane Meadows]

Several things...

1. It's not a 10" saw, it's a 9" saw! Yeah, I know.
2. It's not a small MM! Didn't cost like one either.
3. Pack of 3 Bosch blades are available from Home Depot for $19.97.
4. Having read many reviews(not all of course!), many of the issues that are not related to broken parts, would likely be solved by a decent blade!
5. Many others were operator issues! Most tools reviews have some of these.
6. Broken parts were a small percentage of reviews that I read.
7. If resawing even 2" hardwood is what you need to do, this likely is not the best tool for the job!

Other than that, I still contend it will work reasonably well for small stuff(what it was made for!) with a decent blade. I use mine frequently when I have a large blade on my larger saw and need to cut a few small pieces. To me if it's working otherwise it is worth the cost of $10 of less blade. Any saw will need a new blade from time to time.

I also wonder how many of the broken parts issues were because someone was trying to get a bad blade to cut right?

Just my $.02 worth.

[Myk Rian]

Manufacturer supplied blades should ALL be replaced. Even Grizzly supplies crap blades.
DO NOT take a stone to the side of a blade. It will make things worse. You CAN stone the back edges of the blade to smooth them.

[Gus Dundon]

Get new bandsaw blades.

[Tom Lewis]

It could be the blade. I bought one at a big box store and it sawed crooked like yours. I bought one from Ellis and it sawed straight.

[Jerry Olexa]

just returned from my trip....The Timberwolf blade package is here..I'll install, try and let you know...thanks, guys.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Good luck. I hope it does fix your issue(s).

[Jerry Olexa]

All is well......Installed the new Suffolk Timberwolf blade, a few adjustments and it cuts true and straight (no drift)..It also cuts fast like through warm butter..the blade was the culprit after all!!! New blade makes a huge difference!!....Thanks for your help and patience! Sometimes the simplest solution is the correct one!

[Jason Beam]

That's good to hear, Jerry! Glad it all worked out! :)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Good for ya!

I wish mine had a simple fix - (other than pitching it)