Delta 14" bandsaw refurb issue...

[Stuart Welsh]

I purchased a used Delta 14" Bandsaw (28-203) and began to clean it up for use in my shop. This saw had very little use from the original owner and was stored for years. A couple of test cuts in some pine resulted in bits of rubber being deposited on the table so I opened it up to find the upper tire half way off and rubbing on the enclosure. I adjusted the tracking and tension and experienced the same issue. Inspecting the tires I noticed cracks and flat spots so I decided to replace the tires.

Last night I put on a set of Carter Ultra Blue tires and have run into problems. I've got a 1/4" blade on the saw and in trying to get the tension anywhere near adequate the upper wheel slide bracket is raised so high the hub on the wheel is coming into contact with the enclosure and grinding itself. The tension indicator is at 1/8" and the wheel is so bound that it is hard to spin by hand. I took the upper wheel off to clean it and did notice a washer on the backside of the wheel that I assume is standard.

There is a noticeable difference between the thickness of the stock tire and the Carter so I assume the issue is that the overall diameter of the wheels is so much reduced that the upper wheel slide bracket needs to raise so much more that the wheel is now rubbing on the enclosure. What is my fix here? Should I try shimming the upper wheel outboard some with another washer?

Meanwhile my Delta sits idle with new tires and the Carter Bandsaw Upgrade Kit install… :(

306599 306598

[Matt Day]

Could be your spring is shot? When I had an old Delta I replaced the stock spring with a carter (I think, it was yellow and sold at WC) and I was surprised at the difference. The stock spring seemed to have shrunk in comparison, probably took on some memory from being compressed for decades.

[Johnny Rowland]

I purchased a used Delta 14" Bandsaw (28-203) and began to clean it up for use in my shop. This saw had very little use from the original owner and was stored for years. A couple of test cuts in some pine resulted in bits of rubber being deposited on the table so I opened it up to find the upper tire half way off and rubbing on the enclosure. I adjusted the tracking and tension and experienced the same issue. Inspecting the tires I noticed cracks and flat spots so I decided to replace the tires.

Last night I put on a set of Carter Ultra Blue tires and have run into problems. I've got a 1/4" blade on the saw and in trying to get the tension anywhere near adequate the upper wheel slide bracket is raised so high the hub on the wheel is coming into contact with the enclosure and grinding itself. The tension indicator is at 1/8" and the wheel is so bound that it is hard to spin by hand. I took the upper wheel off to clean it and did notice a washer on the backside of the wheel that I assume is standard.

There is a noticeable difference between the thickness of the stock tire and the Carter so I assume the issue is that the overall diameter of the wheels is so much reduced that the upper wheel slide bracket needs to raise so much more that the wheel is now rubbing on the enclosure. What is my fix here? Should I try shimming the upper wheel outboard some with another washer?

Meanwhile my Delta sits idle with new tires and the Carter Bandsaw Upgrade Kit install… :(

306599 306598Contact Louis Iturra at 904-642-2802,He is a wizard on band saws.He also designs and sells improved parts,his catalog($6) has tons of info for adjusting and restoring..

[Stuart Welsh]

Matt, I'm confused and perhaps I'm missing something. Though I probably could use a new yellow spring won't a newer, stiffer spring just push the slide upward with more pressure and compound the issue?

[lowell holmes]

I don't have experience with a Delta bandsaw however, I did follow Duginske's book when setting up my Jet.
I used shims, not washers to move the upper wheel out.

I also would go online and try to find a factory manual for the saw that you own. I was able to find the Jet manual online and download a .pdf copy of it.

Also, I would check and see if the blade length your using is correct.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Contact Louis Iturra at 904-642-2802,He is a wizard on band saws.He also designs and sells improved parts,his catalog($6) has tons of info for adjusting and restoring..

Do this ^^^^^^^^^^

[Andy Fox]

I had the same problem on my new Delta X5 bandsaw which I purchased in 2006. It's slightly different because it has the quick tension release, and I think a beefier spring. There's a very thin factory washer there. I left it on and added a standard washer. I think it was a 1/2 inch washer. This also made my wheels co-planar. If you still have the problem after adding a washer, try adding another.

[Matt Day]

You said the when rubs when the blade isn't fully tensioned right? I assumed it was rubbing on the top and a new spring would give higher tension and keep the wheel lower. I may have misunderstood your problem though.

[John TenEyck]

I agree with Matt. I think the spring is shot or the blade length is wrong (too long). Getting the wheels coplaner is good, too, but I don't see how it could be the source of your problem unless the wheel is rubbing on the back of the guard.

John

[John Lanciani]

Carter tires are thinner than stock and the blade is at the long end of acceptable range so you're running out of travel before the blade is tensionned. A 1/2" shorter blade or thicker tires will fix the problem. (I've restored about a dozen Delta 14" bandsaws in the past few years...)

[glenn bradley]

From your description I say blade length as well. It is the wheel position that is at issue here.

[Phil Thien]

Carter tires are thinner than stock and the blade is at the long end of acceptable range so you're running out of travel before the blade is tensionned. A 1/2" shorter blade or thicker tires will fix the problem. (I've restored about a dozen Delta 14" bandsaws in the past few years...)

This was my first thought, too. I know Sulfur Grove sells tires in two thicknesses.

[Myk Rian]

I never use the tension markings to tension.
Do it with the flutter method. Has never failed me.

[James Nugnes]

I contacted Iturra today for a catalog not for anything in particular but because I have seen tidbits of it and there is so much good bandsaw info in there. Anyway I thought I would post because I see so many comments from folks that have a hard time getting in touch or have had and have also had a hard time getting a catalog. Maybe some folks are discouraged. I called today during normal business hours and made contact right off. They sell their catalog now or if you know what you want to buy and place an order, they will put one in free of charge with the order. They only charge $6.00 for the catalog if you aren't ordering at the time and it looks like they ship it pretty much within a day or two of receiving the credit card order. At any rate, if you want a catalog, give them a call...they might just be a source that you really need to have on your ammo belt for when your bandsaw ends up with issues you want to try to resolve.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I contacted Iturra today for a catalog not for anything in particular ........

If you do have a particular problem, you can get Louis on the phone. Always seemed to me that he really likes talking on the subject, and he really does seem to know everything there is to know.

[Jim Wheeler]

I have a model 28-200 Rockwell, made in the middle 1970s. The owner's manual says lower and upper limits for blade length are 91-1/2 and 94 inches respectively. It sounds to me like the OP's problem is just too long a blade. One other possibility: the square nut for the tension adjust screw should be all the way inside the the square enclosure of the casting and not hanging up on anything. Likewise, make sure the spring can also travel freely.

It shouldn't matter how long the spring is - that has no bearing on how high the wheel must be raised to tighten a blade. A short spring just means that the adjustment screw has to thread the nut farther up its length before the wheel begins to rise.

For those who don't already know, springs of this type - compression springs - have a maximum deflection value that is a percentage of their free length. The percentage varies among various types, sizes and load ratings of springs. If the spring is compressed beyond this specified percentage, it will not recover its full length when released; it will get shorter and shorter each time it is compressed beyond that limit. For the standard springs used in older Rockwell and Delta fourteen inch saws this maximum value seems to be just slightly beyond the mark on their tension scale for a 1/2 inch blade. In other words, if you try to tension any blade past the 1/2 inch setting on the scale, the spring will shrink in height and will shrink a little more each time you do so. These saws can not tension a 3/4 inch blade to the mark on their scales without the stock spring losing height.

Jim

He who welds steel with flaming pine cones may accomplish anything!

[william watts]

I had the same problem when I bought my band saw. It is a Delta 14" purchased in the late 90's as a floor model, missing parts and totally out of adjustment. The problem was the wheels were not co-planer. The upper wheel was tilted back towards the housing causing the hub to rub when the tension was adjusted to raise the wheel. That adjustment is the thumb screw on in your 2nd. pic. The lock nut is loose in your pix, so maybe it needs adjustment? It's the tracking adjustment.

[Stuart Welsh]

Thanks for all the replies. I should clarify a few things though. I understand the process of adjusting the tracking and have done so while the belt is slightly under tension. I then attempt to bring the blade to a proper tension and begin to get rubbing on the enclosure. I have not changed the blade only the tires. Both the blade and the tires were on when I purchased the saw. Perhaps we can assume the original owner put a blade that was too long not the saw but I believe the issue that caused me to refurbish the saw was bad tires. The only variable here is the new tires, which are thinner. With all the tires that Carter must sell to Delta owners I can't believe this is not a common issue.

[James Nugnes]

Not saying the blade is the genesis of the problem but I have got to think you are going to want more blades for the saw at some point. Perhaps one new blade at this point just to know what you have for a blade on the saw would make sense. I think from what I have read, all you know about this blade is that it was on the saw when you bought it. Would seem to me there are no guarantees then about its condition or even whether it is exactly right for the saw or not. Maybe one Olseon flexback of the right length would be a good thing to do while you are working the issues. At a guess it should be something around $15.00 for a new blade that you will surely be able to use once the saw is up and running the way you want it to run.

[David Masters]

I have the same problem — after replacing the tires in an 80's vintage bandsaw with new urethane tires, I can no longer use a 93-1/2 blade in the saw without the blade rubbing on the top of the saw when tensioned. Being a simple person with little knowledge of bandsaws, I ordered 92-1/2" blades from Timberwolf to correct the problem. They work, but are a little tight getting on the saw. Next time I'll order 93" blades. I replaced the spring with the Carter, because the old spring was shot, but this didn't have any effect on the blade issue.

[Stuart Welsh]

I tried a washer behind the factory washer and it did the trick, not to mention brought the wheels more coplanar. The twist in all this is that I'm not about to embark on adding a riser so the suggestion of trying a new blade makes even more sense! Is there a method one could use to determine the best length blade before I buy one? I mean with all the input as to slightly longer or shorter blades would it make sense to measure the exact distance around the wheels once the riser is on? The unknown is where do I position the top whee? Full up? Full down? Middle? Hmmm

[David Masters]

I'm kind of from the Alex Snodgrass school in that, as long as the blade doesn't ride off the edge of the bottom wheel, coplanar adjustments are unnecessary. I imagine that if I tried to improve on the factory settings, I'd likely mess it up further. Here is a link I found that calculates the blade length.

http://vintagemachinery.org/math/beltlength.aspx

[James Nugnes]

Well I guess if it were me I would try the calculation and then I would check so that I at least knew the factory recommendation for blade length for that particular saw. If I thought the factory recommendation for blade length would work for me, I would probably go with that in an effort to get back to as close to factory top to bottom as I could. If I were rebuilding the saw, while I might try to incorporate parts that either had a wider range of adjustment or were more robust, I would probably make every effort to use components that gave me what I thought would be the best shot at what the original designer thought would be optimal for that tool. Here is where the aforementioned catalog of parts offered for bandsaws and the recommendations of its author, Louis Iturra would be invaluable I would think. Anyway I would want to at least know what the factory blade length was because if what I thought I had to use was way off of that, that in itself would tell me I still had work to do I think.

[Art Mann]

It is a leap of faith to assume that the blade supplier sold you a blade that is exactly as specified. It is a little tedious but not too difficult to measure the length of the blade using a string that doesn't stretch too much and some masking tape to keep the string and band together at all points. You could use this measurement to choose the length of your next blades.

[Stuart Welsh]

It is a leap of faith to assume that the blade supplier sold you a blade that is exactly as specified. It is a little tedious but not too difficult to measure the length of the blade using a string that doesn't stretch too much and some masking tape to keep the string and band together at all points. You could use this measurement to choose the length of your next blades. That method is what I thought I'd do. The problem is knowing where to position the top wheel with the slider. That mechanism has 5/8" of travel. Using the Vintage Machinery calculator that David Masters provided a link to the blade length can range from 92.96" to 94.21". My gut feel is to place the slider in the middle?