HAs anyone had problems with the Delta 28-206 band saw????

[Ken Shoemaker]

I bought the saw about 5 months ago and it's had two failures.

First was a broken hinge (part# 22). Of course when I asked Delta if they were having problems with the saw I got "not at all, it's a great saw". Then they said the part I needed was on back order for 6 weeks. Interesting.......

Just about an hour ago, after changing the 1/4" blade to a 1/2" I was setting the tension when the lift shoe (part# 14D) and the tension crank (part# 14E) snapped off at the same time!!!!!!!

Trust me.. I read and reread the tensioning instructions prior and during the blade change. I disassembaled the saw and find the parts that failed are made of the softest pot metal I've ever seen. When working, the saw is a joy to use.

Just curious if anyone else have had this much trouble.

[Jim Hager]

Hey Ken, glad to hear you are at least trying to make some sawdust. Sorry you are having problems with that saw. I don't know anything about the model# you say you have. I have the standard 14" saw that Delta makes. Is that the same one??

Are you gonna get that bench built for SWMBO by Christmas?;)

[Ken Shoemaker]

Hi Jim,
I think the saw is probably the same one. I take it you've had no problems??? Oh well....

Anyway, LOML is getting a new band room, in fact they are getting a new school next fall. She wants me to wait till then to make the bench and then put it in her new band room.... I'll get a little more experience before I tackle that job.

[Russ Massery]

Ken, I was wondering is yours is the version thats made in china?:rolleyes:

[Allen Bookout]

I bought the last of the "Made in USA" Delta 14" bandsaws. In fact it was one of the ones that they did not make enough bases for when they were winding down production in this country. Built my own base and put a 2hp in it. Made a good saw.

Now Delta has gone cheap Chinese and I am not buying any more of their products. I bough a Uni a few months ago that I was told was made in the USA but when I got it the motor was not a Baldor and the top was one of the substandard ones made somewhere else. Now I wish that I had just sent it back and bought a brand that is made in the USA (Bridgewood or Powermatic) or a General.

I know that this is not helping you much except that any new part that you order will in all likelyhood also be substandard. If it were me I would sell it if possible and get a brand with some quality. For a few extra dollars there are some really great bandsaws out there.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ken a friend of mine had a 28-206 made in China. The top hinge broke as did his tension crank putting on a new timberwolf blade. I drove over one Sunday to help him. I think his tension rod was froze and we could not get his wheels in alignment either. This all happened in the first 3 weeks. When he called Delta they said the parts would not be available for 8 weeks or so. They offered to send some shime washer but they were out of those also. You said it when you said, "interesting." I thought the same thing if they aren't having problems how come they are out of parts and those in particular. I don't think the parts you would get would be any better than what you have now.

My friend Ron was in agreement so he sent his back to Amazon and got his money back. Took awhile and a bunch of phone calls to get that done. I would suggest if you can't take it back I agree with what Allen said get it fixed and sell it. I came within a week of ordering the same one Ron had but finally ended up with a Grizzly G0555 for about the same money.

I know this didn't help much either but you are not the only one having problems with that model. Ron was just fuming. He didn't even get to saw a single piece of wood.

[Tim Armstrong]

Ken, I've got the exact same saw - and broke the exact same part, the tension crank, on the first day. I called Delta the next morning and they were great about it. Quick effecient phone call and two days later I had a new part sitting on the porch when I got home. So, stinks that it broke but Delta took care of me in good form. Have not had trouble with that since.

The one thing I have had trouble with on this saw is the vibration. I bought the saw with the closed stand because I thought that it would be more solid than the open stand. Not sure I made the right choice there.

I read somewhere about some guys bolting angle iron or something inside the cabinet and that got rid of the vibration. I don't know how that would work myself - love to see a pic of that. I put a Power Twist belt on and that sort of helped, but it still vibrates more than it should. I just need to take the time to mess with it.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Ken,
sorry to hear about your problems. I'm in agreement with Allen, in that the US made Delta bandsaws are more solid. For what it's worth, I got a reconditioned US made Delta for not much more money than a new Chinese made version. Couldn't be happier. Bleive me, i compared them both, and the difference is night and day.

As for you broken parts, perhaps you could replace them with some sturdier US made ones?

[Ken Shoemaker]

Thanks to all for your support and advise.

I just returned from Berland's House of Tools in Joliet. Roy King remembered me from when he sold me the tools (TS,BS,DC,Joiner, Planer). Roy is a strait-shooter and told me of the problems with the Chinese made saws. He then showed me the X5, a US made saw with a Baldor motor. I inspected the saw and found it to be considerably more substantial than the "knock-off". Roy worked it with the Delta Rep. for a full refund, also got me several "freebies" and cash discounts that offset the the upcharge for the better machine.

Roy is a great guy and all about customer service. Please stop by and see him if your in the area I'd bet you'll enjoy the visit.

I if anyone has any input on this Delta X5 14" bandsaw please clue me in BEFORE they deliver it next week.

I just want to thank everyone who responded to my thread. It's great to have the knowlege from the forum when you need it.

Ken

[Russ Massery]

Wow! Ken that's great they were will to do that for you. I'ts good to see a manufacture and retailer stand behind a product like that. I saw that unit at Rockler a few month's back it didn't look very well made. I have a 14" Delta that was made in the 60's, it's tank compared to the new one's.Thanks for the follow up.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Russ,
Is the X5 the one you saw at Rockler's??? I mean, is the one you saw at Rocklers the "old" one.

I wonder if I'm in good shape with the X5????

[Jim Bell]

I own a unisaw and a midi lathe made by Delta. The old Delta. I live 10 min from a Woodcraft store and am in there often. The old Delta stuff was great but frankly after a good look at the new X line of cabinet saws and the rest of the tool line I'm no longer interested. Powermatic is my next choice as a tool supplier. I have a few Jet tools and am not overly impressed with them either. Had the chance to compare 14" bandsaws side by side. Jet, Delta and Powermatic. Compared to the PM the other two are laughable. The PM is more expensive but not THAT much more. A band saw is not an engineering marvel to produce. To see the crap that masquerades as quality today is a sad thing from what (Delta in particular) used to be then last word in tools is a shame.

Jim

[Allen Bookout]

Jim, I agree one hundred percent. I would like to see Delta come back to the USA and produce quality tools again but with the way management is going today I do not see that happening even as their sales drop. It could be a blessing in disquise as Bridgewood, Powermatic, General and some others see their sales rise and decide to stay where they are and keep on producing quality products. I hope that the woodworkers realize in time what has happened to Delta and are willing to pay a little more for quality. This would greatly benefit us all.

I know what owning a bad tool is like because I have made a few mistakes before. It ends up costing more in the long run-----one way or another.

[Mike Circo]

Ken,
You should be happy with the Delta X5. I have its predicessor, same saw without the x5 designation but with a 1hp motor. Works excellent, accepts and HOLDS adjustments well. Blade changes are easy, fence is adequate, plenty of power, quiet and smooth.

A buddy of mine has the Chinese made Delta version. From a distance they look the same, but after working with his saw, I see that the "original" is much better. His has a vibration that is hard to identify and omit. Blade changes are much more difficult due to too close fittings of guards. The upper guide arm is skewed so that the blade is just a 1/16 away from falling off the thrust bearing. Some of the adjustments for the blocks and bearings are very difficult to move and adjust correctly.

The Chinese version works, but it not as enjoyable to use or as solid as the original version,which the X5 is.

If Delta was smart they would market all the lower quality Chinese stuff under a different name. By selling the excellent X5 versions and the marginal Chinese made versions under the same nameplate they are disgracing the Delta name and diluting the value of that name.

My opin.

[Howard Barlow]

I agree, Mike. I was at a local dealer the other day looking at saws. The man in the shop told me Delta was headed to a "no spare parts" future. I don't know how bad it will get, but from all I've heard, Delta is off my list.

[Tim Armstrong]

All of a sudden I feel like I need to jump in here and defend my shop a bit. ;) I say that because I have a lot of Delta gear and I think most of it was made in China. For one, I don't think that nationality has all that much to do with it - I think it's the company making a decision to use less expensive materials where they already have less expensive labor. Made in China is not the issue to me. But, in Delta's case, I appreciate the value proposition - I've built a nice shop on a pretty tight budget and, in many cases, that has meant that I ended up with Delta. Not always, but often. So, maybe I just don't know any better, but for the hobbiest woodworker, I like the Delta brand.

I look at it this way - to me, there are four types of tool buyers:
1- People who buy cheap tools
2- Cheap(frugal) people who buy tools that work well and last
3- People who want tools that work well and last - willing/able to spend more money
4- People that want and get the best tools money can buy

I think most of us move up and down the scale a bit depending on the purchase but, for me, Delta sits well for #2 and sometimes #3. Their Shopmaster brand is all about #1 - I have a little bit of that too. I like to wander up to #4 now that I've met the Festool brand.:D

So, FWIW, my $.02
Cheers

[Andy London]

I must have lucked out with my 28-206, I have had no problems at all in the past two years with it, it resaws exotics every day and bowl blanks a few times a week.

I think quality control decisions that are made by the North American companies having products made overseas is key, they want a product to offer at X dollars and it works backwards from their to the plant that is making the product.

For my own shop I can finally afford (most of the time) to upgrade to N.A. made tools but they are getting hard to find, most of my new tools are General but at the same time there are tools made overseas that will do the job also, really depends on the tools in question.

Andy

[Mike Circo]

Tim,
My use of the terminology “Chinese” and “Original” bandsaws was only to clearly differentiate the two different tools because I can’t remember the obscure numbering convention used for them (28-206, 35-123… whatever)

Now, if Delta had taken the original bandsaw and produced it in China exactly the same way it was done in the US or Taiwan, then I’d be disappointed at their choice of manufacturing location from a political, economic, sociological and moral viewpoint. But since they made the saw in China and also reduced the quality THEN that produces a dilution of the Delta name that effects the entire product line no matter where the country of origin.

Every Delta tool that I have seen that moved from US or Taiwanese manufacture to China has ended up a lesser tool than the original. Good in most cases, but still less than the original. I grant you that they are using different product codes for both versions so there is no deceit intended, AND the China tool is cheaper than the “original” version, but it all boils down to expectations verses the brand name.

At one time the Delta name meant no compromise quality. You could get a Delta product, (granted at a higher price), but be sure that the quality was premium. Now it is a crap shoot as to whether you get a premium tool or the cost reduced version. I posture that Delta should CLEARLY create two nameplates. The Delta being the premium line, and the other name plate being the cost conscious name plate. (The “Shopmaster” and “X5” is not a clear enough separation in my estimation.) Both price/quality product lines can, and should, exist together, just with name separation and clear market segments.

An object lesson exists in the auto industry. Just find some business case studies on the effect of the Cadillac “Cataria” on GM. That was the first compact Cadillac and was directly derived from the Chevy Cavalier. They fooled no one. The car was a failure as Cadillac buyers wanted quality, luxury and prestige, and instead got a Chevy with a Caddy emblem. It took GM years to rescue the Cadillac name. This is the road I see Delta heading down by using their name across many product lines.

Just my opinion based on 14 years of Delta ownership.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Mike, Thanx for your input.. I'm reading that the X5 should work out pretty well for me then?????

Simple hobbiest, and new at that....

Thanks to all you guys for your input....

[Russ Massery]

Ken, No it wasn't an X5 unit.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Ken,
I have one of those X5 14" saws - it's really great, and performs as a BS should. It's too bad that you have to step up to the X5 level to get something decent these days, BUT, I love mine. It has a 1.5 hp motor, and I put the riser kit on it - a worthwhile endeavor. If you go that route, Amazon has the riser kits for $89.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Thanx Maurice... I was thinking aboout going with the riser kit. Wouldn't ya' know I just bought 3 Timberwolf blades for it.

Anyone wanna a good deal on three 93 1/2" blades...