How do i install blade in Delta Scrollsaw

[Ira Matheny]

I recently obtained Delta Scroll saw, model 40-570, mfg'd 1983. I am having problems installing blade. If I work at it, I can usually get it operating in 5 or 10 minutes. But it is just ridiculous. the difficulty getting a blade installed.
Yes, I am a senior. Yes, I have arthritis. Yes I wear trifocals. But the machine is virtually unusable.
Can anyone shed light upon problems/solutions?


What gives? Are these clamp just bad? Is there something I doing wrong?
Ira

[Dave Cav]

You might want to post this in the General Woodworking forum where it'll get a lot more views.

[johnny means]

A better description of what's going wrong would be helpful. Are you not getting proper tension? Is inserting the blades giving you problems? Are you using pinned or pinless blades?

[glenn bradley]

Although the mechanism appears to be a candidate for an over-thought-that award, it is just a lever. Looking at the manual it seems that, given a blade of equal thickness, you flip up the tension lever, pop the throat plate, open the levers and remove the blade, put in the blade at one end and flip the lever, put in the blade at the other end and flip the lever, put the throat plate back and reapply the tension.

I could see things getting interesting when you change blade types as the 'clamping knob' (item B in fig 17 on page 9) needs to be fiddled with. Depending on how easily the little clamping levers work would contribute a lot to how quickly I was able to change blades. The frustration level with the design would be based on how often one actually changes blades.

Many projects use the same type of blade for much of the work so the wear factor would be the controlling element. It seems a decent machine but, I imagine your satisfaction will vary with how often you have to fool with that mechanism. I find that some things become more automatic with repetition while some just continue to elude me.

[Rick Hutcheson]

The clamps are easy once you find out how to use them. http://www.scrollsaws.com/images/TipVideo/Lathe/DeltaClampSetBB.wmv

[Jebediah Eckert]

Ira, I have the exact same machine that I got for free. It works great, everything except holding the blade and actually cutting, haha. I asked about it on a thread a bit back but never figured it out. I have spent a ton of time, in spurts, trying to figure out the blade holding with no luck. It seems every few months I have a task that would be perfect for the scroll saw, the quest continues, fails, and the cycle starts all over again.

I have read the manual and think I understand how it is supposed to work. That being said it is a challenge for me to even get the blade to connect in place. At least half of those times I think I got it, the blade comes off a few seconds after starting the machine, the second half it comes off as soon as it touches wood.

Rick, for some reason I can’t open the thing you posted......maybe that has all the answers Ira and I are looking for?

Note - I have never used a scroll saw before so I could be missing something very basic. Also I am confident I have the correct blades as suggested by somebody else and the manual. But just in case they are pinless.

[Larry Frank]

I am not familiar with that scroll saw as I have a Hegner Saw. However, I recommend that you ask your question on the Scroll Saw Village forum along with a picture. They are friendly folks with lots of experience.

[Tom Giacomo]

I have those clamps on my scroll saw and they are fussey. I don't like them either but you will get some what better with a little experience. I have used them for a long time and I still get frustrated with them. If they slip out when cutting some times the jaws get very smooth from use just run some sandpaper between the jaws. I have looked for a replacement but have not found anything that's fits.

[al heitz]

Don't know if I had the same model as you, but it was a PITA to change the blade - required a pin to line up the clamps and then a separate hex wrench to open and close the clamps. Also had to bend down below the table to see what you were doing. Main reason I got rid of my 16" Delta was to find an easier, simpler blade change. My 16" Craftsman may not be the best scroll saw, but it does what I need it to do and it is far easier to change blades.

[Charles Lent]

The Scroll Saw Village forum www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums is the place to go for help with anything scroll saw related. There are many experts there.

My Delta scroll saw is a 90's Q3 40-650 type 1 and I don't really like the blade clamps on it, but have learned to work with them. I'm not sure if your saw uses the same clamp as the Q3. Mine has a "skate key" type wrench that's used to get the clamp close to the right setting, and then a small lever on the side of the clamp to lock the blade into the clamp. As long as you don't change blade sizes you don't need to use the skate key. Go to a different blade size/thickness and it requires adjustment with the skate key. When I first got the saw, the bolts through the clamp that get adjusted with the skate key wrench were soft and were stretching, bending gradually into an arc. A call to Delta got me a set of hardened bolts and I no longer had a problem. Are the bolts through your clamps bent? If so, replacing them with a hardened bolt should make a huge difference.

Charley

[Jebediah Eckert]

I will check my bolts later and report back.

I will also try sanding the inside of the jaws and the tops of the blade. Thanks for the tips.

[John K Jordan]

I recently obtained Delta Scroll saw, model 40-570, mfg'd 1983. I am having problems installing blade. If I work at it, I can usually get it operating in 5 or 10 minutes. But it is just ridiculous. the difficulty getting a blade installed.
Yes, I am a senior. Yes, I have arthritis. Yes I wear trifocals. But the machine is virtually unusable.
Can anyone shed light upon problems/solutions?
What gives? Are these clamp just bad? Is there something I doing wrong?
Ira

I don't have that one but two others and I've used some others. It might help to list the exact steps you are doing in case someone can spot something.

Not trying to state the obvious, but are you doing these steps?
- detension with the big lever at the top
- release the upper and lower blade clamps with the two small levers
- insert the blade and tighten the upper and lower clamps (while adjusting the clamping pressure as needed)
- reapply the tension with the big lever at the top.
( as described on pages 7, 8, and 9 here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/37652/Delta-40-570.html?page=7#manual )

If you are doing all that (especially the clamp pressure adjustment) and it still doesn't hold the blade and cut properly, I would probably disassemble the upper and lower clamp mechanisms and look for wear or other clues.

JKJ