Delta bandsaw question

[J. Tyler Klassen]

The upper wheel sliding bracket on my 14" Delta band saw is sticking when I lower it to change blades. Is it alright to lubricate the two side wings so the bracket moves more smoothy? I am thinking of using a light machine oil. Thanks

[Lee Schierer]

Lubricating the slide is not a problem.

[Richard Coers]

Make sure there is nothing bent, cracked, or even broken first. That is the worst part of a Delta 14" saw. They are notorious for failures on the top end.

[Jon Fletcher]

I agree with the above. Find out why it's sticking first. I wouldn't use oil either, it will spread everywhere.

[John K Jordan]

I agree with the above. Find out why it's sticking first. I wouldn't use oil either, it will spread everywhere.

First thing, as mentioned, is to take it apart and see where the problem lies.

I recently worked on a 14" bandsaw donated to a an organization that teach skills to inner city people in risk. The upper wheel would not slide up or down at all. I found it the metal was stuck in the channels, probably warped from overtensioning at some point. Limited to what tools could be scrounged on site, I spent some quality time with a flat file until the slide worked smoothly, did some alignment, etc. They report the saw is working well now with a new blade.

After getting it to slide smoothly, I would limit lubrication to wax or a dry lubricant to prevent accumulating and gumming it up with fine sawdust.

JKJ

[Carroll Courtney]

If possible spray some WD 40 on there just to clean get all gunk off then go with your lube

[Dick Mahany]

I recently had to disassemble that part as it was getting difficult to move. I found a lot of junk in the slots that needed to be cleaned out, but I also discovered a bent tracking arm. Most definitely from trying to tension a 3/4" Laguna Resaw King a few years back. I wound up replacing the tracking arm with the heavy duty version from Iturra Design and I thoroughly cleaned the sliding bracket and guide slots. A coat of Johnson's paste wax really made the assembly slide like new.

430595