Old bandsaw: value?

[Roger Los]

This is going to be fairly lame as I have very few corraborating details yet, but I was offered in part trade for a car an older "Milwaukee Delta" 14" bandsaw in good condition. I obviously need to examine it but before I do that is it worth even looking at? Anyone have a guess as to a value range for the machine?

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi Roger:

Sniff around the OWWM.com website for info on the plane. You can even post a question there, but they will ask for serial number, type and size of motor and general condition of the saw before responding.

Who knows it may be a "Antiques Roadshow" type of find!

Best regards, Tom

[tod evans]

roger, sight unseen i`ll guess 150-400 bucks in fair to good shape..02 tod

[john whittaker]

Roger, I have that saw. If you like to tinker with or fix up old iron (I do) it is probably a good saw for you. I agree with Tod's estimate and Tom's OWWM suggestion is right on. Here are some of my suggestions and comments:

The blade guides, if original, are steel and you may choose to replace with lower friction style guides. These are still available from Delta.
You may need to replace the tires.
The original motor is considered undersized (1/2 or 3/4 HP were used back then) compared to today's common motors in 14" bandsaws. It will struggle on hardwood over 3" think. But it is OK for standard use (not resawing) So if it has a riser or you plan on adding a riser, you might consider upgrading the motor.
If the belt is old, changing to a link style helps vibration. (alot)
These saws rarely came with fences. You will probably need to make or buy a fence.
Depending on what you plan on using the saw for...It may not need any of these upgrades.If you need to do all these upgrades...you could probably buy a brand new bandsaw for about the same dollars....Is it worth it??? Only you can answer that. For me it was worth it to get a vintage piece of old iron in the shop. I enjoy fixing up old iron.

Good Luck

[Wes Bischel]

Roger,
Great advice so far. I'll add one more - cruise eBay and watch what price the auctions end for on similar items. It is a decent indicator of market value - though sometimes people get aution fever and run the prices up, and sometimes listings are so bad nobody bids.

Good luck,
Wes

[Roger Los]

The owner says it has a fence. I'll see if I can get him to send me a photo...and how much of the purchase price of my elderly car he wants me to credit for it. Thank you all for the insight!

[Roger Los]

Well, I traded about $200 value in a car for this saw, I pick it up sunday. John, will the saw fit in the back of a Land Rover with the seats folded forward, do you think? It's supposed to rain Sunday and if I can get away with not taking the open F250, I will.

If you had a rough idea of its longest dimension, I'd be grateful.