New Delta 28-276 Band Saw Assembly Issues

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Hey everyone!

After tons of research I finally settled on the Delta 28-276 Band Saw.

I went over to Lowes to buy one since they were on sale for $399. The box of the only one they had was damaged, and the lower door was a bit scratched from one of the table mounting bolts, but it otherwise appeared unscathed.

Due to the scratched lower door, they gave me 10% off -- out the door for less than four bills. :) I was pretty happy. I got it home and unpacked, and examined every part. Luckily, I found no additional damage. I figure a scratched door isn't anything to fuss about.

Here's the fun part...

The very first step in the instructions says to attach the motor mounting plate to the bottom of the stand top. When I completed this step I noticed the motor mounting plate was not parallel to the stand top. It appears as though the bracket that's welded to the stand top was attached poorly, thus causing the problem.

It looks to me like this is going to cause the pulleys not to align. Delta customer service is closed, but I was hoping they'd ship me a new table top and possibly a new lower door while they're at it. :D

Thoughts?

Paul

[Mike Marcade]

There should be enough adjustment in those long slots to move the motor parallel even though the plate isn't.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

There should be enough adjustment in those long slots to move the motor parallel even though the plate isn't.

Mike,

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. The slots in the mounting plate would allow me to move the motor laterally to align the pulleys, but wouldn't affect whether the two pulleys are coplanar.

Or did I completely misunderstand you? :)

Attached is a crude graphic that illustrates what I *think* is going to happen.

Paul

[Mike Marcade]

Maybe I misunderstood your first post. I see your point. You can always shim the right side of the motor if necessary. You are probably right to try to get a new part out of Delta.

[Kelly Leblond]

That is a pretty poor job, like you don't know! Anyway, first I would try and get a new part. In the mean time it looks like you might be able to bend the ears, one at a time, maybe both at the same time with the mouter plate and make things a bit better. Then give it a spin and see how things look to ya. If not a to your liking I would get a linked belt...nice upgrade anytime. I think the linked belt wouldn't care if its not spot on. Bottom line for me would be a new part...good luck.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Out of shear curiosity, I decided to try and shim the motor into parallel... That turned out to be an exercise in futility.

I had to shim one side 1/4" to get the motor as close to parallel with the stand top as possible. This, of course, meant I had to replace the carriage bolts, as the included bolts were too short. Naturally, I couldn't find any metric bolts at HD or Lowes, so I used the closest thing I could find.

I then found that if I moved the motor laterally to line up the pulleys, the motor would hit the stand when attaching the belt. To fix this, I moved the pulley by unscrewing the set screw and pushing it along the shaft closer to the motor. Doing so allowed me to move the motor enough that it wouldn't hit the stand when swung into place for attaching the belt.

It's not perfect, but it's aligned a whole lot better than if it were not shimmed.

The next step was to install the belt guards. And wouldn't you know it, I can't install the lower belt guard because the motor shaft is in the way. If I were to force it into place, not only would the weight of the motor not be able to properly tension the belt, but the motor shaft would rub the heck out of the belt guard. It seems as though the belt is too short.

I'll be calling Delta tomorrow... hopefully they'll be able to sort this out. I feel like I got too good a deal on it to take it back.

Paul

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I called Delta Customer Service this morning, and I'm very pleased with the outcome. All I had to say was "I had trouble assembling the saw due to a manufacturing problem with one of the parts." They took my information and asked for the part number in question. The part will ship from Virginia today.

Thanks for listening. ;)

Paul

[Mike Marcade]

Congratulations Paul. Hopefully your new part doesn't look like the old one. :D

[Jared Cuneo]

Here is my Delta experience....I went through 3 jointers with cracked motor housings, a bandsaw with a chunk missing from one wheel, a contractor saw with several missing parts, and now, a bad power switch on the saw. To their credit, they made good on everything, and after finally working everything out, I have a pretty well running shop, but I think next purchase will be grizzly (jointer planer upgrades)....

JC

[Malcolm Wheeler]

My Delta arrived new and out of the box with the tracking mechanism cracked like this picture attached. To Delta's credit it was fixed within 24 hours, including labour and an on site service call, no questions asked. The repair technician believes it was a luck of the draw bad casting back in the foundry - probably nothing to do with the Delta assembly plant at all.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Warning: Begin Long Rant

When I called Delta on Monday, the rep didn't give me an order number, reference number, or anything else. When I realized that on Tuesday, I called back and they were able to give me a reference number. She was extremely rude and seemed angry that I would even call back to bother them about something like that. Imagine that... a customer calling back to get something that should have been given to him in the first place.

While I was on the phone with them, I asked about when it would ship and when I could expect to receive the part. She continued being rude and told me it would ship in 48-72 hours and I should receive it in 7-10 business days. So I asked if she could expedite the order and I'd pay for the difference in shipping. No surprise here, but she continued to be rude and barked at me about how it was already in the system and it would be 7-10 business days.

Fair enough. I should have inquired about that when I placed the order. But she could have explained it without being such a witch. I had enough so I let it go for the day. It kind of bothered me that they couldn't tell me anything other than "48-72 hours" and "7-10 business days". That seemed odd.

Wednesday... I call back to get a status. I was hoping to get someone who could say something other than 48-72 and 7-10 and do so in a more pleasant manner. No such luck. Same old speech. Same bad attitude. I didn't feel like dealing with it.

Thursday (today) rolls around and I call back since the last 3 reps I spoke with were less than helpful. And wouldn't you know it, I got another rude person who told me "nothing has changed since you called the last time" and "it will ship in 48-72 hours and you should receive it in 7-10 business days."

I had enough of the same old speech and the rudeness so I told her it had been over 72 hours since I placed the order and I wanted a status and tracking number if possible. I'm a customer dag nab it. You don't treat customers like that... even if they do call every single day. If they'd have done their job right to begin with, I wouldn't have needed to call back every day.

After being on hold for a while, she tells me the part is unavailable. I asked what that meant and why it went from "11 in stock" on Monday to "Part Unavailable" today and why nobody bothered to call me and let me know.

All I got was rude, blah, call you local service center, rude, blah, you'll have to have the entire saw replaced, rude, blah, whatever. Seriously. Why the heck couldn't she have told me this Monday? I guess it was just too darn hard for them to, well... you know, actually do their dang job?

I really regret my purchase now. One of the reasons I chose Delta was because of their excellent customer service and willingness to go the extra mile to make things right when there is a problem with their product.

I've seen absolutely no indication that they have any interest in making me a happy customer. I can understand if a part is out of stock or back-ordered, but giving me the runaround while being extremely rude is simply unacceptable. And come to think of it, nobody ever apologized.

I knew the 28-276 was made in China. I knew it could have some problems. But I felt the positives (cast iron frame, big cast iron table, quick tension release, Delta name, Delta customer service.) outweighed the negatives. I was wrong. I mean... what can you expect for a $400 band saw right?

So I called the local service center and spoke to a very nice fella who apologized profusely for my experience with the corporate call center. He took my information and said he'd get to the bottom of it and give me a call back shortly.

He just called me back and explained that Delta is moving their warehouse from VA to IL and that these parts were "in transit." He also apologized again for the corporate reps and told me that Delta was doing some outsourcing, which could explain the decline.

He told me they expect the "in transit" parts to reach the new warehouse by the end of this week and my order should go out at the beginning of next week. He told me that if I do not receive the replacement part by early the following week (around the 17th) to give him a call back.

THAT's the right way to handle the situation. THAT's who Delta should want working for them, not those witches over in whatever call center I ended up getting routed to.

END RANT

Even though the nice fella at the local service center has done his best to make things better, I still have a very bitter taste in my mouth and a decent sized case of buyer's remorse.

I've been considering returning it to Lowes. But then I'd be back in the same boat I was in before.

I live in Memphis, TN. We don't have a Rockler or a Woodcraft anywhere near here, so I can't really go do any sort of hands on. All we really have is Lowes, Home Depot, and Sears and they don't carry much. So unless one of them carry it, I'd have to pay a bunch for shipping.

Furthermore, my fiance (AKA LOML, AKA SWMBO) doesn't really want me spending more than about $400 on a band saw, considering I just spent $400 on a thickness planer. So I kind of feel lucky to be getting that. I could probably do $500, but I'd pay for it (not out of my wallet).

I'd go with Grizzly, but I'm a little apprehensive about buying something like this sight unseen. I guess it would be a bit easier to swallow if freight wasn't more than twice what tax would be if I bought it locally.

Thanks... I just had to vent. ;)

Paul

[Mike Marcade]

Paul,

Sorry to hear about your Delta experience. Personally I just bought a Grizzly 8" jointer and I really don't think I will ever be going to Delta again. So far, Grizzly is really top notch.

[Thomas Williams]

Paul, I have the same saw and I am very pleased with the performance. I had to get a replacement table but I did not get any of the poor customer service your experienced. Maybe an exchange at Lowe's?
However, once you get it tuned up it I think you will like the saw.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Paul, I have the same saw and I am very pleased with the performance. I had to get a replacement table but I did not get any of the poor customer service your experienced.

Well that's good to hear.:D


Maybe an exchange at Lowe's?

The nice fellow at the local repair center suggested that, and it's definitely an option I'm considering.


However, once you get it tuned up it I think you will like the saw.

I received my link belt today, but I'm a little puzzled about how to make it the correct length considering the motor swings on the mount. It's installed per the instructions, but it seems REALLY tight.

I also ordered a set of Cool Blocks, a blade rounding stone, some Renaissance Wax, and a new blade. But I haven't received that stuff yet.

Does your saw shake like crazy when powering up and down? Mine's got a bad case of the shakes, but I think it's due to the misaligned pulleys. Luckily, it settles down quite a bit once it gets up to speed.

Thanks,

Paul

[Thomas Williams]

d

Does your saw shake like crazy when powering up and down? Mine's got a bad case of the shakes, but I think it's due to the misaligned pulleys. Luckily, it settles down quite a bit once it gets up to speed.

Thanks,

Paul

It did. Almost all of the shake went away once the pulleys were in line and I installed the link belt. My wheels were pretty well balanced and were co-planer enough out of the box. I installed Cool Blocks and a Cobra spring. The lower guide adjusters had way too much slop but you can loosen the set-screw on the retention collar and take the play out. I use Timberwolf or Viking blades and tension per the instructions (flutter method?) but it seems that the tension gauge on the saw is just about right anyway. I bent the tension arm when I over tensioned a 1/2 inch blade. Oops! Anyway, I use the 1/2 inch blade for resawing and I have been able to cut .040 veneers, and resaw 8 inch wide wenge after I installed the riser kit. I will admit the going is on the slow side, but I do this for a hobby so speed is not an issue.

[Steve Kohn]

There is a Home Depot, Menards, Harbor Freight, Woodcraft, and Berland's House of Tools all within 10 minutes of my office. Obviously it makes lunchtime breaks pretty short with all the shopping I end up doing.

In the last 6 months both Woodcraft and Berland's have told me that they are either de-emphasizing or totally dropping Delta stationary tools. They are tired of the poor quality and lack of service from Delta.

That made me sit up and take notice. Since then my tool acquisitions have been from PM and Grizzly. I have not even been considering Delta.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Well I decided to call Delta back just to make sure everything was still okay.

Everything was not okay, but luckily I got a nice rep this time. I guess it really is just luck of the draw.

She was very helpful and actually found that the order "fell through the cracks" due to the warehouse move. She said the part was now available again and that she'd expedited the order. I should receive the overnighted package Thursday.

I have my fingers crossed and hope I actually receive the replacement part Thursday, but this just goes to show you that lazy, rude, and unhelpful customer service reps only hurt a company's reputation. Even if I don't receive the package, I know that the last lady I spoke with actually tried. That sure goes a long way.

Anyways... I only have two outstanding issues with the bandsaw at this point: The screwed up motor mounting bracket which will hopefully arrive tomorrow and the wobbly wheel pulley which I may replace with a machined pulley.

I'm feeling much better about things now. :)

Paul

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I received the replacement stand top today and the motor bracket that's welded to the bottom of it was out of alignment just as bad as the old one.

I tried to realign the bracket with a hammer, but that ended up breaking the spot welds that attach the braces to the bottom of the stand top... and the bracket still isn't much better than is was.

I've got the saw running really well now that I've installed a link belt, urethane tires, a set of cool blocks, and a Wood Slider blade... so I'm leaning a bit more towards keeping it than taking it back.

I figure I still have a few options left. I could simply return it. I could keep bothering Delta until I get a suitable replacement part. Or I could attempt to build a stand myself.

Hmm... What to do. :D

Paul

[Matt Wolboldt]

I have that same saw, and had other issues with quality with it. To make a long story short, I went back to Lowe's 3 times before I was able to get one that was not damaged in some way. Anyway, as with anything hindsight is 20/20 and I would have made a different purchase at this point.
Cheers

[Eddie Darby]

Maybe you need to call when someone else is working. :D

[Thomas Williams]

Since you have this much time invested, why not give Delta yet another chance. Maybe they will get you a good bracket. Once you can get the motor properly aligned you should have a saw that will give you good service.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

It's been almost a month since I bought my new bandsaw and Delta finally sent me a stand top that doesn't look like it was welded together by a blind monkey. The pulleys are now aligned and coplanar, which decreased the shaking and vibration significantly. The saw runs much, much better now.

Unfortunately, I noticed a bad hum (for lack of a better word) after installing the upper and lower pulley guards. Amazingly, the upper pulley guard was vibrating like a guitar string and causing the table to rattle on the 90-degree stop. Removing the pulley guards completely eliminates the awful vibration and hum.

I tried using some rubber washers to help isolate the pulley guards from both the saw and the stand, but that didn't help at all. It certainly wasn't worth the drive down to Lowes to get the rubber washers.

Are there any reasons why I shouldn't just use the saw without the pulley guards? Or do any of you have any tips to eliminate the pulley guard vibration and hum?

Paul

[Paul Fitzgerald]

The vibration issue has been fixed! :D

I got the idea after purchasing my drill press, whose manual said to mount it to a piece of plywood if you're not attaching it to the floor.

I did the same thing to the open framed stand of the band saw. While I was at it, I also sandwiched the L-Shaped rails between two more pieces of plywood and bolted the two pieces together. The stand is now MUCH stiffer and isn't nearly as prone to vibration as before.

Once reassembled, I fired the bandsaw up and the table rattle was gone. So I then reinstalled the upper and lower pulley guards. No harmonic vibration there either!

I'm so happy I had to share. ;)

I guess I should get to resawing... finally!

Paul

[Jason Scott]

Paul,

I didn't see this post, and I realize it has been a while since your "rant" but I wanted to tell you about my experience with Delta customer service. I have there 6" jointer and the switch went bad, after about 30 cycles. I took it out and it of course said "made in China". So I have only had the jointer about a year at this point. So I called Delta and a VERY RUDE female customer service agent answered my call, and just like you, she acted like I was interupting her favorite television show at her home by calling to ask for the broken part. I was as nice as could be, and she continued to be biligerent, cutting me off mid sentence acting like I was an idiot b/c the switch broke. I honestly have never been treated like that by a customer service agent, well except maybe AT&T, lol. She bitched at me for more than 5 minutes before I said, "hey, I am being really nice here, and all I want is the switch that is defective on your machine that I paid hundreds of dollars for and have only owned for a year under a 3 year waranty", She bitched some more, said 7-10 business days, and hung up. I was pissed but chalked it up to a bad rep that hated her job, but then I read your experience and am wondering if Delta just trains their agents to be unhelpful jerks? I too bought Delta b/c of the reputation, which honestly I think should NOT be as high as it is with some of the stuff I've experienced. I had one other experience with Delta on the jointer in the first month and they took care of it pretty quick, although my parts "got lost in the mail" the first time. I really wish companies would stop sending everything overseas and start getting employees that really care about the reputation of their company.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Jason,

Sorry to hear about your experience. The local service center told me Delta has been outsourcing their call centers, which explains why they now act the way they do.

I did get a nice lady once. She took care of my problem and overnighted me the part I needed. My guess is I happened to get the real Delta call center and now one of the outsourced ones.

Oh well. It all worked out end the end and I learned a lesson or two.

Paul

[Matt Meiser]

Paul, they are probably vibrating due to the fact they are relatively think sheet metal. Can you stop the hum by putting your hand on them? If the vibration is between two parts, a piece of foam weatherstrip would probably eliminate it. If it is mid-panel, adding some weight to the middle of the panel would probably help. One option would be to go to a car stero shop and get some of the sound dampening material they use on sheet metal.

[Mike Goetzke]

Paul - I purchased that BS about a year ago. I really like it. I too had a scratch on one of the covers. Delta CS was very kind and sent a new one within a couple of days. One other problem I had was I think they spec'd out the incorrect length drive belt because mine had a pulley-lower belt guard rubbing problem even after they sent me a replacement belt. I ground the guard to fix it but I think your idea to use a link belt is better in the long run.

I previously had a HF BS and I like the power, larger table, tension release, and cast in DC port on my new delta.

It's always a pain to have to deal w/ CS on a new tool especially in your case - the first piece you put together and prevents further assembly.

I would suggest you take this time to order a riser block and install it while it's still on the floor.


Mike