The New Delta "Made in the USA" Unisaw

[Scott Loven]

Just saw this in Popular woodworking!

http://popularwoodworking.com/articledisplay?id=17748

Scott

[Fyrman Dave]

I just got this video link today in my email.

http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=fw-editorsblog

[Peter Quinn]

I don't care what they make or where they make it. The folks at Black & Delta have taken my last dollar. When they decided to obsolete and stop supporting a 15 year old shaper I own (no more parts, no cross references on a machine that has changed little in 35 years) I lost all faith. Sure, many will make the argument that they can't be expected to cary parts on older machines for ever. Its true. I expect very little of them at this point. Luckily it is a solid machine with few parts to fail, but the few things I have needed have been a search and a struggle.

When a company makes a small industrial quality professional tool built to last a life time but finds themselves unable to support it in the future, I find myself unable to support them. I can still buy parts for Powermatic shapers made in the 1950's, so I can still justify buying a new one. Why bother buying a tool from a company built to last decades if they have shown a proven failure to support their goods over time?

[Ted Torres]

Errrr, maybe I've missed something, could be my bad. But, doesn't DeWalt own Black & Decker...aka: B&D (not Delta)?:confused:

[Jim Becker]

Errrr, maybe I've missed something, could be my bad. But, doesn't DeWalt own Black & Decker...aka: B&D (not Delta)?:confused:

No. Black and Decker owns Dewalt, Delta, Porter Cable and a few other brands.

[Ted Torres]

Thanks Jim! As I said...My Bad! :o Found the Info HERE (http://www.bdk.com/)

Peter, now understand how you feel, has to be frustrating!

[Peter Luch]

Peter,

Have you tried http://www.dewaltservicenet.com/ ?

Aloha, Pete

[steve reeves]

When they decided to obsolete and stop supporting a 15 year old shaper I own (no more parts, no cross references on a machine that has changed little in 35 years) I lost all faith. Sure, many will make the argument that they can't be expected to cary parts on older machines for everWhen they decided to obsolete and stop supporting a 15 year old shaper I own (no more parts, no cross references on a machine that has changed little in 35 years) I lost all faith. Sure, many will make the argument that they can't be expected to cary parts on older machines for ever

15yrs is a long time to support a product you no longer make.. other than the castins which should and probably will last forever, most other parts can be bought "off the shelf".. motors, bearings, handwheels etc.

And if what you stated is true that the product has not changed much still... then likely many parts for the newer machines will work. A parts diagram of the newer machines will likely be of benefit.. sure you'd have to do your own "cross referencing" but it is a 15yr old machine...

I'm no fan of Black and Decker by the way... most everything they make is pure junk. And I fear that they'll milk Porter Cable's good name while producing junk under it also. Everything they seem to touch turns to crap within a few years.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

This reminds me of what happened to GM in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. First, they stopped being innovative, then they let quality slide, and then they had a 'come into the light' moment and turned it around to make a modern, competitive product.

However, I hope Delta does not suffer from an everlasting stigma that GM has been fighting to this day.

Thanks for posting this info.

-Jeff :)

[Eddie Darby]

I'm still waitiing on Delta to deliver on the 2006 New line of Drill Presses that they launched at the IWF! LOL

[Pat Germain]

This reminds me of what happened to GM in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. First, they stopped being innovative, then they let quality slide, and then they had a 'come into the light' moment and turned it around to make a modern, competitive product. -Jeff :)

Really? I have yet to see said product.

As for the new Unisaw, that's my dream machine, baby!

[Peter Quinn]

15yrs is a long time to support a product you no longer make.. other than the castins which should and probably will last forever, most other parts can be bought "off the shelf".. motors, bearings, handwheels etc.

And if what you stated is true that the product has not changed much still... then likely many parts for the newer machines will work. A parts diagram of the newer machines will likely be of benefit.. sure you'd have to do your own "cross referencing" but it is a 15yr old machine...

I'm no fan of Black and Decker by the way... most everything they make is pure junk. And I fear that they'll milk Porter Cable's good name while producing junk under it also. Everything they seem to touch turns to crap within a few years.

At work we regularly get parts for the 6 powermatic shapers the youngest of which is 25 years old or older. WMH has a real concept of how many machines they have sold to professionals over the years and what it takes to service that market. It is hard to put a dollar value on good customer service and support, but it might explain some of the typical price differential between PM and delta, as Delta's focus is on sales, not support.

Delta is under no obligation to stock parts for all the machines they have made. I'd guess given the changes in ownership they have been through (Delta, Rockwell, Delta Rockwell, Delta again?, Pentair, and now B&D) they decided to cut weight and only stock/produce parts for very recent tools? Now that things are all made in Tiawan many of the parts are slightly different and metric, often attempting to cross reference has against new machines has not worked. I cannot get a second spindle, I cannot get the tall spindle, I cannot get the router spindle, and if something breaks that i cannot find at True Value or Master Carr, I must throw out the machine away?

I am not complaining about a few 1/4" #20 hardened bolts I can get at the local hardware store. I am not talking about a table top sander with a life span of 5 years. I am talking about wear parts and accessories specific to the machine, a 400+ pound cast iron shaper, built and marketed as to last a life time. I guess I am dead to them, so I guess they are dead to me. I don't take this too seriously though. After all its only business. And mine won't be going to them. I simply don't trust there present business model.

[Denny Rice]

Really? I have yet to see said product.

As for the new Unisaw, that's my dream machine, baby!

I agree on the GM thing. GM destroyed and I mean DESTROYED the only good product to come down a GM assembly line in 20 yrs....The EV-1. GM in their greedy hindsight decided since the EV-1 did not use oil, oil filters, air filters, ect. there was no profit in a car which they could not make billions of dollars in replacement parts for, and Exxon didn't like the idea of a car which could go 150 miles (on 1999 battery technology) without a drop of gas. It was a sad day GM destroyed the EV-1. I will not buy another GM car until GM decides to build another ALL electric car without a gas engine as backup. The Volt (concept car) will only go 30 miles per charge and the gas engine kicks in.

[Rick Fisher]

I am done with Delta as well. I have an 18" Delta band saw called a 28-630C. I lost the manual when I moved.

I used it to do some resawing lately and the blade is worn out/ kaput. I cant remember the lenght of the blade.

So I visit the website and the model number doesnt work in the search engine. I phone Delta Canada and they tell me the blade is 136" long. Simple enough.

Took delivery of a new 136" blade yesterday and its quite a bit, too long. I compared it to the old one, I figure the old one is about 130" long.

So just to be sure, I email Delta USA. I get a fast response, within 24 hours, telling me they think its 136".


Sigh..


So I did some research. The similar saw frame is still sold. It has a 12" high capacity, mine is 10". The 12" capacity model uses a 136" blade, so how could the 10" capacity model also be 136" ????????

I know I can just measure the old one, send the new one back and have it re-welded. I also thought checking first might save me this greif ?? They have no idea, not in Canada or the USA..

Pathetic.

BTW. This saw is about 7 years old.

[Rick Fisher]

Okay, I got steamed up. The band saw was made in 2002. Its 6 years old.

I took off the old dull blade, again, and cut it. Its 130 1/2" long.

Two reponses from Delta saying it 136".

6 years???

Buyer beware.. Delta wasnt like this before.

[Peter Quinn]

Okay, I got steamed up. The band saw was made in 2002. Its 6 years old.

I took off the old dull blade, again, and cut it. Its 130 1/2" long.

Two reponses from Delta saying it 136".

6 years???

Buyer beware.. Delta wasnt like this before.

When I asked to speak to someone at Delta beyond the receptionist, I got someone that seemed to suggest it was time for me to get a new shaper. Maybe its time for you to get a new BS?

When i call WMH I get a quick call back (usually don't get the person I need on the phone first call, but the techs do call back quick) from a tech that is A) a mechanic, B) a wood worker, and C) a human being with a pleasant disposition. Nice features in a wood working machine vendor tech service.