DELTA 28-475X X5 14-Inch 1-1/2-Horsepower Woodworking Bandsaw, 115/230-Volt 1-Phase

Comment: I've owned 6 different bandsaws of all types. This cast iron 14" Delta model with the polished stage and the quick tension release handle is heads and shoulders above the others. This unit is rock solid, super easy to adjust and runs exceptionally smooth. I had an JET 18" steel framed saw that I had to weld extra fins to, just to prevent the table from wobbling around because the steel box design was soo flimsy. This Delta beauty however required almost no fine tuning to get it running as vibration free as bandsaws get. I give it my highest recommendation for a bandsaw, don't suffer through any other tool. I also recommend getting yourself a nice 3rd party 1/4" blade and some of those resin impregnated bearing blocks for this saw. Stay away from roller bearing for wood work; they're not as useful at woodcutting speeds.

Comment: I shopped around for quite awhile and had my eye on this saw for quite awhile. I couldn't quite justify the "normal" price compared to other saws, but when it popped up at $672 on Amazon one day, I ordered it.

Shipment was fast -- arrived in about a week. Well packed, no damage or missing components. Assembly took 2 or 3 hours working by myself. The table was flat from left to right and from the back to the miter slot, the front was about .020" high. It won't matter at all when ripping or resawing and will be negligible otherwise. There were two small problems:

(1) When the blade guide is fully retracted (maximum height cut), the steel "cover" rubs on the upper wheel. There's a chamfer on the cover but it's not big enough -- it took about 20 minutes with a file to remedy.

(2) The table insert that goes around the blade wouldn't fit -- it was close, but had a lot of burrs around the edge. Another 20 minutes with a file and it fit.

Neither of these are huge items, but deburring parts and making sure parts fit are things that Delta should do at the factory.

Once enough rework was done to make parts fit together, I started the saw and it works great. I used the included 1/4" blade to do some curved cuts and a 3/4" blade to do some ripping and resawing. It runs smoothly and quietly with no vibration, the blade guides work well, and it has plenty of power -- I resawed a scrap of 4 1/2" thick white oak and it didn't sound any different than cutting 1/4" plywood. The dust collection is OK -- could be better. Changing blades is easy and adjusting the tension is easy, and adjusting the guides is fairly easy (an on-board allen wrench would be a nice touch).

I feel like I got a great deal on this saw at $672 and expect it to be a "mainstay" of my shop for many years. More frequently, it is shown at $899 or more. At this price I would take a very serious look at the Grizzly G0457. It's about the same price and with Grizzly you get more motor power, cast iron wheels (not aluminum), a larger table, all ball bearing guides (not blocks), a fence (not included on the Delta), and 10" resaw height w/o a riser block.

Comment: After seeing one example at Acme Rents, I wouldn't buy one. An unknown quantity are cast in China and imported here. I wasn't impressed with the finish of the table as it had an ground edge. I brought a used 28-212. Don't waste your money on the new Deltas, spend it on older Deltas.
Delta will not learn until its too late.

Comment: I've had this machine a year now. Arrived with no problems. Checked tolerances on all aspects and all was okay. Start with the fact that band saws are cantankerous machines -- need a lot of TLC. If you are not familiar with them, beware that it takes time to learn how to set it up right. That said, this machine is an antique and belongs in a museum as they haven't improved a thing in 50 years. OTOH, it is amazing that this could be sold for around $1,000, so that is my perspective. This is the best of the low end machines, fine for hobbyists but not so fine for pros.

Wheels are balanced and track well. Note that vibration is usually the result of poor set up. After six months of learning how to tune it right, mine now runs perfectly smooth. Cheap blades and bad guide adjustment will make a terrible noise and vibration. I'd take the vibration complaints with a grain of salt. The problem is likely the operator and not the machine. I still use the old steel blocks that work well once you figure out how to adjust them properly.

On the postive side, all components are heavy duty stamped steel and cast iron. My machine got knocked over with a horrible crash onto concrete floor and suffered only minor damage to motor housing. The mobile base is nice, but makes it more likely to fall over.

A major negative are the lower guide controls that have "pencil" knobs and require the use of pliers to adjust them because they are very stiff. I haven't noticed other low end machines with anything better. The Jet seems an exact copy.

The blade guides are crummy but serviceable. Not sure ball bearing guides are worth the cost. Once I got used to adjusting them, it's not a big deal. You can spend a lot of money upgrading with aftermarket parts but by the time you're done you might just as well have bought a better saw from the get go.

My tension adjuster crapped out after 6 months. The standard threads couldn't handle the stress. I bought the machine wheel upgrade from Highland Hardware which is a 6" wheel (not a finger-breaking 2" knob) with Acme threads. I highly recommend it. Worth every penny of $60. I also bought the Kreg fence which, with these two items makes it a decent machine at additional cost of about $200.00. Another $200 for bearing guides and this'd be a fine machine. It's probably no coincidence that all the negatives are upgradable!!!

Set up right, it performs reasonably well. I routinely saw 1/16 x 6" wide veneers accurately with little strain on the motor. Using the right feed rate and sharp blades is critical. If you buy this machine be prepared to spend some time learning to adjust and use it right and it will perform well for you. If you think you can just start jamming pieces of wood thru it without knowledge, you'll be disappointed and end up writing nasty reviews.

Comment: Bought this saw after comparing to Jet and overseas Deltas. This saw definitely has beefier castings and more solid feel. Assembly and tuneup went very quickly, except for the motor mount, which tends to let the motor skew so that the drive and pulley are not square. This make a _lot_ of difference in the smoothness of the saw, so work to get drive & pulley aligned and coplanar. I resorted to a band clamp around the motor and a pipe under the base to hold the tension while I repeatedly check the wheels with a straightedge.

There is a bit of vibration from the driven pulley, as it is die-cast and not perfectly round, but the saw manages the Standing Nickel Test on the table for smoothness, at least after start up. The motor without a belt runs so smooth you barely know it is on. Mine was shipped with a 2HP, which cuts through anything with ease, given the right blade. A link belt helped a little, but probably wasn't necessary. Add Timberwolf blades for real cutting enjoyment.