Am I gonna regret not buying the old Delta Band Saw?

[Shawn Christ]

So tonight I find myself in the garage of this questionable guy, in a not-so-good neighborhood, in a less-than-reputable neighboring city. He's selling an old Delta 14" band saw. Wants $150.

It's a very old Delta. Lots of cast iron, made in the USA - no doubting that. Couldn't find a model number anywhere. 3/4 HP motor. Looks very similar to the model listed here on OWWM. The questionable guy bought it used a long time ago but never used it. He replaced the belt. That's it. He started it up and it seemed to run fine. But I'm not sure... No time to research it, no time to check with you guys first. He said he thought it was worth the $150.

I'm new to band saws. Never used one. Just been keeping an eye out for a decent used one locally. I want the ability to resaw, and perhaps use it for miscellaneous tapers and tenons. Not significant resawing but when I want 1/2" stock for a few drawers or panels, I would rather use this than waste a can full of chips from my planer. From what I've found here is the saw will require a new motor, blade, riser block, tires, and whatever cool blocks are. I know... get a book about band saws.

So I tell him what I told you -- it will probably need all of these parts for me to be able to use it. He says "fine, I will call the other guys who are interested in it" and starts walking out of the garage. I tell him thanks anyway and walk to the truck - wondering if I should turn around. I don't. Now I'm home typing this.

So did I make the wrong choice? Am I gonna regret this decision?

[Jim Rimmer]

I don't know much about band saws but I would say trust your gut instincts.

[Tim Boger]

So tonight I find myself in the garage of this questionable guy, in a not-so-good neighborhood, in a less-than-reputable neighboring city. He's selling an old Delta 14" band saw. Wants $150.

It's a very old Delta. Lots of cast iron, made in the USA - no doubting that. Couldn't find a model number anywhere. 3/4 HP motor. Looks very similar to the model listed here on OWWM. The questionable guy bought it used a long time ago but never used it. He replaced the belt. That's it. He started it up and it seemed to run fine. But I'm not sure... No time to research it, no time to check with you guys first. He said he thought it was worth the $150.

I'm new to band saws. Never used one. Just been keeping an eye out for a decent used one locally. I want the ability to resaw, and perhaps use it for miscellaneous tapers and tenons. Not significant resawing but when I want 1/2" stock for a few drawers or panels, I would rather use this than waste a can full of chips from my planer. From what I've found here is the saw will require a new motor, blade, riser block, tires, and whatever cool blocks are. I know... get a book about band saws.

So I tell him what I told you -- it will probably need all of these parts for me to be able to use it. He says "fine, I will call the other guys who are interested in it" and starts walking out of the garage. I tell him thanks anyway and walk to the truck - wondering if I should turn around. I don't. Now I'm home typing this.

So did I make the wrong choice? Am I gonna regret this decision?

Save your money and buy a nice new machine, you'll be glad you did.

Tim

[Mike Cutler]

Shawn

I don't think you should regret it at all. Having no experience with a band saw, trying to buy an old one could really turn into a bad experience for you.
Pass on it, and wait for one that doesn't need any work. You don't need another project right now, you just need a working band saw.

[Michael Boyle]

Hard to say on this one, but I would say that if your gut said 'No', that is all you need. The bandsaw you pictured on OWWM is a very old model from Delta. If that is indeed what you were looking at, it would probably need some work before it would be a good user. This would include, new tires - bandsaw tires from that era were rubber and tend to dry out - new guide blocks, possibly new wheel berings and definately a new tension spring (the older ones will get weak over time and not give you a good blade tension, especially of you are planning to resaw) The motor is definatly a replacement since they did not ship with 3/4 hp motors on the open stand units from Delta until much later. Actually I think it was not until the 90's but don't quote me on that. Since the motor is not original, you would also have to make certain it had the correct pully and was rated for the correct RPM. Given all of that, the $150.00 it cost would just be the starting point. Now the question about whether or not it was worth it. For an old saw of that era, the price is not bad. I enjoy restoring old woodworking equipment and if I had been faced with the same choice, I probably would have purchased it. (as long as there were no cracks in the castings) If, on the other hand, I was looking for a saw I could put into service with minimal tuning or repair work, this would not be the saw I would purchase. To that point, I have worked on quite a few bandsaws over the years, but the 14" one that I use in my shop is a late 90's, American Made, Delta 28-275.

[Shawn Christ]

Shawn
You don't need another project right now, you just need a working band saw.

Amen to that, Mike. Thanks for the wisdom so far, guys.

[Matt Meiser]

If you don't want a project then you made a good choice. But if it was like the one pictured, you can't get a better set of bones. Tires, guide blocks, spring, etc aren't terribly expensive and many new saws need at least some of these upgrades. The currently available riser block would probably fit for resawing. You might need to do a motor upgrade (remember older motors are typically underrated by current specs.) He's probably not going to have much trouble selling it for his asking price unless it is unrestorable.

[Bob Aquino]

Well, without seeing the saw its hard to say, but if it was an old delta and it seemed to run good and all the parts were there, then yep, it was worth the money. You are not buying the neighborhood, the city or the guy, you are looking for a saw. Do some research so you know what is important and go with cash in hand so if you find a deal you can jump on it.

[Bruce Page]

Shawn, I think you made a good decision. From what I can tell from the OWWM pic, later Delta 14” BS’s have a heavier base casting – I had a 1982 that looked heavier.

Be patient & keep looking. You might end up spending more than $150 but there are a lot of good, ready to run bandsaws out there.

[Shawn Christ]

Well, without seeing the saw its hard to say, but if it was an old delta and it seemed to run good and all the parts were there, then yep, it was worth the money. You are not buying the neighborhood, the city or the guy, you are looking for a saw. Do some research so you know what is important and go with cash in hand so if you find a deal you can jump on it.

Agreed, hard to say. And I'm sure I will find varying opinions here. But this was exactly the problem. No model number, no photo, and no time for research. Saw the ad online late last night, called him during my lunch hour, and went shortly after work. Had the cash on hand but not enough knowledge to pull the trigger.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Didn't look at the picture, but the last open stand 14" Delta I bought, I paid $65 at Habitat. This was a Rockwell era saw, with motor mounted below the saw on the stand. I paid $225 for the other open stand one in my shop. Currently here on craigslist is an enclosed stand 14" Delta for $350. Has magnetic starter. Hoping to go $ee it tomorrow. A generic was on cl for $75 this weekend.

[Dan Friedrichs]

If you're just looking for a good 14" Delta/clone bandsaw, I think you could find one much more "plug-and-play" for not much more money. I've seen them listed for $250-ish (on the low end) on CL. May not be old and heavy, but would be immediately ready to use.

[Myk Rian]

If I was looking, I might have jumped on that one. Would make a nice old tool gloat when restored.

I searched CL for several months before I found my Delta 14" 28-299 USA saw. Cost me $400 but was worth it. Excellent condition. With the riser and a couple blades I have $600 in it and am very happy.

Keep looking. The right one will bite you from the monitor when you see it.

[george wilson]

I would definitely have bought the old Delta. I have an old model with the hexagonal rod used back in 1964 for $125.00. I had to get a motor for it.

Cool blocks are not expensive at all. mine still has the original steel block guides. I grind them square on the ends every few decades.

An old delta bandsaw will be more properly aligned,and the wheels will be much rounder than most new clones. Plus,the frame will be thicker cast iron.

I am refurbishing a 20" old Delta,and do not know what to do with my old 14",but don't have the space for both. I do not want to sell it either,but if I did,I wouldn't take less than $400.00 for it. Go back and get it. If no parts are missing,fixing it up is no big deal.

[Alan Schwabacher]

Iturra, whose business is bandsaws, says that the 1930's era Delta is the best 14" bandsaw available, better than any new saw. He said this after extensive testing, but the old saw he tested had the enclosed base.