Parts availability for Delta 46-460?

[Joe Scarfo]

I absolutely love my 46-460... and I'm scared to death about future need for parts...

It just seems strange to me that parts from the mfgr are so damn hard to come by... profitability on individual parts is so much greater than selling whole units...

A number of years ago I convinced a Delta Parts Manager to canabilize (sp) an Iron Bed 1440 lathe for one of the reeves pulley was on a 4 month back order. My shop used to be nothing but Delta... but after my shop fire when I lost everything, the replacement equipment was a blend. I was so brand loyal to them. But not any longer.

They need better funding and better business management. It seems as if the Chinese buyers bought the company for it's revenue stream and plan to ride it down to nothing. Not a lot of revenue investment into product upgrades, new products, or product support...

Thanks for listening

[Brian Kent]

I would love to see the sales figures for their lathes after the parts problems began to be known.

[Doug Ladendorf]

So, I took a few minutes today to try and call the number on the parts site (hadn't seen the distribution facility number posted, will try that), and I let it ring for 30 minutes. Nothing. It's funny that the site says some parts are available, but it's like everyone just dropped everything and left. Like a ghost town. The Delta Machinery page on Facebook had a few apologetic posts in early 2013 then nothing. Bought by Chang Type Industries, a Taiwan company. Why? For the business, machines, sales channel, suppliers? Doesn't look that way. For the patents, designs and intellectual property? I think it's either that or the company is utterly incompetent. Probably the former, which means we won't see Delta again the way we knew it.

Then I got to thinking about what could be done. Money is what talks here and it may be out of our reach. Who does Chang Type Industries build for? I don't know but if our collective voices could get them to stop buying from Chang it might make a statement. Otherwise I'm afraid all decisions are now business and made overseas, and a great American brand has slipped away.

[Alan East]

You are right - I ordered the wrong one (momentary) but the supplier allowed me to exchange it for the fixed position. I'm glad to report the fixed position switch is working. The only problem is the footprint for replacement is different from the original so there is some modification to the mounting needed. I have not been able to get the slide and switch to interface properly however.

[Clarence Martin]

Looked it up. That company makes products under the brand names Black & Deck, Craftsman and Ryobi, etc.

[Clarence Martin]

Checked Delta Machinery out on the BBB . It is rated an F