Small Bandsaws- opinion - ? -Delta 10" bandsaw

[david Fefferman]

I am looking for a hobby level bandsaw; beyond what a scroll saw can handle. Not as big or $ of a 14" bandsaw. I will be primarily be making toys and bandsaw boxes which requires probably no more than 6" of cutting depth with minimal resawing. I have seen many people mention the small open stand Delta (bs150) 10" bandsaw. I wanted to know peoples opinions on this lightweight machine.

Will 72 inch timberwolf blades fit on this machine (requiring 72.5 blade size).

Does anyone have any knowledge about the difference between bearing motors (on this machine) vs induction motors which are on the larger machines (even on the delta 12" 1/2hp machine).
Thanks in advance for your advice

[rocky brown]

i have a 12" delta bandsaw and in retrospect, for what i do which is similar to what you have planned, i would have gotten the 10" sears model for about $150. it has much better fit and finish and comes with a fence and a nicer table.

rb

edit- sears craftsman model #21400

[nic obie]

Even though I own a MM16 I bought a 10" craftsman (the one that looks like a Rikon) so I wouldn't always be changing blades. It's working out real well for me. I keep a 3/16" blade on it and a 1" trimaster on the MiniMax.

I got the thing on sale for $125. When I think about it, thats less than what I paid for the carbide blade I use on the big saw.

[Jim Becker]

I've seen a number of folks say that the 10" Delta has proven useful. Relative to the blade...call Suffolk Machinery and order the Timberwolf blade in the correct size for your machine. Don't by retail (both for cost and if the size isn't correct. Even 1/2" can be a problem when tensioning)

[Phil Thien]

I've seen a number of folks say that the 10" Delta has proven useful. Relative to the blade...call Suffolk Machinery and order the Timberwolf blade in the correct size for your machine. Don't by retail (both for cost and if the size isn't correct. Even 1/2" can be a problem when tensioning)

I have an Inca Euro-205 (9" wheels). I found the Suffolk blades to be too thick for the small wheels. I actually use blades made by Morse and they work very well. I purchased this saw used and put a lot of effort into the tires and guides, and can take paper-thin slices when need be (okay, I never need paper-thin slices, but I can do it if I wanna .

[John Longwitz]

...works well enough for me. I upgraded with a 1/2" Woodslicer blade from Highland Hardware for resawing and am contemplating adding a Kreg fence to it. May also just make a fence for it. Not as many features, or power, as the bigger bandsaws but certainly adequate for many uses. The Woodslicer is everything it's touted to be if you ever want super-smooth cuts. I used it to reface a burled chisel mallet and the results amazed me.

[Jim Becker]

I have an Inca Euro-205 (9" wheels).

The Inca machines are a whole 'nuther animal and can't be compared all that much to the class of machine we are talking about. My cabinetmaker neighbor (who is also an artist/sculptor) has one of the larger Incas and it's a fine machine...the only three wheel bandsaw I'd consider touching. I am surprised you had a problem with the low-tension Timberwolf blades ('hoping you were using the PC and not the thicker AS blades) but sometimes that is the case with a particular machine not being friendly about something like a blade type/brand. It happens!

[Guy Germaine]

I also have the 10" Craftsman and like it a lot. I'm still using the blade that came with it, and it works just fine for what it's intended for. It's certainly not a workhorse, but it will do a lot.

[Loren Hedahl]

I upgraded to one of the last USA made Delta 14's several years back from an old aluminum frame Craftsman 12 inch.

Rather than sell the old one, I spent most of a day on it getting it set up for 3/16 blades. Now I'm glad I still have it since I have been building new cabinets for a 16 ft fiberglass Scamp trailer. Since the trailer is rounded, there is a lot of bandsawing to be done on 5 mm ply.

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Just one note: The Delta 10" with stand doesn't really save you any space over a 14" saw. In fact, the footprint of the open stand looks a bit bigger than the typical 14" closed base.

[Phil Thien]

The Inca machines are a whole 'nuther animal and can't be compared all that much to the class of machine we are talking about. My cabinetmaker neighbor (who is also an artist/sculptor) has one of the larger Incas and it's a fine machine...the only three wheel bandsaw I'd consider touching. I am surprised you had a problem with the low-tension Timberwolf blades ('hoping you were using the PC and not the thicker AS blades) but sometimes that is the case with a particular machine not being friendly about something like a blade type/brand. It happens!

FWIW, I have a two-wheel, not a three-wheel machine. The blades I use (I think) are about 56-1/2" long. They are thinner than blades intended for larger bandsaws. These blades, I think, are .018" thick. They are intended for "portable" bandsaws. The Timberwolf blades didn't feel like a good fit. Too stiff for the small wheels.

Wouldn't take anything over an Inca. Mine gives glass-like cuts, can even resaw w/ its .75-HP TEFC motor (operated by magnetic switch), and I can balance a nickel anywhere on it while it is running. No wonder they cost as much as they did.

[Robert Waddell]

I had one of these for about a year as a second saw. I gave it away and replaced it with a Rikon 14". The Delta is only marginally useful. It is way better than a three wheeler but no where near a good saw. It has a good cast iron table and cast iron frame (very heavy for the size). The rack and pinion that operates the top guides is too light weight. It flexes and defects way too much resulting in it not staying adjusted to the blade as it is raised and lowered. The lower thrust bearing is forever needing replaced due to low quality bearings offered by Delta. I had to replace mine with some other brand. Also this saw is direct drive. That's right no belt. I attribute this for the vibration that causes the blade to rattle against the plastic cover as it passes through the arm. This is just some of the anointing things I experenced with this saw. To limit your aggravation, and improve your woodworking experiences I would suggest that you entertain at least a 14" saw. I know they cost more but you'll be a better ww'er for it.
Rob

[Matt P]

I recently got the 10" Craftsman for $150 (looks like the Rikon) and bought a couple of Timberwolf blades. For freehand sawing it works well for me, but I was trying to re-saw 5" Jatoba wood and the saw was bogging down too much. Had a hell of a time adjusting the table, fence, blade guides to make straight resaw cuts. Had blade wander, etc. Not sure what I was doing wrong. I've come to these conclusions, if anyone could agree/disagree:

1) The 10" Craftsman is not powerful enough to resaw 5-6" very dense woods like Jatoba, cocobolo, etc. Maybe can resaw 3-4" max.

2) For resawing you need a taller fence than the stock fence to support the board.

3) For true cuts you need a micro-adjustable fence. I found that my blade always wandered to the left, so I needed to adjust the fence to be slightly off-perpendicular from the table. Hard to do this with the stock fence.

My whole resaw endeavor was rather discouraging. I think I will try the "point" fence method.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

[glenn bradley]

Hi Matt,

A point fence makes my highly questionable 12 tilt-head Craftsman reasonably usable. The thing flexes like you can't believe but with a timberwolf 1/2" blade and a shopmade point fence (a piece of masonite dadoed into an "L" made out of scrap plywood) I can resaw about 6" well enough to plane to a useful surface.

The point is, hang in there and experiment. If I try to exceed the ability of my baby Delta 6" jointer, it gets real unhappy, real fast. For small stock like it is designed for, it does just fine. ;-)

[Matt P]

thank you Glenn.