Delta Horizontal Bandsaw

According to andy :

The smaller number is the maximum diameter (or thickness) which can be cut before the workpiece hits the frame and stops the cut.

The larger number is the maximum width of workpiece, defined both by the maximum separation of vise jaws, and the maximum unsupported length of blade between guides.

That sounds like a good start.

For light duty, it probably is. You may prefer to use step pulleys as a cheaper way to rebuild it. The original motor may well have burned up -- this is a problem with some of them in heavy usage.

You can probably make it better than it was from the factory with a bit of TLC.

Good Luck, DoN.

Is this the equivalent to the $199 green or blue taiwan/chinese cheapie most of us have? 4x7, iirc.

If so, keep this figure in mind ito your parts bill.

Is it worth it? Maybe not for that particular saw, given the price of a new one, but they are *extraordinarily useful* tools to have in a shop. You can also use them as a limited vertical band saw as well (1/2" blade, which will limit detail cuts, altho I think you could proly mount scroll blades as well). The "table" is absolutely miniscule, but you can enlarge the platen quite a bit without interfering w/ the horizontal mode--to about mebbe 3" by 4". Some table, huh? :)

Also, the asian imports have various quality levels. Mine is a real dog, but it works, for years now. I saw it's clone from MSC, the same price, much better quality, at least appearance-wise.

I would also consider welding a decent angle iron frame, w/ casters. I also bought a "work roller" stand from HD for $20, for long mat'l, which helps enormously.

When shit breaks off/falls off my saw, my supplier gives me parts for free, as he has a mountain of rejects/parts rusting back in his warehouse--the perks of buying local. :)

According to Proctologically Violated©® :

Not and have them remain usable for long. Normal bandsaws for a variety of blade widths have a crowned rubber tire on the wheels, and the blades climb to the top of the crown.

However, these inexpensive horizontal "cutoff" bandsaws have a cast-iron wheel rim which looks like this: (Use a fixed pitch font like Courier to avoid distortion of the ASCII drawing):

+---+ A| | B | | C +------------+ | +-+ | | | | | ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ +---< to axle | V

The back edge of the blade rests against the flange 'A'.

The side of the blade wraps around 'B'

The set of the teeth is cleared by the notch 'C'.

A narrower blade will bring the teeth onto the area labeled 'B', and start crushing the teeth flush with the side of the blade, so the blade will want to cut a curve (as it will now have more set on one side than on the other).

There normally is such an enlarged table (with a steady brace) designed to replace the normal plate on the guide when using it as a "vertical" saw. It can be used for rough trimming something to size for milling, but if you have several large parts laid out on a piece of steel, you will have significant problems cutting them apart. The throat is just too small.

I believe that some of the cheaper versions have stamped and bent steel structures for mounting the guide rollers. Mine, from MSC, has forged structures for mounting the guide rollers -- a lot less likely to bend and change the adjustment just because a chip tried to roll between the roller and the blade.

Amazingly enough, the cheap light gauge sheet steel "legs" hold up rather well. However -- if you *do* make a stand of your own, get the "work roller" first, and design the stand to be a bit above the roller's minimum height. My roller is just a bit too tall for use with the bandsaw on the same surface. (Though it works if I open the garage door, and set the work roller outside. :-)

Hmm ... to date, I have not had anything break on mine. And the motor is still going fine, and does not get too hot. I've read stories of the motors overheating and burning up. Perhaps MSC specs a better motor?

Enjoy, DoN.

All good points. Yeah, the MSC unit appears heads and shoulders better than mine. And MSC has a helluva markup, so you can imagine what they get the saw for.

The sheetmetal legs are certainly stable; I mention the casters in the context that the saw *appears* light and portable, but when you actually try to move it, it's heavy like an SOB *and* unevenly weighted, making it surprisingly difficult to shove around. I've wished many times I'da put the goddamm frame and wheels on it! Also, w/ a custom frame you could put a shelf or two for blades, miscellaneous items, etc. Also a chip-catcher is nice. But most of all, I'd like to put a Little Giant pump on there, for some coolant. Be still my heart... That's where a good stand would come in handy, w/ a sheetmetal coolant catcher.

I think there's part of an FAQ devoted to this style of saw, no?

Thanks for the replies. I figured out that my saw is a model "7V" and is a 7x11 sized machine. It is made mostly out of welded and folded pieces of steel rather than castings. I found one on ebay, and it says the motor is 1/2 hp. This sounds a little light to me. I think this motor may have been specified due to the capabilities of the variable speed pulley (after looking them up on Lovejoy's website).

I may end up using a larger motor and fixed pulley and just have one speed.

Overall, the machine has a sort of "chintzy" feel to it. but I will enjoy myself getting it back into shape.

Don: what do you mean when you suggest "fixed pitch font" I apparently am not using it, because your sketch doesn't look right. I read the group with Google Groups. I understand what you meant though as my wheels have a shoulder on them that the back of the blade runs against.