Baldor Reviews

I bought A used unisaw at an auction for less money than this motor . However it was 3 phase. So I went shopping I found A leeson Same spec.For a little less but I couldnt send it back if it didnt fit.Also baldor has been around a long time and have made great motors.So I order this motor and installed with new arbor and bearings.This saw blows My Old Junk craftsman out the door. I set a carb planer type blade all the way up to resaw A 2 X and it went through like butter the moter didnt slow .If your going to spend money on a motor go with 3 hp or more when you need the power your going to have it . By the way the guy at the delta part store said he would buy this moter . He couldnt get it this low with his disc. You do have to cut the side of saw not hard to do.

If you changed your motor, do yourself a favor and look at the Delta Uniguard. It is a great blade guard and splitter to upgrade to. More importantly it will allow you to bypass the current power switch and put the new switch within easy reach. On the older unisaws you have to reach under the table to turn on and off (not very safe) The uniguard will allow you to rewire and have a new switch within easy reach.

I replaced the motor in my 1940s vintage Unisaw with this motor and found it to be an excellent unit. As the other gentlemen observed, it is important to check the RPM of your old motor. I called Delta and ordered a new pulley and drive belts, and installed everything in an evening. Now my saw runs better than ever! One other item to note: Be sure your switch is rated to handle the 3 HP motor. If you haven't updated your old switch, it might not be up to the additional current required for the 3 HP motor. Good luck!

I have been using this buffer for about 3 years now in our manufacturing plant, on a daily basis for the most part, and there isn't a finer buffer out there. Not only do I use it to polish and de-burr sewing machine parts, but my hobby is restoring old slot machines, cash registers, and video games, and it has made short work of everything I've thrown at it. Buy this one first-It'll be the last one you'll ever buy.

This review is mostly for Amazon. I have been using Baldor buffers for years and have come to expect a certain level of quality. This buffer is no different. Smooth and quiet and no complaints after being used every day under heavy loads. But, Amazon gets the 5 stars here. I ordered this buffer on a Saturday afternoon via phone, used the free super saver shipping because I was in no hurry for it, and lo and behold, the following Tuesday morning it arrived. Wow! Great job to Amazon and FedEx.

Humming along under heavy use for a couple years now. Smooth, quiet, powerful, and a heck of a deal.

These days it is not readily apparent how much difference there actually is in the quality of products. Generic Hardware stores are forced to sell inexpensive products instead of high quality ones. This is because folks these days are more interested in filling their hobby areas quickly, instead of purposefully. I've been a mac user for years, and have really come to understand the cost of quality in the area of computers and their applications. I recently became interested in metal working and bought one of the lowe's 'special' ($59.95) grinders for doing some basic grinding operations. It is an OK machine, but there is absolutely NO comparison to the machine presented here. We have been expanding the hobby and are going to use this grinder as part of a belt grinder system as well. When the Baldor arrived - the box says it all. The picture doesn't convey the seriousness of this product. Its big and robust. And when you flip on the switch it runs like a swiss watch. If you want to be inspired by your tools instead of challenged by them - invest in good tools - this is a great grinder. You could probably build a battleship with it.

Avoid the Walmarting of America - buy fewer things of more lasting value. This grinder will be around when your grinding days are way past over.

Dan P.

I have had made Baldor grinder since December, and have had NO problems. It would make an excellent addition to any woodworking shop!

If you are looking for a smooth, powerful, heavy-duty grinder, this is it! It should provide many years of trouble-free service.

Also, Amazon.com provided excellent service.

I'm glad it got it.

This is an industrial quality grinder that is sure to be passed down to the next generation. It is built like a tank and runs very smoothly. Sure, it costs more but I think i got what i paid for. Quality machine made in the USA.

Baldor Buffers are the ultimate tool for buffing and polishing. These buffers are offered with a variety of horsepowed motors and varying RPMs for whatever you are working with. These machines are the industrial leader. Ask anybody. I'm using a Baldor 333B to polish and buff motorcycle parts during restoration projects and expect this machine will outlast me and my children.The price that this buffer was offered for was less than half of what I paid for the polish work on my last restoration.It's such a great deal on such a great buffer that I'm ordering a second Baldor for a friend.If you want to achieve professional results and save money, you need this machine. Thanks to Amazon, Cassbeth and Baldor for providingsuch a great deal. Larry Biagi Restorations

The Baldor arrived with a cracked wheel so the honeymoon was very short lived. Since sparks fly out the rear unabated (along with bits of wheel and tool) I bolted the grinder to a small plywood box I built to contain the sparks and other detritus that spins off any grinder and set it on a non skid mat.

My main problem is with the tool rests. For this money I expect they should be solid and easy to adjust. They are neither. Unless I really crank them down, they will shift when pressing a tool down. Adjusting them with a wrench is difficult on a good day since the bolts are tucked down in between the wheels and the motor. I finally exchanged their bolts for some small plastic jig handles, so at least I can adjust them a little easier.

Otherwise, the Baldor runs smoothly and quietly, now that I have unbroken wheels mounted. For such an otherwise well made machine, it was disappointing to find it such a pain to use.

This replaced a Delta GR250 that bit the dust after about 5 hours of use.

The Baldor is not cheap, but you'll leave it to the grandkids. I can't comment on the rests, as I've set this up with a OneWay Wolverine jig / rest kit. Good power tools almost fade in the background in use. You simply forget about the tool and complete your task. This grinder is one of those tools. You can actually forget it's running.

I feel the Baldor is a great value. It's far from cheap, but the quality and utility is 100% there. My old grinder was simply cheap, and not a good value even at the low price.

This grinder is light years better than any Asian import grinder out there. The motor is vibration free and runs very strong for only 1/4 hp.

The box was very solid with the grinder shrink wrapped to a piece of wood that was the same size as the bottom of the box.
The shrink wrap had been torn around each grinding wheel. Since there was Amazon sales lititure in the box, I assume that the shipper at Amazon was checking for broken wheels. Since another reader complained of broken wheels, Amazon obviously reads customer reviews.

Since this is a low speed grinder (1800 rpm), it is really intended for sharpening tool steel, lathe chisels, etc. There are only a few low speed grinders available so this is really a specialty grinder. If you just want a general purpose grinder for sharpening lawnmower blades and such, you probably would be happy with the Baldor Big Red, 1/3 h/p 6" grinder as it turns at 3600 rpm, is cheaper and still has the same great Baldor quality.

The blade guards are heavy-duty cast iron and the exhaust chutes direct all of the waste out the back. This is a blessing or a curse depending on your perspective. The guards fit very close to the sides of the wheel so there would be maximum containment if a wheel were to disintegrate. The spark guards are very stout and adjust easily and stay put.

The wheel guards on all the imports that I looked at other than the Jet 8" have flimsy sheet metal guards with flimsy, poorly adjustable tool rests. I would much rather have the Baldor's heavy-duty guards in place if a wheel disintegrates rather than one of the imports guards.

I don't have a problem with the tools rests as one other reviewer did. They are very adjustable and very solid for what they are, basic tool rests. (If you are using this for sharpening lathe chisels, you will probably be installing an aftermarket jig anyway). I find them easy to adjust, just keep a wrench handy. My only real complaint was that the ground surfaces were protected by brown plastic packing tape. It required a razor blade and some solvent to get the adhesive off. All in all, a very minor complaint for such a high quality, solid machine.

The eye shields are very solid. They are large and made of 3/16 Lexan and adjust quite nicely. They mount high and out of the way. Time will tell whether they will stay on the machine or I will take them off, but as long as they hold up to the harsh environment, I will use them. The eye shields on all of the imports were pitiful.

The wheels included are high quality Norton Silicon Oxide general-purpose wheels. Not good for fine work like sharpening lathe chisels, but nice and round and balanced. Save them for sharpening your lawnmower blades and put on some Norton White Aluminum Oxide wheels for the fine work.

I could have bought an import 8" or about three import 6"s for less than this high quality 6" but after reading reviews of the imports, and looking at them at the store, I know that I will not ever have to worry - "Is this going to be the time that it will give up the ghost" before flipping the switch. My grandkids will be able to use this tool, and my kid is only 2!

I bought a delta 14" bandsaw with a 6" extension kit hoping to saw up a bunch of wood. Was I mistaken! After only one afternoon of re-sawing, the emerson motor died. I have baldor motors on some other equipment with no failures , so when I found these motors on AMAZON I ordered one. (Much less costly than any other source I could find too!) Shipping was free! the motor fits perfectly,even the pulley fit correctly. However, when I hooked it up according to the Baldor supplied diagrams it ran the wrong direction. After an hour on the internet I found a wiring diagram to have the motor running in the correct direction. Now my new saw cuts great! No bogging down, no vibration and much less noise. Why in the world would Delta cripple an otherwise great bandsaw with inferior motors? They should use bigger baldor motors. I would have given the motor a five if the wiring diagram were more complete and included full instructions for directional wiring .low opp(115v) join 1,3&5 to line A; 4 to line B; join 2,J&8. and for High opp (220v) join 1&5 to line A; 4 to line B; join 2,3&8; cap J

I bought this motor because the resawing capability of the std. 3/4 hp motor on my Delta bandsaw left much to be desired. This motor does not have that problem. It has plenty of power.

For those of you considering upgrading your Delta bandsaws, I have a word of caution. The enclosed base of the saw is very tight and this motor is significantly longer than the 3/4hp std. I had to reverse the motor mounting bars inside the base and relocate the saw itself on the base(re-drilling holes) , toward the edge, to get it all to work.

Relocating the saw was important because it was the only way to make the motor pulley line up with the saw pulley. Also, if you don't make these mod's, the motor's fan sits right up against the side of the base of the saw. This make's it very difficult for the motor's fan to draw enough air to effectively cool the motor.

One other point: while the Furnas contactor that came with the saw was sufficient to handle the load of the new motor, I felt the std. wiring which is 16Ga., needed an upgrade to 14 Ga., so I did.

Lastly, the only reason that the motor doesn't get a higher grade is that there is more vibation now with it installed, than before with the 3/4hp OEM motor, which incidently was made by Marathon in the USA. I'm not sure why, but it makes one of the steel panels on the base rattle rather loudly. I will deaden the sound somehow but its just another anoyance to deal with. The good news is that the vibration has no effect on the cutting ability/stability of the saw itself. It is still smooth.

The price is great, especially because this is a Farm Duty motor. That's what the "FD" stands for in the part number.

I have a Delta 14" Band Saw. During some extensive resawing I burned up the 3/4 HP motor. The warranty was expired (saw was 3 years old) so the only option was to either get the motor rewound or replaced. The repair was almost the cost of a new motor and the fact that the old one fried didn't make me too keen on a same motor replacement. I did some hunting around and saw that Amazon sold Baldor. I checked out a number of local suppliers and Amazon beat the price by close to [$$$]. That's not small change. My concern was fitting the motor into the enclosed base. I bought the motor,,it is fantastic...It was a nice fit, the old motor was wide open and caked inside with sawdust,,the Baldor is totally enclosed and fan cooled. It arrived in perfect shape and took about a half hour to install. It runs on 220 but I was able to use the same wiring, just change the plug. I have a Unisaw so the 220 was no problem. I am completely satisfied with the motor and with Amazon's price, I was able to double the horsepower get a tremendous increase in quality for the price of replacing the old motor.

For my money this is a good deal, especially considering you're getting two tools in one. I am impressed with what a solid motor this unit has; of course, it's a Baldor. But it's not quite the ideal buffer as the shaft is too short. I improved on this by adding an arbor extension which I had to go find, with some difficulty. I wish Baldor manufactured one for this purpose; but if they do, information is lacking. Wish Baldor had better tech refs and accessory marketing. But, if I had to buy both these tools over again, I probably would buy this one.

I use the buffer grinder in my home shop. It has plenty of power for general use, which is what I use it for. The wire wheel is a full 1" wide, very useful for cleaning bolt threads and rust removal.The only reason I did not give the unit a 5 star rating is the grinding wheel is out of round or is not centered on the shaft(causes vibration).I use the grinding wheel for shaping & finishing fabricated metal parts. I am well pleased with this purchase & would recomend it to others.

I have been using this motor to power a fan in a spray booth for about ten years. The Baldor motor is a dedicated workhorse for daily use. The only problem I have had with it is that the wires in the connection box (which is very small) tend to burn off at the connection to the hard incoming wire. I have been able to cut them back and reconnect them and still use the motor which itself hasn't given me any problems. I run this motor about 9 hours a day, 6 days a week and haven't worn it out. $ for $ a good investment.