Delta Reviews

I received my "Limited Edition" sanding center which includes a long extension shaft, 4" pneumatic drum. I hope this is truly a "limited edition". It was delivered undamaged, but the problem is, the 12" disk is so warped that the machine cannot make a single revolution. Wouldn't budge. You would think...call me crazy; that a slight amount of quality control would notice this before leaving the factory. A call to the closest service center, about 20 miles, said they could take care of it. All I have to do is bring it to them. Now I have to hump over 200 lbs of iron back up the cellar stairs, load it into the truck, deliver it to them for a few days and viola' a machine that I can use. At this point I'm left wondering if the included "long extension shaft" has a dual purpose. I gave it two stars because it looks impressive.

Heavy made-in-the-USA cast iron beauty. Not quite as robust
as the former heavyweight model but will last forever in the
average home workshop. No problems in delivery, assembly or
use. Everything works exactly as it should. Unlike some of the
previous reviewers I did take the time to take it apart a little
to familiarize myself with it and check for tightness of screws,
etc. Two of the included accessories were Taiwanese made. The
quality difference is, alas, noticeable.

Now the bad news...it, like so much of Delta's line, is now no longer made in the USA. So..get one while you can! If this goes
on much longer the only good grey tools will be on Ebay!

After reading the two negative reviews I ordered my Sanding Center with some trepidation. I have always had good luck with Delta products and hoped those that didn't were the exception. The model 31-278 Sanding Center arrived in perfect condition. (You'll definitely need two people to remove and mount the machine.) The belt sander table adjusts easily in a couple of minutes (thought the index gauge is nearly useless.) The disc sander table also went to together without a hitch. The stand was the only alignment issue. It took a couple of tries to get everything level. All in all the experience was excellent and I was sanding in less then an hour. The fit and finish is also excellent, the adjustments are precise and quick. The motor provides plenty power. I tested some 4 quarter stock and the rate at which it removed wood was frightening. All the critical components are cast iron. There are some plastic covers and guards. I highly recommend this product.

I got this one because it's small enough to take to job sites, but it's not big enough to do the vigorous cross-cutting in my workship -- max stock width is 6" (nominal). Unless you're going to lug it around, go with a sliding 10 or better 12" saw. Other than that, I love the saw. Quality is very good...

I purchased this saw about a year ago. The saw has performed great. The only reason I did not rate this saw a 5 is that changing the blade is a pain in the you know what. The small spring inside the blade gaurd is difficult to line up when reassembling after changing the blade. But the saw performed great right out of the box. It was very accurate. I do not have an extention table yet, I'm kind of cheap that way but I will be setting it up in a table system I have seen on The New Yankee Work Shop. I think you will like the saw very much. When this one is worn out I will buy the compound sliding miter saw next, but if not that one I would buy this one again.

For a midpriced compound miter, this saw is an excellent choice! Solid, stable and accurate cuts all around. Plenty of power and lots of capability. A really good saw.

I recently purchased this saw and am totally satisfied. ...

This saw has PLENTY of power, a very accurate fence, and the table top is nice and flat. Some time and adjustments are required to get this tool set up perfectly, but once it is set up, it is set!

The blade was not set at 90 degrees to the table out of the box, but 5 minutes is all it takes to adjust this. The extension wings have room to adjust them so they can be flat with the rest of the table-take your time. Everything is adjustable on this tablesaw, so take your time, make your measurements, and adjust it accordingly.

The only thing keeping this from getting 5 stars is the miter gauge. It is kind of cheap to put [an inexpensive]gauge in with a saw of this caliber. I will soon be upgrading this, but this is the ONLY fault that I have found with the saw.

After getting 642lbs of saw unloaded, I unpacked and assembled the saw. The blades that come with this package are excellent! The main issue I had with the saw was that the blade was 1-2 degrees off from perpendicular to the table surface. I eventually figured out how to make the adjustment, which is a bolt with a jam nut to keep it in place. The Biesemeyer fence is nice, and the distance calibration is easy. The fence is sturdy, accurate and very easy to adjust. The out feed table is a nice addition, but I had to drill holes thru the back angle bracket to attach the unit to the saw. The 5HP motor wastes no time getting the blade to speed and has never even thought about bogging. The machined parts seem pretty nice, but the table sections are ~0.030 from flat, which took some adjusting to get the rip fence to easily slide over the section joints. All in all I am very happy with the saw, after the adjustments.

I served one year of a machine build apprenticeship before becoming a toolmaker so I have enough tools and knowhow to check out a saw.Mine came out of the box dead on,yes there was a little damage to the outfeed table,and yes it took all day to set up,but the saw,the blades,and fence all perform very well.So if you are looking to buy a serious piece of equipment you should consider the 5hp unisaw,on the other hand if you think you are getting in over your head, you probably are.Good luck CP.

I have another stock feeder from which I base my comments. The support arm structure is cludgy to set up proper tension against stock. Motor is under powered and gets hot to the touch after 45 min. (I'm feeding small pieces and taking off very little material). Wheels are not round and made of a material that far inferior to true rubber wheels. I had to sand down the wheels just so they would grip the stock. It claims 46 fpm but my other feeder (max 42 fpm) pushes stock through faster. This is more a toy than a tool. If I could return it I would.

I've got to admit, I was a bit nervous ordering a unit this small. Advice from local shops suggested that 1/4hp was as small as you should consider... but the reviews here seemed good, so I gave it a try.

After assembling the unit, and attaching it to my Jet 1-1/2 HP Shaper, here are some comments:

- Delta 36-864 Versa-Feeder Mounting Base provided a much more rigid connection than I anticipated. I thought I would temporarily mount it with this base until I found the right spot to drill holes in my table top. I'm so pleased, I just may not drill the holes after all!

- Adjustment takes some getting used to. It certainly isn't as easy as the screws found on the larger (more expensive) units. I think I have mastered the art of 'tweaking' the unit with one hand, while tightening the clamping mechanisms with the other.

- Once properly positioned, the unit is very tight/rigid. It doesn't appear to flex too much, or fall out of position.

- Best of all, all 10 of my fingers are much safer now!

I was reluctant to purchase this because of previous reviews. But not being rich I took the chance. I got this feeder because of a large amount of flooring I needed to do. I used this feeder to resaw 214 - 8ft clear Douglas fir 2x4s on a bandsaw, and then making T&G flooring and paneling out of the parts using a climb cut on the shaper. This feeder performed without complaint.

I have also used it on the jointer with good results.

Setup is a little bothersome because the feeder has little weight of it own and must be preloaded so that the feed wheels will stay in contact with the stock. And it would have been nice if feed speed could be reduced below the 10 f/m. At 10 f/m the feeder will stall a 3hp shaper making a single deep cut in red oak, requiring multiple passes.

Years ago I waited in line for over an hour to meet Norm Abrams at the Chicago Flower Show. I got 2 autographed photos from him and a chance to ask him what tools he recommended. He recommended ONLY ONE tool and that was the right tilt Unisaw. I told him I didn't have $1,800 and he said to buy a used one because they never wear out. From that moment on I knew that some day I would have a right tilt Unisaw in my home shop. As usual, Amazon.com had a fantastic deal with free shipping and many free accessories on a pre X-5 Unisaw. Well, what turned out to be a great deal has mostly been a big let down. The angle iron that supports the square tube of my Biesemeyer fence sits too low allowing the Biesemeyer fence to float above the square tube. It actually wobbles side to side if it is unlocked. Looks like the bolt holes were drilled incorrectly. I was told to "enlarge the holes a little" so I could raise the front rail up a 16th or so. The 2 cast extension wings are both warped-switching sides didn't help. My Biesemeyer fence now has a chip in the plastic laminate where it caught when I slid it from the center table onto the cast iron extension wing. The laminated table had to be planned down because the corners were not square. I had to pound down long brads that poked through the corners back into the wood so it would fit flush against the angle iron. The laminated table seems flat enough but there is another gap from the table to the cast iron extension wing. I waited on hold with Delta for 25 minutes before they said there was no way I could have this many problems. BELIEVE ME these are all common problems with current production Unisaws. When I told them my Biesemeyer fence had a chip in the laminate because it hooked on the uneven wing/table joint, Delta told me to "just file down the extension wing if it sticks up." I told them they should have done it when they made it! The plastic computer designed cover they raved about being so efficient at funneling dust away often falls off when you slide the miter gauge into it for storage. If it falls off while your using the saw (happened to me twice!)you receive an instant blast of saw dust in your eyes-wear UNVENTED safety goggles so you can keep your eyes open when your fingers are passing by the blade! Their free mobile base runs aground on my uneven garage floor. I tugged hard on the saw and it came off the base! Watch out as the top heavy saw is difficult to get back on by yourself once it pulls off the mobile base. I'm lucky I didn't crack off the 2 delicate thin legs that support the laminated table. The 3hp motor seems the perfect choice for this saw. The magnetic on/off switch is nice but feels cheap. The sheet metal base is too weak and flexes. Both warped extension wings need machining to sit flush with the center table. Their miter gauge is junk. I'm certain the lady from Delta who answered my questions had NEVER seen a Unisaw before as she had NO idea what I was describing even though both of us had diagrams in front of us. I could understand problems like this happening with a $99 Chinese made saw from Sears but not one that costs $1,800. If this saw was just machined correctly it would have been my dream saw. Unfortunately this experience with Delta and their "take it or leave it" attitude has left me cold. I have one of their 3hp shapers (also $1,800) and their 1hp USA made band saw. Neither is awesome but they work good. I'm sure my Unisaw will be perfect after I spend MANY hours working on it. It cuts like butter and I'm still glad I went with a 240 volt saw. Hey, just make sure you know what your getting yourself into with a Unisaw-it is NOT a plug and play device. The Powermatic doesn't look that expensive now.

I got a good price on the saw after Amazon beat another store's price. I was worried about the delivery, but all of the packages were in great shape. The saw is great, no problems. Some folks complain about the mitre gauge and the blade guard. I was well aware of their limitations when I bought the saw. There are plenty of aftermarket items to help both of those problems. This is a saw I will have for the rest of my life.

The saw came to me promptly and free of damage. I had to disassemble the saw to carry it down to the basement. This is one heavy piece of equipment. Since I removed the table I had to square it back up. I was quite surprised that I didnt need to add any washers under the table to correct the base. It was almost perfect. I didn't have a washer thin enough to correct the .007" it was out. In all honesty .007" at 45 degrees is splitting hairs. My father has the Grizzly Unisaw knockoff and he has about 7 washers under his table to square things up.
The cast extension wings went on smooth. I had no problems with the machining as was described in another review.
The extension table and Biesemeyer Fence were a pain to set up correctly. It took a few hours to get it all lined up and square. I also had a few holes drilled incorrectly. I chucked up a 1/4" grinding bit and slotted two holes that didn't quite line up in the angle iron that supports the square tube. The angle iron and table sags a bit during assembly driving you mad. I finally got the joke after 45 minutes. I will save you all that bit of grief and tell you how I finally got it right. The easy way is to use the die cut gauge Delta supplies to set the angle iron to the proper height on the extension table. Start with the Extension table flush with the wing and work your way back with the gauge. When you finish the last bolt you raise the extension table legs to take the sag out of the angle iron and the table comes up level. If you raise the extension table legs before the table is bolted up it will sag in the middle.
I gave it an almost perfect review because my extension table was level on both edges but sagged about .15" in the middle. Adding an additional piece of wood under the table on the side that meets the cast extension wings solved this. I do agree the sag and the misaligned holes should have been handled at the factory.
The miter gauge is junk but lets face it, what serious woodworker doesn't buy or already have a high quality aftermarket miter gauge? Toss the supplied blade over your shoulder too. Spend a few extra bucks on a Freud and Incra.
This unit is very stable on its rolling base. If I ever pull this 566 pound unit up and over the 2" lip on the base I will cancel my gym membership or lay off the spinach.
My plastic motor cover doesn't come off. The spring clips hold it quite tight. It also has upper and lower machine screws for added security.
I agree this is no plug and play unit. I wouldn't recommend this as a first saw. This thing comes delivered in 20 some odd pieces. You'll need above average skill with tools and have a basic knowledge of how to setup a tablesaw. Once setup properly it is a dream saw.

It works OK, but it is really cheap. Looks like it was made in the USSR. The base is rusting out of the box - cheap metal. The welds and outside casing looking like a home built kit painted. Just cheap, cheap, cheap.

Why can they offer something from somewhere else? Obviously, Delta/B&D does not make this, they subcontract it and it shows. I would pay more, but the other offerings are the same thing in a different color. I would gladly pay $20 more, and not simply for yellow paint.

I bought the similar model, I believe it was the GR-275. I ended up taking it back. Some reasons: Both wheels ran out diametrically, a lot, causing very bad vibration. After dressing both wheels the vibration was still bad. Upon checking I found both wheels were running out side-to-side, the white wheel very badly (about 0.060" runout). I tried dismounting them and checking for problems with burrs or debris but could find none. The included wheel dresser gouged the SOFT aluminum tool rests when I dressed the wheels. I agree with another reviewer that the angled v-cut in the left-hand tool rest is more of a hindrance than a help. The wheel nut on one side was hard to get off. I found the threads in the nut had a large burr which had almost galled the shaft threads. I didn't have a left-hand tap to run in and clean up the threads, and by that time I was tired of messing with it.
Overall, the motor unit and base was heavy and solid. The variable speed feature is decent. The tool rests seemed fairly solid, and except for he problems mentioned above were usable. The other components were cheap and flimsy. The spark guards would hit the guard attachment lock knobs when adjusted down to compensate for wheel wear.

This is a good quality grinder for the price. Follow the directions in the manual and remove all of the packing grease. I removed the grinding wheels and cleaned the grease off of the shafts. Wheels run true with no vibration. Spark shields are thick and clear. Light is very helpful for old eyes. I would buy another if I had the need.

I recently purchased the attachment, assembled and adjusted it to my bandsaw (Jet 14" cabinet with a 1/4" 4 tpi blade), placed my project on it and started to cut. The first few inches of the 22 inch diameter circle went okay and then I noticed my band saw blade deflecting toward the jig. The blade continued to creep out of the guides as I turned the project. Each time I backed out and started over, I noticed the circle getting smaller and the blade starting to touch the jig. I disassembled everything, including the blade and guide rollers, readjusted and followed all instructions to the letter yet I still have the same problem with the attachment. Freehand works perfectly with much tighter radii so it's difficult to believe the blade is responsible. I called Delta technical support and was told either the blade was responsible or the jig was located too far forward in front of the blade. Again, I followed the assembly instructions exactly using the spacing bar and setting the middle of the slot to the leading edge of the blade teeth. The jig is flat and square to the table. Since the blade tries to turn into a tighter radius, could the instructions be wrong. If so, how far back do I set the jig?

The quality looks good, it's easy to assemble and adjust but I can't understand what I'm doing wrong. All suggestions or comments would be welcome. Thanks

The attachment wasn't at fault!
I had trouble with the circle cut becoming smaller and my blade coming out of the guides. It turns out that I had to tension my blade a little more. I heard some good tips and devoted a couple hours to troubleshooting. After adjusting the tension half way to the next size, the attachment works as expected and instructed. I also rounded the back of the blade and now cut circles easily.

The attachment wasn't at fault!
I had trouble with the circle cut becoming smaller and my blade coming out of the guides. It turns out that I had to tension my blade a little more. I heard some good tips and devoted a couple hours to troubleshooting. After adjusting the tension half way to the next size, the attachment works as expected and instructed. I also rounded the back of the blade and now cut circles easily.

I bought this table insert for my TS300, mainly because I couldn't find any zero clearance inserts on the market made for my saw. The insert does decent, but there's still some tearing out. The insert also doesn't work well if you're trying to put a dado in a thin piece of stock, as the piece is not fully supported. Overall, I'd say it's good enough for the money spent (~ $10), and good enough for the saw you're working with as well (direct drive induction 15A motor).

Hi,
Product was good. I spent 150% of the cost on shipping an item that was very light. This seems extremely unreasonable. It will stop my shopping at Amazon. Any corrective action ongoing?

I just bought a Delta TS300 10" table saw (use to be called a model 36-600, by the way) and started looking for dado sets and dado inserts. The Delta website is either perfectly useless or outright wrong when it comes to cataloging the correct accessories for each table saw. So I took my standard insert over to my local tool dealer and asked him to match it up with the correct dado insert. It took him all of 30 seconds to figure it out.
The 34-672 Dado Head Insert is the one to get for the following 10" Delta table saw models: TS300, 36-600, 34-740, and 34-670.
And don't be fooled into buying an 8" dado blade set just because the insert opening is big enough for it. If the motor is less than two horsepower (2 HP), then you should stick with a 6" dado blade set. Anything under 2 HP is considered "underpowered" for an 8" dado. Remember, you now have alot more metal spinning on that arbor, so don't burn out a $... motor just to impress your friends and neighbors.

It's a great and well made base but unfortunately it does not fit (despite its description of "fits all Delta 14" bandsaws) the new Delta 28-206 bandsaw. You could make it work by bolting a square of plywood to the mobile base then attaching the saw to that. Kind of a pain.

I bought the Delta 28-206 enclosed base band saw just today, and I got the mobile base with it so I could set it all up together. It's great being able to move it around, since I have limited space and lots of power tools. The only complaint is I find it a little wobbly, but it probably won't be a problem. And the 94 bucks it cost seems a little high, but I'll someday forget how much it cost, right? I'm definitely glad I bought it. It lifts the machine and sets it back down very easily, but won't roll over a deep expansion groove in my concrete floor very well. But I still like it. Oh, and the saw's great, too!

I bought the Delta 28-206 14" enclosed base band saw, and the Platinum accessory package which included the 50-274 mobile base. There were instructions on how to assemble the base, but not on how to attach it to my band saw. It looked like it was supposed to replace the 4" thick base that came with the saw, but it didn't fit. It was about a 1/4" to narrow for the band saw base to fit in it. I solved it by putting the regular base back on, and drilling holes in it to bolt the mobile base to the standard base. With 8 bolts holding it in place it is solid enough, but its about 4 inches higher than normal. Since I'm a tall guy its not a problem for me. The mobile base is still a great idea though. I have a standard 2 car garage for a shop, so the ability to move my stuff around is really important. This base works like a dream. I'd recommend it, just be aware you may have to do a few modifications to mount your equipment.

Inaccurate table stops, stand keeps falling apart,motor did not last long, I found this site searching for parts, which are near impossible to find and 3 times more expensive than other brands, I have saws from two other brands with little or no problems, this one is a major dud.

As a professional homebuilder, I've used most of the saws on the market. I've also experimented with blades and saw stands. This saw is simply not well designed. If you can't reproduce the same angle of cut consistently, then the saw has no right on a job site. Specifically, the locking system for the miter stop is difficult to control precisely. You must check the gage on both sides to ensure it's even in the range-forget fine control. More importantly, the sliding system that supports the saw head flexes and allows the blade to deflect. Even with thicker, stiffer blades, I get multiple cut lines on the material. Lastly, the safety guard is dangerously sloppy. It gets stuck on the work material or interrupts saw use in general. With the prices of other well-designed saws dropping (e.g. Hitachi, Makita) why even consider this saw. If you inherit one you can use it as a chop saw or for decking! Delta makes many fine tools, but this is not one of them.

As a homeowner of a 100 year old colonial, I have used this saw outside and inside and it has been flawless. I cut 2800 linear feet of Philippine mahogany for the porch and at least 800' of 4 1/2" crown molding in the bedrooms. It came out of the box cutting square and accurate. If it needed any adjustment, the wrenches are attached on the left hand leg.

The angle stop took a little getting used to (I would have been happier with a more positive stop), but now I am comfortable with it. I bought a 60 tooth blade for the finish work, and this saw makes me look like I know what I'm doing (the crown molding cheat sheet is nice working around the bay windows).

I like the horizontal handle, and the scale is easy enough to read. It is not too heavy to carry outside or upstairs and is still very stable. I have been very satisfied with the Delta.