Delta Reviews

I would like to review this saw that I ordered back in December, but it appears that Amazon's "usually ships in 1-2 weeks" in reality is a period that is closer to or longer than 4 months. As I recently got a notice that now it won't be shipping until April. Of course, I could be getting another notice that says it won't ship until May, or maybe I'll get it NEXT Christmas. Who knows....? But, isn't it fun guessing!

And, don't do like I did and order accessories for this saw. I may never get to use them.
--Amazon cancelled my order on this item after 5 months of waiting. Without even talking with me, and saying they cannot get this item. They cheated me out of the $100 credit I was to get for ordering $1000 in Dec. And, why is it still listed?

July 24, 2004 - Amazon is still saying the saw is unavailable - that's why they cancelled my order. But, I shouldn't worry because they didn't charge me. Except for several hundred dollars worth of accessories I can't use!

I am not very impressed with the dado set. The outside blades cut a little deeper than the inside chippers,so when you use it to cut wide dado's it leaves grooves. I am impressed with the mobile base it works perfectly. The blade insert works well also.

I agree with most of what the Amazon.com reviewer had to say about the Delta MS350 except for the comment on dust collection;I think dust goes everywhere EXCEPT the dust bag. This saw is certainly a step up from the MS 250 in quality and power but is still a lower end saw that has ok mitering capabilities. I am somewhat confused as to the pricing of this unit and it's availability. Amazon has the MS 350 for 179.00 and Sears (my place of purchase) has the same model for 99.00, the same price as the MS 250 it was replacing. It is possible that Sears simply made a mistake when selling it to me though. The saw was not out on display but their website advertised it at 99.00, this was last November, 04 when the transaction took place. If they (Sears) are still selling this model at that price then it would be advisable to stop by and pick one up. Looking at it from that perspective (purchase price), it can't be beat.

I owned one of these in my old shop that ran great over several years.
So I decided to get another one when I moved. Big mistake

After the minimal required setup, I checked that the spindle was square to the table. It was not.
I called the customer service at Delta and the "phone person" asked a tech who didn't know but thought maybe...?
There is no adjustment to square the tool up!
The one adjustment capability (not for squaring but for up-and-down guide) had plastic machine screws with plastic lock nuts. This had been overtightened at the factory and the screw fell apart in my hand.
I finally got the tool working, but because it isn't square it's a useless tool and I'm sending it back.
I'll try to get a replacement that is square because I really liked my old one. Maybe there's hope.

This item took forever to get to me!
Shipping time was around 5-6 weeks! I lost track after two weeks.
Item was OK but if your in a hurry for the part, go somewhere else!

Ordered this blade on Jan 23.......3-4 business days. My credit was exellent.

Amazon charged me 7.38 for shipping this 14 oz product. This order is not due to arrive 'til Feb 3..

Never again

I just got this and was wildly dsappointed that it is chrome on top of plastic. While plastic is not inherently bad, on bathroom fixtres they feel cheap. but what was I expecting at this price? I have not yet installed it, and probably won't, so the jury is still out as far as performance. Amazon could have made a better description than calling it "stainless steel". It isnt. Then the returns "reasons" you can choose from are ridiculous. Most of them result in you paying for the shipping. There is not one that says "we shipped you the wrong item" or "product does not match description and/or pics".

Hi I have had this drill press for a few months and haven't had any problems yet, I agree with the reviewer that said its the only vairiable speed bench press, because i looked too. It seems ok for something made in China - but I challenge anyone to find a drill press made in the USA, I looked for that too and couldn't find it.

I really like the variable speed because I never changed the belt speed on my other models either - it was too much trouble.

Its an excellent press for the money it costs - its really dirt cheap for what you get.

I would be happy to spend several hundred dollars on a made in USA model but I dont think anyone wants to make one because most other Americans are too cheap to buy one.

I have used two of the variable speed drill presses in my Tech highschool classes for two years. The only problem I had was one developed a faulty switch after one year of operation. This was replaced by Delta. These two were used nearly everyday in class by many different students. We liked the ease of setup and the heavy construction. I have order one for my home shop.
Over all it is a good machine for the money and the variable speed is much safer than changing belt pulleys.

Hello, I'm a machinest that always wanted a drill press at home. I looked at every machine available . This machine stands out !! The variable speed works and is indespensable, the chuck is the weak link so I wen't on ebay and purchased a keyless chuck ( jt33 taper ) for $20 new , installed it and now I'm in Drillpress Nirvana. Amazon sells these machines for under $200 , it's a bargain compared to what else is out there. This machine lacks nothing , it even has a light.

I too was not happy that the unit I purchased had excessive vibration. But the price was right. So, I got out six quarters and stacked them two high and taped them to the top of the horizontal wheel. I then moved them 90 degrees and tried again. Continued until I found the spot that had the least vibration and then slightly varied the position and quantity to minimize the vibration. Then I marked the optimum position, took off the remaining quarters and weighed them on a postal scale. Then I cut off enough two to three inch lengths of lead tape to match the weight of the quarters and applied it to the bottom of the wheel(3" of tape is about equivalent to one quarter). I purchase the lead tape from a golf store that sells it for the purpose of balancing golf clubs for optimum swing. I think it will stay in place inspite of the wet environment. Another option is to grind the heavy side of the metal plate to remove material equal to the number of quarters needed to balance the wheel.

Looks like this unit is either right, or wrong. Mine is smak on with no issues, easiest power sharping system I have ever used.
The wet wheel hones well, leaves an edge that is exactly right. When setup properly. Check the review in FWW, one of the better "cheap" systems out there

I almost did not buy this unit because of the poor reviews. I have had it for a few weeks now and used it on most of my tool blades. This is not a unit for the novice, and requires some knowledge of tool sharpening. If you are a novice, purchase a book on sharpening with the unit. This with a little common sense, and you should do just fine. As for the rest, you should read the manual that comes with the unit. I have found almost everyone thinks they know how to sharpen tools, most do not.

I purchased this BS100 band saw as NEW from Amazon.com. I received in its place a used and damaged band saw. An attempt had been made - unsuccessfully - to repair the damaged top of the table. The plastic insert around the saw blade was damaged and discolored. The table top had huge saw marks in the table top slot. It appears that Amazon must be getting these Delta products from a gray market source that repackages used, damaged and defective products. Delta advised me that they do not ship saws in this condition. The Amazon motto should be "Let the buyer beware".

Hello , this saw works like a charm, I purchased another blade ( $10 HomeDepot ) which will cut a tighter radius, the saw comes with a very good blade. The Owners manual covers everthing well but it's hard to understand even if you know what you're doing ( fortunately I do so I was able to set-up the blade mechanism which is particularlly difficult on belt saws ). My wife uses this saw to cut out the grandchildren's initials as do my grandchildren, we keep a basket of scrap wood pieces nearby and have fun cutting things. The saw is quiet, fun, the light works wonderfully and is a fine asset. This saw is hard to be without if you are the person that likes making little things and fiddling round , we keep ours handy and wish that we had one 30 years ago. Amazon just about gives these things away, so I'm thinking about giving them as presents, it's hard to set up but it's worth the effort in that it is a great tool that is at the ready and very capable. This is a tool that I can't seem to do without but have done without all these years , that is my only regret.

I have had my BS100 Shopmaster for 4 years now, and I am a very satisfied user. I feel I have enough experience with the saw to see its shortcomings and virtues. It IS a great saw when you know and accept its limitations which are: (some can be overcome...)

1) Saw is designed and made for small scale woodworking. Period.
2) Low "power" for resawing or cutting thick hardwood stock (not designed for this, see 1).)
3) Blade wander can be a problem if saw used right out of the box with original guides and original blade (and in general, especially when using 1/4" blade).
4) This saw requires high quality blades to perform its best (not found in ordinary hardware stores).
5) Its small table is not sturdy enough for large, heavy workpieces, but will do for smaller pieces. (I have however used my saw for ripping 6'long 1 1/2" birch into smaller, straight strips, using a roller stand).
6) The saw is not ready to go out of the box - will require tuning for best performance.

I believe most of the problems people encounter with this saw are due to lack of experience with bandsaws because the 9" Delta is often their first saw. Problems are related to:

1) how to use the saw in general (use the saw for what it was intended for; some jobs are better done on other machines; some jobs are TOO BIG for this saw etc etc)
2) proper selection of blade for the job at hand as well as proper tensioning the blade.
3) set-up and tuning of the saw including wheel alignment, guide set up etc.
4) not knowing that there are different quality blades out there. Some are cheap, some are expensive - some are good, some are bad. You probably wouldn't want to buy the cheapest brand tires for your Porsche, right?
5) No gauge or guide can be used with any powertool without setting it up and checking, resetting and rechecking. So it goes with this bandsaw. The miter gauge and fence will have to be corrected for blade drift as for any other bandsaw on the market.

This review is rather long, but I think the saw deserves a thorough review to address some of the issues typical to many bandsaws, not only this 9" Delta. A bandsaw is more of a delicate "cutting instrument" than a cutting machine and requires tuning for top performance... Some experience is required to master the band saw to get the most out of it as with any instrument.

I don't have space for a large bandsaw, and I don't need the power of one either. If I were to buy another band saw, it would only be because I would be scaling up my woodworking to large pieces or heavy resawing, or to get another machine and set it up for a specialized task for one blade only... I would still keep my 9" Delta. It is too good of a saw to give away (read: sell used for cheap).

The saw will work pretty much out of the box, but if you don't take the time to tune it properly, you will most likely be disappointed. Realize that this is not a saw made for heavy resawing (though resawing of stock can be done using a proper blade). It is a small, quiet benchtop saw suited for small scale woodworking and this it can do very well. And its worklight is very handy.

Many of the "shortcomings" of a small saw like this can be overcome by tuning the wheels and setting the saw up properly e.g. like suggested in the Bandsaw Handbook by Mark Duginske or The Bandsaw Book by Lonnie Bird. Both are highly recommended. Before you buy any bandsaw, go through either of these two books and learn how to set up a band saw properly, including using the mitre gauge and setting the saw up for perfect mitre cuts and how to rip and resaw. This will also help you realize that straight cuts, resawing etc does require certain techniques whether you have a 9" Delta or a 36" RotoMatic industrial band saw with 2" blade. Both books will show you how to make an adjustable rip fence and other jigs helping you getting the most out of any bandsaw.

How to maximize its performance (or the performance of ANY bandsaw for that matter):

1) Throw away the blade that came with the saw, and buy a high quality blade e.g. Timberwolf. For resawing (yes - it can be done!) I use a 1/2" Woodslicer for resawing or ripping stock for boxmaking: Koa, oak, rosewood, maple etc. Works great, but feed slowly and the saw will not stall! The blade is rather expensive, but worth any penny if you need to resaw or do long rip cuts using this bandsaw. It also has a thin kerf so you won't overtension the saw. This blade will also make it easy to cut straight. Using the original blade or Delta's own blade or any other "regular" blades found in ordinary hardware stores WILL be a disappointment on this saw. I have never found Delta's own blades to be satisfying, but for somebody else, they might do. (Sorry Delta!)

2) Replace the guideblocks with Coolblocks (Woodcraft, Rockler etc). If you can't find the right size, buy oversize and file/grind it to fit (that is what I did). These will support and help clean and lubricate the blade. You could also make your own hardwood guides, but I found the Coolblocks to be the best. These guideblocks will also help support the blade for cutting curves.

3) Tune the saw when you have a high quality blade and coolblocks for your saw. Saw will run smoother, quieter and have more of its power available for sawing after the tuning. Tuning will also help stabilize the blade and avoid drift to the left or right. With proper setup, this saw IS capable of cutting straight! And vibration can mostly be eliminated by balancing and truing wheels! The saw is in itself very light and won't "absorb" or dampen the vibration as well as a large, cast iron machine. Mounting it to a heavy base is also advised.

4) Use slow feedrates and be gentle - it is a delicate machine - don't force-feed it.

5) Use the correct blade for the job. Don't use an 1/8" or 1/4" 14 TPI blade for resawing/ripping, and don't use the 3 TPI blade for cutting intricate patterns 1/8" thick stock....

6) Correct tensioning of the saw blade as well as proper wheel alignment/adjustment will avoid blade coming off the wheel by itself. A rough cutting technique can also cause the blade to come off.

7) Proper maintenance will keep the saw in top shape....

I would also suggest replacing the throatplate with one you make yourself (discussed in the books mentioned earlier).

The saw can very well handle a high quality 1/8" blade, but only after coolblocks and tuning. Don't even bother with 1/8" blade on a stock 9". (Others might disagree here.) Be aware that setting up the saw with an 1/8" blade is a little tricky until you learn how to prepare the saw for it.


I will rate this saw 5 stars. One star could have been taken away because if the saw had been equipped with a high quality blade and guide blocks, many problems would have been gone!!!! But then again, most bandsaws on the market are delivered with inferior blades and guides anyway. Recommended upgrades (Coolblocks, good blade) is about $35, and will greatly improve the performance. If you decide to buy this saw, buy one or the other of the recommended books mentioned as well. They will become your best manual and guide whether it is for tuning and setup, choosing the right blade or ideas for small projects!