|
I ordered a Delta sM400 Shopmaster Band Saw, but that is NOT what I received. They sent me a Black & Decker 9inch Bandsaw - NOT a Delta. The Black & Decker is the same size and has the same features as far as I can tell, but it does not fit the DELTA Stand I paid $80 for and had waiting for this saw.I have not used the bandsaw yet so I cannot comment on it's performance, but I am pissed that I was not sent the Product that I ordered and now have to drill-out the stand to make it fit.
This was my first band saw purchase and I am very satisfied with it. So far it has performed flawlessly and am quite happy with it. I did change the blade to an 18 tooth for cutting brass for slot car chassis. Also the blade guides that came with it did not work and I replaced those with "Cool Blocks". The price was ideal, even with the replacement parts that had to be purchased. Out of the box I believe I would not be as happy.
Setup required about an hour to get all the little brackets and tensioners aligned and properly tightened. As an experienced craftsman, and considering the price, I received excellent value. I purchased this saw for $119. My only complaint is that I find it somewhat challenging to get a new blade started on the two wheels. The saw does exactly what I want it to do, which is reliably cut aluminum sheet and extrusions. At the outset I replaced the stock blade with a Morse blade having more TPI and narrower width. Once the blade is in place, it stays well. The housing is easy to open and clean with compressed air.
Can someone please tell me where you found a rip fence for this thing. It appears all the models that once fit this size has disappeared off the face of the earth(amazon and the delta webpage. Keeping a straight line is the most important part but I can't do that.
With a shop built fence and some patience it does a reasonable job of resawing hardwoods (up to 4 inches thick). Much of the criticism regarding inability to make a straight cut and blade wander is fair. The Morse blade helps a great deal.If you have a very small shop (as I do) the saw will perform well with proper adjustment, a low tpi blade and reasonable expectations. It is very slow but the result is acceptable. Mostly I am resawing slabs into 1 inch fountain pen blanks and the saw works very well for this.Compared to the other bench top saws this appears to be the best.
|
