Excellence for any shop
Written: Jul 20 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Superb craftmanship, powerful, easy to use
Cons: Heavy for one to assemble, costs more than the cheapos at Home Depot or Lowes
The Bottom Line: An excellent bandsaw for a beginner or an expert woodsman
Accurate cuts at any angle
|
|
|
| LaFeet's Full Review: Delta X5 14" Band Saw with Enclosed Stand 28-475X |
After many years of faithful service, my Shopsmith bandsaw finally bit the dust. I can not complain, my father purchased it back in the late eighties and it managed to survive a moving van fire in 2000.
With the problem at hand I had to decide if I should rebuild or purchase new…. I did both.
I purchased Delta’s X5 14 inch bandsaw mainly as an impulse buy. It had many of the eye catching features that I was on the hunt for.
Delta’s X5 comes standard with a lever actuated blade tension system, as well as adjustable blade guides and a dust collection that actually functions.
I was not present when Dad got his Shopsmith shipment, therefore I had no recent (if you call the 80’s recent) experience with equipment assemblage. I was impressed how easy the manual was to understand, I did not want to have the same feeling as I usually do on Christmas morning.
This is not my first Delta product (nor will it be my last) so I knew what to expect.
There were no surprises with any of the parts, they all slid together with no fuss. Tools required are the standard screwdrivers and wrenches that you would expect. I had no problem with the putting the saw together.
However, I should recommend that you enlist the aid of at least one more person. When putting the saw atop the cabinet the 280 pounds of material can be unsafe at best.
I cheated by putting everything together on the floor and then standing the completed unit vertical. If you use two or more people you will find the task easier to complete as well as making it a safer experiences.
One of the first features you will notice is the size of the cast iron table (a whopping 16 square inches). Trunnion mounts are used via hefty bolts fitted with paddle type handles (you know, the same kind they use on the quick loosen clamps for the Tour De Lance bikes) that make positioning easier than I had with my old Shopsmith.
The built in scale allows accurate positioning from zero to 45 degrees. I really like the installed block that rotates with three adjustable stops. This allows you to quickly, and accurately adjust the cutting angle for three different runs. Beats the heck out of readjusting after every run.
Prior to my first cut I always check the wheel and blade alignment. This is mainly due to a bad experience in sop class back in junior high. Following assembly I found that the wheels and blade required no major alignment. In fact, other than a small tracking adjustment, I was surprised to see that I was nearly ready to start cutting. Talk about precision built.
By using the upper and lower blade guides you can easily position the cool blocks and thrust bearing. Delta managed to install a bit of ergonomics in this design, the lower guides are a snap to adjust with the knobs well situated outwards. Additionally, I found it very easy to watch the blade through the insert hole as adjustments were tweeked.
I have had a few blades pop on me in my time. The main cause for this is too much tension being applied to the blade. Especially when it is idle and not in use for extended periods of time. Some older bandsaws have a series of levers or screw adjuster to relieve the blade tension. These usually required additional alignments when tension was reapplied. It was either that or the blade was just left to sit on the wheels, growing looser as the tension remained applied.
Delta managed to get it right. Their blade tensioning utilizes simple, yet effective levers and springs to maintain a safe blade tension. They incorporated a scale graduation that has settings for blade types. After selecting the proper setting, all one has to do to tension the blade is just pull the handle. To relax the blade, pull the handle down to a stop that relaxes the blade but maintains just enough tension on the blade to keep it on the wheels.
Everyone knows that the worst enemy in a woodshop is dust. Wood dust can enter motor windings and bearings causing serious degradation. This in one of the main reasons for having an effective dust removal system. That, and the collected dust can make a great pyrotechnic display with some basic chemistry (I’ll save that topic for a write off some day).
Delta stuffed a 4 in diameter port on the side of the base cabinet. This is situated to collect dust from an angled chute that runs through its interior, all the way down to the bottom. They also installed a shroud under the front of the table that keeps dust and chips from spitting out onto you. The dust / chips in this area is directed into the lower wheel enclosure. Delta’s instructions do point out that if you do no intend on utilizing an external dust collector, do not install the exterior port. I installed the external port. I tape it shut when not using an external dust collector.
I use one of my Shopvacs as a portable dust collector when I am cutting large projects or for extended periods of time. It works great so far.
Delta’s X5 is powered by a beast motor operating on simple wall socket juice (115V, 12.8 amp). The 1½ horsepower motor can be converted to 220V operation with a simple alteration. The motor transfers power to the wheels via a V-belt to drive the blade wheels up to 3000 SFPM (Surface Feet Per Minute), meaning the blade runs fast.
So, how does this puppy run? Well let me tell ya. I found that cutting various types of wood, plastics and even metals (each with the appropriate blade – of course) was extremely easy and accurate. Angling the table does not impair cutting time, ease or accuracy. The motor produces consistent power and pulls the blade through the material with ease.
I am extremely pleased with my Delta X5. I have it stationed next to my venerable Delta 10 inch table saw (maybe they can make some babies). This saw has plenty of power and can handle blades up to ¾ inch wide. The features for adjustments and blade tensioning are icing on the cake.
Delta does guarantee this beast for a full 5 years. Making it one of the better warranted bandsaws on the market.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
LaFeet
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Paule Patterson
Location: Cushing, Ok
Reviews written: 314
Trusted by: 36 members
About Me:
Retired Submariner, ex Air-Force Brat, current radiation protection tech, hiding in urban Oklahoma
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.