Delta 28-475X Bandsaw Setup...HELP!

[cpowell]

I've been lurking here for awhile but this is my first post. I apologize for making it a plea for help...but it is.

I received an early Christmas present from LOML, a Delta 14 inch bandsaw.

I spent yesterday assembling it. I installed a 1/2 inch Timberwolf blade. Checked tracking, it was perfect. Tensioned the blade, set the blade guides.

I feel like the saw has a lot of vibration, especially on the outer end of the table. I thought maybe I didn't tension the drive belt quite enough, so I tightened it some more. Checked pulley alignment with a straight edge and it is good.

I even removed the blade to see if there was a wheel out of balance. The vibration is still there. I am seeing a whole lot more vibration than my Unisaw. This saw would never pass the nickel test on startup. In fact, it won't pass the nickel test during steady state running. I am at my wits end.

I already contacted Delta tech support this morning to let them know the motor cord was too short with the riser installed and the table was not flat. In fact the miter gage hangs up on the blade slot.

Of course, I work long hours so by the time I get home and get into it Delta tech support is gone for the day.

I am at a point where I'd like to return the saw and try something else (maybe an 18 inch saw) but the saw is assembled and I'm not sure if it is returnable.

This saw has gotten many good reviews. I haven't seen complaints of excessive vibration. I'm really frustrated to the point where I had to leave the shop and clear my head.

(Edit spelling...hey, there's a spell check!) Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[DaveO]

It does sound like you are getting quite a bit of vibration, and you have already checked the likely causes. With the fact that you have found the table not flat, and other problems like the cord length, my guess is that is was made on a Friday...somebody was dreaming about the weekend. You may have got a dud. I would return it, and try another one. Delta should take care of you. How can you know if it isn't right until you put it together, so the "already assembled" fact shouldn't be an issue. And if you still have problems then it's time to look into another saw. My .02 Dave

Also WELCOME, thanks for joining and participating. Hope to see you around!

 

[cpowell]

I've invested a lot of time assembling and troubleshooting the saw. Man, I'd like to make it work.

To be honest, I've only mentioned a few of the quality problems I found. I've been really disappointed. With the exception of my 8 " Yorkcraft jointer, all of my shop machines are Delta. I started upgrading a few years ago...Uni, mortiser, jointer (love the Yorkcraft). This year was bandsaw.

I had my heart set on an 18" Rikon but Woodcraft sold out the day before LOML drove me to Raleigh to pick a Christmas present.
I thought I couldn't go wrong. oops, there you go!

 

[D L Ames]

I already contacted Delta tech support this morning to let them know the motor cord was too short with the riser installed and the table was not flat. In fact the miter gage hangs up on the blade slot.

cpowell, from your post above you mentioned a riser being installed. If this is the 6" riser kit you are talking about, is it possible you might have something misaligned that could be causing the vibration? Did you try to run the saw with the 93" blade before you added the riser kit and the 105" blade? Not sure if this response helped at all but it sounds like you checked everything else that could be a source of the vibration.

D L

 

[cpowell]

I installed the riser block on the new saw. The vibration is pronounced with the blade removed so the top wheel isn't being driven. Guess tomorow I'll loosen and run the motor without the belt. Maybe the motor has a vibration problem?

The bolts they supplied are really marginal for mounting to the bracket. The shoulders are barely larger than the slots in the bracket. I've just about worn out the bolt heads loosening and tightening...over, and over, and over...

Tomorrow's a new day!

 

[SteveColes]

In general, Delta will make good on the not flat table by sending you a new one. Just insist.

Now as far as the vibration is concerned, you haven't mentioned a couple of adjustments. So for completeness sake. let's start with these. Drive belt tension. The way the motor is mounted to the two rails that hold it in place provides the most likely problem. If you loosened the motor mounting bolts to tension the drive belt, there is a good chance that the motor is no longer perpendicular to the mounting rails. That is the front of the motor is either higher or lower than the rear of the motor. If this is the case that will cause a great deal of vibration. Following delta's belt tension procedure can easily lead to this problem. On mine, I had to jury rig a motor jack so I could apply enough downward pressure on both the front and rear of the motor to keep the motor perpendicular and get the correct tension.

Another potential problem in that area is making sure that the side of the drive pulley closest to the motor is coplanar to the rear side of the pulley that the drive belt is attached to.

Either or both of these alignments can easily get screwed up when tensioning the drive belt.

Let me know if this helps, if not we can go to the next step which is removing the drive belt and drive pulley and powering on and making sure the vibration is gone. Then add one piece of the drive train at a time until the vibration comes back. Then depending on where that happens, we go look at the offending area. Let us know how things go. We are here for you. That's the point of the this site.

 

[SteveColes]

FYI, removing the blade only proves that upper wheel is not the main fault.

 

[Steve D]

You are taking the right steps to isolate the problem, I'm curious to see what you get without the belt. I don't have the Delta, is it a v groove or smooth type belt? Are the pulleys machined or cast? It may be the belt itself (try a different belt or linkbelt) or it could be a bad pulley (out of round) or a bent shaft.

Unfortunatley, Delta doesn't automatically equal quality anymore. Everything is being made in Asia or Mexico now. They shut down manufacturing in TN and just have a warehouse, customer service and support staff there now.

 

[cpowell]

I am not sure about belt tension. The instructions say 1/4 inch deflection. How much force should be exerted when measuring the delflection?

I can't honestly say if the motor axis is 90 degrees to the drive belt plane. Tensioning is a PITA on this bracket set. I hadn't considered a pulley isue either.

Will look at it tomorrow after work!

 

[SteveColes]

I wasn't so much worried about what the tension was, more about how the procedure can cause the problems I noted.

 

[lloydnc]

cpowell,


I had the same problems with my Delta 28-475X Bandsaw when I first got it last January. It is running great now. However Delta has had some very significant problems with a lot of these saws over the past year.

The problems centered on several key defective parts that produced the excessive vibration. These included upper and lower wheels which were out of round and not balanced correctly at the factories, motor shafts which were not straight and upper cast pulleys that were slightly warped. Also some of the motors which were produced in Mexico were bad as well and you have mentioned the problem with power cord being too short when the riser kit is installed.

I have the name and e-mail address of the head of Delta Customer Service who finally resolved the problems for several of us on Woodnet Forums earlier this year. She is actually a really nice individual who when out of her way to resolve everything and more than made it right of all of us.

If you want to PM me I will give you her information. I am really sorry you have had these problems and hope this helps.


Lloyd

 

[sapwood]

Chuck,

Did you purchase the BS at Woodcraft in Raleigh? You stated you went there and they were out of Rikon--but I wasn't sure about where you purchased the Delta. If you did, I encourage you to contact Tom (toolferone on NCWoodworker) the manager at Woodcraft. He can help you diagnose the problem faster than Delta, he is very competent working with power tools.

If you didn't purchase the Delta there--please ignore this message!

Sapwood

 

[cpowell]

I took the motor drive belt off and started the motor and the vibration was significantly less. I spun the wheels a few times, marked bottom and spun to see if it settled at the same point. Negative, but, FWIW, there seems to be enough inertia on the bottom pulley that the balance would have to be way off. The top pulley does not spin really easily so I'm not sure I learned anything there.


I looked at the main drive pulley on the lower wheel shaft from the side and it is wobbling. Looks like the total deviation is around 1/16th inch or so. Th ID of the pulley is NOT snug with the ID of the shaft so it would be virtually impossible for it to be coplanar with the motor pulley.

Called tech support and talked with someone who recommended I speak with a tech. 'Course the tech is busy an is supposed to call me back. After reading some posts on other sites, I am at a point where I am willing to see if "this is it" but am looking very hard at returning the item to the store. they told me I can return up to 30 days.

Woodcraft has offered me a sweet deal on a Rikon 18 (new model) but delivery would be mid-late Jan and the smallest blade I could use would be 1/4. Hmmmm...options!

 

[lloydnc]

Chuck,

I have just PM you with my phone number and will be glad to walk you through a few things that should help.

Lloyd

 

[cpowell]

Delta Bandsaw Conclusion

I took the saw off the stand and began securing to a piece of ply for transport back to the dealer, when LOML comes into the shop with a UPS package. The "new" 9 inch cast alum pulley to replace the warped one on the saw.

Hey, maybe this is a sign, I think. Oh, yeah, baby, things are looking up for sure!

Reassemble saw, mount new pulley, install belt, adjust belt tension, start saw....still vibrates. Neighbor wanders over and offers to let me install his belt (his 28-475X is 3 months and purrs!!). Install his belt, adjust motor/belt tension. Start motor, still vibrates. Neighbor thinks this is funny. I offered to trade my brand new saw for his old one and he told me, "I can stand a nickel on edge and run my saw...a bale of hay falls off yours!". :lol:

Disassemble saw, attach to ply, apply bandaids over fresh cuts from tight spots and small wrenches around sheet metal bases. Drive hour to Raleigh. Try to negotiate a deal on the dealer's Delta 28-475X floor model, which runs smooth. I want the saw and the Kreg jig mounted on it. He offers saw only, claiming the saw is more valuable assembled. I told him I can now assemble saw, riser block, blade, adjust tracking, tension blade, adjust guide blocks in 90 minutes (which is likely true after my recent Delta training). Saw has been used some.

Just out of principle I decline offer. Get a full refund. I guess this is a good reason to use someone local, huh?

Went to Woodcraft and ended up putting a deposit on a new model Rikon 18. The manager tells me I will get the first one. Delivery expected mid-late January. Should give my hands time to heal, huh? Thank goodness there isn't much assembly required!!

 

[D L Ames]

Chuck, you will love that new Rikon. I have had mine for a little over a month now and love it.

D L

 

[McRabbet]

Is there such a thing as a "Lemon Cure" for Woodguy Disease? :rotflm:

Seriously, I think you did the right thing and used the "lemon" to leverage a bigger and better saw.

 

[sapwood]

Quite a saga cpowell. You're definitely due some good luck now and it's not long to January. At least, you got to visit Raleigh twice in one week :mrgreen:

Sapwood