I just purchased the above reference band saw and I need the operations manual and parts list for it.
I tried checking on the delta site and their link did not work.
Does anyone know where I could get this information? We used to have a local Delta tool store here in Tampa but I don't know if it is still around. I will check tomorrow.
My understanding is that this saw is able to operate in either slow speeds for cutting metal and also high speeds for cutting wood.
Currently on the lower wheel the mainshaft that is attached to the lower wheel has an external fitting that looks kind of like a love joy coupling without the rubber insert. One end is fixed to the shaft and the other end is part of an approximately 5' pulley which is currently free wheeling. On the very end of the shaft is a knurled knob with a set screw in it. Maybe this gets pulled in or out to engage the 5' top pulley and disengage the gear reduction unit in the lower housing.
Just below that is another shaft that comes out the side of the casting that gives you a gear reduction for cutting metal. It has a step pulley on it.
The motor also has a step pulley but with an extra grove. The first four groves accomplish the different speed ranges for the low speed option which works fine.
The machine has two belts. One runs the low speed operation and the other one apparently runs the high speed operation. The belt that runs the high speed operation is very loose. I don't know if it has the incorrect belt as I have never seen one of these machines properly assembled to tell if any parts are missing.
What I am trying to figure out is how you switch from the slow speed operation to the high speed operation.
Any help would be appreciated. I can supply a few pictures if that would help.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
John
Check the OWWM web site at:
http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/Delta/1979-14BandSaw.pdf
That should take you directly to the manual.
does your saw have rubber tires? I have had this exact 14' Delta saw for 10+ years--the shift from high to low is real easy just pull or psh the knured knob---mine has rubber tires but I am not sure they are original. It tends to grab and release when cutting metal and the blade chews a bit on the tires----none of the metal only horizontal bandsaws I have had have rubber tires---wondering if this was an additon to optimize for wood.
does your saw have rubber tires? I have had this exact 14' Delta saw for 10+ years--the shift from high to low is real easy just pull or psh the knured knob---mine has rubber tires but I am not sure they are original. It tends to grab and release when cutting metal and the blade chews a bit on the tires----none of the metal only horizontal bandsaws I have had have rubber tires---wondering if this was an additon to optimize for wood.
I have a Powermatic 143 which has a high and low range, for wood or metal. It also has rubber tires, while my Wellsaw horizontal doesn't. It's a shame Jet bought Powermatic out and shut them down. Strange how a company making cheap goods can get powerful enough to buy out better ones. Same goes with Carnival Cruise lines buying out almost all the other, classier lines, even Cunard! What's going on with the business world
Paul
nt1953
Thanks for the link. That is the exact bandsaw that I just purchased.
I think there is some type of a fiber disc missing where you switch between high and low gear. The slots don't seem to line up properly. I tried pushing and pulling on the knob but was unable to get it to move. It probably just needs a little persuasion as the bandsaw has been sitting in storage for several years.
What I need now is a parts list for the saw. One or both of the belts are incorrect as the belt for the high speed pulley is really loose when the other belt is tight.
Your help is really apprecated.
John
Hi wathomas,
Yes, it has rubber tires. I have a couple other Rockwell/Delta bandsaws. I bought new tires for the one I am currently using for cutting metal. I believe they sold me some orange colored tires that were supposed to be used on their metal cutting bandsaws. The ones on this machine are black. They are in fare shape.
My current 14 Rockwell/Delta Bandsaw was a wood cutting saw that I converted with an external gearbox. It works pretty good but have been looking for one of these for a long time.
It needs a little TLC but for $150.00 at a flea market I am Super Happy .
Hi pgfaini,
I know what you mean about cheap (low quality) tools. That is why I bought this machine and am willing to spend a little time and effort to put it back in top shape instead of buying the junk that is available today.
Guess the good ole days are gone forever.
We were fortunate to have lived in some of the best times this country has experienced.
Hope that better days are ahead.
John
We were fortunate to have lived in some of the best times this country has experienced.Amen to that, brother!!!
Hope that better days are ahead.
John
I know what you mean about cheap (low quality) tools. That is why I bought this machine and am willing to spend a little time and effort to put it back in top shape instead of buying the junk that is available today.Such a narrow perpective. I've used three or four of those Rockwell 14 inch saws over the years and in fact own a metal/wood Rockwell now that sits in my garage doing 'just in case I need it for something' duty, and can tell you they never were all that great. Push it the least bit and the blade will come off the wheels and the saw guide post and tensioning are pretty crude affairs. There are many Tawainese vertical bands saws available today that are actually way better saws.
Guess the good ole days are gone forever.
We were fortunate to have lived in some of the best times this country has experienced.
Hope that better days are ahead.
Also consider if not for the Asian tool invasion that started in the late 1970's and we were still in the same mode of dominace by Rockwell and Powermatic, that saw would cost so much you wouldn't be able to afford it, new or used. I've got a Rockwell 13 inch planer for example that was priced at $3,500 in the early 1980's ! Would probaby be $8,500 today if the same lack of competition situation existed.
If one is going to lament the passing of great American iron, at least talk about the truly great machine makers, like Lodge & Shipley, Giddings and Lewis, Cinncinnati Milacron, and many more of that ilk, not that small shop grade mess from the likes of Rockwell/Delta and Powermatic, most of which was never hittin on much even in it's heyday.
Hi John: I think you did good buying the Delta wood/metal saw. I use one in my home shop, and it does a good job. The other day I cut about 24' of 3/4' mild steel plate, and it handled the job just fine. I put new urethane tires on it when I got it, and have never had the blade jump off.
The coupling you see doesn't use any insert, just metal to metal. You move the knurled knob in or out to engage/disengage the gearbox. It should move with light pressure, so it won't jump out of gear. Sometimes, you may have to turn the lower wheel slightly to line up the coupling dogs to engage. Both belts stay on, as only one drives at a time.
Sure, it's not a heavy commercial grade machine, but it was the one all the imports copied because it was a good machine. You will always be able to get parts on the off chance you ever need them.
Mel
but it was the one all the imports copied because it was a good machine.Many Asian companies did copy the Rockwell 14 but not so much because it was a 'good machine' but because it was *the only* machine in that size range they had to copy ! Far as I can remember, back in the 70's that was the only American made 14 inch vertical saw in existance ! (well ok, maybe the Powermatic too..was it 14 or 15 inch ?)
FWIW, when I mentioned better Tawainese bandsaws I wasn't thinking of the direct copies of the Rockwell/Delta 14, but rather the slightly larger ones that are not copies, but avaliable at about the same price as the actual enclosed base Delta version.
But the Rockwell 14 has it's place. OK little machine for light duty work, fits in small space, pleasant looking design, plug it in the wall outlet and start cutting. Just isn't a good example of tools to lament the passing of.
Sorry, I don't put the 14' Rockwell Delta in the same class as the Powermatic 143. I've used them both, and the Powermatic is a much heavier, more solid machine. The only feature the Rockwell has that's missing on the Powermatic, is the frame extension to increase it's capacity. I've been using my 143 for over thirty years, mainly to profile custom knife blades out of D-2 and 440C flat ground stock in thicknesses up to 7/16'. Never had any problems in all this time.
I also, don't put Rockwell Delta in the same class as the old Delta machines. All they seem to share is the Delta name. My old 17' Delta(Delta Mfg. Co.) drill press, has a split quill housing, a 3-1/2' dia. column with a heavy cast iron gear housing and rack to raise the table. This gear can be installed in the head, which contains the same housing, to raise and lower it. The only thing they seem to still make of quality, is their 12' x 36' wood lathe. At least they were still making them a few years ago. Besides wood turning, I use mine to polish out chatter marks in the rifle barrels I turn.
Paul
I bought one of these from the place I work. I've used it in my home shop and it works fine.
Thanks for the link to the owners manual. I'm also looking for a parts list and am working on a new base cabinet from Plaza Machinery.
I gave $200 for it but got a Wells horizontial band saw for free earlier so I figure it all pans out in the end.
My brother just scored a Rockwell horizontial mill with the vertical head wired for 220V single phase from his work for free.
Jeff
I also, don't put Rockwell Delta in the same class as the old Delta machines.Confusing statement since most of Rockwell's machines were functionally the same as most of the older Delta machines. I would agree if you said 'new Delta not in the same class as old Delta', but throwing Rockwell into the mix kinda murks up the statement
And true the Powermatic vertical saw is nicer, which is another reason the 'Asians copied the Rockwell because it was a good saw' theory is pretty much shot to heck
Maybe another reason they chose to copy these 14' saws is so many survived the 'school shop classes' where machines tended to get misused and beat up... but the old Deltas stuff survived.
I bought a Rockwell 14' new in 1978.. still have it.. and it is not the same as the old Delta.. but it is OK for me since I do not do any heavy work with it... actually I use it so little that a blade lasts me about two years but I do re-sharpen it the way I like a few times....
Confusing statement since most of Rockwell's machines were functionally the same as most of the older Delta machines. I would agree if you said 'new Delta not in the same class as old Delta', but throwing Rockwell into the mix kinda murks up the statementOK, My mistake, it's just that all the 'new' Deltas I've come into contact with, have the Rockwell name, and as I said, the only ones I know of that are still the same as the 'old' Deltas, are their top-of-the-line wood lathes (and table saws(Unisaws))Although I believe they've replaced the iron control wheels on the Unisaws with aluminum or Zamak. I tend to get carried away when I get on my soapbox.
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Paul
I bought a Rockwell 14' new in 1978.. still have it.. and it is not the same as the old DeltaWell, you got me wondering if I've gone nuts, so I just pulled out a 1955 Delta catalog and looked at the 14 inch saws. At least in the photos, except for one detail, they look *exactly* the same as far as the saw itself goes. The enclosed base was pretty different, with a sort of Art Deco-ish look, but the saw itself has near identical details to it's design.
Ironically one difference is the way the wheel guards had to be removed back then, which involved unscrewing two screws and pulling the entire guard off ! In later hears they hinged those guards so that wheel access was much easier. So at least in that detail, the newer ones were an *improvement* over the old ones !
So, what exactly do you mean ?
Some of Delta's best years included the name Rockwell. They used it for decades. If you're looking for a pre-Rockwell Delta product you need to go back to somewhere around WW2.
I think what Paul is talking about is the '70s-80s 'peace sign' era when they temporarily used only the Rockwell name. This time period is disliked on the woodworking boards for the reduction in quality. I don't own a tool from that time so I never looked into it, but I gather there were many minor changes to save production cost and time. Actual design and materials used. Things got a little better after Pentair bought them but they soon went offshore in a big way and from all reports things are getting worse now that B&D owns them.
The gear selector should snap easily from metal to wood. If it doesn't move, don't force it or try to break it loose. There's pin in the hollow shaft and several sliding sleeves that get crapped up and need to be dissasembled. Probably a good idea to replace the bearings while you're at it.
As far as 14' saws, there was Delta/Rockwell, Boice-Crane, Powermatic, Walker-Turner, Beaver, Sprunger, Yates, Davis & Wells, Broadhead, etc. Detla was one of the best of that group, and probably the most available and accessorized. I view the Delta 14' bandsaw a lot like the South Bend 9' lathes. Not the best at anything, but what you got for the size and cost did a tremendous service to their respective industries.
My ca. 1946 Delta (pre-Rockwell) wood/metal 14' saw looks an awful lot like the 14' Delta cabinet-base woodcutting bandsaw I bought about 5 years ago, and some of the parts are interchangeable. Which proves nothing. Just another data point.