Subject: Re: Bandsaw Brands in Canada

From: [email-masked] (Jim Manhart)
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 14:32:23 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (John Douglas
Hutchinson) wrote:

> Hi:
> 
> Still "window shopping" for bandsaws in Canada...like the 14" 
> Delta...hate its price. Love the prices on the smaller Delta bandsaws, 
> hate the inferior quality...as compared to the Delta 14" bandsaw.
> 
> major snip
> 
> I am open to suggestion regarding more economical and comparable quality 
> options to the Delta 14" bandsaw in Canada. Anyone know of any other good 
> brands of bandsaws, available in Canada?
> 

General is a Canadian company that makes high end woodworking equipment. 
They make a 15" bandsaw that is apparently better than any other saw of
its size on the market.  It is rather expensive -- $999 U.S. for the basic
saw and its maximum height of cut is 6" (8" with Carter guides for another
$170) but no riser block is available to extend the height of cut beyond
8".

---

From: [email-masked] (John Douglas Hutchinson)
Date: 27 Mar 1997 18:57:21 GMT

Hi:

The really frustrating part of this scenario is that it wouldn't take 
that much to provide the features of the 14" Delta Bandsaw on its smaller 
brethern. I'm convinced that there IS A MARKET for a QUALITY MINIATURE 
BANDSAW.

The Delta rep I spoke to on the phone told me that their cheaper tools 
are coming out of China! They are built there to Delta's specs. My 
understanding is that the 14" Bandsaw is still manufactured in North America!
If I'm right, it is becoming crystal clear why the lower-end Delta 
bandsaws are NOT getting rave reviews, from me or anyone else in this 
newsgroup. The one person I heard rave about a small Delta bandsaw in 
this newsgroup was from an owner of the machine in question...major 
credibility consideration is warranted here...he would know how good or how
bad his machine is...but even so...there is SO MUCH DIFFERENCE between 
the 14" and the "little brothers". I wonder how many prospective new 
Delta customers, like me, hear of Delta quality, go seriously looking at 
Delta machinery, see the little guys in the Delta stable, are unimpressed 
and take their business to one of Delta's competitors.

I can buy a 15" bandsaw made in the orient, with all the table 
adjustments that can be had on the Delta 14" bandsaw for HALF THE PRICE! 
It's going to take a lot of convincing to talk me out of spending 2/3 of 
this amount for an 8" Delta bandsaw with ZERO table adjustments! The 
smaller saw will meet my current needs.

I am no bandsaw expert...but I can do basic math...

Many thanks.

John

--
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 John D. Hutchinson           [email-masked]
 605-14 Churchill Court 
 Dartmouth, N.S.
 Canada
 B2X 1N4
 (902) 462-2248
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Hmmmm, wrong for the first time in my life...AGAIN...
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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From: Michael Weal <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 13:10:38 -0800

> $170) but no riser block is available to extend the height of cut beyond

I recently purchased one of these saws for work, I have not had the
chance to used it :(.  

1) A riser block is not available for the saw because the saw is one
solid cast part.

2) this saw is a very nice bandsaw much better than anything we looked
at from delta.

3) We puchased the bandsaw because of its metal cutting capabilities. 
The Saw includes a transmistion for reducing teh speed down much lower
than what you get with a wood cutting bandsaw.

4) One thing I did not like about the saw is it did not come with a
caster system for moving the saw (Delta's 16" does) so we hav hadto make
our own.