I have one. bought it for the wife. It's a POS! I wouldn't waste the $60.00

 

I saw the name Delta and assumed it must be a good one. Glad I asked.

 

I also have one. don't use it much. there is a bracket that holds the upper wheel that breaks. As far as I know it is NLA. I agree with Gene... save the $60.00!

 

I have one of these I use for the occasional small, odd cut. You can't really do much with a band saw like this and it won't really tell you much about using a band saw. I have a 14 inch Delta that is OK, but it only cost me $300 so it was hard to go wrong. It just isn't very good for resawing as is, and it only manages a half inch blade. You can get an extension, but to be honest, i'd look at some of the steel saws. I have my eye on one of the new Laguna 115 volt models with a 12 inch resaw capacity and roller guides for less than $1,100. It takes an odd size blade, but it will handle a 3/4 inch wide blade, which is preferred for resawing. There are several other good bandsaws out there, but I recently visited the Laguna facility and was extremely impressed by the gear and the skill of the people setting them up. Rikon makes a nice saw as well. I bet others have been happy with other brands, such as PowerMatic. I no longer buy something cheaper to see if I like it because I seem to always end up paying twice after giving the cheaper tool to my son in law. Precision and quality is rarely cheap.

 

I bought and returned 2 <14" band-saws (major brands) and they were worthless due to size, power and lesser components - buy a cheap grizzly 14" (350~450) and it might serve you for many years, if not put it in Craigslist for 10% less than you paid and you are still ahead of the game.

Baker, good luck

 

I sold my 12" Craftsman BS for $60 using craigslist.
Sold in about 4 hours.

Priced to move is my strategy.

I agree with the Grizzly recommend.

 

How did you like the Craftsman? I emailed a guy yesterday about a 12" Craftsman. The picture looks like its in good shape.

JET 20" FLOOR DRILL PRESS, RIDGID JOINTER, CRAFTSMAN BANDSAW

 

I had that band saw, and it is junk. As others have said, after a couple years the bracket that holds the upper wheel on to the saw broke. The metal it was made out of was light weight, and will not hold up to the tension. I now have a grizzly 14" and has proven to me a many times over that it is a very good saw.

If that is still out of your budget, I have recommend to others looking at a 10" Rikon or Craftsman band saw. (they are the same saw rebranded) I have heard from several that own these saws and are very satisfied with them. The limitations are, you are not going to be able to resaw, as the motor isn't big enough, and cutting thick stock will be slow going.

 

Probably a beginner question, but how is resawing different than just cutting off a strip of wood through a table saw?

 

Band saw wastes less material. Important if the wood is expensive.
Band saw (wheel of 12" or bigger) can cut deeper material (e.g. 5" thick).
A 14" band saw with a riser can slice into 12" thick material.

 

Any opinions on a 12" Craftsman for $75?
JET 20" FLOOR DRILL PRESS, RIDGID JOINTER, CRAFTSMAN BANDSAW

 

Personally, I would get that.
It looks brand new and well kept.

The Craftsman BS makes a great first band saw.