band saw tire

You'll be pleased to know that I'm taking your advice. I talked to the dealer today and showed them my pictures and some sample cuts from before and after the problem occurred. They would have replaced the saw with no problem, but I told them I'd rather just return it and upgrade to the X5. After the rebate it will be $800.

Excellent point, Mike... I used to do customer service for computers, and the friendly folks that needed help got it ASAP... the demanding, whining, or loud folks got put on Hold Hell".. Very few companies think that every item off the line (or imported with their label) is perfect... they're usually very helpful and cooperative when a customer has a problem.. YMMV

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

if the dealer that you bought it from has a replace part, they should make it good to go right away... A really good dealer will take one off a floor model and order the part if he doesn't have it in stock..

IMO, a dealer sold you what he thought was a good tool in working order, and if it is defective, he'll fix or replace it..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I am pleased, but more importantly I think you will be too. Sounds like your dealer is a good outfit. And if you ever have any problems in the future, Delta's tech service is excellent.

Frank

I suppose. For reference, in case anyone wants to know, it's Mueller in Cincinnati:

now that I have the new saw.

I took the old saw back yesterday, no problem at all with returning it. They were holding the Delta X5 bandsaw for me. I was surprised; they didn't charge me shipping for the new saw (delivery to my house), and threw in some Cool Blocks and one of those multi-purpose Leatherman-like tools as a gesture of goodwill. I don't really care for the multi-purpose tools -- I prefer a dedicated tool that does its job properly instead of a multi-purpose one that does nothing particularly well -- but it was still a nice gesture. (I'll throw it in the glove box and hope I never have to use it. ) Oh, and they let me keep the extra blade that I got with the old saw. (It was part of a deal where you get a certain dollar amount of accessories when you spend over a certain amount.) That was also unexpected. I offered to give the blade back and then pay for it, but they said to keep it.

I haven't finished assembling the new saw yet -- other things like food, sleep, and SWMBO intervened -- but I like what I've seen so far. Even the packaging was better. Instead of being in styrofoam, the X5 was bolted to a thick piece of plywood, and components like the table and door were in their own boxes inside the large box instead of being in plastic bags. Handles that were plastic on the cheaper saw are made of aluminum. Pulleys are machined instead of cast. The wheels are still cast aluminum, machined on the rim, but they're better-looking in some way I'm not sure how to express. The stand feels much more solid, and ought to: it's heavy as hell. (I include this not to impress the experienced woodworkers here, but hopefully to inform others who may be helped by it.)

All in all a good experience, even if I was disappointed with the first saw. I got the definite impression that the dealer was willing to take a bit of a hit on this saw so that they could have me as a repeat customer who might also refer business their way.

Even better, the X5 bandsaw has a choice of a US$100 rebate, a router, or a portable belt sander. I think I'll pick the router, as a good one would cost more than $100 anyway.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful comments and advice.