delta bandsaw blues

[R. Pierce Butler]

I need a little advice.

The open stand Delta 14" bandsaw that belonged to my father has a bad motor on it. Not sure what happened in storage but it overheats in a hurry. It sounds horrible too. Run it for about 30 seconds and you can smell the motor insulation cooking. In that short period of time the motor case get uncomfortably warm too. This occurs with the belt off and yes it spins freely. The motor nameplate says: "HP - 1/2B" (????) Since this is a 1/2 horse motor maybe it is time to upgrade to a 1 horse. I see some Delta band saws come with 1.5 hp motors. Should I go all out and get a 1.5 hp motor or is that overkill?

I need new tires for the saw. Are the Delta tires the ones to get?

My father put a household light switch on the saw which really looks hokey. Any recommendations for an suitable on-off switch? Should I order a new one from Delta or is there something else that I can get that is better.

I see that there is a release lever version of that same 14" saw. Should I get the parts to upgrade the beast? That spring loaded tensioner is a bear to adjust everytime I go to change a blade.

[Leon]

I suggest you change the switch FIRST and then see how the motor runs. A household light switch does not have a very high amp rating IIRC. That could be causing the over heating.

[Fly-by-Night CC]

Your first stop should be to call Louis Iturra and ask for a catalog. He sells upgrade parts galore for these 14" saws. (The catalog is also chock-full of band saw recommendations, tidbits and whatnot.)

PH# 1-888-722-7078

When you get the catalog, check out the polyurethane replacement tires as well as the "supercharging" article.

Lastly, if it were my saw, I'd probably spring for the 1.5hp motor. My Delta 14" (with riser block) has the 1hp motor and I've stalled it on occasion when sawing green,10"+ thick 1/2 logs for bowl blanks.

[R. Pierce Butler]

"Leon" wrote in news:Gp8jg.95177$ [e-mail]:

I tried that and it didn't matter.

To be honest the motor that came with the saw was never right. It was always noisy and now the noise is much worse. The noise it makes almost sounds like a 3 phase motor running on 2 phases. The motor doesn't wind down when power is disconnected. I find that quite odd. Most motors will coast for about 1/2 second or so. This one just comes to halt. I think it has a shorted winding.

The saw is a 28-275 and the original switch was a toggle switch. I see that Delta now ships the 28-275 with a 1 hp motor. Delta is quite proud of their motors so I am going to go hunting for a cheaper alternative. Any recommendations? Baldor? GE?

Maybe I should just throw a 1/2 hp motor at it, sell it and get the enclosed base version and be done with it. By the time I get done adding the good stuff to it, I probably could have just bought the better saw.

Pierce

[R. Pierce Butler]

Fly-by-Night CC wrote in news: [e-mail]:

And call Louis I shall, first thing in the morning. Thanks for the tip.

If you have to buy a motor, where would you get it?

Pierce

[nospambob]

[George]

28-275 and the original switch was a toggle switch. I see

You HAVE a better saw. Not going to find its equal in the current crop of

14's. Although there are a host of things that could be wrong in the way of motor/pulley/belt alignment that could do what you've described, it's also easily possible that a motor stored for a long time could have had the shellac spring from its windings.

You know it's a NEMA 56, but you also want to consider something else when motor shopping. I got a 1 horse Baldor for mine, and the capacitor/switch box was on the wrong side of the motor casing, preventing me from opening the lower door fully. Had to swap ends on the motor.

Your choice as to motor quantity. 1.5 is at the upper limit, or perhaps past it for single V-belt operation, and then there's the slip in the band and tires. Wouldn't spend a lot of extra to go over 1HP. Tires from the same source as the motor, most are the same item, based on description. Link belt is a real nice option, since you'll need a new belt anyway. Detensioner is something like that extra half horsepower. Don't need it if you work the saw a lot, can manually detension if using it irregularly. You can spend all kinds of money chasing perfection in guides, blades and dust collection too. Use the saw and find out which you need and which you can do without.

Oh yes, motor-rated contacts are put into standard-looking wall switch packages. They're six-eight bucks versus 89 cents, but you just need something to make/break, so unless you're offended by the aesthetics, a switch is a switch.

[Bruce Barnett]

Since you mentioned the quick release, check out the Spinner kit and the Carter Quick Release kit.

[dadiOH]

Check the bearings.

[Frank Boettcher]

Toggle switches were used for years. Held up well. Low cost. Doesn't have that big off button that you can slap from afar if you get in a bind, but functional.

Requires some fairly close tolereance machining on the overarm casting to retrofit the quick release/preset blade tensioning system. You can get the better spring, and a crank handle to make tensioning an easier task.

Be sure you get the right RPM motor, particularly if you go to the

1.5. When Delta changed to the 1.5 hp motor there were corresponding pulley and guard changes because the output rpm changed. So if you buy a 1.5 that would be for a recent model Delta, it would not work without those changes. No matter the hp you want a 1725 output rpm.

Frank

[Fly-by-Night CC]

Pierce, I would have to agree with George if the saw is an older model, which being your father's, it sounds like. What would you guess the age of the saw is? If you provide the serial number, we may be able to tell you a manufacture date.

[Fly-by-Night CC]

If I could afford it, I'd get a Baldor or Leeson - and have had good service from the Surplus Center in Nebraska:

I am needing a 3hp-5hp motor for a 50-year old band saw that I'm rejuvenating. I'd love to hang a Baldor or Leeson on it, but the $400-$500 (w/shipping) price is triggering some chest discomfort.

I've done some looking into the WEG brand the Surplus Center also carries and they appear to have a good history and reputation. Made in Brazil, company is 45+ years old, seem to be well-respected in the mining industry... They're also heavier son-guns than the comparable Leeson by about 15 lbs... Anyone have any comments on WEG motors?

Link to a 1.5hp WEG:

[R. Pierce Butler]

Fly-by-Night CC wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I was wrong about the saw model

it is a 28-243S

Serial# 87154413

[Peter Huebner]

Sounds exactly like a motor with a blown winding. You can take it to the rewinders and have them check it out for a small fee, usually. Not worth rewinding a small-ish motor I was told a couple of months back, due to the price of copper[wire]. Unlike Leon I don't believe your switch has anything at all to do with it. A scorched switch would not make your motor overheat rapidly like that. Rewinders often also sell 2nd hand motors that are in good nick; I got one for the lathe while I was there.

-P.

[Frank Boettcher]

Delta switched from Marathon to WEG motors on the "domestic" units. That is what comes on a Unisaw these days. While it is my opinion that they are not as good as Marathon or Baldor, they test fairly well.

Frank

[Charley]

It could be just a stuck centrifugal start switch. If it stays in start mode it'll both make a weird noise and overheat quickly. It doesn't take much surface rust on the shaft or gummed up grease to keep the switch from moving. It's inside one end of the motor, so you have to open the case, but it's a simple fix to free it up and get it working correctly again. Then, if you haven't over cooked the winding you will have a good motor again. A bad start capacitor can cause similar problems. They can go bad in storage. If it has one, take it to the motor shop and buy a replacement. They usually cost $3-8, so it's worth the gamble.

[R. Pierce Butler]

"Charley" wrote in news:Mkykg.19559$ [e-mail]:

I didn't think there was a start switch on that 1/2 horse motor. I will take it apart and check anyway. There is no cap that I can see.