# 14" Delta Band Saw Value



## Bryan Eriksen (Feb 5, 2017)

Hey Everyone,

A coworker was looking around his shop and realized he never uses his band saw (he uses an industrial scroll instead) and told me he'd sell it to me for $750. It's a 14" Delta model no. 28-203. He said it's between 15-20 years old and is in excellent working condition. He's only used it a total of 5-10 hours probably in that time. He has a riser block as well as some kind of jig that helps with resawing. He lost the blades, so I'll have to buy those.

Does this sound like a reasonable price? Online, they seem to be going for anywhere between $450-1000, so I have no baseline to work with. I trust the selller, but do want to make sure I'm getting a reasonable deal.

Thanks!


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## 13579 (Jun 23, 2018)

Bryan Eriksen said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Seems high, you can buy new grizzly for less than $500 with 1 HP motor and two speeds


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

I used to be a die hard made in America fan, but since all the American names are being imported I will no longer buy any. You will have better luck getting any parts you may need from Grizzly then Delta


I would go with a new Grizzly, they are good tools


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

The asking price seems high to me, too. Even though it is lightly used, it is not a current model, but it is does not deserve a premium price for "old tool" quality. We don't know anything about the conditions of storage, which would make a huge difference. I have heard stories about poor customer support from Delta these days, and I wonder about future parts availability. Used tool prices vary a lot depending on your location, too.

Does it come with a rolling base? A fence? One of those rounded resaw guides? A miter gauge? Insert plates? Featherboards? A push stick? Anything else? 

In case it matters, I paid $250 for a used 1953 Delta 890 in excellent condition, ready-to-run. It came with a 1.75 HP motor, and had several add-ons attached. The seller included a bunch of new blades, a heavy, nice miter gauge, and some unrelated woodworking extras, such as a Starrett 4 inch square. I had to supply the push stick.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

To me it is a couple hundred dollars over consideration compared to what is available locally, that is a common DIY type saw, if you are not in a hurry let him know it is out of your price range. If it was a stranger I would offer what I thought it was worth, unfortunately you can't always do that with acquaintances, however if he does list it for sale he may realize he is out of line and come back to you with a better offer.


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## Bryan Eriksen (Feb 5, 2017)

Thanks for the reply - It's been sitting in his shop - he makes guitars and cabinets for amps for rock stars (I'm not kidding - really awesome stuff for our favorite classic rock bands), so I know he takes care of his tools. He is including:

-Riser Block (genuine Delta)
-Resaw guide
-Fence
-Inserts/manual etc

I thought those items would increase the value somewhat. I think there is value in purchasing from someone I know also.


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## Mycrossover (May 18, 2018)

Is that riser block loose or installed? Other parts need to be replaced when raising the saw, like hardware for the blade guard.

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## Mikhail2400 (Jun 20, 2018)

I bought the Grizzly Anniversary edition 14" table saw for about $650 and love it. You can buy a 6" riser for the Grizzly which will increase your saw height to 12" for around $100. Grizzly customer service is great to deal with and they respond fast. After fine tuning my bandsaw I can now resaw lumber with a nice straight cut using the fence which came with it. I purchased a new bandsaw mainly because I didnt want to buy someone elses used machine. Especially in some thing like a bandsaw which can be quirky.
It sounds like you have about convinced yourself to buy your buddies bandsaw. $750 isnt an outrageous price for his saw and the accessories so it really comes down to you. Do you want a brand new 14" bandsaw with a factory warranty (ive yet to use my warranty) or do you want your friends 15-20 year old Delta? Seems like a no-brainer to me. good luck with what ever you do.


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## Mark Jones Ozark (Feb 26, 2019)

I tried to order some parts for my delta 12" saw. No longer being manufactured. I did find a work around with similar parts but some parts have to be exact. With them no longer being made. Go Grizzly. Parts is important.


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## Larry42 (Jan 10, 2014)

I bought one of those new a long time ago. It wasn't a very good band saw. Mine only came with the 1/2 hp motor, way under powered unless you've got all day. The blade guides aren't very good. You might be able to resaw taller than 6" but the frame gets really springy, W/O the riser! and causes problems if you push it. I was using a 3 tpi X 3/4" blade made for "resawing." 
I bought a used 17" MiniMax (SCM's cheap line, made in Italy by Samco) with a welded steel frame that is much stiffer than the Delta. Good blade guides, lots of vertical clearance, $400.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

I have always been a fan of the older delta bandsaws. not sure of all the vintages, models. agree that that price is 250 more than it should be, even if perfect.


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## Mark Jones Ozark (Feb 26, 2019)

The sad part of these old tools is finding parts for them. I have several out of manufacture tools that need specific parts that render them a paper weight. One just needs to keep that in mind. 


Stopped in to a chainsaw repair shop looking for a part. He said our prices are a little higher but we have parts for everything we sell. 


Old tools are pretty solid. Yet sometimes they need something.


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## bill1608 (Mar 23, 2019)

In central Illinois you are very lucky if you get $300 for a fully restored single phase Delta 14" BS. If you have mechanical ability and ingenuity, you can buy the best old Delta 14's (1940's and 1950's) for about $150 to $200 and have a nice machine after restoration or repair. Most old saws need new tires. The weak point in the Delta 14" saws is the upper wheel hinge bracket. They were under designed and could bend if the blade was over tightened. Very common. But you can buy aftermarket ones online, which might even be better. People part these machines out and sell on ebay.


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