Delta 28-299A D EditionD Saw with Mobile Base, Dust Connectors, and Rip Fence

List Price: $1,601.29

Features:

• 1-1/2 horsepower induction motor provides cool, quiet power
• 9 spoke computer balanced wheels eliminate vibration under load
• Includes rip-fence, premium dust collectors, and mobile base
• Blade moves at 3,000 surface feet per minute for efficient cutting
• 2-year limited warranty on machines, parts, and accessories

Accessories:
Empire Manufacturing TSS-8D The Complete TopSaver System	Empire Manufacturing TOOL-6D The Complete ToolSaver System	Tripp Lite Super 7 Surge Protector	SurgeMaster Home Series Wall Mount w/Tel and Coax,6 Outlet, 2655 Joules, ($250K CEW & Data Recovery)	SurgeMaster Gold Series w/Tel, 9 Outlet, 2950 Joules, 10' Cord, 360 Rotating Plug, (Unlimited CEW & Data Recovery)

Customer Reviews:

Great Machine for the money [Posted on 2003-03-22]
Arrived in 4 business days. It took about 3-4 hours (going slowly) to get everything together. I also purchased the riser kit. I went out on Tues. and got one of those low tension blades and got it running. I am amazed at how well this works compared to my old Black and Decker bench top. I resawed a 5" wide oak board (this was before I even tuned up the fence with the blade) and with my second cut I made a 3/64" piece of veneer. Yesterday I turned a 12" diameter piece of walnut my neighbor had given me for firewood (what a shame), into 5 beautiful (yet small) boards. When I tried to true up the blade to the table, I realized that my table was cupped up, right around the hole. It seemed to be off about .009-.012 from one side to the other. I called Delta right away and have never had such great customer service. I wasn't transferred once. The same lady (Renee) who answered my call knew exactly what I was referring to and as soon as I explained my problem, she asked if I could handle putting a table on. I said that it was no problem and she said that one would in the mail tomorrow. I am very happy with this purchase and am even more happy with the company.

Excellent Saw, Excellent Service [Posted on 2003-04-30]
As you can see from the other reviews here, this is a great bandsaw for the small/medium size shop. In Fine Woodworking Magazine's review of 14" bandsaws this one got very high marks.

Here's some of my impressions:

The mobile base went together very easily. But the saw tends to wobble in the mobile base. When assembling the saw leave the access panels off, assemble the whole saw, then shim the saw until it's stable. Then put the access panels on. But having the saw on a mobile base is wonderfull.

The base comes in one box, the saw in a 2nd box. You'll need a 2nd person to lift the saw onto the base. Tightening and adjusting the motor and drive belt is much easier with a 2nd person as well. The instructions are very clear, just follow them in order and your saw will be set up properly.

The upper wheel was tilted by about 3/8", but there's an adjustment for this just below the blade tension knob. It turns out that it was just loose for shipping. A quick adjustment straightened it out and the upper and lower wheels were exactly in plumb with each other.

The dust collector fitting is worthless. I have a 1400 CFM cyclone dust collector with a 4" hose and when I hook it up to the 4" to 2" reducer and to the saw It seems to do absolutly nothing. Search the web for home made dust collection solutions for this saw and you'll have a much better situation.

The saw table was dead flat, but the edges were sharp. A couple of minutes work with a fine file and this was fixed. Do this before you install the fence and you'll have an easier job of it.

I havn't put the riser block on yet, but the instructions look pretty clear. A few caveats about the riser block: You'll need to invest in 105" blades (not a problem, just be aware of it). Installing the riser block is another job for 2 people. The saw is HEAVY. And you'll need 2 open end/box end wrenches, a 1 1/8 and a 1 1/4. Some of the smaller wrench sets don't have wrenches this large. Be prepared before you start to unbolt the saw. A cresent wrench won't fit into the small space around the bolt head.

The rip fence is very solid. I have to get use to having the fence to the right of the blade. With my 9" delta band saw the fence was always to the left. The fence has a "resaw bar" assesory. This is a round bar that fastends vertically to the fence. This allows you to adjust your work if you're resawing a thin slice and the blade starts to wonder.

The included guide blocks seem to be working fine. You need to adjust them each time you change the blade but that's standard operating procedure with any band saw. The adjustments are easy to make and easy to reach. The blocks and thrust bearing adjustments are locked into position with thumb screws so you don't to keep a wrench handy (which I ALWAYS misplace just when I need it).

Shipping: I used the super saver shipping. The trucking company that delivered it was very nice. They phoned 3 days before delivery to let me know it was coming. On the day of delivery they called again to confirm. The truck had a lift gate on it so I didn't have to worry about unloading it from the truck but I was prepared with a pair of furniture dollies. The driver helped my not only load the boxes onto the dollies, but he helped my roll them back to my shop and even lift them over the shop door's threshhold. Excellent service indeed.

So far it's a very nice, very accurate saw with more than enough power to do what I've asked of it. If you're looking for a 14" bandsaw I think you'll be very pleased with this one.

The Good, the Bad, the OOGLY.. [Posted on 2003-05-23]
The Good - made in USA, good fit/finish, quality materials. Overall, better materials than my Jet jointer.

The Bad - table was not flat (off by about 1/16th). I called Delta, the lady was clueless, thought I was talking about the width measurements... She did, however send me a new table.

The OOGLY - replacement table arrived, it is more warped than the original! Also in this category, the saw vibrates more than I would like. And the dust collector is useless; I replaced it with a flat, 6x6 adapter (4") by cutting two slots in the top of the adapter and adding a screw to hold the bottom. Works great with an 1100 cfm collection system.

Also, I installed the riser, but had some difficulty with the alignment pins - they are very soft, and don't fit that well. I finally had to file them down to get the riser installed.

Overall, not terribly impressed with this product.

Fantastic machine--except... [Posted on 2003-06-11]
The saw itself is nothing less than I expected from Delta. I received my 28-299A in 4 days; it went together well and runs flawlessly. My only complaint is with the unbelieveably cheap, plastic dust connector. It is thin and held in place with a spring clip which falls open in use because of the weight of the 4 inch adapter and collector hose. What on earth were the Delta design engineers thinking when they decided this was an acceptable feature for this saw? I have used the saw extensively and found guide blocks and thrust bearings very easy to adjust without tools. The blade tracks perfectly even after hours of continuous use. Come on Delta...improve the dust collection and make it equal in quality to the rest of the machine!

3.5 stars [Posted on 2003-10-19]
I ordered this saw from Amazon. It arrived in about a week. Everything was packed securely and there was no damage or dings or scratches on the bandsaw. Assembly was very simple and straight forward. Machine runs pretty well except for mild vibration even after adjustment/tune-up. I replaced the belt witha PowerTwist belt with mild improvement. The mobile base is excellent and very sturdy. Overall, I am happy with the saw, except for the following:

1. The dust collection assembly is a piece of plastic that is held in place with a small clip. Very cheaply made dust collection system and does not work well.

2. The rip fence which is made out of aluminum is not flat vertically and I can not get it to sit 90 degrees with the table. I am planning to contact Delta to get a new fence.

3. The bandsaw wheels were out of plane when arrived from the factory, but this can be adjusted.

I hope this review was helpful.

Click here for more details and discount information...