# HELP! Delta 9" Band Saw... Is this worth $50?



## AngieO

So I found a bench top band saw on our local "Buy, Sell, Trade". Here is a pic of it.










They were asking $60 originally. Had agreed upon $40 and then someone else offered them $50. Both deals fell through and now I'm third in line. It's a Delta BS 100 9". They want me to pick it up tonight… which is impossible. But I think they would hold it for me till tomorrow.

Pro's… Con's… Good deal?


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## Alexandre

Good deal.
After all, it's a Delta!


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## Alexandre

It's also seems like Ina great condition.l


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## knotscott

It's probably worth $40….$50 is pushing it IMHO.


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## cutworm

Go for it.


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## Howie

My Dad gave me this saw. "Never could get the damn thing to cut straight"..I took it home got the book out and tuned it like the book said. Works fine. It's my "go to" saw as my 14" is set up to resaw mostly. 
Price is right,grab it. Just remember to "tune" it.


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## RibsBrisket4me

yes.


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## crank49

For $50 bucks its not too bad.
If this deal does not go through you would get a much better saw with the 10" models. They have cast iron tables, die cast metal wheels and better blade guides. I often see 10" Sears machines for $50 to $100.

The ones to stay away from are the 3 wheel machines, I have been told because they are hard on the blades. 
But, I have a little 3 wheel Delta I paid about $69 for it back in 1988 or so. I used it for cutting wax blanks for my jewelry casting business. It did alright for that. Any way, I see these for $25 to $30 all the time.


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## donwilwol

If you want a small bandsaw, It looks like a decent deal for $50. I was looking for one for a long time. If I seen that around here I'd have bought it. I went the other direction and bought an old 16" Walker Turner. Now the Central Machinery 14" will be the small one.


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## toolie

good deal @ $50. i paid $20 for mine last year. it's a good little "i don't want to wheel out the big saw" band saw. as far as tuning up is concerned, my wheels needed balancing.



















if you can believe it, i saw this same type of saw on CL in my area. seller was asking $200!.


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## AngieO

Well… thanks. I think it would have been a stretch anyways but the lady said she sold it 10 minutes ago when I asked if I could meet her tomorrow.


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## BrianStrothcamp

keep your eyes peeled and you will find another one… just make sure everything is there like the light and mitre guage


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## CharlieM1958

Ah…. too late for that one. But if you find a similar deal, go for it. I have that exact saw. It can't do everything a full-size saw can do, but it is extremely handy to have in the shop.


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## GaryW

I gave $130 for a 9" Skill Band saw, ain't worth $5. 
Do it!


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## boxcarmarty

The most important thing to know about Delta is that you cannot get parts for them any more. Delta has been bought and sold over the past few years and the company that was building there parts are no longer doing so. With that said, Delta is/was a quality company. If the saw works good as it is, It would be worth the $40-$50. Keep in mind that this is a small bench top model and only good for cutting smaller stock…..


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## roman

Well, where there was one, there will be another

good to see some one who wants to keep their money in their wallet

you should check out your local auctions too


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## AngieO

I live in a small town. I've checked out the flea markets (there's two) and the only thing you will find are things that look so rusty and beat up that you wonder if it's even worth $1. My husband is good at fixing things… but he has absolutely NO interest in my new endeavor so I can't really get help from him. My friend that knows this stuff lives at least an hour and a half away. The local auctions… most are jokes. Haven't been to any of the big ones lately though. I started to jump on this bs because in two months it's the first woodworking tool that I've seen. Even Craigslist for this area is slim and at least an hour and a half away.

I didn't get the saw… but I actually learned from your comments. I really appreciate that. It's great to have a place to ask these kinds of questions and get the feed back. And everyone's perspective is so different that it really gives me a good idea of what to look for. Thanks guys!


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## OnlyJustME

It sounds like you have to move. lol 
I bought an old delta 10" model for $75 and it needed a good bit of restoring but still was worth it in my opinion. 
I think it was worth the $50 but the next question would be will it be satisfactory for your needs? or should you get one a bit larger?


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## crank49

This is a craftsman 10" bandsaw. It sells new around $190. Can be found at Sears outlet centers for $90 to $125.
It's the same saw as Rikon sold by Highland woodworking and Woodcraft and others for closs to $275.
Jet sells the same saw for close to $300. 
I've seen it on craigslist for $100.

I have the Rikon which I caught on sale for $200 and I really like it.


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## Tomj

I have the Craftsman 10" it's a nice little saw and the table is as big as bigger 14" saws being 14" by 14". I'm about to buy a Grizzly Deluxe 14" but I'm still keeping this one around as it still does what I ask of it.


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## HalDougherty

Keep looking on Craig's List. You'll find another one. I bought a used Ridgid 14" bandsaw last year for $125 and it was in like new condition.


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## RyanHaasen

I have one of those and don't really use it. The main problem on mine is that the blade will not track properly, and the drift is so bad, it is tough to even rough out scroll work. Perhaps I need to look more into this problem, but for now it is just used to rough out sheet aluminium for jigs and templates.


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## Surfside

Honestly, I'm not particular with the brand. As long as it runs and has a good quality blade in it, it's good for a go. Anyways, that's a good deal you got there.


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## toolie

+1 on the 10" c-man comment. collected one for free for a neighbor from someone on anither forum who didn't want it. nice little saw. made with the same attention to detail as it's rikon cousins.


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## NormG

Excellent work horse, I had one for years. Good luck


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## Hoosier25

Hold our for 14" band saw. It wiill cost more, but it will do alot more.

Delta or Jet used are gennerally good bets. 
Band saws need to be tuned carefully and need good blades


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## Surfside

If it gives you more than what you pay, why not?

Another good bet is Grizzly.


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## lumberjoe

This is exactly why I *STILL* don't have a bandsaw. Ask yourself what you are going to use it for. In my case it will be 25% resawing, 15% cutting curves, and 10% cuts that are unsafe (really small cuts) on a CMS or table saw. Because of my needs, all the small bandsaws are off the list. There are only 2 saws I am looking at currently. One is over 1000.00 (Laguna LT14SUV), one is slightly under (Rikon Deluxe 14").


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## MonteCristo

Make sure you buy a bandsaw that will meet your needs. A 9" saw is great for little stuff but is totally unfit for bigger jobs. Don't buy it just because it's cheap !


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## Surfside

Price shouldn't be the only thing to be considered when you buy something. You have to assess if you need it, check the quality, its usefulness to you and more. It is always best to follow checklists!


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## Fishinbo

I would say that was a good deal. Best of luck of grabbing good scores next time.


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## JaySybrandy

SOOO CHEAP at the start of this year I brought a 9 1/2" Ryobi Bandsaw for $110 (or something around there) and it was $90 Postage and I get my bandsaw blades on ebay for $14 each (56")


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## Moai

> My Dad gave me this saw. "Never could get the damn thing to cut straight"..I took it home got the book out and tuned it like the book said. Works fine. It s my "go to" saw as my 14" is set up to resaw mostly.
> Price is right,grab it. Just remember to "tune" it.
> 
> - Howie


Howie,
if the machine is not doing straight cuts, most probably is for two reasons:
1. blade tension
2. backing bearings are to close to the blade.
I recommend to watch Alex Snodgrass' video "Band Saw Clinic"


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## controlfreak

Zombie thread, I read through just to see if our news link spammer got it going.


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