DELTA 28-682 18-Inch 2-Horsepower Woodworking Band Saw with Ball Bearing Guides, 230-Volt 1 Phase

by DELTA

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The DELTA 28-682 18-Inch 2 HP Woodworking Band Saw with Ball Bearing Guides is constructed with a 17.5-inch throat and features an impressive 12-inch resaw capacity under its roller guide bearings. The band saw is constructed with a powerful 2 HP, 230-volt single-phase motor that reduce vibrations for cleaner cuts. A patented rapid Release tension lever easily changes blade and adjusts blade tension, with a maximum possible blade width of 1-1/4 inches. It also preserves the integrity of the blade while the machine is not in operation. Curve and bevel cutting are simple tasks with the saw's 17-3/4-by-18-inch cast-iron table. The multi-locking table stands approximately 41-inches tall, tilts up to 49-degrees to the left and 8-degrees to the right, and comes with extension wings. Fully adjustable upper and lower blade guides support the platinum blade for accurate cutting.

The saw includes a two-speed pulley system, 18-inch cast-iron wheels, polyurethane compound tires, a rip fence with guide bar, and rare but highly useful dual 4-inch integral dust ports. Blade guides, wrenches, and wheel brushes are also included.

From the Manufacturer

DELTA 28-682 18-Inch 2 Horsepower Woodworking Band Saw with Ball Bearing Guides, 230-Volt 1 Phase

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 23 x 29 x 85 inches ; 484 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 484 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000EI96F
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 28-682
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,759 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great saw, great price, December 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: DELTA 28-682 18-Inch 2-Horsepower Woodworking Band Saw with Ball Bearing Guides, 230-Volt 1 Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I've had this saw for the past 3 weeks. Quality is very good. I gave it the nickel test after set up, and the nickel stood up through start up and shut down. A real smooth runner. Blade change was easy. So far I have resawed 8" wide walnut, 10" maple spalted logs 3 to 4 ft.long, some 8" sycamore, and a 5" log of osage orange, 3 feet long. The saw had no trouble with any of these woods and did not bog down in the slightest. I was able to make 1/8" veneer from the splated maple. SWEET !! The blade tensioner is beefy and very easy to use. Just pull down on the handle to tension & pull up to release. I actually take the tension off after use now. There are several minor annoyances. The lower inside blade guide is difficult to adjust. You have to angle the table to get at it. The saw blade was onlt 1/2", cheap, and needed to be replaced. The tip of the allen wrench broke off in one of the set screws for the guide bearings.What a pain. The manual could be a little more verbose, especially about tracking and guide adjustment. The tracking adjustment screws seem a little cheap but are functional. All in all, this saw has earned every bit of the 4 stars I gave it. If it cut the wood by itself, I'd give it a 5!

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good saw but could guides could be much better, August 6, 2004

By 

EvilTwin (Portsmouth, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DELTA 28-682 18-Inch 2-Horsepower Woodworking Band Saw with Ball Bearing Guides, 230-Volt 1 Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I got this saw the other day. Very beefy saw. Fit and finish are good. Agree with other reviewer that lower blade guide is tough to adjust since you have to tilt up the table just to be able to access it. First the bad parts:

I will go further and state that I think for a saw of this quality, Delta should have put much better upper and lower blade guides that what was included with the saw. The castings for the mounts are cast iron and are not very high quality. Not smooth finished and the upper guide bearings that ride on either side of the blade do not even ride parallel to each other. The bearings ride on eccentric shafts that are held in place with a setscrew to adjust the distance to the blade. The rear upper guide bearing sits on a cast iron piece that is held inplace with a set screw. It is adjusted for distance to the blade by moving it by hand in and out. No screw adjustment or any fine tuning available. Also it and the lower rear bearing adjustment have plenty of slop in them. So much that the bearings can droop down (not parallel with the blade) by about 1/8th of an inch or more. Given the fact that this is one of the more expensive Taiwanese 18" saws on the market, this lack of quality is unacceptable. Other competitors saws have much better QC and designs for their blade guides. Unfortunately Carter does not yet have a retrofit blade guide kit for this saw. So far I have not been able to get the saw to cut strait when trying to resaw a 3" piece of hardwood.

The good: As I said, fit and finish is good. Power is good and I think the overall design of the saw is good. Comes with a magnetic starter, table extension and a good solid fence. I have ordered some replacement parts from Delta and their response was very good. Unfortunatley, the design of the blade guides is critical to the working of the saw and these will probably get replaced when Carter comes out with a replacement kit.

UPDATE: Since I posted the review I have been able to retrofit a set of carter guides on to the saw. Delta should have fitted the saw with guides of this quality to start with, but with their current state of affairs (buyout by B&D), who is to say what will become of the company. I noticed another reviewer that had issues with the blade length. Frankly, saws of this size are not that common yet (not like the 14" standard, 93.5" blades) and you will have to get your blades custom made. Not a big deal nor a costly option either. Several places on the internet sell them and all you do is tell them the specific size and they make them up. No real price difference that I can tell.

Also, I dont think the table trunions are all that bad. Table is plenty sturdy and they use an additional support in the back. Now if you want to see cheesy, look at the wheel bearing assembles on a Rikon 18". They use four bolts to hold the shaft and adjust it into plane.

Still feel that with the current cost difference between the delta and the other brands (grizzly for one) you would be better off with something else till delta fixes this machines shortcomings or drops the price a few hundred (yeah right).

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bang for the Buck!, January 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: DELTA 28-682 18-Inch 2-Horsepower Woodworking Band Saw with Ball Bearing Guides, 230-Volt 1 Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

Bought this saw a couple months ago before Amazon was carrying them. Did much comparison shopping between brands and decided that this saw had all others in its class beat by far, at least on specifications. Now that I've had the time to get familiar with the beast, I'm happy to say that my expectations have been exceeded!

A concern I had before buying was the blade sizes Delta says the saw will accomodate....1/2 to 1 1/4.... this worried me since I wanted a saw that would cut a tighter radius than a 1/2" blade will allow. Spoke to my blade dealer and he thought I should have no problem with 1/4.... He was right! The thinner blade tracks as easily as the 1/2 and with no deflection.

Advantages versus closest competion? Two full horsepower with dual capacitor motor which draws only an amazing 8.6 amps, 12" resaw capacity, very comfortable working height, 400 lbs with heavy cast iron wheels and quality tires, dual dust ports make for a very clean machine, quick tension release and easy to use tension adjustment, carter style bearings, useful table extender, pre-wired for 230.

Saw runs smooth as silk with plenty of resaw power. Plus it's just a beautiful beast to look at! Could not be more pleased two months into the game!