DELTA 46-715 9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers 3/4-Horsepower Woodworking Lathe, 120-Volt 1-Phase

by DELTA

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The DELTA 46-715 9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers 3/4-HP Woodworking Lathe is designed with a convenient 10-position speed change powered by a 0.75 HP, 60 Hz motor. It includes a speed range of 450 to 600 RPM. The cast-iron design of the lathe reduces vibrations for greater accuracy. Head stock rotates at 45- , 90- , and 180-degree angles anywhere along the bed for bowl or general outboard turning. The pulley includes a 24-position index scale that allows you to indulge in intricate, ornamental detailing, while the spindle comes with 24 lockable positions, great for making precise calculations and cuts. The lathe also includes a cast-iron tool rest measuring 12 inches, a convenient on/off switch positioned above the motor, and a durable steel stand.

From the Manufacturer

DELTA 46-715 9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers 3/4-Horsepower Woodworking Lathe, 120-Volt 1 Phase

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 62.6 x 22.4 x 18.4 inches ; 338 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 322 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: B00005V5NM
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 46-715
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,237 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #61 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Power Tools > Lathes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but problems to know, February 28, 2004

By 

George N. Appenzeller "nappen" (Fairbanks, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: DELTA 46-715 9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers 3/4-Horsepower Woodworking Lathe, 120-Volt 1-Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I have been using this lathe for approximately 1 year and this is what I have found.
I bought the lathe as a first lathe. I was inexperienced and on a budget. With those things in mind, it did well for the first few months. All the items were there, it shipped fast and was not difficult to assemble without assistance from anyone else, though I recommend getting a friend to help with some of the lifting.
I noticed a rattle and some vibration, but it was very minimal and it didn't seem to affect performance. I satisfactorily turned several bowls and a lot of spindle work. The motor gets a lot of bang out of the 3/4 horses. The mobile headstock is very versital. The tool rest is quite good. For a starter lathe it is a nice tool.
Now to the problems.
1) The base is not heavy or rigid enough. That is an easy fix and not a real detractor.
2) The tailstock base does not lock down well enough and I find myself retightening it frequently.
3) The biggest problem now is the constant worsening of the rattling and the vibration it causes, which translates into the spindle and handwheel. It makes it impossible to rechuch anything accurately and vibration is extreme, even with small loads. One of the pulleys is definately mis-machined and has both horizontal and vertical displacement while running. Delta has the pulleys on back order from their overseas supplier. I therefore took it in to the local authorized dealer and have yet to hear back. A wobbley handwheel and spindle movement make turning unenjoyable.

Searching the web and the message boards, I have seen about an even number of people saying they have had no problems as those who have had worse problems than I have. Most seem to revolve around the reeves drive and quality control...Perhaps the overseas manufacture of this lathe is at fault, I don't know.

If Delta could fix the problems with the drive and pulleys, this could be a great mid range lathe. With the mechanical difficulties I am having now with only moderate use (1-2 weekends a month), I could not recommend this lathe unless you test the specific one you are buying to make sure it is in good working order.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get the best tools you can afford., April 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: DELTA 46-715 9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers 3/4-Horsepower Woodworking Lathe, 120-Volt 1-Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

After a couple of weeks of shopping, I planned to purchase the Jet. I logged on to get it and saw the Delta as a "new" listing .... I made a couple of calls to the Tool Crib to get more details and decided to spend the extra money on the Delta. I sure am glad I did. This machine is much heavier than the Jet, and the variable speed adjustment is nice. It can turn larger diameter and longer length projects. Overall, I believe it is a better machine and the few extra dollars are soon forgotten. The down side is you can't wire the motor 230 volt just 115volt, and the DELTA logo on the front may cost more than a stick on decal, but the way they attach it makes it looks cheap.
I try to do my homework before I buy, and I must admit I usually end up with a Jet. In my opinion, Jet tends to offer a lot of features for the money. Sure, you can get better tools if you need the top of the line, but Jet's medium priced tools are hard to beat. It was really nice to see Delta get in the game and be competative.
I haven't purchased a Delta tool since my table saw several years ago. Good job Delta! The lathe set up quickly and is stable for a medium/large lathe. I placed mine on a HTC mobile base that didn't help stability but was necessary for my shop. Remember, you have to get the extension kit for the HTC base. The motor seems to have enough power, but I have yet to challenge it with a real large bowl. I like the fact that the head stock doesn't sit down in a depression, which allows the head and tail stock to be moved to the center to work on smaller projects. Delta just needs to throw in some touch up paint. Not that I have ever used a drop of the paint Jet sends with their tools, but it is a nice touch.

70 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Many manufacturing and design defects in this lathe..., February 2, 2004

By 

Richard Munroe (Belmont, Ma United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DELTA 46-715 9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers 3/4-Horsepower Woodworking Lathe, 120-Volt 1-Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

My neighbor got a Delta 46-715 as a birthday present. After setting it up, he and I were checking it out and discovered that the variable speed mostly didn't work. Total change was perhaps 500 RPM, if that. After a lot of head scratching and several calls to Delta Service (who basically said "ship it back") we figured out that the pulley was binding on the shaft. After taking the whole variable drive assembly apart we found a manufacturing defect on the drive shaft. Fortunately my neighbor has access to a machine shop and we were able to turn the defect out of the shaft and now the lathe changes speed fine. A year later, we decide to take apart the tailstock because the quill was binding. We find that the key way for the quill was completely torn up (it looked as if the key way had been badly cut, then brazed, then recut), that the quill itself was badly out of round, the design for the hand wheel relies on friction alone to turn the quill (just a single set screw pressured against the threads of the spindle bolt), the end of the quill locking bolt was completely out of round, and the mechanical drawing of the tailstock shows a long key holding the quill in place (the correct way to keep a cylinder in a sleeve from rotating) which certainly isn't how the tailstock was manufactured. Basically the entire design is pretty cheap and the manufacturing process that released the parts and assembly was definately defective. It took us a year to notice the tailstock problems because I've mostly been doing facework and have only recently (the last few weeks) been doing a lot of center work. So the tailstock fell apart basically after 3 weeks use or so.

Essentially a lathe only has two parts, the headstock and the tailstock and on this lathe both have had major defects in either manufacturing or design or both. I give this lathe only one star, for ease of assembly. For the price it certainly isn't worth it.

For the record. I bought one of these for light production work on my farm, but I bought it used and got a clean one for very little money. If it gives me too much trouble I can always just scrap it or donate it to a school and take the deduction. I would certainly never buy one of these at retail prices. Spend a little more money and go with any of the other major tool manufacturers.

Some further data is now in. I ordered replacements for the quill and the screw that moves the quill. I was told that both parts were in stock, so I sprang for the next day shipping. The quill arrived the next day, without the screw, which had been backordered. I called the next day and was told the screws would be back in stock and shipped the following Monday (3 days), it's been nearly a month now and I'm still dead in the water. Delta service really bites. I certainly wouldn't buy this product (and, at this point, any Delta product) unless I was forced to.