Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Purchased Delta 46-715 lathe from Amazon.com ... Took 2 hours to assemble stand and put lathe bed on stand. The lathe finish is outstanding. A really nice paint job. Mounted 8" bowl blank and proceeded to turn a bowl. I really like being able to change lathe speeds without stopping the lathe. Very smooth, no vibrations. I like the tool rest as it works for inboard turning as well as outboard turning due to its design. The free 6-piece tool set was a real bonus. With a swing overbed of 14" and with headstock pivoted 90 degres allowing a 19" bowl to be turned I am impressed. After using this lathe for 2 hours I found no flaws. This lathe weighs a little over 300 pounds, which gives it stability. For the money this is a true bargain.

I have had a number of "subtle" problems with more than one Delta product, however, this one did not follow suit. No vibration, no noise, very sturdy, smooth, etc. The only problem I experienced was with the bolts used to attach the bed to the legs; they should be at least 2 threads longer to ease installation of the bed to the legs. I found it easiest to temporarily install 4 bolts, two each in the inner holes of each end of the lathe bed, without lockwashers. Next I installed the outer 4 bolts with lockwashers. Finally, I removed and reinstalled the inner four bolts with lockwashers. A minor problem, but seemingly typical of Delta products.

I do believe Delta needs quality control improvement, however, this lathe is without doubt one of the best Delta products I have purchased.

I was pleased enough to order the duplicator, and will comment after receipt and test.

From my experience, I would recommend this lathe.

I have used a multi-purpose tool for a lathe for years. As I started shopping for a real lathe, all of them in my price range were too light. I was told Delta was coming out with a new mid-range type lathe. I am glad I waited. I received mine last week and quickly put it together. I was impressed with the heavy plywood box( I used the top piece to make a support for cinder blocks at the cross supports on the legs). I have turned several pieces and am very pleased. It takes a little while to get used to keeping one handle on the tool rest from interfering with another but thats no biggy. The speed control works very well and I like the spindle lock device. The reason that I rated this lathe five stars is that I know that you can buy a better lathe, but for this price a lot of people will be able to enjoy the beauty of turning without morgaging their house!

I recently bought this model Delta lathe at a retail store. After I put it together and powered it up, I noticed a "flapping" sound within the motor/spindle housing as I advanced the speed. I took off the cover and found that I could easily touch the belt together. It looked to me like the spindle pulley is too wide open at that point to provide tension to the belt.
I called Delta customer service first thing on Monday and was told a tech would soon call me back. I called later that afternoon and got the same response but again no return call. I called again the next morning,demanded to talk to a tech and received a call back a short while later. He said he didn't know what the problem was and asked me to provide both pulley width measurements at various speeds which I did during that phone call. He told me he would have to pass it to an engineer for a determination. With no response for 2 days, I called back late Thursday afternoon and was told he had no info from the engineer. It was now Tuesday (over 8 days since I first called) and I still had not heard anything. I finally posted the above on a woodworking forum where two Delta reps hang out. I knew that going public would finally force a response. I was called later that day and told that there was another lathe with the same problem and they wanted my lathe back to look over. Delta offered to send me a new lathe but won't have any in stock until early January which means it will have been sitting DOA in my shop for over a month. What bothers me most is that I could not get a response from Delta's customer service until I went public. I think I am going to return the new lathe they send and get a Jet 1442 instead. Jet's customer service has been consistently outstanding in all aspects and is one of the major reasons I own lots of Jet equipment.

This lathe has it. I purchased it from a local dealer and have been treated well.they sent out a service man who took off the pulley cover and discovered a bent pulley also the hand wheal ran out of round, both replaced. Still viberated I had an enginer at my expense and he said the bearing maybe bad. Delta's service center replaced bearing and main shaft. Much better but still viberated,I just ordered a jet lathe,the only solution I know,I have had a Sears lathe for 25 years and thought I was upgrading.I thought I was alone with this problem but from other reviews I see i'm not.I bought a Delta because I have a basment full of their tools. Saw, chop saw, Drill press mortiser,shaper, scroll saw electric Hand tools etc.

Although the shipping box was slightly damaged, the lathe was not. Everything went together with no problem (as opposed to many other tools I've gotten in the past!). I've used the lathe to turn some ornamental pieces and have begun a 10 lb hat block for my wife (her hobby), with no [vibration or other problems]. I have noticed the belt will begin to slip when doing heavy roughing, but all I've got to do is lessen my cut. All in all, an excellent value for the price! Perhaps my next one will be in the $$$$ range, but for [the price I paid], I really can find nothing to complain about.

I have had this lathe for over two years now. I use it 3 to 4 times a week. This is a decent all around lathe. Epecially for the money. It definately is not top of the line but then again it doesn't cost $5,000 either.

I have made bowls, tops, plates and cups on it. It is very capable of producing quality work. From tiny spindles to large bowls.

That the headstock swivels is a great thing. You need this feature when making bowls or else you have to walk around to the back side to get to the inside, so as to not get overextended. It is easily done by the unlocking the lever under the headstock itself.

Yes it does tend to vibrate, but adding 300 pounds of sand, in bags, on the shelf virtually eliminates that. If you bolt it to the floor you better make sure you are perfectly level or you'll tweak the ways, which can throw off spindle alignment.

The tailstock spindle keyway can get boogered up IF you back the locking key out too far. I filed mine and now it is fine.
The tailstock does slip back occasionally, albeit incrementally slow. I just periodically give the handwheel a slight turn. This is not really a problem unless I am roughing out a large bowl blank from an uneven section of log.

Mine came with Delta's set of HSS tools and they are more than adequate. Sharpen them first and check the angles of the grind by looking at some turning websites. Lots of good free info out there.

Power? Plenty. I always start on slow speed and increase to where I need to be. This is not because of power concerns but for safety. Forget one time that you finished a high speed spindle turning last night and today you are roughing out a half log and ... Always stand to the side at start up.

About customer service... I just had my switch break, ultimately due to a failed plastic part. Even though I am out of the two year warranty, they are covering it! A while ago I broke one of the locking handles (because I overtightened it) and they are covering that too. If they had customer service problems before,,, well they fixed them in my book.

Additional.
I recently had a pulley go bad. The reeves drive seems to be the source of the vibration which ultimately leads to failure. This is still a good lathe but for more than hobbywork, I would go with something better.