1920-60s DELTA / ROCKWELL picture thread - Post your Delta!

[Hoorn]

Here is that unicorn early pulley guard for the jointer.

 

[Hoorn]

.

 

[jfk92]

@Hoorn - yeah I'm an idiot sometimes - must have looked at the last posting date from the first page and thought "I'm next!" duh!

 

[Snip's]

Finished painting the last part today on my Delta DP220 refurbish...
Will start assembling next week...

 

[Tarnished]

Here is that unicorn early pulley guard for the jointer.

Hoorn: So that's what that guard looks like..... Pretty rare in my neck of the woods. Pretty pricey considering the price of the machine. Explains why they are so hard to find. Was yours on a machine, or did you find it separately? Thanks for showing.

 

[Hoorn]

@Tarnished I should have clarified, that is not mine. That is literally the only image of one that I could find on the internet, and it's on eBay. You can grab it for the princely sum of $440. Needless to say, it's been for sale for a long time.

It's a local guy out in So Cal whose prices across the board are astronomical. He does have some great vintage stuff, but I rarely see any of it sell. I've been looking at the same postings of the same machines year after year. Beautiful, uncommon machines and tools go to die at his location.

 

[Tarnished]

@Tarnished I should have clarified, that is not mine. That is literally the only image of one that I could find on the internet, and it's on eBay. You can grab it for the princely sum of $440. Needless to say, it's been for sale for a long time.

It's a local guy out in So Cal whose prices across the board are astronomical. He does have some great vintage stuff, but I rarely see any of it sell. I've been looking at the same postings of the same machines year after year. Beautiful, uncommon machines and tools go to die at his location.

Not nessarrly just in So. Cal. Have seen this in ohio also. Don't think they really want to sell things, just show them off. LOL
At least we have a photo of an "EXISTING" sample. That's something.

 

[Hoorn]

While in a P/Os garage purchasing a Craftsman 12 inch disc sander (109.22370 Double A Products Co. vender), I noted a Delta miter gauge hanging on a 1930s four foot, non-louvered Unisaw and asked if it was for sale. He said make me an offer, I did and he accepted.

First appearing in catalogs in 1933, the Delta No. 864 auto-set miter gauge set the standard for every 3/4" bar miter gauge that followed. Herbert Tautz, who founded Delta, was the inventor of this important accessory. Here is the design illustration submitted for his patent approval in May of 1933.



For those familiar with Keith Bohns outstanding Delta miter gauge type study, mine is a type 1E.

That places this miter gauge in roughly the 1940 range, though it is never pictured in any Delta catalog. Since this is a type 1E, that tells you there are types A through D and several more types after. Each type denotes a subtle change in design, from raised lettering to decals, to thumbscrew placement, squared shoulders to angled shoulders, etc.

This miter gauge would be the last to have a squared shoulder, the next type would have two angled shoulders and would remain that way. Here is an example of the angled shoulders. (Not my miter gauge)



Other obvious design changes that would follow over the years would be a decal Delta Milwaukee logo, then cast raised lettering Delta Milwaukee, then Delta Rockwell, then Rockwell.

What is remaining on this decal references "Delta Manufacturing Co."

I was very fortunate that this miter gauge had a very uncommon part still attached to it that is typically missing after 80+ years; that would be the "J-40 wrench" seen here in this 1948 Unisaw schematic. The purpose of the wrench is it fits the nuts on the 90 and 45 adjustable stops so you can fine tune the angles.









Here it is in the 1939 catalog with both shoulders squared and both thumb screws mounted on top. You will note the one I have has a slightly clipped shoulder and that one thumb screw is horizontally mounted. Delta also references this as a miter "gage".



Here it is introduced in the 1933 catalog.





I think we can all agree that the vintage catalogs were quite informative yet concise, and the layouts were simple and easy to navigate with well illustrated pictures.

Making sure you're not a bot!

 

[Snip's]

Spent today reassembling my refurbished Delta DP220...
It was eerily satisfying working on this machine... A lovely machine... They don't make them like this anymore...
The ball bearings in the motor sound a little crunchy... It takes two #77502... Read somewhere where bearings should be considered consumables... Will check to see if Accurate Bearing Co. has this size in stock... I prefer Nachi if they have them...

Original paint on the motor has just a few minor blemishes... Decided not to repaint it... Keeping it original...


I replaces the power cord with one with a grounded plug...
I'm going to replace the white cord going to the lamp... Maybe something more period correct??

 

[Hoorn]

Great example. Some nice goodies on there, the on off pull rod with the better pull rod retaining clip with grommet, the r/lamp, motor shaft cover, safety collar. I really like that uncommon motor badge.

I went with an old-timey braided cord for the lamp. Other colors available. Amazon.

 

[tombell572]

Always a pleasant surprise to see the table on an old D/P that isn't filled with drill marks--I never grasped the mentality that permits that to happen. A beautiful machine.

Tom B.

 

[rd65]

Noticed this today on the Public Surplus auction site. https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=3332138&trackId=2790

 

[454ragtop]

Noticed this today on the Public Surplus auction site. https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=3332138&trackId=2790

Looks like a pretty nice Delta 17" other than the arc of shame.

 

[mccoy31]

Delta was responsible for many industry firsts and innovative ideas. What may be Deltas most renowned machine is the famous Unisaw table saw. Making it's debut in the 1939 Delta catalog, the Unisaw was the first 10" cabinet saw to offer a tilting arbor, and at 83 years, is by far the longest production line of table saw from any American manufacturer, and one of the most widely distributed machines ever produced. In 1939 the Unisaw cost roughly $168 (depending on set up), that is $3,359 in 2022.

And here it is, as it first appeared in 1939 with that magnificent art deco styling and lettering:



Delta devoted several pages of their catalog to tout all the new features of the Unisaw:





Let's see those beautiful Delta Milwaukee machines!

As far as I can find, the first unit off the production line was given the serial number A100. I am in possession of A287 making it the 188th unit off the line. It is a four foot unit. The motor has been upgraded along with the switch and fence. Still it is an early part of the Unisaw history. I will get pics of it soon. It is far from restored, but still used often. I love it!!

 

[Mintgrun]

I found a nice example of a style 1D miter gauge the other day. Part of me said, "you don't need another miter gauge!" I'm glad I didn't listen.



The finish on this 1C is pretty trashed, by comparison.



I turned these two 2Cs into a sled of sorts, by attaching a piece of aluminum tubing to them. I attach another piece of wood to the front of that if I am using the dado and I've attached a piece of plywood as a base at times. The finish on those is fairly worn as well, so they fit right in around here.



Tom

 

[Hoorn]

@Mintgrun some super sweet miter gages you got there! Any square shoulder "1_" Type is tough to find nowadays, especially with the clamp attachment. Your 1D looks terrific. Any further detailed pics of the miter gage and a few words on how well the clamp works would be welcome.

 

[RBarnes]

I was very happy with these splayed leg stand Delta Rockwell feet. They have a little squish to them, which stopped my stand from teeter tootering on my concrete floor.

Rubber Feet for Delta Splayed Leg Stand

Modeled after the original Delta Splayed Leg stand rubber pads, our new set of four rubber pads fit vintage Delta Splayed Leg stands with bolt hole spacing of 1.25”. These pads provide a durable dampening rubber between the metal splayed legs and your floor. These Delta Splayed Leg pads also...

sinisterspeedshop.com

 

[Mintgrun]

I'd like to post more photos of the miter gages, but I'm having a problem with my computer. In the meantime, I'll share a CL ad for a beautiful Delta shaper.

vintage delta 1/2 in shaper in excellent condition - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Vintage delta shaper . Thia is a sweet little machine in excellent condition with original switches, fence,hold downs and mobil castors. Comes with 2 cutters. Can demo. If you are after one like...

seattle.craigslist.org

Vintage delta shaper . Thia is a sweet little machine in excellent condition with original switches, fence,hold downs and mobil castors. Comes with 2 cutters. Can demo. If you are after one like this there is none better. 250.00

 

[Hoorn]

Thanks for sharing that shaper; a magnificent example. I have no reason to doubt that is the original emblem, which was the very first triangle Delta logo from 1936. It's very complete, the cast iron belt guard, the original safety guard and it appears they maintained the original decals during a repaint. The 915 split phase Double-Duty motor is era correct and probably original to the shaper.

The retractable casters would not be available until almost 20 years later but it's a perfect accessory for that shaper.

I've had a 1950 Delta shaper that was almost the same in design. you better be on your A game, always know where your hands are and have a firm grip on the project wood -those shapers spun some pretty deep cutter heads at 3400 RPM.

 

[RBarnes]

@trents99 outstanding job on the scroll saw, you brought that thing back from the dead. To save guys from scrolling back to page 8, here it is as @trents99 originally found it:



What condition were the rubber feet you have mounted under the stand in?

Rubber Feet for Delta Splayed Leg Stand

Modeled after the original Delta Splayed Leg stand rubber pads, our new set of four rubber pads fit vintage Delta Splayed Leg stands with bolt hole spacing of 1.25”. These pads provide a durable dampening rubber between the metal splayed legs and your floor. These Delta Splayed Leg pads also...

sinisterspeedshop.com

 

[Hoorn]

@RBarnes great find and appreciate you posting that link for reproduction Delta rubber feet. I posted this over a year ago but in light of your find, worthy to repost a few pics.









These are original Delta rubber feet that were mounted on a 1949 Delta band saw. These are currently mounted on my Delta disc sander and make a huge difference.

My workshop floor is not table-top flat and the splayed foot pedestal my disc sander is mounted on would vibrate slightly during the rundown process. Once these rubber feet were mounted on, no vibration whatsoever and complete silence.

Here are the reproduction feet @RBarnes located and posted a link to. Different design but assume they're probably just as effective.

 

[RBarnes]

I installed these repro feet on two of my splayed leg stands and they work great. Had original set of feet, but they were rock hard and machine would not sit flat with them. New feet have a little cushion and sit flat on my unperfect floor.

 

[Corndoggeh]

@RBarnes @Hoorn

I interesting to see more people are making repros. Last year I made a set of rubber feet that are exact replicas of the original feet for delta stands and also upgraded versions of the rubber feet for the 24" scroll saw and bench grinder 3D printed with TPU that I sell here on GJ and Ebay (if you like paypal). If anyone is interested in supporting my Delta addiction we can certainly work out bulk discounting, shipping is on me! Ive been using these in the shop dragging machines around and they hold up extremely well to the abuse rough concrete gives to rubber feet.

Rubber Feet for Delta Splayed Leg Stands No 353

3D printed from TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) and dimensionally matched to the original 50-353 foot pads for your vintage delta splayed leg stand. These pads were designed to be firm but with some light flex just like the originals. These pads will fit any open splayed leg stands that were...

www.garagejournal.com

Rubber Feet for Delta 24" Scroll Saw or Bench Grinder, Set of 4 NEW NSS-203

3D printed from TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) and dimensionally matched to fit any delta 24" scroll saw with 1" diameter holes for rubber feet that the clamps slide through. These ones have an extended base to help keep the scroll saw level on the stand. These feet were designed to be firm...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

@RBarnes great find and appreciate you posting that link for reproduction Delta rubber feet. I posted this over a year ago but in light of your find, worthy to repost a few pics.









These are original Delta rubber feet that were mounted on a 1949 Delta band saw. These are currently mounted on my Delta disc sander and make a huge difference.

My workshop floor is not table-top flat and the splayed foot pedestal my disc sander is mounted on would vibrate slightly during the rundown process. Once these rubber feet were mounted on, no vibration whatsoever and complete silence.

Here are the reproduction feet @RBarnes located and posted a link to. Different design but assume they're probably just as effective.

I don't have the man power to move this machine right now. Has anyone tried to mount them on a old Homecraft? These are round disk.

 

[Hoorn]

@Mike'smeatshop those are the awesome Delta cast iron casters!

During those early Delta years to make moving around some of the equipment easier, they offered a unique style of wheels to attach to the feet of the splayed foot, open steel stand. Introduced in the 30s and appearing sporadically in catalogs until the early 1950s was the cast iron caster attachment.



Here is my first set, these are mounted on my 1937 belt sander.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

@Mike'smeatshop those are the awesome Delta cast iron casters!

During those early Delta years to make moving around some of the equipment easier, they offered a unique style of wheels to attach to the feet of the splayed foot, open steel stand. Introduced in the 30s and appearing sporadically in catalogs until the early 1950s was the cast iron caster attachment.



Here is my first set, these are mounted on my 1937 belt sander.

Should I just clean them u and go on? Thanks Hoorn

 

[Hoorn]

Those cast iron casters are pretty uncommon. What is more, it appears you have the very uncommon retractable handle that would have been part of the caster set.

Here is an example of a retractable handle on a shaper belonging to @5Prosjeff.





Hard to see because of the picture angle, but does that handle appear to be the same?

If so, you have a bit of a needle in a haystack as far as Delta accessories go.

Now I'll also be the first to admit that the cast iron casters have a pretty steep tipping point in order to make them work and I never look forward to moving my belt sander. I keep them on because they look cool.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Those cast iron casters are pretty uncommon. What is more, it appears you have the very uncommon retractable handle that would have been part of the caster set.

Here is an example of a retractable handle on a shaper belonging to @5Prosjeff.





Hard to see because of the picture angle, but does that handle appear to be the same?

If so, you have a bit of a needle in a haystack as far as Delta accessories go.

Now I'll also be the first to admit that the cast iron casters have a pretty steep tipping point in order to make them work and I never look forward to moving my belt sander. I keep them on because they look cool.

Yes the handle is the same. I will wait till I am feeling better to work it out thanks.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

The most important thing I've learned on this forum is admit when you know nothing about a tool up front. And don't be ashamed. I am pertaining to this Homecraft machine. My father inlaw gave it to me to sell. He was told it was worth $1000.00, so I listed on this site for that price. After doing some research and cleaning it up with some help from a friend I still have a long way to go. I have learn about the 4 inch edger is a good brand with the adjustable in and out tables. I've had vintage Delta drill press which I am sorry I sold.

Hoorn, Have you ever seen one of the Drill press conversions? I would keep that if I could find one. Thanks.

 

[Corndoggeh]

Mike it looks like you have the pieces that would have gone to a Deltashop missing the tablesaw and stand. If you had a complete Deltashop with all the fixings and it was either in mint original or fully restored I could see the value being $1000 if you tried to sell it on Ebay. Unfortunately, in my opinion, those Deltashops are very compact but are limited by their size and design similar to a Shopsmith - thus not sought after to collectors who are also users vs standalone machines.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Mike it looks like you have the pieces that would have gone to a Deltashop missing the tablesaw and stand. If you had a complete Deltashop with all the fixings and it was either in mint original or fully restored I could see the value being $1000 if you tried to sell it on Ebay. Unfortunately, in my opinion, those Deltashops are very compact but are limited by their size and design similar to a Shopsmith - thus not sought after to collectors who are also users vs standalone machines.

I do have it all. But at the condition it is in at this point I would not buy it. And that is how I price items is would I pay that if I was into that item. Thanks.

 

[Tom99]

I picked up this 1950 Unisaw about 5 years ago at a local estate sale. It replaced my Walker Turner cabinet saw. Nothing was wrong with the W-T, but there's just something about the older Unisaws. Here are a couple pictures of bringing it home and after it was cleaned up and in the shop.

 

[Hoorn]

@Tom99 an outstanding example that looks very complete. Did the tenon jig come with it? Also, does it have the original bullet motor? Looks nice sitting in your workshop, thank you for sharing.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

I picked up this 1950 Unisaw about 5 years ago at a local estate sale. It replaced my Walker Turner cabinet saw. Nothing was wrong with the W-T, but there's just something about the older Unisaws. Here are a couple pictures of bringing it home and after it was cleaned up and in the shop.

Yea that is a great job. Is it original paint? I have the shop mate to some day do a restore like that.

 

[Tarnished]

I picked up this 1950 Unisaw about 5 years ago at a local estate sale. It replaced my Walker Turner cabinet saw. Nothing was wrong with the W-T, but there's just something about the older Unisaws. Here are a couple pictures of bringing it home and after it was cleaned up and in the shop.

Tom, Looks like a well cared for machine. Nice job. The old ones are a joy to have around. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Tom99]

Thanks guys. Yes the tenon jig came with it. Also the dado insert and the blade guard. The paint is original. Has the 1 horse bullet motor, which is plenty for what I do. Some will say you need 3 or even 5 hp.

 

[Hoorn]

Some time ago I drove out to the high desert to pick up a 1940s Delta 6x48 belt sander. The belt sander was in very poor condition but it had an intact cast iron pulley guard that I wanted. The entire machine, including the motor had been painted with thick red paint.



I was not concerned about the actual belt sander as it was missing several key components and had homemade add-ons. Once I got it home I looked at the large frame Delta motor and found that it was a Catalog 84-920 1 HP repulsion induction motor.



The motor did not even have an electrical cord so I attached a temporary electrical feed to see if it would start. Flipping the switch, the motor immediately fired up and a comical/ridiculous amount of dirt and sand started flying out of the end bells. I shut it down and have not fired it up since. In this picture the amount of dirt seen is not even half of what was inside the motor.





I finally decided to address this motor and am beginning the process of bringing it back to life.







I've stripped most of the paint, and have removed the shorting garter from the armature to address the copper.

You can see from this 1945 Delta catalog that the 84-920 I HP motor ran off 50 cycles and had the somewhat slower 1425 RPM speed.



Assuming this motor and belt sander were paired when purchased around 1943-45 in So. Cal, 50 cycles was still available.

In 1936, in order to accept power from Hoover Dam's 60hz generators, the LA Bureau of Power and Light began the process of converted its entire system from 50 to 60hz.

However, much of Southern California operated on 50 Hz and did not completely change frequency of their generators and customer equipment to 60 Hz until around 1948.

What this means for this particular motor is that most likely it will run faster than 1425 RPMs. I will post follow up pictures as I go along.

 

[Hoorn]

I put in some time on the brush ring. The copper brush springs I soaked in a white vinegar and saline solution and they shined up quickly.



The original badge color is not salvageable so I sanded it off and will research having it laser etched.



This would be the correct badge style.

 

[Mitchh718]

My estate sale find this weekend. I believe it’s a 1952 17” dp600. I’ve been looking for the past couple years for a good free standing drill press and found this yesterday. It was in a basement so getting it up the stairs was rough but worth it. This one is pretty cool because it has a Boeing inventory tag on it. I’m in Washington and in the aviation industry so the history is an added bonus! There is a safety sign off tag on it that stops in 95 so I think the previous owner probably got it from them around then.

 

[shoot summ]

Found my next project, was looking at a unisaw on FBM and saw it in the background, wasn't for sale at the time but I worked a deal, picked it up yesterday and started the disassembly when I got home. It is what appears to be a 50's Delta 6x48 sander on the CI base. Model is 31-501, and the SN starts with CU. The badging matches a '59 I found on vintage machinery.org, no black triangle on the tag on the side of the sanding belt cover. It appears to be mostly complete, missing the original 3 phase motor but still has all of the 3 phase disconnect and switch intact. It has a cast platen, and it seems the table on this model has a thinner edge around it. It will replace a Delta 31-730 that has been great, it will move on to my oldest Son's shop.