Delta tablesaw- beware

[Marctrees]

I'm going to revisit my comment.

Two totally different animals... if for shop staying in shop use, 60 yr old Delta or other Old Arn. General the heavier the better.

If to go in pickup to jobsite to do rough work, then a new smaller and lighter more moblie large wheeled Jobsite tablesaw such as this one.

For me it has been in home shop 100% for years, so my knee jerk opinion is the Old Arn.

Marc

 

[bubinga]

Note: this is less about the quality of the tool itself, and more about the horrible experience with delta customer service.

I bought a table saw (delta 36-725). It wasn’t long, think a week or two before it began to start slow. It got slower and slower til it eventually stopped starting. So I called delta customer service and they told me it needed new capacitors...and they sent them to me. I replaced the capacitors. Still doesn’t work. So now delta tells me it’s the motor.

This is where it gets interesting.

Deltas solution is for me to disassemble (This is one of those hybrid saws....basically a cheap cabinet saw) the saw and drive it a couple hours to an out of state “service center” where it can be repaired. So this would mean four hours driving (twice) plus an hour or two disassembly and reassembly. So this would mean ten hours of my time to fix a brand new defective saw.

Oh, and it’s during a pandemic....where I believe I’d be required to self quarantine after returning to my state.

When I pointed this out to Delta their best response was two options. Drive to another service center that’s within my state....but an even longer drive, or attempt to return it to the store (Lowe’s). I tried returning it but of course was outside Lowe’s return window since I had gone through the mess with replacing the capacitors.

They refuse to replace the saw, refuse to send me a motor that I can replace myself, and refuse to refund any amount of money that I could use to repair the saw.

So I have a brand new $600 paper weight. Delta refuses to stand behind it in any meaningful way. I’ve read they are a failing company......and I would think the horrible quality of this tool, plus their ridiculous “Customer service” plays no small role.

So please......beware of this crummy company.

I understand Delta customer service has gone downhill for about the past decade.
I didn't read the whole thread yet but that really *****.
How hard would it have been for them to send you a motor?

 

[bubinga]

I don’t know if I’m going to do the return trick or not.

But guys......Lowe’s isn’t exactly innocent in this either. Yes, I was beyond their 30-day return policy. But it’s only that....a policy. I’m sure it could’ve been overridden. Especially when you consider I had an email chain between delta and myself discussing the defective saw WITHIN the 30 days.

I’ve actually boycotted Lowe’s over this too.

Exactly! A manager could have worked with you.
I raised enough hell with Sears one time with a floor jack that was a year or so out of warranty but I had only used it maybe a half a dozen or a dozen times I raised enough hell they gave me another one.

Especially when you consider I had an email chain between delta and myself discussing the defective saw WITHIN the 30 days.

Yes!
Especially with the paper trail,
Dating back before the 30 days.
Did you bring that situation up with Lowe's I take it?

 

[bubinga]

$600 spent on a 60 year old Delta tablesaw is much wiser than $600 spent on a shiny bright new tablesaw.

Marc

Yep, get a nice old unisaw!

 

[bubinga]

That sounds like most power tools these days, not just old ones. Buddy was shopping for a new high end table saw, and both the Sawstop and the Laguna had non flat tables, on the WW store showroom floor. Salesman had no idea what to say or do about it.

He bought a used Unisaw (in PA) for less money, and it was up and running the same afternoon.

Probably depends on the location and your luck. I picked up a 47 unit saw that was plug and Play the guy had completely rebuilt it painted ( first class paint job, with some fancy 2 part epoxy paint) and everything the only thing was that still had the jet Lock fence but other than that it was beautiful.
(had to end up selling it but that's another story)

Edit to add, it had the OEM that store and the OEM goose egg motor cover with it as well!

 

[bubinga]

That sounds like most power tools these days, not just old ones. Buddy was shopping for a new high end table saw, and both the Sawstop and the Laguna had non flat tables, on the WW store showroom floor. Salesman had no idea what to say or do about it.

He bought a used Unisaw (in PA) for less money, and it was up and running the same afternoon.

Did he buy it in PA or he was he from PA? I sold mine to a guy in PA........
And it was right around when this thread came out...
Did it happen to have a beastmire ( so?) fence on it

 

[bubinga]

Man- you’ve tried , IMO. Legitimately tried to work with them. Buy a new one , swap it out and return it. Problem is, your still stuck with a ****** saw that may die in 2 more weeks. If you really want to put your moral code on high alert, return the new one without a receipt, get store credit and get a better saw.... just food for thought. I neither condone nor judge , lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes I was thinking that too even a new motor from Delta may have been no better than this motor his old motor.
A guy might be better off buying a second hand Delta motor somewhere inexpensive or a second hand Craftsman motor and just bolt it on should both be 56 frame.

 

[bubinga]

You say you were outside the return window. How far outside it? I thought most the big box stores had extended that window due to Covid. Regardless I don't know why you even bothered trying to fix the saw yourself. I would have just brought it back for a refund immediately. Obviously there is chance the replacement will have the same issues so even swapping it isn't a good option.

Good PSA warning about the saw, but can't fault Lowes if you are indeed outside the return time. 30 days is a reasonable amount of time for the products they sell. IMO and you can't expect them to deal with exceptions on a case by case basis. Maybe store managers can override it, but I doubt they're under any obligation to do so. Hope you come up with a reasonable solution.

No they're not really under "obligation" but it would have been a good faith gesture for them cuz now the original poster is boycotting Lowes,
so as Judge Ross would say "and boom goes the dynamite"

 

[bubinga]

OP what ever happened with all this?
Unless I missed it?

 

[Marctrees]

Marctrees said:
$600 spent on a 60 year old Delta tablesaw is much wiser than $600 spent on a shiny bright new tablesaw.

Marctrees

Yep, get a nice old unisaw!

Triple Yup.

Marctrees

 

[neophyte]

That sounds like most power tools these days, not just old ones. Buddy was shopping for a new high end table saw, and both the Sawstop and the Laguna had non flat tables, on the WW store showroom floor. Salesman had no idea what to say or do about it.

He bought a used Unisaw (in PA) for less money, and it was up and running the same afternoon.

I once went to a woodworking show, maybe 15 years ago, and the European combination machine(table saw, jointer/planer in one unit) one of the vendors brought had really rough machining on the tables.
I forget what it cost, probably $6,000 or more, and this was back when a USA made Powermatic cabinet table saw was around $2,000 and would have had tanle machined close to dead flat and mirror polished.
I think the machine might have been a Belgian made Robland, which struck me as bad, since Belgium was supposedly known for quality machining.
I suppose in use it might gave worked gine, and at the time, the price was half or less what a similar machine from Felder or Knapp would have cost, but it didn’t leave a great impression.

As for Delta, older Delta tools tended to use Baldor motors, which at the time were likely made in the USA.
I presume now the motors are generic Chinese or Taiwanese motors, or imported Baldor motors.

If you purchase a saw from a return liquidator, hopefully you can save enough to buy a decent replacement motor, which at least eliminates a potential weak point.

 

[bubinga]

Man......
I get long winded on here sometimes....

 

[bubinga]

I presume now the motors are generic Chinese or Taiwanese motors, or imported Baldor motors.

Absolutely Chinese or Taiwanese motors today. imported baldor maybe,
I think I would trust a imported baldor, over an imported Delta?

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

I just sold a Ryobi table saw that was absolute junk. I was going to spend the $700 for this Delta saw mainly because of the name. So now I'm back to the ole drawing board. All of my electric woodworking tools are used (except for my spindle sander) so I'll probably look into a used table saw like what has been recommended here.

Good luck OP. I would either make a huge stink with the store manager and push for a warranty return or do like has been suggested... buy another and return the bad one.

 

[PoorUB]

Deltas solution is for me to disassemble (This is one of those hybrid saws....basically a cheap cabinet saw) the saw and drive it a couple hours to an out of state “service center” where it can be repaired. So this would mean four hours driving (twice) plus an hour or two disassembly and reassembly. So this would mean ten hours of my time to fix a brand new defective saw.

Um, no reason you can not ship the motor? It would be one heck of a lot less money and hassle to drop it in a box and ship it to the service center. Still a pain in the back side, but it lowers the hassle factor quite a bit.

 

[PoorUB]

I just sold a Ryobi table saw that was absolute junk. I was going to spend the $700 for this Delta saw mainly because of the name. So now I'm back to the ole drawing board. All of my electric woodworking tools are used (except for my spindle sander) so I'll probably look into a used table saw like what has been recommended here.

Good luck OP. I would either make a huge stink with the store manager and push for a warranty return or do like has been suggested... buy another and return the bad one.

I would look for a belt drive saw, new or used. I had one of the saws like the OP has and I was not impressed. It was ok, but my Delta belt drive is a much better saw. Although I don't know if Deltqa makes a belt drive contractor's saw any longer.

Another option is www.https://www.grizzly.com/ Made in China, (What isn't made in China anymore?!), but a great company to deal with. Grizzly would be my first stop if I was looking for a table saw.

 

[bubinga]

Um, no reason you can not ship the motor? It would be one heck of a lot less money and hassle to drop it in a box and ship it to the service center. Still a pain in the back side, but it lowers the hassle factor quite a bit.

Yeah but I think he kind of feels like he shouldn't have to I agree cheaper than him paying for a new motor but as was stated the replacement might be junk in a month as well

 

[bubinga]

I would look for a belt drive saw, new or used. I had one of the saws like the OP has and I was not impressed. It was ok, but my Delta belt drive is a much better saw. Although I don't know if Deltqa makes a belt drive contractor's saw any longer.

Another option is www.https://www.grizzly.com/ Made in China, (What isn't made in China anymore?!), but a great company to deal with. Grizzly would be my first stop if I was looking for a table saw.

The original post'er's saw isn't a direct drive is it?
I was under the impression it is a belt drive.

 

[bubinga]

I would look for a belt drive saw, new or used. I had one of the saws like the OP has and I was not impressed. It was ok, but my Delta belt drive is a much better saw. Although I don't know if Deltqa makes a belt drive contractor's saw any longer.

Another option is www.https://www.grizzly.com/ Made in China, (What isn't made in China anymore?!), but a great company to deal with. Grizzly would be my first stop if I was looking for a table saw.

I have heard that grizzlies customer service is second to none.

 

[PoorUB]

The original poster's saw isn't a direct drive is it?
I was under the impression it is a belt drive.

Sort of. The motor and blade trunnion, support, what ever you want to call it is one assembly with a short flat muti-v belt like the serpentine belts on cars. Nothing like the old belt drive contractors saws from Delta 20 years ago.

Here is a link with pictures of someone else's problems with the motor. Dela table saw

Sorry, but this Delta is a Chinese POS and should just be sent to the land fill.

I have to take back that last comment. Delta is owned by a Chinese company, but still built in the USA, but I have to wonder if it is all built here, or just assembled here. Either way the Delta of today is nothing of what it was 29 years ago.

Wow! A replacement motor is around $2,500!! I found a company that will repair them, but they charge $575, too much for this saw, at least in my opinion!

 

[bubinga]

Sort of. The motor and blade trunnion, support, what ever you want to call it is one assembly with a short flat muti-v belt like the serpentine belts on cars. Nothing like the old belt drive contractors saws from Delta 20 years ago.

Here is a link with pictures of someone else's problems with the motor. Dela table saw

Sorry, but this Delta is a Chinese POS and should just be sent to the land fill.

I have to take back that last comment. Delta is owned by a Chinese company, but still built in the USA, but I have to wonder if it is all built here, or just assembled here. Either way the Delta of today is nothing of what it was 29 years ago.

Wow! A replacement motor is around $2,500!! I found a company that will repair them, but they charge $575, too much for this saw, at least in my opinion!

0h, so I have to retract my comment about putting a old Delta or Craftsman 57 frame style table-saw motor on. I obviously thought it was the older style.

$2,500 for a new motor $575.00 to repair the old motor.
How much is the saw new?
No one would want to pay that after just buying the saw!
I wonder what the original poster ended up doing?

 

[bubinga]

I don't know if I'm cracking up or what?
How did my reply get at the bottom of your post.
And in a new reply below your post.
Am I cracking up or did the website do something?

 

[PoorUB]

Depending on the configuration, about $600, up to about $1,500.

For what it cost to repair you could find a good used older table saw, rebuild it and have something.

 

[bubinga]

I'm sorry never mind I'm all mixed up
Sorry about all that.
That was just the rest of your post.
I didn't get any sleep last night.

 

[bubinga]

Sort of. The motor and blade trunnion, support, what ever you want to call it is one assembly with a short flat muti-v belt like the serpentine belts on cars. Nothing like the old belt drive contractors saws from Delta 20 years ago.

Here is a link with pictures of someone else's problems with the motor. Dela table saw

Sorry, but this Delta is a Chinese POS and should just be sent to the land fill.

I have to take back that last comment. Delta is owned by a Chinese company, but still built in the USA, but I have to wonder if it is all built here, or just assembled here. Either way the Delta of today is nothing of what it was 29 years ago.

Wow! A replacement motor is around $2,500!! I found a company that will repair them, but they charge $575, too much for this saw, at least in my opinion!

Looks like they are selling a kit that is said to fix the issue. Was about$90.00.
Supposed to fix it though.
Maybe Delta should buy those kits.

Delta 36-725 T2 start problem/burning rubber smell

redirect.viglink.com

 

[WilsonLR]

FWIW I've seen elsewhere that as far as the new version (36-725T2) goes, Delta upgraded the motor from 13 to 15amps. If it is run on a circuit simultaneously with other things such as DC, lights, fans or whatever, the motor starves for power and that leads to premature failure.

 

[WilsonLR]

On the other hand, This Youtuber says he had the problem 3 months into using his 36-5100T2 running it alone on a 20 amp circuit. He had to drive 3 hours to a service center but they seem to have resolved it. According to him, there's several things that cause the problem including overheating of the motor due to the dust collection shroud. It wasn't enough for him to just take his motor in. He had to bring the whole upper unit. Like all the other YouTube reviews, he had done a useless unboxing and noob review. At least he followed up. I'm not seeing others do that. YMMV