What's New on the PRR Panhandle 2.0?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

That's what market saturation will do for you.

Indeed. Those that might use such tools probably already have them and the rest are not folks that will buy them let along have an inkling as to their use.

[gregj410]

I can't speak for the grizzly tablesaw but the radial arm saws just seems to me to be an antiquated piece of equipment by today's standards. With all the compact and portable sliding compound saws available, a radial arm saw makes a better boat anchor than a saw.

[Tom Dempsey]

I'll put my Delta Radial Arm Saw up against any of them for repeatability and accuracy. Not as quick but once set you can cut all day and everything matches to a gnats ***.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I'll put my Delta Radial Arm Saw up against any of them for repeatability and accuracy. Not as quick but once set you can cut all day and everything matches to a gnats ***.

I agree.

There are only a few things that I unable to do with my radial arm saw.

[G3750]

Took a little road trip to Lisbon, OH yesterday in search of a bevel adjustment handle for my Delta 10" compound miter saw. According to the paperwork I found, I bought it back in 1999 (shortly after moving to Central PA). By the way, this shop in Lisbon was extremely well equipped with DeWalt, Mikita, and a third line's power tools. From what I learned from this shop's repair guy, Delta (as a company) is pretty much a mess. In the intervening 18 years, Delta has apparently been bought and sold at least once, and otherwise undergone major changes to the business and their product lines. Parts for this saw are unavailable and service seems to be scarce as well. I found no service facilities in Pittsburgh.

I may end up putting this saw up for sale on Craigslist just for parts. And if it doesn't sell in a reasonable time, it's off to the dumpster.

George

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Parts for this saw are unavailable......

Silly thought, but have you looked on eBay? I manage to locate all sort of bits that are otherwise unavailable.

[Roy]

Parts for this saw are unavailable......

Silly thought, but have you looked on eBay? I manage to locate all sort of bits that are otherwise unavailable.

Good idea. I can still get parts for my Unimat, which otherwise haven't been available for decades.

[G3750]

Parts for this saw are unavailable......

Silly thought, but have you looked on eBay? I manage to locate all sort of bits that are otherwise unavailable.

Actually, that's a helluva good

I had not thought of that.

Thank you!

[G3750]

Poked around on ebay and eventually wound up on a site called ReplacementParts.com.

It had an entry for my Delta compound miter saw. Unfortunately, it confirmed what I had learned yesterday - parts availability is sketchy and this part is "obsolete and unavailable". BUT, in the Q&A below I learned that a 3/4" wrench can adjust the bevel better than the original handle part! I tried it out and it works just fine. So I will try selling the saw with a wrench and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'll sell it for parts. There should definitely be a market for that. IMHO Delta really has their head up their ***.

George

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Parts for this saw are unavailable......

Silly thought, but have you looked on eBay? I manage to locate all sort of bits that are otherwise unavailable.

Actually, that's a helluva good

I had not thought of that.

Thank you!

[Tom Dempsey]

IMHO Delta really has their head up their ***.George

Having inherited a warehouse full of Delta/Rockwell equipment when I bought the business, I busily set about getting them all back into tip-top shape. Well, tip-top for Tom shape, anyway. What I discovered is the same old story. The company was overtaken by corporate raiders, repackaged several times, and eventually sold to a Chinese competitor. Soon thereafter, the replacement parts just sorta' dried up. And everyone started selling Chinese machinery. It ain't the management of Delta that's at fault, I'd say it more like the "business genius's" from New York City et al who have enriched themselves at the expense of America's previous manufacturing supremacy. Pick a product, television's, radio's, automobiles, steel production, Singer sewing machines, the list is endless. I'm reasonably sure the folks who worked at those now shuttered businesses didn't have their heads up there asses, they were just working hard, right to the end. My wife Kathy was the last in the USA quality assurance inspector for Keytronics. Some expert from San Francisco came in and "saved" the company. When she sold her stock, it was worth a quarter of what it was worth when issued to her. And there's a big empty building south of Cheney WA. But, hey, that guy who saved the company has plenty of money. And people in SIngapore need a job too, right.

[gregj410]

Yeah, Delta is pretty much toast from what I can tell. Any substantial purchase for my shop would likely be a powermatic.

[G3750]

IMHO Delta really has their head up their ***.George

Having inherited a warehouse full of Delta/Rockwell equipment when I bought the business, I busily set about getting them all back into tip-top shape. Well, tip-top for Tom shape, anyway. What I discovered is the same old story. The company was overtaken by corporate raiders, repackaged several times, and eventually sold to a Chinese competitor. Soon thereafter, the replacement parts just sorta' dried up. And everyone started selling Chinese machinery. It ain't the management of Delta that's at fault, I'd say it more like the "business genius's" from New York City et al who have enriched themselves at the expense of America's previous manufacturing supremacy. Pick a product, television's, radio's, automobiles, steel production, Singer sewing machines, the list is endless. I'm reasonably sure the folks who worked at those now shuttered businesses didn't have their heads up there asses, they were just working hard, right to the end. My wife Kathy was the last in the USA quality assurance inspector for Keytronics. Some expert from San Francisco came in and "saved" the company. When she sold her stock, it was worth a quarter of what it was worth when issued to her. And there's a big empty building south of Cheney WA. But, hey, that guy who saved the company has plenty of money. And people in SIngapore need a job too, right.

I hear you, Tom. I know exactly what you mean. And I've seen what you described happen as well.

I probably should have been more accurate in describing who I meant - the folks taking over the company. I know (and have lived through) the scenario where the people in the trenches who know what to fix and how to fix it are bypassed by either the accountants (who never built anything in their lives) or by a raider-type. I've had my own work gutted by corporate politics or foolish business decisions made over a round of golf by people who didn't know anything but how to sling BS.

George

[Rufus T. Firefly]

And people in SIngapore need a job too, right.

I don't know what people in Singapore have to do with Delta.

Delta/Rockwell was bought from B&D (Stanley/B&D) by a Taiwan based company that is moving everything to a plant in South Carolina.

[Tom Dempsey]

I don't know what people in Singapore have to do with Delta. Delta/Rockwell was bought from B&D (Stanley/B&D) by a Taiwan based company that is moving everything to a plant in South Carolina.

The Singapore reference was internal thread drift Martin, that Chinese company may be building product in SC, but it won't be Delta/Rockwell product. They killed the Delta/Rockwell line in favor of their own product, and rather specifically won't/don't do parts support. The only reasonable explanation for their corporate policy was to remove the competition in favor of their own product, at least that's how I see it, perhaps somewhat parochially.