Delta ShopMaster BS100 9" Band Saw

And BS does not stand for bullship!

Delta ShopMaster BS100 9" Band Saw

The Delta ShopMaster BS100 9" Band Saw

Main Specifications:

Review

For those of you thinking that this is just a toy not suited for a woodworking shop - you are wrong! I have a Grizzly 14" band saw, but I still use this small benchtop saw for a lot of work! I would say it is the perfect saw for model building and small scale woodworking

I have had my BS100 Shopmaster since 2001 and it has given me great service over the years. I feel I have enough experience with the saw to see its shortcomings and virtues. It is a great saw when you know and accept its limitations:

  1. Saw is designed and made for small scale woodworking. Period.
  2. Low "power" for resawing or cutting thick hardwood stock. (Well, it is not designed for this, see 1.)
  3. Blade wander can be a problem if saw used right out of the box. Tuning is necessary.
  4. The original guides and original blade must be replaced with higher quality parts
  5. Get good quality saw blades (not found in ordinary hardware stores). The original Delta blades are thin, made of stamped sheet steel which makes them unsuitable for any kind of work (unless you are cutting cardboard) - they flex too much and dulls quickly.
  6. Its small table is not sturdy enough for large, heavy workpieces, but will do for smaller pieces, see 1.

The saw will work pretty much out of the box, but as I found out - if you don't take the time to tune it properly, you will be disappointed. Realize that this is not a saw made for heavy resawing It is a small, quiet benchtop saw suited for small scale woodworking and this it can do very well.

Realize that a band saw is more of a cutting "instrument" than a machine. And like any other instrument - careful tuning is necessary for high performance.

Start by tuning the wheels and setting the saw up properly like suggested in the Band Saw Handbook or The New Complete Guide to the Band Saw by Mark Duginske. Before you buy any bandsaw, go through this book and learn how to set up a band saw properly. The book will also show you how to adjust and use the mitre gauge, how to set the saw up for perfect mitre cuts and how to rip and resaw. This will also help you realize that straight cuts, resawing etc does require certain techniques whether you have a 9" Delta or a 36" industrial band saw with 2" blade. The book will show you how to make an adjustable rip fence and other jigs helping you getting the most out of any bandsaw. I would also recommend his DVD - Mastering Your Bandsaw - it is a good visual reference for how to use a saw.

How to maximize its performance (or the performance of ANY bandsaw for that matter):

  1. Throw away the blade that came with the saw, and buy a high quality blade. I have found the best blade to be the Olson TKO 59½ blade, which can be bought from Highland Woodworking or Amazon.com. The original Delta blades are very thin, flexes easily causing problematic drift - and they wear out fast. For cutting pine they might do, but not for hardwood or even yellow pine. You can also get high quality blade from Suffolk Machinery, but it seems these silicon steel blades are a little stiffer than the Olson TKO. However, I have used these blades for many years on my Delta, and found them to be of very high quality.
  2. Replace the guideblocks with Cool Blocks or your home made hardwood guides (cocobolo or lignum vitae). If you can't find the right size Cool Blocks, buy oversize and file/grind it to fit (that is what I did). These will support and help clean and lubricate the blade. These guideblocks will also help support the blade for cutting curves.
  3. Tune the saw when you have a high quality blade and Cool Blocks for your saw. Saw will run smoother, quieter and have more of its power available for sawing after the tuning. Tuning will also help stabilize the blade and avoid drift to the left or right. With proper setup, this saw IS capable of cutting straight! And vibration can mostly be eliminated by balancing and truing wheels! The saw is in itself very light and won't "absorb" or dampen the vibration as well as a large, cast iron machine. Mounting it to a heavy base is also advised.
  4. Use slow feedrates and be gentle - it is a delicate machine - don't force-feed it.
  5. Use the correct blade for the job. Don't use an 1/8" or 1/4" 14 TPI blade for resawing/ripping, and don't use the 3 TPI blade for cutting intricate patterns 1/8" thick stock...
  6. Correct tensioning of the saw blade as well as proper wheel alignment/adjustment will avoid blade coming off the wheel by itself. A rough cutting technique can also cause the blade to come off.
  7. I would also suggest replacing the throatplate with one you make yourself.
  8. The saw can very well handle a high quality 1/8" blade, but only after coolblocks and tuning. Don't even bother with 1/8" blade on a stock 9". Be aware that setting up the saw with an 1/8" blade is a little tricky until you learn how to prepare the saw for it.

This saw has given me great service over the years, and still does. It is a perfect little saw for a small shop. You can get this saw fairly cheap used - not a bad investment.