Hello, I recently acquired a second bandsaw and only have the space for one in my shop, if you were in my situation which one would you keep and why? they both have induction motors, both are 14″ which ever one I keep i will move the fence to that one, they both have mobile bases but the Porter cable has a slightly larger table but a little less resaw and throat depth then the Delta.
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Hard to tell from just a picture but the Porter Cable has a smaller footprint, possibly a better mobile base and ports for dust collection.
Other than that, if it were me, I would compare the motor specs, take a close look at wear points and the overall condition of each. Then run some test cuts to see which one had better performance. You may have to take the best blade and use it on both to get a more realistic comparison.
All else being equal, smaller footprint & larger table is the winner.
You could also just sell that little grey car and buy a Laguna. :@)
ereplacement parts only carries factory manufactured parts,no aftermarket. I would check them to see what parts are available for each model. If one is still supported I would pick that one. Delta and Porter Cable used to be under one roof, and both were Rockwell before that, but not any more. PC made portable tools and Delta made stationary tools. Now someone is using the Rockwell name to manufacture Harbor Freight class tools. What a PC bandsaw is I have no idea but the once upon a time Delta 14" was a reliable classic . The companies have changed hands,and have changed hands,and have changed hands and changed the game as well as to what they manufacture now and what they support as far as previous inventory goes. Last I heard Delta is owned by some Hong Kong consortium and PC was purchased by Stanley Black and Decker. The unconfirmed story is that Stanley emptied all the Porter Cable spare parts from the warehouses and took them to the dump!
great thank you for the information, the delta is old enough that it was still made in the USA, the delta is all cast iron and the porter cable has plastic trunnions.
Nope nope nope. Ditch the PC.
Not sure this will mean anything to you. I have that (or similar) Delta for many years and it is a work horse. I put a riser block on it and increased the motor hp to 1 1/2hp and it resaws like a champ. IMHO, the larger footprint provides more stability. It is easy to cut a hole in the bottom door and put on a dust collector port. It works pretty well. I don't think any band saw can be made totally dust free.
The plastic parts (particularly the trunnions) would turn me off. If the plastic has to go with it, I certainly would not swap out the tables.
If the motor on the PC is more hp, I would consider swapping that out. Or, keep both motors and sell one without motor. You can pair up the motors and double your hp. Make sure your elec. circuit and switch can handle it:
Sell both and buy a better one !
+1 on the sell both and get a better one. Otherwise, make a bunch of cuts on each and keep the one that bandsaws the best.
I'm assuming that you got these cheap. I don't think selling both will bring in enough money to buy you a " better " one. The Delta is a good machine and I can think of countless professional woodworkers that used that machine for their entire carriers. I worked out of a shop many years ago and that was what we had.
I had a 16" Walker Turner bandsaw that was getting a bit scratchy ( it was probably 60 years old at the time) and based on the theory that I make money working with tools and no money working on tools I bought myself a shiny new 18" Jet. Big mistake! The Jet is so rinky dink compared to that old iron and not just for the weight. The tension adjustment on the jet was phoned in. I had to upgrade the guides because what came with it were toys. I had the main shaft for the lower wheel shear off and although it's about an inch in diameter when you looked at the end of the broken piece you could see that it was really crappy metal. I can only assume that the replacement part is the same stuff.
Many would think that the Jet would be a better choice than your Delta. I think a Jet like mine costs about $3000 today and would be questionable as to whether its better than what you have. Jet does have a budget model "14 at about half the price of the 18. But if you really think you want a better bandsaw I know where a Yates American Snowflake is for sale and probably for less than a Laguna.
There were so many of that Delta machine made that I think there will always be parts available somewhere even if not available from the manufacturer.