Thread: Delta dealer in Oz????

Allan

Carba-tec are dealers for Delta.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Al,
don't know if they make and import to Oz a 240V version of their boat anchor, sorry RAS. The American 220V machines won't run on our system. I think they run on 2 phases. Years ago on a farm we used to have a welder that we had to rewire depending on where we used it - 3 phase 415V in the workshop at home or 2 phases 480V on the farm. Also if you do run one of their machines on a transformer it will run slower, not faster.

Mick

Originally posted by journeyman Mick
Al,
don't know if they make and import to Oz a 240V version of their boat anchor, sorry RAS.
Mick

:eek: :eek:
Must be the drugs you are takeing for the flu.

Al

Sorry Al, no drugs, just a freudian slip. I reckon it might be time to do a poll on RASs. How many people own/have owned them and how many are/were satisfied with them. Woodworking, while it does have its hobby/recreational aspects for me is also my livelihood and everthing pays its way. So far the only tools that haven't paid for themselves have been the RAS (which I've owned for about 15 years) and the chisel morticer (which I've owned for about 15 days, but will have paid for itself before the end of the year).

Mick
(owner of De Walt boat anchor)

I don't know why people think that the US 220V machines will not work here. When I lived in the US I had a jointer and table saw that were rated at 110V/220V. I tried to find out if I could use them in Australia so I asked a dozen people and recieved as many different answers.

In the end I brought them back with me and wired them up to 220V ( I figured that if I burnt the motor out I could just buy a replacement here). That was 2000 and they still function well. They were used regularly until August last year and are now spending a few years in a friend's garage where I think they still get regular use.

Cheers,
Peter

Ok, I stand corrected (well I'm sitting actually) about the voltage anyway.

I've been through the same process. Spent a long time in Canada and wanted to keep the stationary tools acquired there. Having started my earning life as an apprentice sparky, (radio) I was at least able to sort out some of the myth from the fact. And there does seem to be a lot of myth chucked around....
With induction motors (the brushless sort fitted to most stationary tools) it's the frequency of the alternating current supply that determines speed, as someone said above. Voltages are 'nominal' i.e. 10% variation one way or the other doesn't matter much, particularly if the motor is built with generous margins. Most induction motors can be easily altered to run on either 110/220 (or 240 near enough!) by wiring the fields in series or parallel - there is usually a label on the motor showing you what to switch.
The problem is that 60 Hz motors can be built a bit 'lighter' for the same operating conditions. When run on 50 Hz, they are ok for short bursts, but tend to be a bit noisy. They get hot quickly because they can't dissipate heat as efficiently - all the components are operating at the upper end of their design range . So as long as the duty cycle is low, you can get away with it for a long time - my drill press motor is hanging in there after 10 yrs plus, but it's not happy when asked to work for long bursts.
'Universal' or brush motors, are the opposite - they are voltage dependant, and can run on anything from direct current to AC as long as the voltage is within a reasonable percentage of nominal. They are rarely designed to be convertible except on hair-dryers and the like. So for my screaming banshee of a jointer/planer (Hitachi) I had to have a hefty transformer - a bit of a pain, but still cheaper and easier to organise than getting and fitting a new motor. I was told by a few people that it wouldn't work, but since they couldn't explain logically why, and that went against what I'd been taught, I went ahead with the transformer. I'm happy to report that it has worn out a few sets of blades and chewed up a couple of drive belts (at 35 bucks a pop for what's nothing more than a rubber band on steroids!) but the motor is still screaming at me as lustily as ever.
As for radial arm saws - they were immensely popular in Nth America, but I still can't see why. You need to pay big $$s to get a decent one that won't flex all over the shop on a longish cross-cut. They must also be clear winners in the "I've chopped off more fingers and hands than you" game. A cheap table saw is potentially safer, more accurate, and a lot more versatile (yeah, I know, you CAN do a lot of things with a RAS, but it takes a lot of energy and imagination you could use more profitably elsewhere, IMO). I'm with Mick - they probably make much better boat anchors than workshop accessories.
Now a decent table saw with a good sliding table, THAT'S something to hang out for.........
avagooday,

G'day all,
Carba-tec DO NOT import Radial arm saws at all.
Good luck with getting a Delta 33-890. It was my choice also but i gave up after i couldnt find a supplier.

check out the trading post.
hardly an issue goes by that ther isn't a radial arm in there & they are usualy going cheap.
Just wait arround till you see a good one.
cheers