Delta is sold by Stanley Black and Decker to Taiwan company

DELTA® Woodworking Machinery Has A New Home – In Anderson, South Carolina
(Anderson, SC, January 18, 2011) – Chang Type Industrial Co. Ltd., a Taiwan-based manufacturing company, has agreed to purchase the Delta brand of woodworking equipment and machinery from Stanley Black & Decker. The deal is expected to close on February 4, 2011.

The new, independent company, Delta Power Equipment Corporation, will be based in Anderson County, South Carolina and led by Bryan Whiffen, who has been named President & Chief Executive Officer. Norm MacDonald has also joined the company as an Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer. Both Whiffen and MacDonald have years of experience in the power tool industry, and have been responsible for manufacturing and marketing such brands as Ryobi, Homelite, Milwaukee and Ridgid.

The new Delta company will continue to provide a complete line of professional woodworking equipment and machinery, and will continue to build the world-class Unisaw, as well as the Biesemeyer® accessories, in the United States. Plans are to move the manufacturing equipment from Jackson, Tennessee to the company’s facility in Anderson.

Once fully operational, the Anderson facility will include manufacturing, R&D, engineering, sales and administrative functions.

“We are pleased to be able to say that the Unisaw will continue to be made in the USA,” said Whiffen. “We are also excited for this opportunity to invest in the great Delta brand so that we can bring high quality, innovative woodworking equipment to Delta’s loyal customers.

Delta Power Equipment Corp. is working to ensure that the fine sales and service that Delta dealers and woodworkers have come to expect will continue.

“Stanley Black & Decker has been very supportive of this sale and have agreed to help us make the transition as seamless as possible for our dealers and our customers,” added Whiffen.

Customers and dealers can continue to obtain information on sales and service for Delta woodworking equipment at www.deltamachinery.com.

Rockwell Answers the Shopsmith With A Multi-Tool Of Their Own: The Delta-Shop

In 1953 Rockwell (AKA Delta Milwaukee) finally decided to respond to the popularity of the Shopsmith 10er, which was the first of the Shopsmith line of multi-tools introduced in 1947. While I'm sure that the Shopsmith tools funneled some of the tools sales away from Sears and Delta for a time, but in the end they all owe Shopsmith Thank-You note for getting thousands of DIY'ers into woodworking. The Delta-Shop was quite a bit different than the Shopsmith. Where the Shopsmith was a lathe-based tool, the DeltaShop was built around a tablesaw. A single motor with a dual shaft drove the saw and the jointer which were mounted on a common stand, the drill press and disc sander were a different story. For use them you first removed the saw blade and swapped it with a drive pulley. To use the drill press you flipped it into position from the right end of the saw, where it is hinged, and from there you feed the belt over a pair of pulleys and through the table's throat plate and around the pulley beneath the table. Lowering the bland (now a pulley) adds the proper tension to the belt. Most of these tools that exist today have long since had their drill presses removed and permanently mounted on a bench or tossed into the trash, as they have a very small capacity.

Delta & Rockwell Unisaw Tablesaws For Sale

The Unisaw is a classic! Finally available in left-tilt, the right-tilt version has been a hit since the 1930's. The photo also shows the spectacular newer version of the Uniguard and the great Unifence. Watch out for 3-phase saws, which will require an expensive phase converter in order to operate on household current.


Click here for Delta/Rockwell Unisaw Tablesaws For Sale

Click here for Delta/Rockwell UniFence Uni-Fence For Sale

Click here for Delta/Rockwell Uniguard Uni-Guards For Sale (Very light activity)

Click here for Mobile Base For Sale

Delta & Rockwell Jointers For Sale

Here's another tool that Rockwell and Delta just keeps getting right. Pass on the bench top version, but otherwise you can't go wrong. I like the DJ-15 (6") and the DJ-20 (8").

Click here for Delta/Rockwell Jointers For Sale

Delta & Rockwell Thickness Planers For Sale

The planer offering from Rockwell and Delta was and is ever changing. With very few exceptions these are all great tools. The stationary tools are heavy cast iron and only recently have been made in China. Some of the best were made by Invicta in Brazil, so don't let that scare you off.

The portable planers came along after it became obvious that they weren't going away! Ryobi had the first and it really ate Delta's lunch for a couple years while they figured out what to do. Ever since then they have been ahead of all but DeWalt. Buy the newest version you can find. This is a smooth planning tool and is an excellent choice for thicknessing S4S lumber.

Click for Delta/Rockwell Thickness Planer listings