- Power and phase
- Delta's 1995 manual specifies a 1-1/2 HP single-phase motor that runs on 115 or 230 V. That's the easiest kind of motor to run in a garage. Check the plate in the photos for how it's wired.
- Motor and bearings
- The motor hangs off a rear mounting plate and drives the arbor by a belt, under a pulley guard, and the manual shows how to swing it in for storage. Ask for a video of the motor starting and running. It shouldn't bounce on its plate.
- Runout
- Spin the arbor by hand with the belt off and feel for roughness, or check it with a dial indicator. If you can't, listen for rumble in the running video.
- Table and rust
- Ask for a raking-light photo of the table and wings. Light rust is fine and comes off with fine abrasive and mineral spirits. A crack or a cracked wing isn't fine.
- Fence, guards and gauges
- Delta's 1995 manual lists the stand, extension wings, front and rear guide rails, a rip fence that clamps front and rear, a blade guard and splitter and a miter gauge. Check the photos for all of them.
- Trunnions and adjustments
- On a contractor's saw the trunnions bolt under the table. Ask the seller to raise, lower and tilt the blade on video. Then check the blade against a miter slot when it arrives, since a move can shift it.
- Blades and knives
- It takes standard 10 in blades, so blades are easy to buy. The guard and splitter are the parts to look for.
- Dating it
- Saws from about 1982 to 1984 on carry 8-digit date-code serials, with the year first. Earlier ones have Tupelo two-letter prefixes, and a 1977 34-440 on record reads JC 530.
- Moving it
- No weight turns up in the Delta papers we found. It's an open-stand saw that comes apart into the saw, the stand, the wings and the motor, and two people can move it that way.
- Safety upgrades
- Check that the guard and splitter are there and that the switch on the front rail turns it off cleanly.
Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing fence, guard or motor should come off the price.