hi,
I have come across a used unisaw, 1989, in pretty good shape, right tilt, 52 inch unifence, table board and legs, for what I think is a good price of 850$…
my question revolves around buying the saw. I am interested in woodworking, but all I’ve done so far has been to fabricate kitchen countertops (formica with oak edging) for my kitchen, an undercounter bookshelf (also laminate with oak trim), and a 4 hour project of making an outfeed table from particleboard for my table saw that also holds my power tools and toolboxes (inspired by last years tools and shops small shop article), so mostly carpentry stuff. My current saw is an aluminum table topped craftsman 10 inch contractor’s saw. I’ve tossed the fence as it was unusable, and got a good deal on a Beisemeyer commercial 30 inch fence, but the saw really isn’t up to the accurracy needed for furniture (can’t get the mitre slots square to the blade, table top is corrugated and not flat and is a bit flexible) and isn’t very safe as it is is because I’ve had to scrap the splitter/blade guard to fit the fence on.
I’m also an obsessive buyer, if I have a hobby, I’ll obsess about the things you buy for the hobby instead of actually using what I have, and aquire more than I use or need. Collector would be a nicer term. I’ve managed to aquire a nice PC router, Delta benchtop drill press, and delta cheapy CMS for other projects like flooring along the way.
Anyway, with my limited experience working wood, but a real interest in making furniture (I’d love to eventually replace virtually everything I own), should I invest in the unisaw now, or get by with what I have, borrowing a friends JET contractor saw for what I need until I’m sure the interest is there and will stick (say 6 months or a year).
I say get the saw, I can sell it for at least what I pay (less the hassles of picking it up and getting to my place), my wife is more practical and knows me better, and worries we’ll end up with a 500lb collection of iron…
Thanks for your help in this domestic situation!
Brad
Edited 4/6/2004 9:27 pm ET by batorok
Replies
Most questions about tablesaws have no clear answer, so I avoid them. But yours has a very clear answer: buy it. If you ever do any kind of even hobbyist woodworking, trying to make bookshelves or bedside tables or whatever, there's a 99% chance you'll end up buying some version of the saw you're looking at now (yes, I know you can theoretically do without a table saw, etc., etc., but what percentage of the participants in Knots don't have one?), so you might as well do it now.
That Delta is a fine machine, and yes while expensive in the abstract, I popped over $2,500 for mine, although mine was a bit souped up. This is a bargain, and you'll have it for the rest of your life.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
My only concerns about a $850 Unisaw would be the amount of wear and tear on the saw and the right tilt.
If the saw is well worn, you might find yourself spending serious money to get it back to peak accuracy. I personally don't like right tilt because of the higher potential for kickbacks but some folks really like right tilt.
You mentioned the miter slots in your Craftsman not being square to the blade. I have a 20 yr old Craftsman that I tore down a few years ago and rebuilt dialing everything in as I went. I ran the arbor bolts in finger tight then clamped a piece of metal to the blade and measured the distances from the metal to the slots at the front and back of the saw table. I moved the metal, blade and arbor to dead parallel with the slots, then tightened the arbor bolts. The saw has cut dead-on ever since.
thanks for the comments. From the pics, the saw looks to be in good shape, though missing it's motor cover, dust port, and I don't see any blade guard/splitter. These aren't cheap to replace.
The craftsman is direct drive, the motor seems to be bolted to the table via a bracket, I've loosened it and tried to square things, perhaps I'm not using enough force...
You can build a motor cover if you want to save $$$. I made one with the help of a buddy (welder) but it could be pretty easily done out of light plywood as well. Good luck wrestling with your decision! LOL
Regards,
Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, #### IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
Brad,
From one avid tool collecter and aspiring woodworker to another, buy it. You'll never regret that purchase. Quality tools can inspire quality work, but lesser quality tools rarley do the same. I wouldn't worry about a splitter and motor guard being MIA. You can make a better splitter then stock, and take Macks advice on the motor cover. You won't believe the difference between your present saw, and the Unisaw.
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