Looking in the want ads finally paid off! Not for me, but for a friend of mine who’s been thinking about getting a new tablesaw. I saw a delta unisaw with a 52″ biesemeyer fence for $600. I called the guyl ast night and he said it was fairly old, but he had just put a new 3HP Baldor motor on it ($360), and it came with an HTC mobile base ($190) and extension table. I called my friend – he was interested so I got up this morning and drove down to Miami and met him at 7:30am. The saw needs some paint, a dust cover for the motor, and some work on the extension table, but the top is flat and the tilt and blade elevation is smooth as silk. I got him to come down to $575 and hold the saw for 2 weeks so my buddy can come get it (he’s 3 hours away in Orlando). Looked like a no-lose deal since the motor and mobile base is worth about $550!
Anyone know where I can refer him to for a motor cover and splitter?
Thanks.
Terry in Delray Beach, FL
Replies
Terry,
That's a great find. You see so many debates about which table saw to buy- I always say wait for a good used Unisaw. I bought a Unisaw with 3HP, 52" Biesmeyer, HTC base, pair of roller stands, roller extension, carbide blades, for $650. One reason it was so cheap is that it had a problem with the magnetic starter, and the seller was freaked out about it. I fixed that in one evening for a cost of a $10 part.
As for the motor cover, it's very easy to make your own out of plywood. I just took some 1/4" ply, glued it up from the inside with hot-melt, attached a lip of 1x pine for bolting to the cabinet, and presto. Not fine woodworking, but it works. I made up several zero-clearance throat plates, some fitted with splitters for ripping, and some without, for cross cutting. That takes care of the splitter problem.
You found a sweet deal.
Rick
It doesn't get any better. I have an old unisaw that I have talked about from time to time. I called Delta when I finally got it home and they still have parts for their older tools. Try e-mailing them or give them a call. You may be surprised.
Steve
speaking of old unisaws- i was at the preview of a machine shop auction this afternoon and there was an absolutely ancient one! i swear it had to wait until wood and electricity were invented to be used. it looked like it had earned it's keep over the years, too, making dust not collecting it.
mitch
If your friend doesn't want to take up Rick's DIY solution, then have him call a factory service center to see if they have the needed parts. The closest one to him is in Tampa (813-877-9585), but since he is on his way to Miami, there is one in Davie (954-321-6635) as well.
You are very fortunte that he put a Baldor motor on it (the best). Most would go the cheapie motor route. You'll love how quiet that saw is. Mine just hummms.
Dave of FL
well, tonight i go to look at a unisaw from an estate sale. the guy said it was from the '50s, and in really good condition... and $900. i'm skeptic of the price and the dating, as he said he priced it by looking on ebay (you'll note the highest current sale, past and present, is around $500 for a unisaw with any age...)
anything in particular that i should look for tonight? i have a serial number list with dates, and a few straight edges, what else should i be testing? i know this forum can have slow topics, so hopefully i'll get a few responses today. he said tomorrow he and his wife fly back home out west, and he really wants to part with it. maybe i'm in for a helluva deal!
thanks in advance for any advice!!
tony
Take along a small mirror and a flashlight, maybe a little duster brush, and look inside at the trunnions, gears,etc. for any obvious cracks and excesive wear. Hopefully you will be able to hear it run, you will most likely hear a bad bearing, but if not, take the blade off and slowly rotate the arbor while listening for the gritty sond worn bearings make. Grab ahold of the arbor and check for any noticeble(sp) play. Under $500 is a good price for an old Uni, specially since he wants it gone.
hey, thanks for the advice (i hope i'm not hijacking a thread here, but i figure it's silly to start another about the same thing)
well, about 4 hours and $500 later, here's some pics of my new project (baby)! with a serial number of 76-4480, it was manufactured about 1949. it's milwaukee made, so she's at home. ;)
i checked everything best i could, but the guy had dismantled it to get it out of his father's basement, so unfortunately i never got to hear it run. when i spin the arbor with one hand, it makes about 10 or so revolutions... i'm not sure if it's supposed to glide endlessly or if i'm okay, so if there's any insight before i put it back together and fire it up, let me know!
other than that, it just looks like it needs a little tlc. the table top is very flat, and the motor (oem 1hp 240v) is in great cosmetic shape. i haven't heard it go yet, but i assume all is good. the cabinet is in good shape with no dents or scratches. i'll probably strip, repaint and restore whenever i get a basement shop, but as it's going to be garage-bound in my duplex-dwelling days, i'm just going to prevent rust and other forms of corrosion.
outside of the tenoning jig that someone else must have snagged, i got the whole setup, including a catalog from delta-milwaukee and 2 1948/49 issues of the deltagram.
anywhoo, here's some pics! (even of my old contractor which looks on sadly...) let me know what you think!
Edited 8/13/2002 12:54:24 AM ET by tschmaling
Most excellent, looks like minimal wear and very little use from the prior owner. Nice find.
What a terrific find...hell, the extra parts alone are probably worth $500. I just saw your mesage...there is a web page that tells you what to look for in a used unisaw...too late...but it dosen't appear to be relevant anyway. This would probably be a good time to get the motor checked...bearings etc. might save you some grief. However, If your like me...can't wait to hear the purrr....good luck
Sort of looks like the fence that was on my first Delta, a 10" Contractor's Saw purchased in 1975. You might be in the market for a new fence. Good luck. I wonder if the weight of the 1949 model is greater than the current one.
I think these saws are the deal. My unisaw looks exactly the same. I think you'll be amazed how smooth it runs. The 1hp motor has lots of power. I have been using mine for over 2 years now and couldn't be happier. Its a great find you'll be very happy with it.
Good luck
Steve
Very nice. I am definitely a bit jealous, b/c that is exactly what I'm looking for to use as my dado saw. It looks very clean and taken care of, and before you run it, just turn both the arbor and the motor by hand and listen for tell tale gravel. I wouldn't sand and repaint it, just use a real good cleaner and scrub brush. There's a web site http://www.oldwwmachines.com where they are uni saw nuts(at least most of them). You can gain a lot of knowledge from the guys as far as working on it and keeping it running smooth. Nice.
Stop it you guys...we have work to do (nice one!) ...Pike...
thanks for the compliments everyone. after sitting and staring at it for a while, i'm pretty excited to get working on it. i know some people think repainting is a waste if there's no real problem, but i can't help but drool when i see other saws like this one that have been brought back from the dead...
http://files.oldwwmachines.com/PhotoIndex/Delta/16ElGuapoBefore.jpg
http://files.oldwwmachines.com/PhotoIndex/Delta/16ElGuapoAfter.jpg
and here's what i'm shooting for...
http://files.oldwwmachines.com/PhotoIndex/Delta/06Tablesaw.JPG
i'll probably wait until it's in it's final resting place before i go ahead and put that kind of work into it. i tried a little 409 automotive (degreaser) on certain parts of it, and it's in better condition than i even thought. the rust is minimal, it's just some screwy sludge that got splattered on it.
s4s, the fence is like the one on my delta contractor saw, and i agree that it's future is looking pretty grim. i really like that unifence system..... (evil grin). i'm glad to hear the 1hp is powerful. i have to admit i didn't even look at the motor rating when i bought it. he told me it was single phase wired for 240, so i assumed it was a 3hp (my bad). my contractor saw is 1.5hp, and i really expected a performance increase, so we'll see ;)
dave, i have checked the arbor, and like i said, it doesn't spin forever, but a good one-handed twist gives me about 10 revolutions. if that's good or not is out of my league. the motor has a hiss to it, but i've since realized it's the brushes (whew!). bg, do you still have that site about looking for features when buying a unisaw? i'd still like to see it (unless it's oldwwtools.com, which i've already found). thanks!
many people around here don't understand why i bought such an old machine, and my mother thinks i'm certifiable -lol. i just keep telling them they don't make them like this anymore (that and i don't have two grand sitting around fora new one). who knows, maybe someday i'll see the need to buy a new saw, but from what i'm hearing, this may just be all i need.
thanks again, everyone!
Edited 8/14/2002 11:25:44 AM ET by tschmaling
I'd like to give my two cents. Dismantel the complete saw and have all the cast iron parts sand blasted( top included ), prime and repaint. Change the arbor and motor bearings with sealed units. I've rebuilt eleven Unisaws of '40 and '50 vintage in the the last six years. The older 1725 rpm motors produce a tremendous amount of tourqe compaired to the newer motors but spin the arbor 900 rpm slower. Attached are a couple of picts. OOOps, won't upload the JPG files.
Good luck,
Dave koury
i'll have to look into that and how much it would cost (and where to even go). i'm pretty anal about my stuff, and i always treat it like new so it stays that way. that being said, my natural instinct is to pull it all down and start from scratch so it all looks good as the day it was bought.
cost may be a factor, though...
thanks for the advice!
If you want to contact me, I can provide a few rebuild tips. The '40s Unisaws are my favorites. I have a '41, '46, '48, '51, '55 along with a '97. All are 3 phase.
Dave Koury
http://www.sawcenter.com/unisaw_faq.htm
this is the web page i was thinking of...nice saw, good luck
thanks, BG. DJK, i'll be getting in touch with you with some questions about sandblasting.
Edited 8/19/2002 10:56:28 AM ET by tschmaling
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