Hello. I am looking forward to furthering my interest in woodworking as I approach my retirement in October. Currently I use a Ryobi table saw that is beginning to show its limitations. I would like to get a new saw and am willing to pay for the likes of a Delta Unisaw. However, I do not know if I need such a big powerful unit. I will want to cut 8/4 or thicker hardwood from time to time, but probably not routinely. I want a flat table, a top quality fence, an accurate miter gauge, and most of all a saw that is not so fussy as the dang Ryobi. I have read about the newer contractor saws and the two hybrids, DeWalt and Jet. One other thing is mobility: is it practical to put away a Unisaw with mobile base to make room for the cars? How should I go about being sure I don’t wish I had a better saw in a year or two? Thank you for any suggestions. John D
Edited 2/11/2004 10:46:24 PM ET by JohnD
Replies
A good cabinet saw will certainly not be "fussy" like the Ryobi. The contractor saws and the hybrids all have the same adjustment feature for bringing blade parallel to the miter slot. The cabinet saws are much easier to adjust and less likely to come out of adjustment.
That being said, 8/4 hardwood shouldn't be a problem for a well-tuned contractor saw with the right rip blade. A link-style belt will help also. It may come down to the portability and space-consumption factors.
Anyone out there have a cabinet saw sharing space with cars??
forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
JohnD,
Get the biggest/best saw you afford and make the cars live with it. Eventually you'll want a dedicated shop right!? Then you won't have to upgrade the saw. You'll never regret buying a quality tool! "Quality is the only true economy" Ben Franklin (or some other famous guy). Enjoy!
Mack
I have the Unisaw with 52" Unifence and it is on a Delta mobile base. The base has two fixed wheels, one at the front left corner of the cabinet and one at the back left corner. There is a single swivel caster with a foot-operated lever to the right of the cabinet. The lever is easy to operate, as you need moderate foot pressure to activate the caster. However, I recently broke the weld that held the lever to the lever plate. This is after just 3 years of moderate use, but a friend welded it back on and it is now good as new. Although the Unisaw is 400 lbs plus, it is easy to push around. However, because it only has one swivelling caster, it can be difficult to steer. It might take a combination of pushes and pulls or running back and forth between the opposite ends to manuveur it into place. But once you've got the geometry figured out, it's pretty easy to get the hang of it.
I just bought the Delta universal mobile base and love it. But the instructions say it is rated for 300 lbs. My Jet contractor's saw with cast iron wings weighs just that. Not surprised yours broke after holding a 400 lb TS for three years. If your friend put a good bead on that weld, he might have boosted the strength enough - hopefully you don't get a breakdown somewhere else next.
I have to agree with the comments posted so far.
I was in your position a few years ago, and I purchased a Unisaw w/ mobile base. This has been the most satisfying tool purchase I have ever made. You will never be disappointed with your purchase if you buy a quality cabinet saw.
My Unisaw lives in my garage which is gradually turning into a shop. Since purchasing the saw, I have made some improvements to the room to help protect the investment. I have insulated the walls and sealed the concrete. I read somewhere that these are the two most important steps in reducing the effects of moisture.
When the cars come in (which isn't that often), I pull all the tools back to the walls and there is plenty of room. I have yet to hit any of them with the car, and I do worry about it EVERY time I pull in there. Moisture hasn't been a problem even when pulling in two snow-covered cars.
I hope this helps.
Hi, jt,
You say you insulated the garage, and I've been considering doing that, but it seemed pointless because the garage door seems impossible to insulate or weather proof. How did you deal with that?
Charlie
I tell you, we are here to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. --K Vonnegut
I am replacing a thirty-six year old overhead door this weekend. The old door is wood and sagging a bunch. The new door is insulated with an R-value of 5.73 which isn't great for a wall but is pretty good for a door.
I can tell you though that the first two steps of insulating and sealing the floor did wonders for the feel of the space. I have virtually eliminated moisture and, with the addition of a small kerosene heater, I can get the temperature up to 60 degrees when its 30 outside.
I can't wait to see how it goes with the new door.
...but how does the door--new or otherwise--seal against the walls..?
CharlieI tell you, we are here to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. --K Vonnegut
Not sure about the new door. I assume that it will seal just as good as the old door which seals fine against the walls. The old door comes down a little crooked. So there is a small problem with the floor seal. But, I've put an edge guard on the bottom of the door and I push it down with my foot, and it seals fine. The new door should come down straight. Thus eliminating this particular problem.
It is cold right next to the door, but that seems to be because it is old, wood, and uninsulated- not a seal problem.
Jeff
Go for the cabinet saw,you won`t regret it.I bought one this year,put a mobile base on it and outfitted it with fold away out feed tables.It`s made all the difference doing projects now.Also you have built in dust port,contractor saws don`t.
Thanks to all who reponded, looks like I am inching towards the Unisaw. It seems to me that with a little creativity a pair of cars can share space with a well organized shop and everyone can be happy. thanks again, John D
JohnD
Great decision!!
Now your only dilema is to buy a new one or get a used one and fix/tune it up. Either way, I don't think you'll ever be sorry you got a Unisaw. Enjoy! Keep us posted.
Mack
Good choice john,now check out FWW # 163/june2003 (extend your tablesaw`s work surface) I built one for my general.With some minor changes to the design to accommodate my saw it added very little to the foot print.
More than twenty years ago I moved up from an 8" Craftsman bench saw to an INCA 10" tilt table which continues to serve very well indeed BUT three years ago I bought a Powermatic 66 cabinet saw and use it daily. I should have bought one twenty something years ago, but I was working in the garage!
The zinger that I encountered with my contractor saw is how far the motor sticks out the back. Basically with the long rails, there is only one corner it will fit into the garage with the cars in - very inconvenient.
The cabinet saws I have looked at seem to take less room than the contractor saw - because of the motor. Not saying I wouldn't love a cabinet saw, but the contractor saw does fine for me, in my garage-based workshop, EXCEPT for the darn motor and lousy dust collection.
________________________
Charlie Plesums Austin, Texas
http://www.plesums.com/wood
Hi John,
If cost is not an issue go with the unisaw or PM 66. I bought a Grizzly 1023 SL last year and love it. It's left tilting, very powerful, quiet, and does everything they say it will. You'll be glad you made the jump to a cabinet saw. The difference between a contractors saw and a cabinet saw is HUGE. Good luck. Good dust collection is a smart way to go too.
There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Hi John. I bought a Unisaw about 4 years ago. Up until a few months ago, the saw shared the space with a car in a single car garage. The saw was on a mobile base with the 30" Unifence and a fold-away outfeed table. When it was time to pull in the car (which was every night) I could fold the extension table down and wheel the saw to the front of the garage and under my workbench. I specifically built the workbench so that the saw would fit.
One of the advantages the cabinet saws have over the contractors (as far as foot print is concerned) is that they are not as deep. Of course as soon as I put on the outfeed table that advantage went away.
So with the 30" fence and the extension table I could easily move the saw around even in a tiny 1 car garage space that I could park the car in along with my motorcycle, bandsaw, bench planer, roll away toolbox, chopsaw, bench drill press and all my various nailers, drills, routers, etc.
I will say that having to "break down" the shop every night did get old after awhile. The things we endure for our loves.
--Rob
Look at the Jet as well, some say it is as good of a saw for less money. I'm not sure but I am leaning that way. Pluss the jet has a nicer color scheme.
Mike
I am in your situation in that our cars have to share space with my tools. I put marks on the floor where the saw is parked and where I set up the saw in the middle of the garage.
I put a mark where the front left wheel sits when the saw is parked. When I put the saw away, I roll the saw onto the mark at 90 degrees to the wall and then spin the saw on that mark to fit against the wall. That way I don't need much nore space than the length of the saw for storage.
The mark in the middle of the floor allows me maximum ripping length without having to have the doors open when it is -30 outside. It also allows me room to roll up my work bench beside the saw for a support table. This way I don't have to play around figuring out where the optimum location for the saw is.
I have had my unisaw with 52 inch fence for about 5 years now and would not go for anything less.
Good luck!
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