Delta Table Saw

[meaneyedcatz]

I have a 10" Delta contractor saw with cast iron wings, a 30" extension on the right and the Unifence.
I love this saw, it provides nice cuts with the Freud blades I use and the fence is dialed in so I can put the cursor on any measurement and the cut is dead nut on.

The other day I was wasting time at the local big box hardware store and saw the only contractor saw offered by Delta.
I know for a fact I will never buy a new Delta. Cheap and flimsy to say the least. It appears the fence is so bad it would never be accurate and could even provide plenty of kickback.

They still offer the Unisaw with the Biesemeyer fence so its either a professional grade or salt water salvage.


I knew when Delta got bought by Black & Decker the quality would go away, and it has. But now it is owned by a Taiwan company and it appears to be worse.


I'm sure glad I have mine as it will never need replacing.

 

[Kevin G]

Decided to pursue wood butchering as a hobby about 25 years ago. Started with a large Jet contractor style saw. The thing shook and shimmied like the Hooterville Train.
Found a gently used Unisaw from the mid 60s. The thing hums like a Singer Sewing Machine.
The parallel between it and my Smith and Wessons is that their capability far exceeds my skill levels.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Back in the 60's, my father had a unit out in the garage that slid on two big 2" stainless metal rods and it could be inverted to be used as a drill press and jig saw.
Lots of tables, adjustment sections, handles and guides, plus
if I remember a belt that had 3-4 speed adjustments.

Lots of saw dust on the floor as we were growing up.

 

[ditrina]

Back in the 60's, my father had a unit out in the garage that slid on two big 2" stainless metal rods and it could be inverted to be used as a drill press and jig saw.
Lots of tables, adjustment sections, handles and guides, plus
if I remember a belt that had 3-4 speed adjustments.

Lots of saw dust on the floor as we were growing up.

SHOPSMITH??

 

[arjay]

Bought a used Rockwell in the 70s and had it in my shop for many years.Great old beast [emoji1303]

 

[Drm50]

I go through a couple 10" $200 dollars saws a year. You can't get a good saw for that price. I only use them for rough work on 2X and plywood. None of them have a decent fence and some are so bad it can't be fixed with C clamp. Thing is I want a saw I can pick up and put in truck by myself. I'm about due for another and saw a Bosh a flooring contractor had on a pop up stand that was pretty decent but more expensive.

 

[meaneyedcatz]

I go through a couple 10" $200 dollars saws a year. You can't get a good saw for that price. I only use them for rough work on 2X and plywood. None of them have a decent fence and some are so bad it can't be fixed with C clamp. Thing is I want a saw I can pick up and put in truck by myself. I'm about due for another and saw a Bosh a flooring contractor had on a pop up stand that was pretty decent but more expensive.

I don’t blame you for buying the cheaper ones. But Bosch does make a good saw.

 

[427mach1]

I started out with an imported contractor-type table saw many years ago. As I got more and more into woodworking, I started selling my cheap starter tools and buying better quality replacements. I ended up with a 3 HP left-tilt Jet Exacta-saw cabinet saw with 50" rip capacity. Cuts smooth as silk and passes the "nickel" test.

 

[ameridaddy]

I had a mid-70's 1-1/2 HP Unisaw, refitted it with a Biesemeyer fence and some good Forrest blades, fitted a four inch outlet and a dust pan inside, and used it happily for a number of years. Then I started trying to rip 3" white oak and cherry, and I got tired of burn marks on the wood as I nursed the wood through the cut. The 1-1/2 HP just wasn't quite enough. My homemade dust collection worked very well once I hooked it to an Oneida dust collection system (still love that)
I sold the old Unisaw and bought what was probably the last decent Unisaw in a 3 HP model. This was the one with both the blade height and tilt hand wheels on the operator side of the saw, and it had a supposedly "improved" dust collection system.
At the time, I was torn between that and a new Sawstop, but nice and comforting as the Sawstop's finger-saving feature was, I just could not bring myself to set that glossy all black on every surface thing in my shop. It would show every spec of dust and grease and suck half the light out of the shop - kinda like Darth Vader sitting there.

I bought the Delta Unisaw. Power was/is good, blade change is much easier than the old version, more table top between the blade and operator makes for more stable cutting, Biesemeyer fence is great, aluminum fence guides instead of steel...ehhhh....? but the "improved" dust collection is awful. That thing spews fine dust in my face and all over the infeed side of the saw onto the floor and all over the tablesaw top.
I kinda wish I'd bought the Sawstop. With the demise of American Delta and a terrible time I hear getting repair parts and service, I doubt I'd get any money if I tried to sell the Unisaw for a Sawstop now.
Oh well, some of that sawdust smells nice.