table saw station

Overall Rating: ( 3 reviews )

1. Posted: Nov 14 2007

   While this is an alright deal on a saw it is not the UNISAW version, but the Canadian version and parts are not interchangeable. Also be careful of the mobile base u buy as the 1 the claim for it doesnt fit, had to return 1 and order different version. Bottom line either buy the Unisaw model or a Jet JTAS model, u will be happier.........

2. ( 1 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 17 2007

   For the last 10 years I have been trying to put together a woodworking shop, but the responsibilities of a family of 4 always seem to get in the way of "the shop". After convincing the wife to add on a "garage", my shop was in place and all I needed was.....everything. I had already acquired all the hand tools, power tools and accessories needed for woodworking. Now it was time for the big boys. My first purchase was the table saw. I'll save time and skip the reasons why I picked this saw, because everyone has their own reasons for choosing a piece of equipment. I purchased the saw for under $1200 delivered. Now it is $1700??? Anyway, the saw arrived via ABS freight in about a week. The driver was great and backed the truck's liftgate right into my garage and put the saw exactly where I wanted it. I purchased a Delta jointer at the same time and all six boxes and crates arrived undamaged. I took about 8 hours to assemble the saw at a slow pace. As with the previous writer, Delta or Amazon did not include the "optional" adapter plate to attach the board to the table. This model has no right extension wing and a special adapter plate is required to attach the board. Someone really dropped the ball on this one. With a little ingenuity you can attach it without much trouble.....but it still isn't right, even though it works. After assembly the saw looked good, but there was something bothering me. This is supposed to be the last table saw I would ever buy. I was really expecting that old table saw from junior high shop class. You know, the real heavy and beefy one. After all, Norm uses a Delta, right? But to me the saw seemed....."adequate". The sheet metal making up the cabinet was thinner than I remembered. I wanted that real heavy metal construction of the old days. The cast iron top was OK, but nothing to cheer about. The starter box seemed to have good working parts, but the actual box itself looked and felt cheap. In my opinion the saw was worth about $800.....not $1200 or $1600!!!! Anyway I was ready to give it a dance so I plugged it into the 220. The saw started and I saw that I would need some shims on under one corner, because the saw actually jumped a little when I started due to an uneven floor. Done. One test cut and the saw worked great. Second test cut and BOOOOOOOM!!!!!! The saw exploded and flames shot out the dust shoot on the back. Thick smoke billowed from every crack and hole in the saw and the motor locked up, making a horrendous buzzing sound. I hit the stop button and.....nothing. It wouldn't work. The smoke was really getting thick now and I reached for the plug and yanked it. After cutting the power the motor stopped buzzing but I had a fire to put out. For the first time I pulled the fire extinguisher off the wall (I'm really glad I put that sucker in my cart at Home Depot 3 years ago). I got the fire out, which turned out to be burning insulation from the motor blowing up. The inside of the cabinet was scorched and the whole thing was a mess. I looked at the motor and it said "Made In Brazil". Great. What happened to made in America. (Well I guess Brazil is in the "Americas") My dream woodworking shop was off to a bad start. I have to say, Amazon gave me no hassle. I called them at 11:30 at night and the trucking company called me the next day to arrange pick-up. I decided for a full refund instead of an exchange. Fool me once..... This is where ABS gave me a hassle. They would only pick-up in my area on Thursdays, and only if they had a delivery in that area. Are you kidding me!!!! 2 weeks went by and finally they sent a truck.....that had no liftgate. Another week went by and a truck arrived. I had already put the saw back on the skid and bolted it down. I had the saw disassembled and neatly stacked everything together and secured it as best as I could. I had long since tossed all the shipping materials. The ABS driver was not happy and said he could not take it. He was afraid of damage to the saw. I explained that the saw blew-up and caught fire, causing the saw to be a total loss. He did not care. It had to be crated. I told him no way.....call your boss. He did and his boss told him that he forgot to mention that Amazon paid ABS to package the saw as well as transport it. Bye bye. Now I am back to square 1. I told myself to stop playing around and ignore what a lot of people write in these reviews. Do not settle for a good value or "adequate" equipment, I told myself. Delta makes good stuff, don't get me wrong. I love my Delta jointer. But I wanted to buy a saw that my grandkids could have. A 50 year piece of equipment. There was only one clear choice. My Father always bought the best stuff. Now I know why. Good equipment costs money. I spent what I needed to spend to get a quality, American made table saw that would last me my whole life. I bought the Powermatic 66. It arrived today. A 50 year table saw. Enough said.

3. Posted: Feb 3 2007

   Have been using this saw for a week now and am quite happy with it. It is my first tablesaw. It arrived in excellent shape, and included the laminated biesmeyer table (not MDF), as well as a 43" fence face. It needed a bit of tuning and alignment, table to blade, belts were too tight (made a loud jolt on startup), and there wasn't enough play to line up the splitter/guard assembly. There also seems to be a bit of play in the triunion gear mechanisms, but I only noticed this when I was adjusting the belts - this might be normal. That said, for the price I paid (comparable to Delta Hybrid TS) I have no complaints. This is a heavy saw (almost too much for two guys to lift). Now that it is aligned it works like a champ. The cabinet is welded and seems fairly rigid. Was impressed with the build quality of the tableboard and legs. Note: there seems to be a bar missing when attaching the tableboard to saw. I ended up having to use the brackets on the outside of the table and routing a relief in the tableboard for it to clear the bolts. I do like the double-walled plastic motor cover. It has a heavy foam gasket to seal against the saw. This is a decent quality saw and would definitely recommend it, especially when on clearance.

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