General purpose table saw recomendations

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:27 pm

OK. Building a Christmas prresent and my twenty year old Delta table saw starts to howl..Check to see if the dog has come downstairs, but nope..it's the saw.

Going to the delta website, such as it is, yields little help, apparently the saw is obsolete.

SO, unfortunately(hee-hee) I may have to buy a new table saw!

I don't have room for a cabinet saw.

What say you!!!!

Mark.Wilme · Post by **Mark.Wilme** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:25 pm

Does this need to be a fixed saw or do you need it to be portable for either storage or working in other locations ?

What do you intend to do with it ?

How thick a stock do you need to cut through ?

Do you need to run any special blades like dado heads etc ?

What's the maximum width you are likely to want to cut on the saw ?

Lastly - most table saws use generic motors, have you tired searching for an aftermarket motor to replace or do you just want a new saw ?

Post by **Tim** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:12 am

dmairspotter wrote:I don't have room for a cabinet saw.

How much room do you have?

I'm guessing you don't need portability, so a contractor's saw is probably the best overall choice. Portable saws are all well and good, but don't make much sense unless you need to move it around all the time.

You probably can't go wrong with Delta, Powermatic, or even Jet--whichever model fits your size, feature, and budget needs. Some of the Jet tools are awfully attractive, with their pricing and features, as long as you don't mind the "import" label. Frankly, some parts of the Jet cabinet saws that I looked at early this year were nicer than the Delta that I eventually bought.

Replacing the motor in your older saw may also be worthwhile, but this depends on the overall condition and quality of the old saw. Sometimes, it's just time for a new saw. You don't sound too disappointed with this prospect, so...

Any additional info on what you're looking for and need, specifically, in a saw would be helpful.

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:00 am

My old saw is a 20 year old Delta contractors saw. Cast iron top, sheet metal wings, on its own steel stand. I did further surgery last night and found that the entire motor will need to be replaced. According to the atrocious Delta website, the part is in supposedly stock at $220.

However..

1) I need it now!(whine, whine)
2) the rip fence is a little less than marginal
3) the miter guide is really bad

So I think I'd like to go new, I think.

My current workspace is pretty small and awkward, (10 x 14 or so) so I don't have enough room to put a cabinet saw in the middle and let it stay there. I don't want a super lightweight throwaround saw either, so it seems a contractor type would be best.

I would like the ability to use a dado. Other than that, just basic saw operations.

Mark...LOL...I always feel like I'm entering a minefield when I use mine!!!!

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:50 am

A new saw will have lots of trick new features, but I dunno that you'll be able to find anything as solid as that old delta without spending an arm and a leg. Most now have aluminum tops, for example.

I think that for the cost of a new saw you could replace the motor and buy yourself a good quality fence.

I always use a bevel guage to set the miter angle anyway.

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:24 pm

I went saw shopping today. Didn't make it past Rocklers. Delta contractors saw, 1.5 115V motor separate from arbor (unlike my old one), cast iron (or steel) top and left wing, right wing is extended with some sort of laminate (suitable for a built in router table!!!) AND a Biesemeyer fence for $499!! Then they give you a $50 gift card!

Couldn't pass it up, but I have to wait a few days to pick it up.

Post by **Tim** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:51 pm

Sounds like you didn't need us at all! :<) I like the way you act.

I think you'll love your new saw. Having an excellent fence and accurate trunion is everything, and you'll get that in the new Delta. The cast top is a nice feature in a world of perforated aluminum tables.

When we remember that 20 years ago was 1986, suddenly that "old" saw doesn't sound like such a grand old-fashioned tool worth saving!

Use your gift card to pick up a mobile base for your saw if you need to move it around in your shop (unless you got the mobile base included in the deal too, as is common).

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:45 pm

The mobile base did not come with it, so I'll pick one up. It will be nice to be able to roll the saw out of the way, as opposed to dragging like I had to do with the old beast. Accuracy..well, it ain't a 3000 cabinet saw, but it should be as good as my old one. Good enough for my skill and workload level, I hope.

I do look foreward to mounting the router in the wing. That will save me some shop space and make the router more convenient to use, I hope.

As far as acting fast, I'm self employed and tools and toys leave the income stream before it is absorbed into the family maw...Makes it a tad easier to get stuff...no wrangling with the significant other.

Of course, that means there is precious little braking action on my impetuous nature.....

Post by **Tim** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:03 pm

dmairspotter wrote:Of course, that means there is precious little braking action on my impetuous nature.....

You're saying that as if it's a bad thing! :<)

Mark.Wilme · Post by **Mark.Wilme** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:43 pm

I have my contractors saw on a mobile base too - I also built a 3/4" plywood top that fits over the whole saw (remove the fence and lower the blade all the way) and I get a very solid somewhat mobile work surface in the shop too - all for the price of some leftover scrap.

ANd it avoids getting paint, glue and other dings on my table.

I have always struggled to find a good rust protector (cast iron top) that wont rub off on my wood though. Any tips ?

Post by **Tim** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:06 am

Mark.Wilme wrote:I have always struggled to find a good rust protector (cast iron top) that wont rub off on my wood though. Any tips ?

Johnson paste wax or bee's wax.

One way to clean a rusted cast iron top is to spray it with WD-40, place a Scotch-Brite pad on the surface, and then place your palm sander on the pad and run it all over the surface. This will take off just about any rust and staining. Clean off the detritus, apply paste wax, and buff. Not only will your top be protected, but your wood will slip right through without friction as you use the saw.

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:43 am

Like that to Idea...going to do it!

Post by **Tim** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:23 am

Do you have your new saw yet? How do you like it?

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:01 am

Just picked it up yesterday. Actually, "picked it up" is a figure of speech. Ain't nobody picking that thing up, what a beast. Spent yesterday afternoon till about midnight assembling everything. Now that I have this great looking new saw I have to straighten out the rest of the shop to be worthy of the new edition.

Hopefully first sawdust will come later this afternoon as I return to building the most expensive Christmas present I have ever made. I think I could have had Thos Moser personally come to my daughters apartment and make her a kitchen counter for less......

One question for you..In the manual for both the fence and my fancy new miter gage they say to make sure the saw blade is aligned with the miter slots, and that I should refer to my saws manual for instructions. However, I find nothing in the Delta manual. I took a quick look under the table and didn't see anything that looked like an adjustment.

Any thoughts?

Post by **Tim** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:09 pm

I didn't make any adjustments to my saw blade when I set up my saw. I don't recall noticing a place where it could have been adjusted. I did confirm that the blade is parallel to the miter slots, though--simple enough to do with a couple measurements, or by ripping a board with the fence and then confirming that it is parallel to the slot. Mine was parallel, and then I set the fence up to suit.

This will be far more important if you use a miter gauge a lot, since you want "0" to actually be "0" and so forth. I don't use a miter gauge often, but of course I want the saw accurate in all ways.

While I expect my cabinet saw has a somewhat different trunion than yours, I will check out my booklet and see if it mentions a horizontal blade adjustment.

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:42 pm

I measured my blade-to-miter and blade-to-fence and it all seems right on out of the box. Just wondering if it might be adjustable if it needs it later.

Mark.Wilme · Post by **Mark.Wilme** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:21 am

I made a gift for my daughter last Christmas - I was building it this time last year, I don't think I shared it with you folks, but because you all love pictures, here they are :

P.S. I am ashamed to say that's my tablesaw in the background in one of the photos piled high with junk - there just wasn't enough room in the basement that day.

and finally

Post by **dasein668** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:05 am

Cool!

Robert The Gray · Post by **Robert The Gray** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 2:29 pm

i dig the lady bugs!!!!

r

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:32 pm

On my 1946 Delta Unisaw, the table adjusts to square the blade with the miter slots. There are 4 bolts under there you loosen, square the table with the blade and tighten the bolts.

I clean and wax my saw table and every other cast iron surface in my shop ( both band saws, the shaper table and the jointer), just like Tim outlined- WD-40 and steel wool under a sander, then Johnson's paste wax. Since I live on the coast, 1/4 mile from a warm saltwater bay I HAVE to stay on top of that or I'll get rust. About once every month to six weeks does it though.

ALL of my hand planes get the same Johnson's Wax treatment too

FloatingMoneyPit · Post by **FloatingMoneyPit** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:34 am

Santa's workshop indeed. You have your work cut out for you topping that one this Christmas, Mark! Very nice.

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 6:02 pm

Well. now I feel ashamed of my meager efforts..

It's weird shaped because it has to fit , and maximize counter space, in my daughters miniscule kitchen. Maple ply, red oak trim, urethane finish...No ladybugs...

And the saw

Mark.Wilme · Post by **Mark.Wilme** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:09 am

You have your work cut out for you topping that one this Christmas, Mark! Very nice

she got a third of a new boat this Christmas so .....

No ? You don't think that's going to work with a 4 year old, Hmmm

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General purpose table saw recomendations

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