coming soon G0661 review

[jim hedgpeth]

Pulled the trigger on a g0661 ts this morning. Unfortunately the only review I have found is in japanese , but Griz gave me a name for a guy that has one. I talked to him for a min. ( or was it an hour:rolleyes:), and he realy likes his.
Back to original point, I thought I would give a heads up and ask if there are any particular ?? anyone has. I plan to give a general idea of delivery, assembly, general impressions. Keep in mind I am a noobie, and have very little by way of " inspection" tools. Oh and I dont have a digital cam. that I can post pics with. (sorry)

[jim hedgpeth]

A friend who is going to help unload & put together has cam phone. I am hoping to be able to load pics. from it.

[jim hedgpeth]

Cant wait.

[Steve Sawyer]

Congratulations, Jim - hope they stick to that delivery date. Not that I have any reason to doubt it, but a number of us tried to order one of these when they first appeared in the catalog over a year ago, and finally gave up when the anticipated delivery date kept slipping. Until today, I hadn't heard of anyone actually taking delivery, so it's nice to hear that it may finally be getting into the pipeline.

While my interest is now academic (I finally ended up with a Jet cabinet saw) the G0661 looked like a really nice machine to me, so I'm looking forward to your report.

[Jim O'Dell]

Woooo Hoooo!!!!! Here's a pre gloat congrats! I will soak in any information you care to share with us when you get it in. There is a poster at WN that has a 690 up and running, but hasn't had a chance to really play with it yet, but said it is very smooth running, and the only problem he had was one of the plastic caps on the rail was damaged in shipping.
So enjoy, but remember to let us know all about it. Jim.

[jim hedgpeth]

Thanks guys, I checked stock by phone before I ordered. I had seen a lot about delays as well, but it was in stock ready to ship back in aug I think it was when I checked. Called before I ordered to, my delivery date is actually from ups freight (1pm est). I still think it was nuts to send it from St.Louis to Mt.Vernon though, St.L is closer to me by 1/3 and :rolleyes:I'm fairly sure they have a shipping depot there, even though it's just a little town(lol).

[Don Bullock]

Jim, congratulations on your new saw.

For those like me who haven't memorized the Grizzly catalog or item numbers here's the G0661:

http://grizzly.com/images/pics/jpeg288/g/g0661.jpg

http://grizzly.com/products/10-2-HP-Contractor-Style-Table-Saw-with-riving-knife/G0661

[jim hedgpeth]

Just typed one up, now its gone. Sorry guys but I got to get sleep before work tonight. I'll redo tomorrow. anyone know if I could change the original post to just g0661 review?

[jim hedgpeth]

Getting ready for work, will try to post a little each break, here's an overview.
SHIPPING-VERY GOOD 2 EXCELLENT ordered 2/6 @ 11:49am received 2/11 @ ~11:30am all ok
PACKAGING- G 2 VG= 3 cardboard boxes, well fitted Styrofoam for main box, fence rail box "2 ply" cardboard. Would have liked to see main box that way but it survived w/ only minor tears in box. HEAVY, in shop I moved it w/ appliance dolly, when I set it down last time dolly handles bent. Ooops:eek::D
FIT & FINISH - VG 2 EXCELLENT except minor/major on fence, more later.
ASSEMBLY- EXCELLENT VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD. 90, 45, both dead on out of box, according to wix. dig. box. Blade 2 miter toed out .002-4, fence in .004-5.
OPERATION (not tweaked yet)- vg 2 excellent. This is prelim. but the saw cuts better than dads cman, or brothers lil delta. Two major notes, have seen ?? about fence, despite above mentioned:mad: don't let it stop you. Locks so solid you move whole saw if you try while locked. More later,fence is very ok. Miter gauge is NOT cast iron or adjustable bar. Will call Griz tomorrow and let them know descrip is WRONG.
POWER is very good, probably better in 220, as circuit would mot be maxxed. Cut, especialy since I havent swapped blades yet, is very good.
MOTOR - TO BE DETERMINED Have used 2 saws w/ tefc motors ( both mine were univ.) this one, on power down, does something different. Kill the power it freewheels for count of 2 (sounds like it will glide forever:D good bearings) then "tic" from motor area and it slows prety fast:confused:. Could this be a motor brake, or defect? Never read anything about one (brake), and it slows notably faster after the tic but not that fast. Another ? for Griz in morning.

Thats it for now. Off to pris.. I mean work. LOL Later guys & gals.

[jim hedgpeth]

Took several w/ cell phone. Try to send to email, phone says "network unavalable":confused::mad: WILL resolve this soon, somehow.
Later.

[jim hedgpeth]

Shipping & packaging, nothing to add realy.

Fit & Finish are very good nice polish to the table, dead flat wings mated nicely, I still need to tweek them a little though. Nice paint, rubberized handles on fence and miter gauge, as well as tilt lock. Realy only things I see that could easily improve are the motor cover, and machining on table top. It is nicely ground but there is a bur, very sharp, where the edges are beveled. Also not sure why both ends of the wings are bev. but only the front on the saw.

Assemble nothing to add.

Operation- First rip didn't even turn on saw, screws for cursor too high. I ended up removing the washers and shaving the raised rib around the holes in the cursor. That took care of it for now. No way to lowwer the fence rail to give them more room.

Got to go, more on the fence later.

[jim hedgpeth]

The low pro riving knife is installed in box, adjustment proved not to be needed. Switching to full splitter knife is as simple as removing the throut plate, and loosening bolt 1/2 turn, lift and install the other. Keep the factory shims on same side and tighten. Lined up good. The gaurd has a spot in the top that I am going to adapt for dust collection as well once I have something w/ a little more power than my shopvac.
Thats it for riving knife, next dc, got to go. Later.
Forgot I am considering making a "handle" for this bolt. It only needs to turn 1/2-3/4 turn so a wingnut type handle could work. When I try it I'll post results.

[jim hedgpeth]

There is a dust hood w/ 2 1/2" port mounted around the blade, one side is part of the casting the other is heavy plastic. A 2" rubber coupling from plumbing supplies fits it and shopvac hose perfectly, though it rubs when blade is set to 45. I will play w/ this soon and see what other ways I can hook it to my shopvac. Those using a REAL dust collector wont have probs. cause the hose can hook directly to the port and would flex out of the way @ 45.
First impression was it did O.K. but not as good as I'd hoped. Later When I emptied my vac I had to wonder if my filter was that bad when I was checking it out. I will try today and see if it is noteably better w/ clean filter.
As I mentioned before, the blade gaurd has a spot on top that would be easy to adapt a hose to. This is also on my to try list, though not till I get a dust collector that can pull more air than my vac.

[jim hedgpeth]

The fence is solid, straight, and locks down extremely well. Toed in ~ .004 out of the box, squaring the fence faces involves 2 uhmw (or something like it) set screws. Very simple. Adjusting square to the miter slots and blade was similar, 2 set screws. This is a trial & error situation, and also affects how tightly the fence rides & locks on the rail. Mine rode tight and toed to the left a bit at the back. Loosening of the right set screw fixed it, though it did take 3 adjustments to get it "perfect"

THE PROBLEM AND FIX. Grizzly said they have been made aware that the screws holding the "cursers" area bit higher than the table on some, they didnt offer any explanation though.
All I did was removed the washers and raised area on the cursers around the screw holes. That put them low enough for now will watch for scratches till I can change screws.

That covers the fence. I already have a Vega U50 that I will be puting on later, have to take it off my old saw. If this fence had micro adjuster and a little mor reach I would not bother, as this fence is just as solid.

More on operation - Talked to Griz. about motor, they said it is equiped w/ a clutch of some sort. When shut down this disengages and will create drag. :confused: Seems to me like it would elim. motor drag from blade, alowing it to spin more freely, not slow it. They know more about that than I do though, so I'll take their word for it.
Cuts are great, saw is vey stable & smooth, passed nickle test no prob.


Over all I give it 5 stars -1/2 for the screws thing, and give it back for impressive cut w/ noame blade. I realy can't wait to see what it will do w/ something like a wwII.

Now I'll shut up, unless someone has ?? I've rattled long enough. Besides I keep waiting for someone to sneek up on me w/ an old sock and duck tape.
Later everybody.

[jim hedgpeth]

Well I have given up on pics from my cell, seams I dont have network service something or other, wont be getting it either. Plan on buying a digital cam before long though, so sometime I will add pics. Just wont be able to show packaging.
So busy lately I havent had time to even put my (me made) mobile base together. Have only used the saw for a few things but it is SOOO nice to be able to just go make the cut and be good. Never realized how much time I wasted on checking setup and fighting with the old one. I have to admit the little thing that I love on this saw is the blade depth lock. I know, crazy, but you have no idea how much time I have wasted trying to fit something just to realize the depth changed on me:mad:. I used a clamp on the hieght adj. on the old saw but it still moved sometimes. and it wasnt unusual for the tilt to move sometimes to. The only good thing on that saw was the fence, and I had to add it, but it was always right on,and made right here in Illinois (Decater I think) I hear.
Anyways I will try to update occasionaly to let all know what I think as I get more time w/it. Now that we are done w/ the other appartment I should get a little more time. Of coures there is still the never ending "Honey Do List" but most of it is in the shop (dvd rack, bookshelves, ect..) so its ok I guess:D.

[jim hedgpeth]

Still haven't built anything special, but I have used it a good bit more. It cuts well, and has plenty of power cutting walnut. That's about the hardest thing I have cut with it so far. Still haven't had time to finish my mobile base. I did get a digital camera the other day, will post some pics as soon as I clean up my shop. It's kind of embarrassing right now, total mess, got to move things just to use the saw.

So many things to do this summer, no time for "fun" things. Got to get some time in the shop. Must go work on the house now.

Later all,
Jim

[Scott Hildenbrand]

I'm looking forward to seeing the saw and appreciate your review. Even now there is next to no information online about this saw.

My old [death trap] Trademan bit the dust a couple days ago while trying to finish a nestbox for the chicken coop and I'd told myself well before that if it died it'd be time to get a GOOD saw that will last me a lifetime.

Cabinet saw is out of my price range, but this thing seems like the best of both worlds, looking more like a hybrid than a contractor saw so I'm hoping it will outlast me. If even a motor replacement here or there.

Any more thoughts on it? Good things you really like? Things you're not too keen on?

As with many, the unknown fence does still weight in my mind. Do you get any deflection if you push at the back with your thumb?

[jim hedgpeth]

Been a while since this post got any action.

I picked up a camera over the weekend and plan on trying to post some pics later this week. Hopefully I don't kill myself trying to get around in my shop, what a mess.

The fence that came with the saw has been sidelined for some time. I already had a Vega U50 before I ordered the G0661, and love it to much to give it up. The Vega made a $99 Walmart special bearable till the bearings went bad. Last time I used it I was afraid it would blow apart and launch the blade at me.

Sorry I am babbling, back to the fence you asked about.

I did check it out and use it a bit for review purposes. It performed pretty good after fixing the cursor screws. I did not detect any flex in it. I currently have it mounted on the backside of my extension table for use with the router table. The front rail for it was identical in size to the rear rail of the Vega, so it was an easy "mod". Now I just need to rig a face for it to use with the router table.

My only irritation with this saw is the tilt lock is a separate little lever above the depth wheel, rather than a knob like the depth lock. Otherwise I love my G0661 and would not hesitate to buy it again.

Well of to the shop to try to get some pics, maybe they will help explain what I mean about the locks.

Jim

[jim hedgpeth]

Well, here goes, I am going to try to post some pics of my G0661 from my new camera. Be patient, as the camera and posting pics are both new to me.

The first pic is an overall, you can see my Vega on the front (hopefully) with the Wixey scale. On the back is the original Griz fence, or part of it anyway. I will be turning it into a router table fence sometime, if I get "some time".:rolleyes: Also in the sometime category, my "cabinet" the saw is sitting on is a rough prototype of an idea for a mobile base. I don't trust locking wheels, so they retract when not in use, kinda. But that is another thread, when its (re) done.

In the 2nd and 3rd pics, you see that little red lever right up under the table, that is the tilt lock lever. My only dislike about this saw so far. I wish it was a knob inside the hand wheel like the depth wheel has.

The last pic shows the motor cover, thin somewhat flexible plastic, and a how far past the bottom of the saw it sits. Just wanted to point out that the motor does swing down a good bit on this side. If you are thinking of building a "cabinet" or something for it to go on this will have to be accommodated.

Better post and start another, I dont know how big it will let me get.

[jim hedgpeth]

So when I posted the pics got moved around, but I'm referring to the right ones now. LOL, maybe, it flipped them again after I edited, lets see if this is right.

Here is a few shots of the fence that came with it. Last pic shows the lock lever and "head" of the fence. You may have noticed the missing face on the fence, they are nice aluminum extrusions, I stole one for my miter gauge. The handle is large, rubberized and affords a very nice grip. Early this spring when it was cold out this handle was a lot nicer to touch than my Vega's (Brrrrr).



First and second pic show the cursors, modified one last. I had to shave and file away the plastic ridges and eliminate the washers.:mad: The rails can only be mounted at one height as they are attached to the saw with countersunk machine screws, lock washers, and nuts. No adjustment there, not that it would make a difference, then the fence would be on the table. This was the only fix I could come up with, though changing the screws out may work if you had some with smaller heads and the same thread.


Well that's all for now,

Jim

[jim hedgpeth]

Sorry about the order of the pics, but you get the idea. They seem to change order sometimes if I mess with those posts.:confused:

Learning experience I guess. LOL.:D

Jim

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Thanks for the amendment, Jim. Truly appreciate it.

Also glad that you noted the motor hanging down, though should have expected that. Nice reminder that provisions need to be taken when building a base, which is planned once [if] I get this.

[jim hedgpeth]

Yea, the motor swinging down caught me off guard. I was working on the base cabinet before I got this saw, but that's why I am using 1" ply scrap from work, it's free. Once I get it all worked out how I want it I'll remake it out of birch or maybe even oak ply and solid edging. Till then I can drill, saw,change, and redo without worrying what it looks like.

Here's an idea to mull over. Air bag suspensions in some of those wacked out cars drop the car all the way on the frame when dumped.

With a base around 27" deep, and say 60" long gives you over 1600 sq. in. under the saw cabinet. (not my dimensions but a guesstimate)
Say the base is 2" thick all the way around, you still have well over 1200 sq. in. surface area under there.
Find an "air bag" that fills that area it wouldn't take much pressure to lift it would it...........AAAHHHHHH, got you thinkin now, I can smell the braincells burning from here.:D LOL.

If I ever get it done there will be a post, with pics and a rough how to.

Later,
Jim

[Milind Patil]

Dear Jim,

I am new on this forum.

I am currently seriously considering G0661 over all other options for one single reason, this is the only saw that I see that offers 36" rip capacity in its native mode (I mean without optional fence). The only thing bothering me about the saw is 2 1/2" dust port. I would have expected standard 4" dust port like all the other Grizzley saws have. Also $944 (including $94 shipping) does seem little pricey but I am willing to pay for that kind of rip capacity and if the saw justifies it with the quality.

The next option on my list is G0438RLX, but its rip capacity is only 30".

The question I have for you is, now that you have this saw for so many months, how do you find the dust collection ? Have you connected the saw to a regular dust collector (instead of shop-vac) ? How much dust do you think still escapes and how much gets caught through the dust port ?

Also, you said in one of your last posts that except the bevel locking inconvenience, you are extremely happy with the rest of the saw and will not hesisate to buy it again. Do you still have the same opinion after so many months ?

Are you using the saw on 110V or 220V ? Would you recommend 220V for better performance or is 110 just as good. My house has 220V connection, but only one outlet in laundry room (for dryer). Which means I have to do separate wiring for 220V.

Sorry to bother you, unfortunately you are the only owner I have found so far who has shared experience about this saw. I still haven't found any review from anyone else.

Thanks
Milind Patil

[jim hedgpeth]

Sorry I have not updated lately, Soooooooo busy.

I have used this saw now for a bit over a year, and would recommend it to whoever, great "little" saw. I still dont know how a "contractor" would like it, to heavy (300# or a bit more) to be taking in and out of a truck on a daily basis.

I do not know off hand how it compares to others price wise now though.

The tilt lock works fine, just was different than expected, and took a little getting used to for it to feel right. I do still wish it was a center knob like the height lock.

Just a shop vac still, but dust collection does pretty good, provided............
1) you remember to turn it on EVERY time you cut with it
2) check filter in shop vac often, it can get partially plugged pretty fast
I would guess ~ 85-90% of VISIBLE dust gets sucked up.

If you skip even once turning it on.... it dont work very good next time until it clears itself.

Also note.... I have a 20gal. 6hp shop vac, with a "custom" foam seal around the lid to help it suck more. It will pull the lid down far enough to discolor it around the center if I let it get stuck to a solid surface. I try to avoid that, cant be good for the motor.

And on hooking it up, shop vac hose end (attachment end) has a little square-ish lock to hold the end on. If you have a spare hose, remove that plug, and hard plastic end piece. The hose then fits in a 2" rubber plumbing coupler (as mentioned before) and does not interfere with tilt operation. The hose does still rub the stand some, and may eventually wear through, but no pressure on it anymore.

Fence deflection.... not bad that I noticed. I never realy measured deflection though. I would not see any real problem with using it though, after fixing the screws I mentioned before.

It did not stay on mine very long, I already had a Vega that I love, so.................


As far as power, I am running it on 110 for now, does good, but when you first start it the lights dim a little for a sec.

Cutting power.... after my old saw, and dads old craftsman, wow....big improvement. My house is pushing 200 yrs old and we are doing a lot of remodeling. Most of the framing I have messed with so far is rough cut white oak, true 2x lumber. Cross cuts without effort, rips fine as long as I dont try to rush feed it, if I do it slows a little. That is partially because I use a combo blade. With a rip blade I dont think it would phase it.

Also the blade supplied with mine is pretty decent. I dont know if they still ship with the same blade or not. If I ever get back to furniture work I will invest in a Wooodworker II though.

Hope that helps.

Got to go.

Jim

Oh... and it comes with a "near" zero clearance throat plate, the blade does not move sideways much as it tilts, unlike my old saw. And if you use a dado set, make your own throat plate, the supplied one is pretty open. Ok for large pieces that straddle the dado set, but if its close to an end it can suck it down in the hole enough to bite and launch it. Trust me, I found out.

Jim

[Van Huskey]

2) check filter in shop vac often, it can get partially plugged pretty fast


Jim


Get yourself a dust deputy!

[Jim Rimmer]

Get yourself a dust deputy!
I have the G0661 and a Dust Deputy. If you only have a shop vac (like me) the DD is indispensable.

The screw problem Jim mentions on the G0661 is now fixed (I bought mine several months after he did; probably benefitted from his contact with Grizzly.) I love the saw. My lights go dim when I turn it on, too. Could be because I am in a garage with inadequate circuits. I ran the nickel test and it was smooth running. Easy to assemble. You might consider tailgate service. I lucked out and the UPS driver helped me get it in the garage.

I did have a little problem getting the hose hooked up to the dust port. Maybe it was just me. I finally found a plastic fitting (don't ask me where, I tried so many things) that would go inside the dust port and stay and then bought an extra vac hose at HD and put it on and left it. When I need it, roll my vac/DD up, take the hose off the DD and use the one permanently attached to the saw. I do this because the dust port is not easily accessible for taking the hose on and off.

Check this thread for a vertical cart I made for the dd and vac.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=126514

[Milind Patil]

Thanks very much Jim. That was very helpful.

[scott spencer]

....I am currently seriously considering G0661 over all other options for one single reason, this is the only saw that I see that offers 36" rip capacity in its native mode (I mean without optional fence)....


Milind - With left tilt saws there's rarely a need for any rip capacity to the left side of the blade, so it's often possible to easily slide the front fence tube over to the right by several inches. I've slid my last two fences over by 10", to give respective rip capacities of 40" and 36" (Craftsman 22124 and Shop Fox W1677). In both cases, I left the front angle bracket in place and simply unbolted the front rail tube, slid the distance of one bolt hole to the right (~10"), and rebolted the tube to the angle with one less bolt...there's still 3 or 4 bolts holding the tube, which is plenty strong. You need to relocate or replace the measuring tape on the rail, and recalibrate the cursor. It's usually a fairly straight forward 10 minute task, but depending on the fence design, sometimes you'll need to make an extension table to fill the space between the front and back rails. Food for thought so you're choices aren't as limited.

Jim - Thanks for the detailed report and pics. Congrats on the new saw!

[Mike Goetzke]

Talked to Griz. about motor, they said it is equiped w/ a clutch of some sort. When shut down this disengages and will create drag. :confused: Seems to me like it would elim. motor drag from blade, alowing it to spin more freely, not slow it. They know more about that than I do though, so I'll take their word for it.
.

I'm interested if anyone has info on this response. I'm curious because I recently purchased an 8" Griz jointer and it exhibits the same slow down. I originally though it was just the start cap throw-out switch but the drag seems much more than that switch should make.

Mike

[jim hedgpeth]

Mike, mine still slows like that. It does seem like a brake almost dont it? Well, any which way, its a good thing in my book. The faster the blade stops after power off, the better.

Other Jim, glad to hear they got the screw issue fixed on the fence. If you are still using yours maybe you could give everyone a better feel for your likes + dislikes on the fence?

As far as rip goes, my Vega is shifted to the right, gives me about 8" + 56". It is supposed to be a 50", but the rails are like 72" so you can squeeze a little more out of it. I dont use that much rip very often, a 30 would be fine most of the time. Mostly it is just nice to be able to push the fence out of the way to use the miter gauge, instead of taking it off all the time.

For sheet stock, I have a 50" flat bar clamp from MLCS. Boomer red here
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/boomer_clamp.html

On the dust hookup, I found it easiest to get to with the blade all the way up and motor cover off reaching through the side and bottom.

Dust deputy is out right now, my other project is taking what money and time I have. 1978 Cherokee Chief, soon to be a 1ton on 38" tires with very little lift. Vroom vroom:D.

Jim

[Milind Patil]

Dimming the lights at start-up is perfectly normal for a 2HP induction motor (my Laser Printer dims the lights of my home office every single time I send a print job). This is because of the surge current that the equipment draws at the start up (this is called as "switching-surge", every single electrical equipment shows this trait, even the light bulbs, except that most equipments' switching surge current is not big enough to dim lights and hence is not noticed). One way you can avoid switching surge is use a Sort Starter. What it does is applies the voltage to the equipment gradualy from 0 to full volts over a period of a few seconds (instead of appying the full voltage right at the start-up). This is not only eliminates surge current, but also prolongs life of the equipment since it is not subjected to the stress produced by the surge current. You should be able to find a suitable soft starter at any store that sales motors, generators, phase converters, etc.

[jim hedgpeth]

Just a little update.....Hard to believe I have had this saw 5 years now.

Saw is still doing great, cuts everything I have thrown at it without hesitation.
Still seams surprisingly powerful for a 110V motor.
No vibration or any issues at all.

Would definitely buy again.

Jim