Guy Belleman
06-24-2009, 7:38 AM
Received a new tool, one that I have been pondering over for over a year. When I went to work again for the Department of Defense I had to sell my beloved unisaw. My wife said it got better rub downs every week than she ever saw, I think she was smiling when it departed. Then I had the opportunity to get a Grizzly 1023SLW, a great saw as well. Then, my family wanted to move, so again I had to sell the saw and all the accessories. That is the trouble with government shipping weight limitations, and I guess if we didn’t have four children and all of their stuff, there would be room for my stuff. Well, I finally saved enough resources to get another saw. Never had trouble selling a cabinet saw! I spent an agonizing year comparing saws, looking at eBay and craigslist listings, and asking questions. Finally, ordered the Grizzly G0690, 10” cabinet saw with 3HP motor and riving knife.
Load up of the Grizzly G0690 tablesaw went well. I mean that receiving the four boxes at the UPS Freight Terminal went well. The gents there used their fork lifts and some muscle to help me load the saw box that I could barely budge by myself. I would have had the crate delivered to my house, except that their big trucks can’t make it up our windy and narrow gravel county road. Some new tie down straps, rated for thousands of pounds, then secured the load, from sliding, or tipping, for the 45 mile trip.
Down load of the crate was more exciting. The one box containing the saw is top heavy, This box weighs around 500 pounds, is about 2 feet square and 3 feet tall, and is raised up on a forklift pallet. The wife and I were able to tip the box onto a heavy duty dolly I had. Then as we rolled the box out of the trailer, the boy played out a safety rope on the back so that the box didn’t take off as it hit the ramp. Worked like a charm. All of the other boxes with the fence, rails, and table wings could be manhandled.
The manual is fairly clear on set up, and the pictures are great with arrows to the key parts. After cutting the cardboard box away and then knocking the wood frame apart, I was able to unbolt the saw from the bottom pallet. I then positioned the saw on the mobile base I had prepared for it.
Putting on the motor cover was easy. Placing the blade tilting handwheel on with keyway went fine. The manual says to use a 2.5mm hex wrench for the set screw, it is really a 2.0mm allen wrench. A complete set of long, metric allen wrenches were included, a nice touch I thought. Taking off the motor shipping brace was easy. The dust port door was simple to slip in over the lower lip and tighten the thumb knob.
Installing the two table wings was not difficult. I installed each and checked for flatness. Some droop on both wings. Off they came and some tape put on both below the bolts. Bolted both back on. This sounds easy, but holding those heavy wings and threading the very greasy bolts is not all that easy. Well, when the bolts are almost tight, a few taps with a rubber mallet and the straight edge indicates that all is flat in all directions. Cinch everything down, and check alignment again, perfect!
The rails went on as the directions stated. The manual is generally very good, with good pictures. When I got to the installing the extension table, I discovered that I only had three of the four M8-1.25x30mm hex bolts. Fortunately, I was able to find a close replacement quickly, thank goodness for a catch-all nuts & bolts can. The fence went together easily as well.
The directions for installing the magnetic switch were not as good. Securing the switch to the rail with two hex bolts was easy, but then the manual says to secure the top of the switch to the rail with a Phillip Head screw. Well, the switch itself is in the way and makes it impossible to do this. Perhaps, the directions should include that “the switch must be removed from its bracket by removing the back two hex screws, then installing the top screw, and reinstalling the switch.”
Installing the Forrest Woodworker II blade was easy. I like being able to use two wrenches to tight the arbor nut. I remember when a block of wood had to put into the teeth of the blade and the nut tightened. This is much better. I really like the spring loaded locking pin for the blade guard and riving knife, that is slick.
The fence needed a little adjustment on the back foot to slide and clear the table freely. The fence lined up exactly with the miter slot. The fence also lined up with the blade. That is good, that is very good.
Installed the plug on the cord. The test run went well, smooth, quiet and efficient. Well, I just happen to have a rough piece of wood here. Two cuts and the blade cuts like a hot knife through butter. So quiet, hard to believe the saw is running.
If there is one small gripe, it is that the supplied parts are not checked closely enough. Missing one bolt was sort of annoying, now having one that is not the same black color as the other three. The supplied allen wrenches and box end wrenches worked well, but often I needed to pull out a second wrench of my own to adjust/tighten the bolt and nut at same time. Also, the wrenches supplied are metric, while some of the bolts sure seemed to be SAE. I guess after my lifetime, our using of two systems will finally resolve itself into one.
Bottom line, this is a beautiful machine. I remember when folks were selecting a particular brand of machine simply because it was white and not a less appealing green or gray, and all comparisons indicated performance and cost were very similar. I like the new off white and green trim colors that Grizzly has on this machine. Well, now Grizzly machines are as attractive, if not more so. What’s next, Mustang hotrod red! More critically, the saw works perfectly. The trunion is massive. All of the pieces go smoothly together. The mechanisms are smooth and precise. The cast iron top is ground flat and smooth. The quality seems even better than my previous two cabinet saws.
file:///C:/Users/Mom/Guy/Green%20House%201%20June%202009/IMG_9440.JPG
IMG_9440.jpg (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=121540&stc=1&d=1245843454)
Load up of the Grizzly G0690 tablesaw went well. I mean that receiving the four boxes at the UPS Freight Terminal went well. The gents there used their fork lifts and some muscle to help me load the saw box that I could barely budge by myself. I would have had the crate delivered to my house, except that their big trucks can’t make it up our windy and narrow gravel county road. Some new tie down straps, rated for thousands of pounds, then secured the load, from sliding, or tipping, for the 45 mile trip.
Down load of the crate was more exciting. The one box containing the saw is top heavy, This box weighs around 500 pounds, is about 2 feet square and 3 feet tall, and is raised up on a forklift pallet. The wife and I were able to tip the box onto a heavy duty dolly I had. Then as we rolled the box out of the trailer, the boy played out a safety rope on the back so that the box didn’t take off as it hit the ramp. Worked like a charm. All of the other boxes with the fence, rails, and table wings could be manhandled.
The manual is fairly clear on set up, and the pictures are great with arrows to the key parts. After cutting the cardboard box away and then knocking the wood frame apart, I was able to unbolt the saw from the bottom pallet. I then positioned the saw on the mobile base I had prepared for it.
Putting on the motor cover was easy. Placing the blade tilting handwheel on with keyway went fine. The manual says to use a 2.5mm hex wrench for the set screw, it is really a 2.0mm allen wrench. A complete set of long, metric allen wrenches were included, a nice touch I thought. Taking off the motor shipping brace was easy. The dust port door was simple to slip in over the lower lip and tighten the thumb knob.
Installing the two table wings was not difficult. I installed each and checked for flatness. Some droop on both wings. Off they came and some tape put on both below the bolts. Bolted both back on. This sounds easy, but holding those heavy wings and threading the very greasy bolts is not all that easy. Well, when the bolts are almost tight, a few taps with a rubber mallet and the straight edge indicates that all is flat in all directions. Cinch everything down, and check alignment again, perfect!
The rails went on as the directions stated. The manual is generally very good, with good pictures. When I got to the installing the extension table, I discovered that I only had three of the four M8-1.25x30mm hex bolts. Fortunately, I was able to find a close replacement quickly, thank goodness for a catch-all nuts & bolts can. The fence went together easily as well.
The directions for installing the magnetic switch were not as good. Securing the switch to the rail with two hex bolts was easy, but then the manual says to secure the top of the switch to the rail with a Phillip Head screw. Well, the switch itself is in the way and makes it impossible to do this. Perhaps, the directions should include that “the switch must be removed from its bracket by removing the back two hex screws, then installing the top screw, and reinstalling the switch.”
Installing the Forrest Woodworker II blade was easy. I like being able to use two wrenches to tight the arbor nut. I remember when a block of wood had to put into the teeth of the blade and the nut tightened. This is much better. I really like the spring loaded locking pin for the blade guard and riving knife, that is slick.
The fence needed a little adjustment on the back foot to slide and clear the table freely. The fence lined up exactly with the miter slot. The fence also lined up with the blade. That is good, that is very good.
Installed the plug on the cord. The test run went well, smooth, quiet and efficient. Well, I just happen to have a rough piece of wood here. Two cuts and the blade cuts like a hot knife through butter. So quiet, hard to believe the saw is running.
If there is one small gripe, it is that the supplied parts are not checked closely enough. Missing one bolt was sort of annoying, now having one that is not the same black color as the other three. The supplied allen wrenches and box end wrenches worked well, but often I needed to pull out a second wrench of my own to adjust/tighten the bolt and nut at same time. Also, the wrenches supplied are metric, while some of the bolts sure seemed to be SAE. I guess after my lifetime, our using of two systems will finally resolve itself into one.
Bottom line, this is a beautiful machine. I remember when folks were selecting a particular brand of machine simply because it was white and not a less appealing green or gray, and all comparisons indicated performance and cost were very similar. I like the new off white and green trim colors that Grizzly has on this machine. Well, now Grizzly machines are as attractive, if not more so. What’s next, Mustang hotrod red! More critically, the saw works perfectly. The trunion is massive. All of the pieces go smoothly together. The mechanisms are smooth and precise. The cast iron top is ground flat and smooth. The quality seems even better than my previous two cabinet saws.
file:///C:/Users/Mom/Guy/Green%20House%201%20June%202009/IMG_9440.JPG
IMG_9440.jpg (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=121540&stc=1&d=1245843454)