Delta X5 Unisaw..made offshore?

[Rick Potter]

I have an interest in possibly buying a used Delta X5 Unisaw. I am wondering if these were made offshore, and if so, were the X5's ever manufactured in the USA?

I have seen several come up for sale lately, and am curious.

Thanks,
Rick Potter

[Simon Dupay]

No, the Unisaw was never made offshore the castings might have come from offshores but the saw was aways made here in the USA.

[Rod Sheridan]

If I remember correctly, the X5 machines were all made in Taiwan.......Rod.

[Myk Rian]

And there you have it. Take your pick. :D

[Maurice Ungaro]

Rick,
I've bought an X5 14" BS and an X5 Uni. Both were reconditioned by delta, and both show the original sticker as having been MADE IN THE USA.
I believe that my Uni was built around 2002....I'll check on that for you.

[scott spencer]

I was of the impression that the cast iron came from overseas, and the motor from Brazil, then was assembled in the US.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Supposedly, for a product to be labeled "Made In USA", it has to have 52% of it's components manufactured here. So, yes, some castings may come from overseas. I know that mine has a WEG motor. If less than 52%, the product is labeled "Assembled In USA".

[Montgomery Scott]

I bought my uni in 2003. I asked about the manufacture of it from a Delta rep. She said that everything, from castings on down was USA made including the Marathon motor.

That was before B&D bought them out. The latest uni has at least some components outsourced from what I've heard.

[Ron Bontz]

I believe Maurice pretty much hit the nail. But here is where the confusion comes in.

Delta DC380, 22-675, Mid 90s --Made in Taiwan
Delta 18 Band saw, 28-682-- Around 2001/2--Made in Taiwan
Delta DJ20--37-680X--Made in Taiwan (Base/motor is made in China)
Delta Unisaw, 2002--36-869--Made in USA--supposedly
Delta Radial arm, 33-890-- made in USA (Domestic and Foriegn Parts)
Delta 43-431X Shaper, 2002--Made in USA
It would be interesting to go to Taiwan and China just to count the number of tool makers from the USA as well as Europe. I would say "count the license plates" but they are all probably driving USA and European cars over there. :D

[Rod Sheridan]

And there you have it. Take your pick. :D

Yup, it looks like it depends what model, or what part of what model.

Boy, that's confusing.......Regards, Rod.

P.S. In Canada the rule is that the majority of the cost has to be performed in Canada to be "Made in Canada".

So you can have a can of tuna made elsewhere, and put the label on the tuna here and it's made in Canada due to the high cost of the label.

Pretty weird.

[Stephen Edwards]

With all due respect, unless you have a moral position against buying a foreign made machine, if this saw will do what you want it to do and if you can get it for a very good price and if you want it, go for it! At least that's my take on machines now days. But, that's just my opinion.

For the most part, unfortunately, in regards to new or almost new machines, Made in America simply doesn't mean what it used mean.

[John Thompson]

Have to agree with Stephen E.. I had a 3 HP X5 with most components made in Taiwan for 4 years before I sold and upgraded to a 5 HP and it was an excellent saw. Probably ripped over 100,000 linear feet on that saw as I rip and prep rough stock for hire on occasion.. not one problem and I doubt the new owner which has had it for about 2 years now has had any either.

The only thing I don't like about the X5 is the position of the kill switch which can be bumped too easily with your knee when ripping. But.. after a week or of using it you develope a stance that will avoid that minor annoyance. It's just a matter of getting used to as any machine.

[Ron Bontz]

I was not knocking the tools. Only pointing out the confusion of knowing where a tool is made. The tools I listed are sitting in my shop. However I should note for example the 6" delta jointers, of which I owned one, had cast iron warping problems for a while. I know because I had to have mine reground. Knowing the date and origin of a tool is at times helpful. Especially if you are buying used. If a company were known to be using a lower grade of bearings that wore out quickly from 2000-2001, wouldn't you want to know if that tool from that company was made then? Or would you rather buy it and find out the hard way.
Either way we digress. New version or old version, the Unisaw is a solid saw. End of story.

[Cameron Reddy]

Rick,

I just made the mistake of assuming that Made in the USA meant quality. My Powermatic 141 bandsaw has a top wheel that is HORRIBLY out of balance. Look at these pictures. You can see that the arbor hole was drilled off center such that, when the wheel surface for the tire was cut, the rim depth was massively inconsistent. Since the rim is cast iron, any variance in depth has a large effect on wheel balance.

It has taken about eight ounces of lead weights to get this wheel from shaking the saw like a dog stepping out of water.

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-02.jpg

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-03.jpg

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-04.jpg

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-05.jpg

[Hugh Jardon]

"Made FOR America" means big and cheap (for the most part) to me.

There are exceptions of course, but nowhere else will you find such feature-packed, large consumer goods for such small prices.

The power of the retail market in the US is something to marvel at. In the last year, I have been building my shop. I've spent $1892 by my quick calculations on major tool purchases. For that, I have got three tablesaws (one cast iron, two granite, a long story), a 14" bandsaw, a jointer, a 13" planer, a floor drill press, a router combo and three different sanders. All of them are RIDGID products, all were brand new with a lifetime warranty. All were bought on sale, the full sticker price would be of the order of $3500. To quote HD, "More saving, more doing. That's the power of THD". And it is. The macro economics of that store chain have enabled me to afford a whole shop of tools.

Now if I were to spend $1800 in Europe, I would be getting one or two major tools of similar quality. RIDGID is nowhere near the top of the tree, but it gets consistently good and "best value" awards. There were all made in China or Taiwan, and the only one I find hard to get on with is the bandsaw. Everything else has been a revelation. If they wear out (which I don't know yet), they're warranted for life! Sure I'll need blades etc, but I don't need to worry about handwheel castings fracturing, or motors failing.

I am not complaining. Bring it on!

[Chuck Wintle]

Rick,

I just made the mistake of assuming that Made in the USA meant quality. My Powermatic 141 bandsaw has a top wheel that is HORRIBLY out of balance. Look at these pictures. You can see that the arbor hole was drilled off center such that, when the wheel surface for the tire was cut, the rim depth was massively inconsistent. Since the rim is cast iron, any variance in depth has a large effect on wheel balance.

It has taken about eight ounces of lead weights to get this wheel from shaking the saw like a dog stepping out of water.

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-02.jpg

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-03.jpg

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-04.jpg

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac200/cameronreddy/Powermatic%20141/LastImport-05.jpg
Thats just crap in my opinion!

[Alex Shanku]

Rick,

I just made the mistake of assuming that Made in the USA meant quality.









Trying to use one VERY rare example and claim it to somehow reflects USA tool and machinery quality is not very accurate, imo.


100+years of tool design and manufacturing disagree with you.

I own a 141. I have also talked with many 141 owners and none have described a similar problem like you have. One bad apple does NOT ruin the bunch, in this case.

[Rick Potter]

I have a 15 year old Unisaw, and have played with the idea of selling it and buying a used X5 for the left tilt feature. I probably won't do it, as mine is dead reliable, but someone mentioned the X5 was made elsewhere, and I was curious.

Thanks again
Rick Potter

[Chris Rosenberger]

All Unisaws were & still are being built in the USA.

[Myk Rian]

Rick,

I just made the mistake of assuming that Made in the USA meant quality. My Powermatic 141 bandsaw has a top wheel that is HORRIBLY out of balance.
We've seen your post. Why don't you get a new wheel for the saw, and quit complaining?
Now, back to the original subject.