New Delta Unisaw

[rick sawyers]

Hey Folks,
I am looking into purchasing the Delta 36L352 3 HP Unisaw with 52 Inch Biesemeyer Fence, but I am still on the fence, so to speak. I am wondering if this is just an over-priced machine with frivolous bells and whistles which I don't need (like the two front wheels for tilting and raising the blade) or if this is the real deal--a precision made, built-for-life, accurate saw worth every penny. I have a cabinet shop and use the table-saw every day and I need a replacement for my old Sears saw.
Does anyone out there have any experience with one of these? Would love to hear your opinion.
The last thing I need is to spend a lot of money for something which has blade wobble or a warped table, and I'm thinking if I am going to spend the 3 grand maybe I want the best. Is this the best in it's class?
Thanks for any info.

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have had my new style Unisaw for over 1 year. It is everything Delta says it is. It is a very quality built table saw. The new style Biesemeyer fence is a great improvement over the old style. The tool free adjustable riving knife works great along with the tool free blade guard. I really like the front mounted tilt hand wheel & the angle indicator. It is very easy to repeat accurate angle settings. The large blade insert opening & the arbor lock make blade changes very easy. The dust collection is excellent if you have a powerful dust collector.
Only you can decide if the price is worth it to you. It was for me & I have never regretted the purchase.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o303/chrisrosenb/100_0891-1.jpg

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Rick, the SS is also a contender for the top end cabinet saw, as is the General 650.

The only problem is, they're just cabinet saws.

Do yourself a favour and look at some of the Euro sliders, far beyond the cabinet saw in performance, accuracy and capacity.

Toss in scoring and you'll have an unbeatable machine, toss in the shaper option and you can have a sliding table shaper in the same package.

Regards, Rod.

[Van Huskey]

I think the three top contenders in the 10" cabinet saw are pretty clear. The SS PCS/ICS, the Delta Uni and the PM2000, they have all won comparisons and are all the top three in every comparo.

I can't agree with Rod that the General still has a real contender, the General is a solid lifetime saw and still built in North America BUT it is a dinosaur and all three of the other saws have many new value added features, the General doesn't, the even have saws in the International line that have more value added features.

If I were running a production shop I would look at the SS ICS, Uni and PM2000 all three are great saws and are built to last 20+ years in a production environment.

[Doug Carpenter]

Rrick,

I have had my Unisaw for 20 plus years. It has never given me any trouble. I am about to dissasemble it to repaint it because it is starting to look a little rough. My garage shop is not climate controled so it has had a difficult life.

I also have a 52inch Beismeyer fence. It is a joy to use. Honestly as tools go it is the best 3 grand I ever spent. and when I was 20 that was a chunk of money to part with.:eek:

[Stuart Gardner]

Did you see my post at http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=141162

I'm enjoying mine immensely. I appreciated Chris Rosenberger's setup and reply. He's got an overhead dust collector. If you're serious about collection, I think you have to have one of those on any saw.

I wish the Unisaw had a lockout switch on the power switch box.

[Simon Dupay]

I think the three top contenders in the 10" cabinet saw are pretty clear. The SS PCS/ICS, the Delta Uni and the PM2000, they have all won comparisons and are all the top three in every comparo.

I can't agree with Rod that the General still has a real contender, the General is a solid lifetime saw and still built in North America BUT it is a dinosaur and all three of the other saws have many new value added features, the General doesn't, the even have saws in the International line that have more value added features.

If I were running a production shop I would look at the SS ICS, Uni and PM2000 all three are great saws and are built to last 20+ years in a production environment.

What do the other saws have that the general doesn't have? A lot of those features are gimmicks.

[Carroll Courtney]

If I had the funds and the rm,I definitely go for a slider.But on the new Unisaw having the wheels both on front means that you can put a cabinet right next to it.I have no experence w/the new saws but I also believe that Delta is trying to take back the TS market appealing to the serious woodworker.I have the older PM66 and a Unisaw 56 model and love them both,but the slider:cool:---Carroll

[rick sawyers]

Thanks for all your replies. I am still up in the air on this. I saw the Hammer Slider for $2999.00 and started to consider it especially considering the Unisaw is about the same price. But I am not sure if it has as big a table as I need for that price, and I'm not sure if I want or need a 4hp motor.
Right now I have an old Sears saw with a 52 inch Biesemeyer and it works pretty good for me. It is close to .004 of an inch out though (blade wobble) so I want a something precise and rugged.
The General seems pretty good and I'm not sure if it is any better or worse than the PM-2000 or the Unisaw or the SS. In fact I am not against getting a used PM-66 or something if I knew that the arbor was perfect.
I would like the riving knife, but the other "bells and whistles" don't interest me.
Would there be something else I am missing by getting a General and saving the money? Or is the Delta and PM that far and above?

[Van Huskey]

Would there be something else I am missing by getting a General and saving the money? Or is the Delta and PM that far and above?

Not sure what General you are looking at but the Canadian made 650 is the one thats in this league and it isn't any cheaper than the PM, usually you can get the PM for less.

IF bells and whistles are not you bag then The PM and the General are your best choices because they are cheaper and all you get with the SS and Uni are bells and whistles compared to the General and a different set of bells and whistles than the PM. Other than used if my criteria were just a TS to last for 20+ years and cost would get the PM. Blade/riving knife change along with the better dust control are not what I consider bells and whistles both are very useful even on a "basic" saw. In the end you are in the 2700-3300 range (ICS excepted) and the PM s at the lower end of that range and has all the basic functionality you seem to want plus has dust control and riving/blade change over the General and price over the other two. If on the other hand you determine you are a bells and whistles guy then you need to decide on the one that has the best feature set, for instance the PM's built in base may be great for some folks and others might never use it, the same could be said of the Uni's drawer etc.

[Michael Flores]

Dont let price be an issue. Times are tuff and most dealers can either give a discount or throw in extra goodies. I recently ordered mine last month. Here is the list of vendors that i sent an email too and asked what was the best offer they can make me including tax and shipping. Believe me tax adds up real quik on large orders so out of state vendors make a difference. Here in Los Angeles tax is 9.75%.

http://toolnut.com/
http://www.toolking.com/
http://www.woodwerks.com/index.php
http://www.maxtools.com/
http://www.toolzone.com/index.html
http://www.tools-plus.com/
http://www.toolbarn.com/
http://www.coastaltool.com/index.html
http://www.mikestools.com/Default.aspx
http://www.northwestpowertools.com/
http://www.toolmarts.com/
http://www.toolsforless.com/
http://toolsandmore.us/
http://www.allprotools.com/home.php
http://www.toolcrib.com/
http://woodworker.com/
http://www.internationaltool.com/
http://www.woodcraft.com/
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/
http://www.rockler.com/

I dont want to say how much i paid but it was under three grand and believe me, it was well worth it and the main reason i put this vendor first on this list.

[Robert gree]

I really considered the New unisaw even spent some time using one locally. Having both handwheels on the front was very very nice. But in the end i decided to go with the Grizzly G0605X1 (http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Extreme-Tablesaw-1-Phase-5HP/G0605X1)and couldn't be happier.

[Cary Falk]

If I was going to spend $3K on a saw, I think I would probably buy a SS or maybe a slider. You said you have a cabinet shop. Do you have any employees? If yes, then definitely a SS. I have an old Uni so I don't have any experience with any of the saws mentioned here. I have heard good things about all of them so you probably couldn't go wrong with any of them.

Funny that ToolNut was the cheapest. I tried to buy a sander from them and due to shipping they couldn't beat Woodcraft.

[Van Huskey]

What do the other saws have that the general doesn't have? A lot of those features are gimmicks.

The General has the smallest table, poor dust collection compared to the others, has an old school guard that limits visibility, the fussiest riving knife, has the poorest miter gauge, no Poly V belt, a warranty 3 years shorter than the Delta and PM (the SS only has a 1 year warranty), no arbor lock, undersized off switch and no key for the switch (the PMs switch protects against over/under voltage, not sure about the others) this just off the top of my head.

The SS has a brake
The Uni has front controls & a drawer
The PM has a built in mobile base


It is possible that one would consider some of these gimmicks but short of "buy Canadian" I see no reason to buy a General 650 instead of any of these saws.

Since it is easy to argue the slider is a much more modern saw I think this analogy is resonably accurate:

The Uni and PM2000 are Bronze age tools, the SS PCS/ICS are Iron age and the General is Stone age.

[Joe Leigh]

Van is dead nuts on. The PM2000 has the largest table of the SS PCS, Uni, Jet Deluxe Xacta crowd, it also has a riving knife, dust collection shroud, poly belt, cast iron base, integral casters, and the Accu-fence is heavier and has better faces than the Biesemeyer. It oozes quality. Spend a few minutes with it and you'll see. I did and cancelled my Grizzly 1023RL order and bought one on the spot.

[Sean Nagle]

I think the new Uni has the same size top as the PM2000, at least the depth is the same.

I'm currently using an older Uni. If I were replacing it today, it would be with a Euro-slider. If not the slider, I would go with the PM2000.

[rick sawyers]

Thanks for all the advice. Firstly, I have no employees and only have myself to worry about, so as someone else said I am more worried about kick-back than cutting a finger. The SS would be a big consideration if I did have employees....
(In fact, with the 3hp motor I am wondering if I have to worry more about kick-back. I have a 1 1/2 hp motor on my old Sears and it has plenty of power and has bogged down at times when I wonder if a stronger motor might have thrown the wood back at me.)
So from what I've read I will be looking at a PM2000 or the new Unisaw maybe with an optional slider like the excaliber in the photo. Sweet looking machine. I'll have to compare it in price to the PM2000.

P.S.
Thanks, Michael Flores for the online sellers list.

[Van Huskey]

If you are looking at the PM also call: http://equipmentsalesandsurplus.com I got mine from them with a US made Baldor motor and got quite a deal.

[Ray Newman]

"Firstly, I have no employees and only have myself to worry about, so as someone else said I am more worried about kick-back than cutting a finger. The SS would be a big consideration if I did have employees...."
--Rick Sawyers

Rick: given that you are a one-man shop, God forbid that you hurt yourself with the TS and if that does occur, how long can you afford to stay out of work??

Read this on another forum today:
"I found out over the weekend that a friend of mine was working on a project at the house last Monday, I still haven't found out exactly how it occured, but while using his tablesaw his hand got sucked into the blade and he lost 4 complete fingers and split the thumb in two on his left hand.
“They called EMS and they got out there very quickly to get him stabilzed and got him into the local hospital and then into Houston, they were able to reattach the fingers Wednesday and everything went very well.

“I was told that the doctors informed him and his wife that they expect for him to get at least 50% usage of the hand back if everything keeps going well, and he was able to go home Thursday, I haven't been able to see him but I was told he was in pretty good spirits considering.

“I have to admit I am not one to get scared,but this has shaken me to my core, I am now seriously considering purchasing a SawStop tablesaw.

“Keep Freddie in your prayers for quick and speedy recovery and when information comes I will pass it along.”

http://www.woodworking.org/InfoExchange/viewtopic.php?t=27365

‘Gotta‘ admit that I like the Saw Stop brake and I am still mulling over a PCS. I don’t really care for Saw Stop advertising approach, but the safety feature outweighs it more and more....

[rick sawyers]

Well I am hoping to build cabinets for the next 30 years so I want something to last. Thanks for all the advice.
I have narrowed it down to the Powermatic PM2000 and the new Delta Unisaw. I found both the Unisaw and the PM2000 for nearly the same price--about $2800.00. The PM2000 comes with the rout-r-lift (or I can take off $270.00).
I've been reading a lot of reviews for both saws and I really like what I've been reading...so its a toss up.
The storage drawers on the delta don't mean anything to me, nor does the front wheels to raise and tilt the blade. They both have the riving knives which I do care about.
I am placing this saw in one spot in my shop so I don't care too much about the portability on the PM2000.
It comes down to the build and precision of the saws and possibly the fences. I have a beisemeyer I love and have only heard that the accu-fence is as good or better. The warranties are the same--5yr. They both seem very similar to me. Has anyone used these and recommend one over the other?
Maybe I will flip a coin.:rolleyes:

[Michael Flores]

Shipping depends on weather the machine is at the retail store or it has to be drop-ship. Maybe the shipping was included in the price Delta offers their vendors.

[Terry Beadle]

I recommend the Grizzley 1023. Best value, quality, and horsepower for the price. IMO

[rick sawyers]

O.K. so now I feel like a seven year old in a donut shop--the longer I stay the further away I am getting from knowing what I want.
First it was the new Delta Unisaw, then possibly another contender in the same class, the SS or the PM2000. Then I shifted gears toward looking at a slider attachment, then it was toward an older American made used Powermatic 66. I was given a number of a guy in Vermont who tunes them up to perfection and sells them for 2400 bucks.

Now I am kind of stuck on the slider. I found the Hammer/Felder website and see the huge sale they are having and am considering making the investment into a K3 winner 79" x 48". It costs 4999.00 and is about 2-3000 more than I wanted to invest but from what I have been reading the sliders are not only much more efficient and accurate but also much safer--even than, some say, the SS.

Big investment but if it can really pay for itself in time saved then I feel like I should go for it.

So now the only things left to mull over are, do I look for a good used slider or go with the Hammer K3?
Or perhaps the Grizzly slider GO623x for $2869.00 freight included, but I can't say I have read a lot of good reviews for grizzly in general.
Does anyone have any experience with this Griz?
Hmmm, more indecision.
Luckily the bank loan hasn't come through yet...

[Van Huskey]

Just my opinion but you are swimming in deep water now,don't bother swimming back toward the shore! If you decide on a slider get one of the high quality Euro versions. Look at it this way I assume you will keep it for a LONG time, if you spend $6000 on a saw and keep it for 20 years thats $300 a YEAR.. Also the resell retention on the Felder et al will be much higher.

If you decide on a cabinet saw you have in my opinion THE three choices (once the budget is set to include them).

[rick sawyers]

So Van, you think the felder/hammer is the way to go and not the Grizzly GO623x? The Grizz is about 2 grand cheaper and the only reviews I have read are by two guys who both claim they love it. I underline only because I have to take everything with a grain of salt especially on the web. That said it does look like a nice machine
http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0623X.

Not sure about about the leg in front, looks like you could trip over it easily.

[Dave MacArthur]

Rick,
Where are you located? (you can put it in your profile under user CP if you desire, it helps folks in threads like this). There are two sliders on CL in Phoenix for decent prices:
a PM for $7500 HPS126, best I saw on web was $14,000 new.

a Robland Z320 sliding table saw for $8750, $19,000 in the saw (he claims).

a complete Mini Max CU300 Smart for $11,900 vs. $1600 new.

Boy I like spending your money! ;)

[rick sawyers]

I am located in Maine.

Thanks Dave for the prices on the used stuff but I think 5 grand is about the most I can spend.
In regards to new saws: I need to sort out the difference in quality between the Asian saws and the euro saws, even though the Hammer K3 Winner 79" x 48"slider is $4999 not incl. shipping, I would rather spend the $2869 delivered for the Grizzly which is also 79" crosscut but only 33" rip, or perhaps the Kufosk 250ts which is, I believe the same size as the Griz, for $3350 also delivered.
BUT, I have found many many testimonials regarding the Hammer/Felder line but not so many for Grizzly and virtually none for Kufo. Maybe there is a reason for that...

[Gregory Stahl]

HI Rick,

There has been many great deals on used machinery in your area--seems to be alot of furniture makers up there! I bought a Felder k915P in Maine for $4500. It was about 1 year old, used to make one set of cabinets, and then put into storage as the company that bought it went bankrupt!

Keep looking, otherwise the Hammer sale sounds like a good deal to me.

Greg

[george wilson]

While I find the Delta's two front wheels cool looking,I would find the side wheel more comfortable to crank the blade tilt. I have long nails on my left hand for playing guitar,and the front wheel isn't going to mix well with it.

Since I paid $400.00 for my new Dewalt/Clausing table saw in 1964,that's a bit over $8.88 a year!!! It's still as good as new,too.

[Van Huskey]

So Van, you think the felder/hammer is the way to go and not the Grizzly GO623x? The Grizz is about 2 grand cheaper and the only reviews I have read are by two guys who both claim they love it. I underline only because I have to take everything with a grain of salt especially on the web. That said it does look like a nice machine
http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0623X.

Not sure about about the leg in front, looks like you could trip over it easily.

Rick, first, I am a true blue cabinet saw guy, but I have used a couple of sliders in other peoples shops and appreciate their "talents". I will answer your question without a lot of caveats and "your budget" "your shop" kinda stuff. IF I was going to get a slider and IF I could swing the money I WOULD get a Felder/Hammer period. The Felder stuff just reeks of quality.

Each year when the weather gets hot my mind turns toward IWF, I just wish all woodworkers were close enough to Atlanta to make the trip getting to see and touch all the machines in one (albeit huge) place gives a person a quick lesson in the varied quality and helps with individual value judgements. This said I have not used a Grizzly slider but one can see and feel quality as well and Felder has a huge edge There are plenty of machines I would recommend Grizzly over their more expensive "clone" cousins but when it comes to sliders I want the BMW and not the Hyundai. Please take this opinion of mine as clearly an outside looking in one, I am extremely opinionated and have one about most ever subject, some are more concretely based than others this one falls clearly in the basket of "safe" opinions based mostly on collective wisdom ie you WILL be happy with a Felder/Hammer you MAY be happy with the Grizzly...


PS I am a car guy and the Hyundai analogy is not a slight, Hyundia is the car company that has made the largest strides in product quality and engineering over the last 10 years and are far and away the best bang for the buck and any car/truck in their lineup that has been redesigned in the last 4 years I would recommend to a friend, that all said BMW builds significantly better vehicles, an analogy I see as pretty well mirroring the Grizzly/Felder product placement

[Karl Brogger]

Well I am hoping to build cabinets for the next 30 years so I want something to last.

If you want new, then your options are Northfield, or Oliver. (Is Oliver still around?)


If you don't want to spend that kind of money, then buy an older Powermatic or really old Rockwell. I've got a Model 66 that I bought new in 04' and its a piece of garbage, I can't imagine its gotten better.

[Van Huskey]

If you want new, then your options are Northfield, or Oliver. (Is Oliver still around?)


If you don't want to spend that kind of money, then buy an older Powermatic or really old Rockwell. I've got a Model 66 that I bought new in 04' and its a piece of garbage, I can't imagine its gotten better.


I disagree, I think a new Uni or a PM2000 won't have any problem making it 30 years properly maintained. Even in a small commercial shop. Now if you want to abuse it in a large production shop the a $10-15K Northfield may well be in order. The old PM66 and the old Uni saws that were abused have long since been recycled the ones that were cared for are as good as they were 40 years ago.

[Karl Brogger]

I just don't think the new stuff is of the same quality as fifteen plus years ago. I don't see how a new version of something with an incredibly simple task is going to be better, especially since those companies have become incapable of producing the quality that they once could.

Tools as a whole are getting worse in quality, not better.

Yes, things must be taken care off. And to be honest, as a generalization I would buy a used saw from a commercial enviroment over a hobbiest one any day.

[Van Huskey]

I don't see how a new version of something with an incredibly simple task is going to be better, especially since those companies have become incapable of producing the quality that they once could.

.

The companies haven't become incapable of producing quality, we are just not willing to pay for it. In areas that individuals or companies are willing to "pay the freight" quality continues to improve significantly. Calling what a table saw does as incredibly simple seems to be an oversimplified view of the process.

Taking the PM2000 for instance, the milling on my table is objectively as good or better than I have seen on any Uni or blanchard ground PM66 arbor runout, parallelism, fit and finish, mass, fence system are all as good or better and vibration is actually lower, the latter an example of using a better and more reliable power transmission system. The trunnion assembly is actually beefier than the 66 in several aspects and the trunnions work smoother and "feel" very solid and the castings are much cleaner. The one place I would imagine the old Uni saws and the old 66s have a quality advantage is in the cast iron itself, the iron was probably a higher quality (more virgin) and was probably seasoned longer before milling. Heck, from a bean counters point of view a PM2000 would only have to last about 4-5 years each to equal the cost of a Northfield over 30 years.

In the end I think there are several current model cabinet saws that won't have a problem making a 30 year life span, but I also doubt many woodworkers that are active with the hobby or as a business will still have the same TS in 30 years, though I am a firm believer in this luddite for of cutting the tide is shifting and the era of the cabinet saw being the heart of the shop is waning to its nadir. We might as well agree to disagree since it will take a long time and only time to prove who is most right.

[rick sawyers]

Each year when the weather gets hot my mind turns toward IWF, I just wish all woodworkers were close enough to Atlanta to make the trip getting to see and touch all the machines in one (albeit huge) place gives a person a quick lesson in the varied quality and helps with individual value judgements. This said I have not used a Grizzly slider but one can see and feel quality as well and Felder has a huge edge




Yeah I gotta say if I could get a peak at some of these saws first-hand I would be a little more decisive.
Right now I am leaning toward two options:

1. I would rather purchase a hammer slider over a grizzly or kufo because I would really like to have a saw I can rely on for a long time, without having to shim and adjust regularly and clean up the cuts from, or repair --and I think probably the euro slider is built a lot better and will be more acurate and durable.

2. because the money is so steep to get the hammer(even though I think it is worth every penny), I am still considering a tuned up PM66 or a new unisaw. Both would be essentially half the price or less. I cut a lot of tongue and grooves on my plywood pieces to make boxes for kitchen cabinets and I am not so sure if the benefits of a slider will be worth the money for me, (nor if I can do this very well on a slider to be honest--although I have read that anything you can do on a reg. saw you can do better on a slider).

[rick sawyers]

O.K. I finally pulled the trigger.
I put a downpay on a Hammer K3 79" x 48" saw for $4999.00. Simply put, I went with this saw because I am looking to increase my efficiency over the long term and this saw seems like the right choice. It is a bit above my budget so I will have to save up to make the final payment in Sept. but I feel it was the right decision. At least I am hoping it was the right decision.

I talked to a couple friends who have sliders and they said exactly what I had read online, which is, once you realize what you can do, it is easy to increase your table-saw's output and efficiency, and they both said they would never go back to a reg. cab. saw.

I did not go for the asian saw ie. Grizzly or Kofu because I simply felt that the euro saws are better built and will last longer. Part of this feeling came from the hammer videos and from talking to the sales rep., but part of it came from looking closely at the fit and finish of the asian saw pix--not that impressed. I did not like the leg in front on the Grizz and the Kofu doesn't offer a dado and honestly I could not find much info on it (the Kofu) in general; I was not overly impressed with either. The Hammer though seems impressive. Maybe I am a sucker for advertising videos.


I must admit neither the crappy pictures of the asian saws nor the propaganda on the euro saws were enough to push me one way or the other, I felt stuck. Furthermore I have been going back and forth between a slider and a reg. cab. saw like a Unisaw- $2800., or a PM2000 for about the same price.

I just put the need I have for perfect cut into the feeling I have for which saw is the best and came up with the Hammer as the right saw.

I knew that not only do I want to get a fabulous saw which will give me perfect cuts but I also have a strong fear of spending 1 thousand or 5 thousand dollars on a mediocre machine not much better than what I already have.
The knowledge that a finely tuned machine like the Hammer's/Felders would last longer and give me less hassle was really the deciding factor.

Granted the Grizzley was $2900 delivered and therefore $2000 cheaper than the Hammer made it a hard decision to go for the Hammer. It came down the decision to invest in the right machine that could make my work more productive and last a long time and offer more safety features.

I am more concerned about kickback than cutting a finger off, so the slider seems more conducive to overall safety than even the SawStops.
I have two sons that are 7 and 12 and they will be begging to play around in the shop in a couple years and I would rather have them use a machine where there fingers and their heads are away and to the side of the blade, than right next to the blade.

I have cut a couple fingers once and knicked my hands and fingers twice and had boards and pieces of boards kick back and fly past my face numerous times. I don't want my children to go through that, of course.

So the Hammer K3 is coming in Sept. and I am spending an arm and a leg but I feel pretty good about the investment. Guess I will know more when I get it and let everyone know more then.

[Will Blick]

Rick, this has been an interesting thread, you have done a great job seeking help in your purchase decision.... this is what forums excel at...

Well, I bought my PM2000 a few years ago and think its a solid built machine.... no major dissapointments at all. However, if that Hammer K3 was available at the price you mentioned, it would have been a NO BRAINER for me. I went to Felder site and read up and watched the videos, WOW. The K3 IMO offers so much more, and in the end, the price difference is minmal, all things considered (top dust collect, 12" blade, expandable, slider, build quality, etc.)

My complaint in general of a basic cabinet saw is the size limitation of wood you can cut. Of course, there is "fixes" for this, but this requires all types of add-on accesories...and in the end, its still NOT a slider. You must push the wood across a stationairy table... and after all the accessories, such as top dust collection, add-on support, higher end miter gauge, etc. YOu would be near (or above) the price you paid for the K3, and have a much inferior saw. The saw you bought IMO is the perfect "in between" saw... i.e. in between, a basic cabinet saw and either a panel saw or a full size slider. Perfect for cabinets.

As you can tell, after using the PM2000 for several years and seeing the K3 video / price, etc. ..... ahh.. yep, I have late stage buyers remorse :-) You made a great decision...best of luck with it...

and, keep us posted after you start using it!

Btw, why Sept? back ordered that far?

[rick sawyers]

Thanks Will,
I hope it was the right decision. September is the earliest they said that the next container would be available. Then the next load is October.
Rick

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Rick-

You will never regret this decision.

[johnny means]

Rick-

You will never regret this decision.

Of course he will. After the pain of 5K subsides, he'll start dreaming about what another 3K might have gotten him:D. Gosh that 9' table would've been nice or maybe the saw/shaper combo. We all know that it's never enough.

[Dave Lewis]

Rick:

Joing the thread late - I'm happy with a Unisaw, Unifence and Shark-guard (splitter, guard & dust-hood).

Be sure to post a review.

Dave

[Dave MacArthur]

Uhm... I don't think any of those three things will fit on a Hammer K3 slider ;)

[Jim Andrew]

I have some friends who bought a SCM slider, and parts are a pita. The company charges exorbitant prices on repairs. And their digital fence went out.

[Jason White]

I just finished assembling a new unisaw at my office. We got the 3hp unit with 36" fence rails and Biesemeyer fence.

I haven't used it much yet, but already I like the larger table and bigger throat plate much better than my Grizzly 1023 at home. Nice having the riving knife, too!

Performance wise, however, I don't see much difference. The fence is really what "makes" the saw and I have Biesemeyers on both machines.


Hey Folks, I am looking into purchasing the Delta 36L352 3 HP Unisaw with 52 Inch Biesemeyer Fence, but I am still on the fence, so to speak. I am wondering if this is just an over-priced machine with frivolous bells and whistles which I don't need (like the two front wheels for tilting and raising the blade) or if this is the real deal--a precision made, built-for-life, accurate saw worth every penny. I have a cabinet shop and use the table-saw every day and I need a replacement for my old Sears saw. Does anyone out there have any experience with one of these? Would love to hear your opinion. The last thing I need is to spend a lot of money for something which has blade wobble or a warped table, and I'm thinking if I am going to spend the 3 grand maybe I want the best. Is this the best in it's class? Thanks for any info.