Richard Dooling
03-08-2011, 11:13 AM
General International 50-200R
I picked up my new saw on Saturday and after a couple of missteps and interruptions I got it running late Sunday afternoon. First impressions are very good. The saw was well packed in a good wooden crate and all parts were in good shape. There is nice attention to detail in the castings and other parts. The manual is well written with a couple of omissions. There is no mention of adjusting the table on the trunnions or replacing the belt. I’m sure I can figure it out but it should have been included.
Everything fit together like it’s supposed to though the extension wings lined up very slightly low in the middle. I just tightened one end most of the way, knocked the middle into place and tightened that most of the way and then knocked the other end into place. Then I finished tightening all three points the rest of the way. No problem.
The one real PITA was getting the bolt that attaches the power switch to the fence rail lined up and screwed in. The manual says to tighten three of the four the bolts that mount the fence rail and then to install the last one. That last one also attaches the power switch and if anything is even slightly off it’s trouble. The trick is to leave everything a little loose until the switch is mounted and then to tighten everything. Another tip is to install and remove bolts that thread into painted parts before positioning the part. The paint can sometimes make it hard to get the bolt threaded. So doing this makes it easier to get the bolt in while you’re juggling parts and fasteners. Makes me wish I had a prehensile tail.
The Biesemeyer style fence lined up beautifully right out of the box but there is a hook on the underside of the out-feed end that was catching on the rear rail. It turns out that there is just a little vertical play in the rail when the mounting bolts are loose and the rail needs to be shifted up before tightening.
The saw comes with a riving style blade guard and a European style true riving knife. Mounting is a breeze with a simple lever that tightens and releases the mounting block and this is important because this makes me more likely to use the guard.
I’ve only had time for a few test cuts but the two HP motor seems more than adequate for my needs. I ripped a 36 x 1 5/8 inch piece of maple at a decent feed rate and felt no appreciable strain on the motor. The 90 and 45 degree stops also required no adjustments.
I tried the nickel test but all I had was a penny. So I balanced the penny, turned on the saw and it passed. I haven’t had a saw this smooth since lo’ those many years ago when I had my PM 66 (sob). Sorry about the picture with the penny but I didn’t realize it was out of focus until I saw it on my computer and by then it was too late to go back out to the shop. Anyway it gets the idea across.
Take this for what it’s worth but on the General site under promos they have a PDF flyer that says the saw is $1569 on sale for $1099. My Woodcraft store has this for $999 on sale for 10% off so it was $899. So far I feel like I got a very good deal.
General International 50-200R
10” Blade diameter
30” Max. rip to right of blade:
Arbor speed 4000 RPM
Table size (w/extension wings) 44” x 27” Motor
2 HP, 115/230 V, 19.5/9.5 A (pre-wired 230 V)
Weight 321 LBS (146 kg)
185666 185667
I picked up my new saw on Saturday and after a couple of missteps and interruptions I got it running late Sunday afternoon. First impressions are very good. The saw was well packed in a good wooden crate and all parts were in good shape. There is nice attention to detail in the castings and other parts. The manual is well written with a couple of omissions. There is no mention of adjusting the table on the trunnions or replacing the belt. I’m sure I can figure it out but it should have been included.
Everything fit together like it’s supposed to though the extension wings lined up very slightly low in the middle. I just tightened one end most of the way, knocked the middle into place and tightened that most of the way and then knocked the other end into place. Then I finished tightening all three points the rest of the way. No problem.
The one real PITA was getting the bolt that attaches the power switch to the fence rail lined up and screwed in. The manual says to tighten three of the four the bolts that mount the fence rail and then to install the last one. That last one also attaches the power switch and if anything is even slightly off it’s trouble. The trick is to leave everything a little loose until the switch is mounted and then to tighten everything. Another tip is to install and remove bolts that thread into painted parts before positioning the part. The paint can sometimes make it hard to get the bolt threaded. So doing this makes it easier to get the bolt in while you’re juggling parts and fasteners. Makes me wish I had a prehensile tail.
The Biesemeyer style fence lined up beautifully right out of the box but there is a hook on the underside of the out-feed end that was catching on the rear rail. It turns out that there is just a little vertical play in the rail when the mounting bolts are loose and the rail needs to be shifted up before tightening.
The saw comes with a riving style blade guard and a European style true riving knife. Mounting is a breeze with a simple lever that tightens and releases the mounting block and this is important because this makes me more likely to use the guard.
I’ve only had time for a few test cuts but the two HP motor seems more than adequate for my needs. I ripped a 36 x 1 5/8 inch piece of maple at a decent feed rate and felt no appreciable strain on the motor. The 90 and 45 degree stops also required no adjustments.
I tried the nickel test but all I had was a penny. So I balanced the penny, turned on the saw and it passed. I haven’t had a saw this smooth since lo’ those many years ago when I had my PM 66 (sob). Sorry about the picture with the penny but I didn’t realize it was out of focus until I saw it on my computer and by then it was too late to go back out to the shop. Anyway it gets the idea across.
Take this for what it’s worth but on the General site under promos they have a PDF flyer that says the saw is $1569 on sale for $1099. My Woodcraft store has this for $999 on sale for 10% off so it was $899. So far I feel like I got a very good deal.
General International 50-200R
10” Blade diameter
30” Max. rip to right of blade:
Arbor speed 4000 RPM
Table size (w/extension wings) 44” x 27” Motor
2 HP, 115/230 V, 19.5/9.5 A (pre-wired 230 V)
Weight 321 LBS (146 kg)
185666 185667