Delta sliding table

[James Boster]

Does anyone have any experience with the Delta brand sliding table that goes on a unisaw or HD shaper? Quality, is it well made, accuracy, etc? Would you buy one again. I am moving my shop around and "think" I will have rom to add one of these to my unisaw, just wanting opinons from someone who has one. Thanks.:confused:

[frank shic]

james, i LOVE my delta sliding table! at first, i balked at the price and when i read some of the negative reviews on amazon.com, i put the idea aside for about six months and tried to get by with a crosscut sled which i didn't like because it was a pain to remove the blade guard every time, haul in onto the table and slide back and forth to cut my panels.

i finally took the plunge about three months ago and shelled out the dinero for the sliding table attachment. when i received it, i was impressed by how STURDY the parts were constructed. unfortunately, i had to spend about a week chasing down the right screws since i own a powermatic before i could install it. i also had to enlarge two of the holes in the base with my rotozip (that's about THREE projects that it's really helped on!!!).

it took about two hours mounting the sliding table and then another two hours drilling and moving the fence bars to the right and then another two hours trying to get the sliding table and then the fence (i used the five cut squaring method BTW) adjusted right.

but you know what? I'M TOTALLY STOKED whenever it comes to crosscutting panels now! i cannot begin to tell you how RIDICULOUSLY EASY it is to make a PERFECTLY 90 degree cut. i just recently cut about 60 panels for my kitchen cabinets and i had a BALL using the sliding table attachment.

james, if you have any reservations, go check out phil bumbalough's benchmark web site and read his article on sliding tables vs miter sleds. next, throw away most of the reviews that you encounter on amazon.com. honestly, if you have enough brainpower to assemble, your contractor or cabinet saw, you have what it takes to get this contraption to work.

my only regret is waiting so long before making one of the wisest investments in my lifelong hobby - plus enduring at least three or four episodes of kickback!!!

forget the sled, go for the sliding table! :cool:

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

We put a JET sliding table on the Xacta saw at the mesquite outfit, and I was less than impressed with it after a couple days (when the 'new' wore off). It worked...but it wasn't a simple matter of just throwing a piece of plywood up there and cutting away. I certainly wouldn't do it again.

1) Not much 'practical' support at the outside end of a long piece. It looks like it's sturdy, but it's not.

2) The JET has a 'web frame' surface, not solid. I can't tell you how many times I 'caught' a finger in the web. :mad:

3) It was always 'in the way'. Can't really say how it was in the way, but you'll know what I mean after you use it awhile.

4) Check the fence location(s) on the table. On the JET, it could go at the front or rear...but it didn't matter...it 'felt' awkward all the time.

KC

[frank shic]

kirk brings up some very valid concerns. first of all, the current sliding tables out there: jet, delta and dewalt are NOT designed to carry an 8 foot piece, however, with appropriate support in the form of roller or ball bearing stands, it can be done keeping in mind that you will have to keep the workpiece pushed up against the fence as TIGHTLY as possible! i do not have the room in my garage to install an excalibur sliding table - it's just WAY TOO BIG! the delta sliding table is the best alternative that i've found so far.

the other concern about "being in the way" is obvious: the sliding table willl definitely take up not only the dead space previously occupied by the left cast iron table but also the space in back of it, so you need to keep this area clear; but the sacrifice is small - you're trading some space (you probably will NOT be able to fit the jointer under the sliding table!) for a crosscut capacity of almost 36 INCHES!!! can you fathom that? no more whipping out the circular saw and guide for an PERFECTLY square cut! i love the fact that the sliding table is ALWAYS there ready for me to walk in, turn on the saw and cut a wide piece without all the extra steps a miter sled entails.

one of the other benefits that i forgot to mention: using the sliding table allows you to keep the blade guard in position adding to the safety of using your table saw - although i must confess that i usually lift up the right side of the powermatic's blade guard when i'm making a bunch of repetitive cuts on solid stock so that the offcut pieces don't jam up inside the bladeguard.

one of the drawbacks of the sliding table is that you sacrifice some ripping capacity unless you remove the crosscutting fence. this can be a pain but i usually get around this by setting the fence approximately 2" away from the blade. i rough trim panel pieces with my circular saw to within 2" and finish the rest on the saw. you can also "nibble" which i admit is a little tedious by resetting your rip fence to take off 2" bites gradually. when i'm cutting solid wood that's going to generate a waste piece greater than 2", i move the crosscut fence off to the left to get it out of the way. i made several pencil marks (one where the fence meets the table edge and two on each side of the length part of the fence) to aid with re-alignment.

it's a SHAME that sliding tables are not considered standard features for a table saw. once you've used one, that miter sled sitting against the wall begins to look pretty laughable - i gleefully disassembled mine the other day and turned it into a planer sled! :D

[lou sansone]

delta used to make a true sliding table saw called the RT31 I believe.

lou

[Alan Turner]

I have the Delta slicder on my Uni, and do not recommend it. It is hard to get it dead on, and keep it there. It is a compromise at best. At $300, you get what you pay for, IMHO.

[Frankie Hunt]

Dont forget the Dewalt sliding table. It fits the Unisaw very nicely with only a few mods. The capacity of the Dewalt at 30 inches is a little less than the delta at 36 inches. It cost a little more too. However the overall footprint of the Dewalt is smaller and this was a huge plus for me. I really like it and have no regrets.

Frankie

[frank shic]

frankie, great job modifying the dewalt to fit your unisaw! i also looked at it when i was shopping for a sliding table, but the price was too high for me. how smooth is the sliding action? it uses a telescoping system, right?

BTW great placement of your push sticks!

i'll admit that my sliding table is NOT 100% square in ALL directions. i had to shim the fence upwards slightly so that it did not catch on the edge of the table saw and i'm sure that if you got out the dial calipers and measured the parallel distance of the sliding table as it travels it's probably off by a few thousandths, but it cuts a SQUARE 90 degrees that's good enough to ensure square construction and quite frankly, that's ok with me!

has anyone else noticed how many "franks" are appearing in this thread? can we get just ONE more, please??? :D

[Gail O'Rourke]

I have used a sliding table before when I worked for the commercial cabinetmaker and between that and the Timesaver, they are the tools that I miss most.

I have a Jet Supersaw.... my question is would I have to get the Jet accessory or could I mount any of the sliding tables onto the saw. I would hate to order one and get it home and find that it doesn't fit....

Thanks,

[Keith Burns]

I have the Delta Miter mounted to my Jet Cabinet Saw and I love it. I made a larger table and mounted my Incra 3000 miter gauge which gives me the accuracy I wanted (it is daed on) and slightly more crosscut capacity. In fact I got rid of my Radial Arm Saw as I didn't use it anymore.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/berniewood/Picture002.jpg

"Don't make me choose between love and tools."

[Frankie Hunt]

frankie, great job modifying the dewalt to fit your unisaw! i also looked at it when i was shopping for a sliding table, but the price was too high for me. how smooth is the sliding action? it uses a telescoping system, right?


The Dewalt table sliding action is smooth as silk. Yes, it does use a telescoping system giving it a smaller footprint. Also, the miter guage is easy/fast to put on and take off.


Frankie

[Ben Kautz]

I bought a Delta 3 hp shaper and mounted the Delta sliding table on it. The machine was a floor model and had previously had a sliding table on it.
I mounted it like the one before. I didn't like it that I had to take an extension wing off and use the short side. I am mounting it so the sliding table slides
across front of the table so I can use the long part of the table. Also, the switch is now in a more accessible position, along with the height adjustment.
I have cut some tenons on long boards in the previous setup with good results.
I don't understand why the shaper fences and fences on router tables don't have a way to keep them square with the table. This is necessary when
using the sliding table.