Update: Craigslist Delta Unisaw 34-802

[Kent Adams]

I found this saw on CL. The seller is asking $1150 or reasonable offer. This is a 5 HP saw, 230 volt. Price seems reasonable but does anyone have an opinion on what they would offer?

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UPDATE: I decided not to buy the saw. I believe it has a static phase converter on it, which limits the operational HP to 1/2 to 2/3rds of the motor's rated HP. Either replacing the motor or upgrading to a rotary converter, would push the total cost to somewhere north of $1600 because he would not budge off the sales price, despite his wording "reasonable offer". I think if he lowered the price to say around $700, it would be worth it to me to buy it and then do a motor conversion to single phase.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Is it single, or three phase?

[Tom M King]

It's a good saw, but I wouldn't pay that for a right tilt. I have one almost exactly like it.

[Jamie Buxton]

If it is in good shape -- and it certainly looks like it is -- his asking isn't unreasonable. Maybe he's got some negotiating room in there, and you could settle for an even $1000.

[Kent Adams]

How can you tell it's right tilt? I confirmed its right tilt with the seller. How much would you pay for a right tilt?

[Kent Adams]

Yep, its a 3 phase with a phase converter.

[Kent Adams]

Tom can you tell me the height of the saw?

[Nick Stokes]

We have several just like it on our CL. Maybe not 5hp, but the 3hp are up all the time. Around here that would sell for 8-900. But who knows where you are.

[Kent Adams]

Nick, I'm in Greensboro, NC.

[Greg Sznajdruk]

How can you tell it's right tilt? I confirmed its right tilt with the seller. How much would you pay for a right tilt?

Since the fence can be used either side of the blade there is no advantage of left tilt. I had the choice since I bought new, went right tilt. Still believe that this left tilt business was a marketing ploy. .

Big advantage don't have to compensate for fence scale when using narrow blade or dado since arbor flange is to the right.

Just my two cents

Greg

[Tom M King]

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Tom can you tell me the height of the saw?

Just by memory, I'm thinking 35" stiting on an HTC moveable base. Right tilt has the tilt wheel on the left. I'd wait to find a single phase at that price, unless you want 3-phase. It's our portable saw, so at a jobsite a ways from home this weekend. I paid 450 for mine, but then ended up putting a Bies on it since the unifence was missing over a hundred dollars worth of parts. If I only had one table saw, I'd want it to be left tilt.

[Kent Adams]

Tom, what kind of guard is that?

[Tom M King]

http://www.exaktortools.com/overview.htm works great but dust arm only-not really a guard

[Kent A Bathurst]

Since the fence can be used either side of the blade there is no advantage of left tilt. I had the choice since I bought new, went right tilt. Still believe that this left tilt business was a marketing ploy. .

Big advantage don't have to compensate for fence scale when using narrow blade or dado since arbor flange is to the right.

Just my two cents

Greg


Cannot agree. There is an advantage - maybe not overwhelming, but an advantage: My table is much longer to the right of the blade than to the left. More stability on longer pieces.

Plus, quite often the miter cuts are mixed into a series of machining steps that include square cuts. I don't have to lift and move the rip fence.

More than a marketing ploy, I believe it was a generally acknowledged safety topic among the manufacturers, given the "occasional" nature of their main customer base. People that aren't all that focused on the craft will be, IMO, much less likely to go through the rigamarole of moving the fence. And - there is a safety issue of you don't.

I know that in the way-back, Delta was getting hammered in the reviews for not having a LH to compete with the PM66, so they jumped in and produced one. I have one of those first LH models, where they basically kept the RH box and frame and monkeyed it into a LH.

No real issues, but not the same as the later models that were designed ground-up to be LH. Well - one issue - the "dust collection" was laughable - just a concept. Took me 3 hours, metal tape, expandable foam, magnetic sheets, drill, and bayonet saw to get it all squared away.

[Ted Reischl]

That is a fair price for the saw, especially since it has a UniFence on it. I have had a UniFence for about 20 years and would never think of using anything else.

If you can find a Uni Fence these days it will set you back several hundred bucks.

[Kent A Bathurst]

How can you tell it's right tilt?

Look at the height adjustment wheel in the front. Notice the travel slot in the cabinet, for when you tilt the saw. Take your best guess. ;)

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Cannot agree. There is an advantage - maybe not overwhelming, but an advantage: My table is much longer to the right of the blade than to the left. More stability on longer pieces.

Plus, quite often the miter cuts are mixed into a series of machining steps that include square cuts. I don't have to lift and move the rip fence.

More than a marketing ploy, I believe it was a generally acknowledged safety topic among the manufacturers, given the "occasional" nature of their main customer base. People that aren't all that focused on the craft will be, IMO, much less likely to go through the rigamarole of moving the fence. And - there is a safety issue of you don't.

I know that in the way-back, Delta was getting hammered in the reviews for not having a LH to compete with the PM66, so they jumped in and produced one. I have one of those first LH models, where they basically kept the RH box and frame and monkeyed it into a LH.

No real issues, but not the same as the later models that were designed ground-up to be LH. Well - one issue - the "dust collection" was laughable - just a concept. Took me 3 hours, metal tape, expandable foam, magnetic sheets, drill, and bayonet saw to get it all squared away.

My table is also much longer to the right of the blade 52 inches as I recall. If I remember the supposed problem was that if you mitered a small section then there was a possibility that that cutoff could bekicked back. But more importantly the edge that was being removed was not guiding the material along the fence. This problem occurs a fraction of a percent and using a sled or moving the fence to the left of the blade solves the problem. Therefore not having to compensate for the fence scale far outweighs the supposed advantage of left tilt.

My 2 cents

Greg

[Kent A Bathurst]

And so it goes. LH v RH, BU v BD, LN v LV, SS v The Rest of The Free World, infinite sharpening methods v infinite sharpening methods, and on and on and on...........

To paraphrase Saint George Carlin:

"Your stuff is crap; My crap is stuff".:p :p

[jack duren]

I found this saw on CL. The seller is asking $1150 or reasonable offer. This is a 5 HP saw, 230 volt. Price seems reasonable but does anyone have an opinion on what they would offer?

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Unless you want this particular saw with a unifence I would say no. I don't care for a unifence but there's my opinion. So the question remains, Do you want this saw. It won't be there forever, but he is probably the second owner. If you want it today, pay the price...

[Kent Adams]

Unless you want this particular saw with a unifence I would say no. I don't care for a unifence but there's my opinion. So the question remains, Do you want this saw. It won't be there forever, but he is probably the second owner. If you want it today, pay the price...

Ideally, I'd like another PM so the height would match up with my current saw as I plan to put them back to back and let one serve as the outfeed table of the other, but newer PM's are hard to come by where I live.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Yep, its a 3 phase with a phase converter.

Static or rotary phase converter?

[mark kosse]

Both saws have there place in a shop. I like to run a 7.25 40 tooth blade in my saw as I make a lot of thin strips. Right tilt excels at allowing different thickness blades to be installed.

QUOTE=Greg Sznajdruk;2442108]Since the fence can be used either side of the blade there is no advantage of left tilt. I had the choice since I bought new, went right tilt. Still believe that this left tilt business was a marketing ploy. .

Big advantage don't have to compensate for fence scale when using narrow blade or dado since arbor flange is to the right.

Just my two cents

Greg[/QUOTE]

[mark kosse]

Look at the height adjustment wheel in the front. Notice the travel slot in the cabinet, for when you tilt the saw. Take your best guess. ;)

right tilts have a wheel on the left side and left tilt on the right, except on the newest uni in which case they are both on the front.

[Kent Adams]

Static or rotary phase converter?

I didn't think to ask him, but I took another look at the pictures of the machine and I think its probably a static converter. I did a little research and found that a static converter only supplies 3 phase power at startup and then 2 phase power during operation, limiting the operational HP to 1/2 to 2/3rds of the motor's rated HP. I then looked at replacing the converter with a rotary converter or replacing the motor outright. When those costs are factored in, it makes little sense to me, to spend that type of money on a used TS. I'm glad you asked that question, because I was scheduled to pick up the saw Sunday, but I've decided against it now. He would not budge off of the price and factoring in the costs to get the full motor HP, we're looking at close to $1,600+. I think if he lowered the cost to $700, I think it would be worth it.

[Moses Yoder]

I have an older PM 66 with 1-1/2 HP 3 phase motor converted to single phase 220 with an inverter. It has plenty of power. Not enough for bragging rights of course, but enough to actually build stuff. I think at the posted price the guy is probably looking for an even thousand which seems like a fair price for what it is.

[Kent Adams]

I have an older PM 66 with 1-1/2 HP 3 phase motor converted to single phase 220 with an inverter. It has plenty of power. Not enough for bragging rights of course, but enough to actually build stuff. I think at the posted price the guy is probably looking for an even thousand which seems like a fair price for what it is.

He wasn't willing to budge a single dollar and to me, the static phase converter is not ideal. I was attracted to the saw because it was a 5hp Unisaw, but unless I replace the motor or the converter to a rotary converter, it isn't 5hp single phase, which is what I'm looking for.

[Jeff Ramsey]

I didn't think to ask him, but I took another look at the pictures of the machine and I think its probably a static converter. I did a little research and found that a static converter only supplies 3 phase power at startup and then 2 phase power during operation, limiting the operational HP to 1/2 to 2/3rds of the motor's rated HP. I then looked at replacing the converter with a rotary converter or replacing the motor outright. When those costs are factored in, it makes little sense to me, to spend that type of money on a used TS. I'm glad you asked that question, because I was scheduled to pick up the saw Sunday, but I've decided against it now. He would not budge off of the price and factoring in the costs to get the full motor HP, we're looking at close to $1,600+. I think if he lowered the cost to $700, I think it would be worth it.

That's why I asked. American Rotary has good rotary phase converters, and if I recall correctly, one that will do 5HP and is digital is approx $600;

http://www.southern-tool.com/store/ar_5hp_phase_converter.php

If you can get the saw at a decent price it would be worth upgrading the phase converter so you can enjoy the full 5HP. There are other options, but I don't know much about the quality; like this one;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PL-5-Pro-Line-5HP-Rotary-Phase-Converter-Built-In-Starter-Made-in-USA-/290902941590

Tell the owner about static vs. rotary; maybe he'll relent.

[Kent Adams]

That's why I asked. American Rotary has good rotary phase converters, and if I recall correctly, one that will do 5HP and is digital is approx $600;

http://www.southern-tool.com/store/ar_5hp_phase_converter.php

If you can get the saw at a decent price it would be worth upgrading the phase converter so you can enjoy the full 5HP. There are other options, but I don't know much about the quality; like this one;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PL-5-Pro-Line-5HP-Rotary-Phase-Converter-Built-In-Starter-Made-in-USA-/290902941590

Tell the owner about static vs. rotary; maybe he'll relent.

Yeah, I'm going to try that, but I don't hold out much hope from this seller.

[jack duren]

Just hold out till you find what you want. More work involved in this purchase than needed...

[Jeff Ramsey]

Ideally, I'd like another PM so the height would match up with my current saw as I plan to put them back to back and let one serve as the outfeed table of the other, but newer PM's are hard to come by where I live.

If you don't mind a road trip to Conn, there's a New York CL post (I think a dealer) who has both a Delta and PM table saw.

[Kent A Bathurst]

right tilts have a wheel on the left side and left tilt on the right, except on the newest uni in which case they are both on the front.


How is that different from what I said?