Need help with a table saw decision

[Drew Walton]

I'm considering buying a Delta 34-445 off of Craig's list. It has the extension table and 30" Unifence. There's also a mobile base the saw is set upon.

Does anyone know if these saws were any good? Based on the pictures in the add, the saw looks to be in pretty good condition, and claims that the saw was used very little.

The asking price seems a bit high, any ideas on what a decent price for this saw would be?

https://images.craigslist.org/00j0j_4HXKeGiLHoq_1200x900.jpg

[John TenEyck]

$150 would be a decent price. The Unifence and mobile base are a plus but the sheet metal extension on the left side is a negative.

John

[Mike Kees]

Drew do you currently have a saw at all ? That is a decent saw that is in pretty good shape. The Unifence is a great fence. What is the asking price ? Where I live (Alberta) that is a $300-400 dollar saw. Mike.

[Drew Walton]

Asking is $445 but it's been up for 2 months+ (and it is still available). I'm guessing that at that price they've gotten very few bites. Someone else just posted an ad for a TS2424 in good condition asking $325.
The problem is that the CL market is crap, there's old craftsman saws that are in (usually) poor shape for $100 or less, and then what seem to be decent older saws that seem, to me, overpriced that sit on CL for a month or two and disappear. With the occasional nicer cabinet saws, powermatic, grizzly, etc. that, I'm sure, are priced decently but are more than I'm able to spend right now.

[Mike Kees]

Drew why dont you go and take a look at it. Take cash with you and then if you like it make him an offer. The worst that could happen is if he says no,but maybe he says yes. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Good luck,Mike.

[scott spencer]

Nice saw, nice fence, nice mobile base, router table, and looks to be in nice shape, but is priced high. IMO $300ish...maybe $350 is fair for that. It's got the old style outboard motor, is right tilt, has an old school splitter vs a riving knife, and has a steel wing.

[Mike Cutler]

Drew

To be perfectly honest? It's really worth what someone will pay. $445.00 is definitely too much. That saw sold for less that $700.00, 25 years ago.
If it's running and everything is working properly $250.00 to $300.00. I think the $150.00 might be a little low, but you never know. It does have a stamped steel extension wing though.
That is a really crappy mobile base. I used to have the same style under my saw. Be careful if you do buy it and keep that base. When the saw is rotated on it ,sometimes the corners "dig in" and the saw starts to tilt. That base adds zero $$$$ to the value for me.
I will tell you right up front that you may have a good cleaning job ahead of you. There is rust exhibited on the heads of bolts, and the trunnion mechanism, there is also sawdust present. This tells me that it may be a little "gummy" with respects to the blade raise and tilt mechanism. Rust means exposure to moisture. The accumulated sawdust will collect and hold that moisture, and then cake up. Any greases, or lubricants, will become part of that caked up sawdust. This isn't bad, it just needs to be cleaned up. It can actually bind up the mechanism to the point of throwing it out of alignment and stripping worm gears.
I have JET Contractor saw of the same vintage, and style. It used to be stored in an open bay garage. That's how I know about the rust, sawdust, and grease.;)

[glenn bradley]

The problem is that the CL market is crap, there's old craftsman saws that are in (usually) poor shape for $100 or less,

Oddly enough, my 1970's Craftsman/Emerson (113. prefix machines) was superior to my 1970's Delta 34- series contractor saw. I sold the Craftsman for more than I paid for it and eventually had to give the Delta away. The used tool market is a moving target. All of my used tools were bought when opportunity knocked. Luck favors the prepared and all that rot. :)

The saw in your first post has a good fence, a nice mobile base and the motor is probably a solid 1 HP. If I paid $300 for that and considered the saw a free add-on I would feel I did OK. I bought a new hybrid saw once based on the value of the Biesemeyer fence, the blade and the cast iron wings; at the Memorial Day sale price the saw was pretty much free.

My point in that many responses to "what is this tool worth?" questions are answered based on the respondent's last experience and may not apply to the current market. Compare all the used machines in your area that meet your minimum requirement and judge their prices against each other. This will help you determine a "good deal" for your area . . . today.

If the posting has been up for more than 30 days the seller either isn't motivated or is just confused about valuation. You can certainly make an offer that you will be comfortable with and if it works, you're in. If not, move on. Do not let impatience rule your decision. that road often leads to buyer's remorse.

[Tom M King]

I looked at the St. Louis CL, and it's really pretty good for table saws. There are a couple of 66's, a Grizzly cabinet saw, and even a slider for 3k. The trouble with contractors saws is that dust collection is almost impossible. Also, getting the blade to be, or even stay parallel to the fence is not so straight forward as it is with cabinet saws because the trunnion hangs from the top.

Having a table saw well tuned, and stable(heavy) makes it easy to do good work, while not having those things makes it a real fight.

[Drew Walton]

I looked at the St. Louis CL, and it's really pretty good for table saws. There are a couple of 66's, a Grizzly cabinet saw, and even a slider for 3k. The trouble with contractors saws is that dust collection is almost impossible. Also, getting the blade to be, or even stay parallel to the fence is not so straight forward as it is with cabinet saws because the trunnion hangs from the top.

Having a table saw well tuned, and stable(heavy) makes it easy to do good work, while not having those things makes it a real fight.

The thing is that I'm looking for something a bit more entry level (sub $500) at this point. And while there are some that are great saws for more than that, it is difficult for me to justify spending more than that for a single piece of equipment on a hobby that I'm just starting. Assuming that I stick with it, dropping a few grand on a much better saw in a few years will be much less of a concern. Additionally, in my current house space is low so that is also a concern. (Plans to move in the next few years)

I'm not trying to find the deal of the century, I'm just looking for a tool that will provide decent quality for what it is, will allow me to get a feel for the work, and is priced appropriate to what it delivers. It just seems like it goes from under $100 rusted out hunks to over $800 nice with little in between. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming that there should be something in between?

That one PM66 that's on there is beautiful though, if I had the space for it and knew that I would stick with it I'd snatch it up in a second.

[Mike Cutler]

The thing is that I'm looking for something a bit more entry level (sub $500) at this point. And while there are some that are great saws for more than that, it is difficult for me to justify spending more than that for a single piece of equipment on a hobby that I'm just starting. Assuming that I stick with it, dropping a few grand on a much better saw in a few years will be much less of a concern. Additionally, in my current house space is low so that is also a concern. (Plans to move in the next few years)

I'm not trying to find the deal of the century, I'm just looking for a tool that will provide decent quality for what it is, will allow me to get a feel for the work, and is priced appropriate to what it delivers. It just seems like it goes from under $100 rusted out hunks to over $800 nice with little in between. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming that there should be something in between?

That one PM66 that's on there is beautiful though, if I had the space for it and knew that I would stick with it I'd snatch it up in a second.


Drew
If that saw is working properly, I promise you that it is capable of doing some very fine work. It just takes a little more attention on the operator's behalf. It's never going to be a "set it and forget it" saw. You'll alway have to double check it prior to use. That's just the nature of contractor saws though
It's also light enough, weight wise, that if you get into a major home renovation it can be moved into the house to save time.

[Paul Girouard]

If you are just starting out get a DeWalt jobsite 10” saw,



391360


Get the stand that comes with the saw and make a couple if saw horses that are the right height to create a outfeed table that’s some what portable .

You’ll be money ahead of buying a older contractors saw that may not function properly.

Once you decide if you’ll stick with the hobby and move to your new location , you can up grade to a cabinet style table saw.

[Matt Day]

$445? Sheesh, I’m selling a ‘43 Uni for $300, it’s 3 phase but for another $200 for a VFD you’d have it converted single phase.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I haven't looked but the Rigid Contractor saw isn't a bad saw and can be had for about your budget. If you were in the military, you could get a discount.

[Frederick Skelly]

Drew
If that saw is working properly, I promise you that it is capable of doing some very fine work. It just takes a little more attention on the operator's behalf. It's never going to be a "set it and forget it" saw. You'll alway have to double check it prior to use. That's just the nature of contractor saws though
It's also light enough, weight wise, that if you get into a major home renovation it can be moved into the house to save time.

+1. Nothing wrong with a contractor saw. I've done a lot of pretty good work on my 34-444, which has that same sheet metal wing and a 52" Biesemeyer. Yes, that wing is occasionally an annoyance, but it's fully functional. The price on "yours" seems high - I paid $400 for mine - but I don't know your area.

If it starts up and runs right, you're getting a reasonable starter saw with a respectable fence. (The fence is one important part of getting good cuts. I started with a portable jobsite saw and got rid of it as fast as I could because the fence stunk.)

Good luck Drew!

Edit: Is driving to Cleveland to buy Matt's Unisaw an option for you?

[Paul Girouard]

The Dewalt fence is more than adequate on todays saws. The Rigid not so much, Bosch make a 10” jobsite saw that’s also a pretty decent saw , fence and stand combo.
For a beginner I’d say either one DeWalt or Bosch would be better than a older contractors saw, I’ve owned a couple of 70 and then 80’s contractors saws , both where junk. Even a Sears 10” saw IIRC, back in those days there where NOT the jobsite saws we have today.

I have a old ten inch Makita that I really like when I have to take a saw onsite, it’s light weight , fits in the truck with all the other stuff a guy needs to install cabinets.

But for what the OP’er is looking for I’d recommend the Bosch or DeWalt to get started, if he ends up banging out of the hobby he’ll be able to sell the saw easily , IF he doesn’t trash it , leave it out in the rain , drop it etc.

On our jobs we have both type of saws they see heavy use , run good thin kerf blades on them and they are hard to beat , far better than the original 10” saw I brought in 1974 or 75 , a big brand name , IIRC a Porter Cable , it was junk , kind of looked like a Concractors saw or the time , but it was junk. Sold it or gave it away when I joined the navy , maybe my then brother in law ended up with it ???? Good riddance!

After that in the , in 1981 or so , just out of the USN with no credit Sears was the way back into wood working / carpentry.
Another contractors style saw, better than the Porta Cable , but still way less saw than the current job site saws IMO.

In 1985 ish I got a Grizzly cabinet saw with the Biesmeyer 52” fence , been a great saw. It’s not a Powermatic , but it’s close and at the time less than 1/2 the costs.
Ive worked in cabinet shops with Uni Fences , and IMO a Uni Fence is a waste of money , you can’t easily build jigs to use with the Uni fence , like you can a Beisemeyer.

[Phillip Gregory]

The thing is that I'm looking for something a bit more entry level (sub $500) at this point. And while there are some that are great saws for more than that, it is difficult for me to justify spending more than that for a single piece of equipment on a hobby that I'm just starting. Assuming that I stick with it, dropping a few grand on a much better saw in a few years will be much less of a concern. Additionally, in my current house space is low so that is also a concern. (Plans to move in the next few years)

I'm not trying to find the deal of the century, I'm just looking for a tool that will provide decent quality for what it is, will allow me to get a feel for the work, and is priced appropriate to what it delivers. It just seems like it goes from under $100 rusted out hunks to over $800 nice with little in between. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming that there should be something in between?

That one PM66 that's on there is beautiful though, if I had the space for it and knew that I would stick with it I'd snatch it up in a second.

I'd look for a Delta Unisaw. A Unisaw in decent condition is generally about $500 and is a big step up from a contractor saw. The Unisaw was the first cabinet saw and Delta made essentially the same Unisaw from the late 30s when they first introduced it until the 1990s when they made them left-tilt, so they made a bunch and they are widely available. A PM66 is a nicer saw than the Unisaw but they typically cost a grand or more if they are in usable condition. If you're willing to drop a grand on a used saw, you can get much more saw than a PM66 for that money (Delta 12/14, PM72, and any number of big old iron saws such as the Whitney 77/177, etc.)

The main things to note about an original right tilt Unisaw would be that many aren't particularly powerful by modern standards with most units being 1 or 1 1/2 hp until pretty late in the series, they are right tilt saws, none have riving knives, some are 3 phase, and all of them would need new bearings and a good going-over. The single-phase units made from the introduction until sometime in the late 1950s used repulsion-induction motors instead of capacitor-start motors. These aren't very significant issues but do deserve mentioning.

- A 1 or 1 1/2 hp motor is going to struggle with ripping 12/4 hardwood with a full-kerf blade while a newer cabinet saw with a 3 or 5 hp motor won't. A sharp thin-kerf blade with the correct tooth geometry and tooth pitch will allow you to rip that 12/4 hardwood, but a little more slowly than shoving it through a 3+ hp unit.

- Right tilt vs. left tilt is debatable whether it matters but all current saws are left tilt which is felt to be slightly safer with performing bevel rips, by some individuals.

- Riving knives are handy but a splitter, which you can attach to any saw with an insert plate, achieves the same purpose albeit less elegantly.

- 3 phase saws are typically available for less cost than a single-phase saw, tend to have more powerful motors, and are easier to work on as the motor simply consists of a stator, rotor, fan, bearings, and a housing. It does not need any capacitors, shorting necklace, or other hackish methods to get itself started. You do need to figure in the cost of a VFD or other phase converter into your total cost though.

- Arbor and motor bearings are inexpensive on these saws and you can get all four for $60-80 from a decent maker (e.g. not bottom of the barrel Chinese bearings.) Replacement is not difficult and it can be done easily with a mallet, a piece of black iron pipe, a gear puller, a couple of pipe clamps, and a couple of pieces of scrap wood. I've done many bearings using this method and it works well.

- Repulsion-induction motors are more complex than the typical capacitor motors as the shorting necklace is "touchier" than a centrifugal switch but they do have the most starting torque of any induction motor out there and the ones you see today have been around for a long time and still run. They are certainly repairable and many have done so successfully.

[Jim Becker]

I haven't looked but the Rigid Contractor saw isn't a bad saw and can be had for about your budget. If you were in the military, you could get a discount.
I kinda agree...I saw one of these recently in a local 'Creeker's shop and it's a pretty nice tool.

[Drew Walton]

Maybe this is what I should do. Just get a new saw around the same price range and then sell it when I decide to upgrade.

[Phillip Gregory]

Maybe this is what I should do. Just get a new saw around the same price range and then sell it when I decide to upgrade.

I'd buy something used and if/when you decide to upgrade, you can sell it for about what you bought it for. Trying to sell an inexpensive plastic tool is not easy and you will have to accept at most half of what you paid for it. I'd definitely go the used Unisaw route.

I started out getting independently into woodworking debating between rehabbing a used cabinet saw vs. buying a new one. At that time, I had no experience in rehabbing used tools and simply bit the bullet and bought a new Grizzly/Shop Fox 3 hp cabinet saw. It's a nice saw and I've used it for years without issues, and it does anything I ask of it within its capabilities, but for what I paid for it (3x what a used Unisaw cost) I was well into the range where I could have bought a much larger and much nicer used industrial saw. In fact, there was a Delta/Invicta RT40 an hour away from me for half of the price, or a Robland slider WITH a rotary phase converter on the other side of town for only $200 more. Still kicking myself over those...

[Charles Lent]

The Unifence on that saw is worth $200 in used but good condition. Delta made many of these saws in the 34-44* series with almost no significant difference between them. I bought a 34-444 Delta Contractor saw for my son for $200 and would love to find a 54" Unifence for him, so to me, that saw is well worth $400. In the picture the fence is in the low fence position, but the extrusion can be easily turned 90 degrees clockwise for high fence use, one of the features of a Unifence. If you purchase it and want T slots on your fence for adding feather boards, etc. Peachtree Woodworking www.ptreeusa.com sells a square shaped Fence extrusion for the Inifence called a "Uni-T-Fence". I have and use one of these as well as the original Unifence extrusion because each has advantages, and I can switch them so easily. To me, these Delta Contractor Saws are every bit as accurate as a Unisaw (because I have one to compare to) but they have no built-in saw dust containment, since there is no cabinet under them, but they do have the standard 3/4 X 3/8 miter slots, which is not the case with some of the presently offered other brands of contractor saws. Most jigs and fixtures available for table saws today require the miter slots to be 3/4 X 3/8" or you can't use them with these other brands of contractor saws, but they will fit and work fine on a Delta Contractor saw. Another great feature of these saws is the dual voltage motor. It is specially designed to provide 1.5 hp of power at 120 volts AC so it can be used in new home construction on any home power outlet, but when converted to 230 volts, it will produce a full 2 hp, so the contractor can use it with the benefit of an additional 1/2 hp when it's back in his shop where he has the 240 volt power for it.

If it's been listed for 2 months, he might be willing to accept a lower offer. With the Unifence I would be very willing to buy it for $400 if it ran well and came with a working Unifence and Delta Miter Gauge. I might even be willing to go a bit higher if it was in better than average condition. The 54" Unifence is a great feature and definitely worth $200 without the saw. If you find a better deal on a Unisaw with a good fence, you can always get your money back or nearly that on this saw. They don't depreciate much because they are still good saws and still in demand, but only in the $400 range and not much higher.

Charley

[Drew Walton]

There's a Unisaw(I didn't find it before because my search term was table saw and the word table isn't in the ad) about 2 hours away for $400. However I don't have a 220 outlet in my garage. So not only do I need a vfd to account for the 3 phase requirement but I'll also need to pay an electrician to run a 220 line from my box (other side of the house in the basement which is finished)

[Phillip Gregory]

1 hp and smaller 240 volt 3 phase motors are generally able to be run from a 120 volt single phase outlet as there are voltage-doubling VFDs available that will convert 120 volts single phase to 240 volt 3 phase.

[Drew Walton]

The ad says the motor is 2hp 3 phase.

[Drew Walton]

Another Delta, this one a 34-441 also with the Unifence, right extension table and mobile base is there (apparently just searching for "table saw" misses out a quite a bit of contractors and cabinet saws). The innards of this one look much much cleaner.

https://images.craigslist.org/00k0k_lNGnNDwN5lG_1200x900.jpg
https://images.craigslist.org/00505_fjUtZWPbSmu_1200x900.jpg

Price is also $440, don't know if it's based on what the other ad was for, or that's the going price for these in this area. Think I'm going to reach out and try to get one of them, hopefully I can talk down a bit. Of these two which would you all suggest?

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-10-contractors-saw-with/6656695811.html

(https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-10-contractors-saw-with/6656695811.html)https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-10-contractors-saw/6617713837.html

[Paul Girouard]

That one looks better, I’m still not a Uni-saw fence fan. I’ve used one, we replaced it with a Beisemeyer , my Grizzly has a Beisemeyer.

I still think from what your stated situation is the new job site saw would serve you better.

[Drew Walton]

I went and looked at Job site saws at Lowes yesterday and I have to ask what's up with the texturing on the tables? All of them, to varying extents, had texturing on the table top. It seems like that would promote the piece grabbing and, therefore, inaccurate cuts. Of course I'm just starting out here so maybe, in my inexperience, I'm overestimating how much of an effect it would have?

Or is there an easy way of smoothing them down that I'm missing?

[Jim Becker]

That contractor's style saw you just posted on looks pretty nice. And I "am" a UniFence fan... :) Price at $440 is a little high for the age, but it does include the mobile base on a very clean saw. Probably worth making a reasonable offer on, IMHO, as it's much more capable than any "job site" type saw.

[Paul Girouard]

The textures are like Teflon , made to not have stuff stick to them. Like any saw table if you leave pop cans on them , or paper cups , spill your beer on them , etc , they’ll be sticky.
We wax our saw tops , at work , and I wax my Grizzly steel top in my shop.



I went and looked at Job site saws at Lowes yesterday and I have to ask what's up with the texturing on the tables? All of them, to varying extents, had texturing on the table top. It seems like that would promote the piece grabbing and, therefore, inaccurate cuts. Of course I'm just starting out here so maybe, in my inexperience, I'm overestimating how much of an effect it would have?

Or is there an easy way of smoothing them down that I'm missing?

[glenn bradley]

I went and looked at Job site saws at Lowes yesterday and I have to ask what's up with the texturing on the tables?

Form follows function. Those saws are primarily designed to lop off soaking wet 2-by material. The texturing will not be your issue. Some larger machines do this as well depending on their use.

You would not be able to smooth them down without creating a really irregular surface unless you happen to have a machine shop hobby as well :). This lets troublesome material slide easier across the machine's surface. I prefer to wax nice smooth surfaces myself but, you are working in a budget.

Buying at this tier you won't necessarily get everything you want but, if you stick with the craft, this won't be your last tablesaw. I would try to get the best work-ready saw you can within your budget. If you are up for a bit of a project you can buy a larger used machine with the idea that bearings or other minor work may be required.

It may seem that we are giving you more to think about than answers to what you feel is a simple question. Unfortunately, there are a lot of opinions and preferences when it comes to tablesaws.

For example, I would not want a right tilt machine such as you show. This is a personal preference. If that was all I could find or afford, I would certainly adapt. Contractor format saws have problems with beveled cuts. This is a design issue and only a few are actually robust enough to do anything other than 90 degree cuts with any accuracy. These few machines approach cabinet saw costs and so are generally bypassed by folks not needing the portability of a contractor saw.

A cabinet saw also takes up less room and allows a more compact functional footprint. This can often be a moot point if you are going to build a pool table sized outfeed table for handling sheet goods like a cabinet shop might do. In your basement or garage, other things are a priority; dust collection for example.

To shorten your decision cycle and get you making sawdust I think you need to be brutally honest with your requirements list. Know what you want to do and know your budget. It may be that your budget won't get you a saw that will do what you need. In that case you just wait a bit and save your money. If your needs are not too diverse, you only need to pick a machine you can afford.

Job site saws are a compromise on every front except portability. Kind of like trying to compose a magazine article on your phone; convenience overrides function. A contractor saw will be a step up and you can do all sorts of things to a contractor saw to make it more usable:

391440

This one had an upgraded fence, PALs, machined pulleys, link belt, dust collection and 100# of sand in the base for stability. I made a lot of furniture with this $100 saw that I threw $200 of aftermarket stuff at. When you are trying for the best decision you will pay in cash or in time. You can buy "nice" or you can patiently wait for "nice" to come along. Good luck, we're with you :)

[scott spencer]

I went and looked at Job site saws at Lowes yesterday and I have to ask what's up with the texturing on the tables? All of them, to varying extents, had texturing on the table top. It seems like that would promote the piece grabbing and, therefore, inaccurate cuts. Of course I'm just starting out here so maybe, in my inexperience, I'm overestimating how much of an effect it would have?

Or is there an easy way of smoothing them down that I'm missing?

Unless you need portability to move the saw from jobsite to jobsite, I would not buy a portable saw. While functional, you simply give up the lion's share of advantages for the sake of portability. The full size saws are much quieter, have more torque, have substantially more mass, are made from more robust materials, accommodate more standard accessories, can be easily upgraded, are more reliable, more feasible to repair, and there's a ton more room in front of the blade to stabilize the work piece on before it cuts.

https://i.imgur.com/Nhd1i2Q.jpg

[James Hale]

That Delta saw was one of my first table saws. I also bought it off craigslist for $200. After a few years, the casting on the unifence cracked off right where the lever locks down. I ended up upgrading to a Biesemeyer fence soon after but had trouble matching up the threaded holes, so had to add a few of my own. It's a great saw, but not for $440. I think the $200 to $300 is a fair price. It will always leave you wanting more.

[Paul Girouard]

Here’s our Bosch saw and stand , and the saw horse outfeed table. The Bosch has a better fence to create jigs that can ride on the fence , better than the DeWalt saw.







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This is a robust saw , decent power , now it’s no 220 V 3HP kind of power BUT it is better, IMO, than a belt drive 1 1/2HP 110 contractors saw.

391493


Here’s my reasons I like the Beisemeyer style fence. I have jigs I can either drop right onto the fence so I have a high fence , for raising panels , or making cuts on things that need to go thru edge wise.
That same fence doubles on my router table / router lift fence , yes I have to feed the router from the far side , so far that’s not been a issue.

I have a 1” block I can clamp on with the Rockler holder deal, thing when I use my cut off box to cut wide plywood panels or other parts. Just add one inch and Bob’s your uncle!

I have a jig I can slide over the fence for tenon cutting.

I have the elevated fence that I also use for cutting tenons.

This is why I much rather have a “slick” fence , rather than a Uni-Fence. Jim may have figured out how to jig off a Uni-fence , I never could.
I don’t see a Uni-fence to be as user friendly , it’s a OK fence , as far as what I’d call normal cutting , but it’s not jig-able.




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Yes you get a bit more table in front of the blade , BUT where people get jammed up on a table saw is at the outfeed side , and the LH side .

On out site saws we could make the outfeed table L shaped to come down to the saw front , BUT you lose potabiltiy in doing that. If we have to buck up some 4x8 sheets we team up to rip the sheets to a more user friendly width.


391495


There’s isn’t a “perfect” answer, the end user / OP’er has to decide what options are most important to him , for his individual situation.

[Ronald Blue]

Here is another option. Drive a couple hours and save some cash. The Kirksville one appears to have cast iron wings.
quincy.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-contractors-table-saw/6637849263.html

kirksville.craigslist.org/tls/d/table-saw/6660249217.html

[scott spencer]

Here is another option. Drive a couple hours and save some cash. The Kirksville one appears to have cast iron wings.
quincy.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-contractors-table-saw/6637849263.html

kirksville.craigslist.org/tls/d/table-saw/6660249217.html

That saw is from the Shopmaster line, and is smaller than a standard contractor saw, along with having a universal motor.

Other possibilities at reasonable prices:
- 'https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/ridgid-10-table-saw-with/6668534724.html[/url] (I'd offer $250)

- 'https://quincy.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-contractors-table-saw/6637849263.html

- 'https://desmoines.craigslist.org/tls/d/craftsman-10-inch-3hp-tablesaw/6643527134.html (has the upgraded fence)

- 'https://desmoines.craigslist.org/for/d/table-saw-delta/6668146585.html

- 'https://quincy.craigslist.org/tls/d/10-inch-cabinet-saw-with-cast/6635865520.html (might be a long drive, is more money, but is a heck of a saw)

[Jim Becker]

This is why I much rather have a “slick” fence , rather than a Uni-Fence. Jim may have figured out how to jig off a Uni-fence , I never could.
I don’t see a Uni-fence to be as user friendly , it’s a OK fence , as far as what I’d call normal cutting , but it’s not jig-able.

That wasn't really an issue for me as the functionality of the high/low fence relative to usability and safety was more important to me. But there's also an aftermarket "square" fence available (or easily manufactured by the end user) that would provide the same benefit as a fixed Bessy style fence for jigging if needed. That period of time when I had the Jet cabinet saw inbetween the Delta contractors' style saw with the UniFence and my current slider was painful to me relative to the rip fence because I truly love the high/low benefits. I run my rip fence in the low position most of the time, actually.

But that's me and everyone has to keep what's best for themselves in mind!

[Drew Walton]

It may seem that we are giving you more to think about than answers to what you feel is a simple question. Unfortunately, there are a lot of opinions and preferences when it comes to tablesaws. Actually this kind of discussion is precisely what I was hoping for. I'm getting some very sound advice as well as hearing what certain people like versus what they don't like and agreeing and sometimes contrasting opinions. Some might see it as confusing but I think of it as things I should keep in mind. If I get this saw with unifence, Paul has given me some things to pay attention to regarding the fence, they may bother me, they may not. But if I come up against something I dislike about it, it gives me fodder for something else to look for in the future. I'm also learning a lot about what can be changed with after market parts, I would probably have never thought about trying to buy an aftermarket fence for example.

I've also got some solid ideas for things to look for in future saws.

I think it's great.

[David Kumm]

I think you will find that if a fence holds its settings and locks down parallel every time, whether it is Bies or Unifence won't change your life much. I have both and like both. I keep the aftermarket extrusion for the Unif as well as the high low. The key is to buy as much quality as you can afford. The little things that may annoy you are not deal breakers. Dave

[Rod Sheridan]

I wouldn't hesitate to buy the saw, especially since it has a Unifence, that's a big safety improvement over a fixed fence.............Regards, Rod.

[Alex Burkhardt]

Despite being a novice, I currently have a 34-444, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a good first saw, on a moderate budget. Think i paid somewhere near $250 a couple years ago, and that was without the UniFence and mobile base. If i were to upgrade the fence on mine today, it would go to the bottom of the upgrade wish list while i continue to build out the rest of my shop. It's more than adequate for my needs, which typically cap out at 8/4 stock. My motor on my saw is the oddball "1-1/2 -- 2" hp version, which can be rewired between 110/220. The realities of that are for another discussion, but it definitely feels like a true 1.5 hp motor at present. The UniFence on the ones you show are also not to be overlooked -- big plus there over stock/standard fences.

The upgrade path from a USA-made contractor saw like would either be for power (cabinet saw territory) or features (better dust collection, fence, riving knife, sawstop's hot-dog sparing technology, etc.), or both. If you're only concerned with power, then yes, its possible to find a higher HP cabinet saw for $400 and some elbow grease. If the other bells and whistles are important, then you'd most likely be looking for a used new-er era saw, which puts you well over $400, at least in my area.

I'd probably offer $350 and not feel bad if i ended up closer to $375.

Good luck!

[Charles Lent]

You haven't brought it home yet?

It's probably in someone else's shop by now.

Charley

[Drew Walton]

It's still available, I've been in contact with the seller for both saws. But I'm seriously considering driving up the chicago area for that delta cabinet saw that scott posted.