General Table Saw 350 / 650

[Clint Gauthier]

I'm seriously considering the General table saw. I've read many threads about the cabinet saws, one of which had a picture of the trunnion assembly for the PM 66 and the BW10LTS.

Does anyone have a similar picture or exploded view of the General trunnion assembly they could post or PM?

Thanks!

[Jim O'Dell]

Clint, I PM'd you a link that has a picture of it, although not great. Let me know if you don't receive it. Jim.

[Dan Rider]

Welcome to the board Clint!

I too am in the process of purchasing a new cabinet saw, and my decision has boiled down to the General 350-T50 M2M or the 350-T50 M25M. (3hp vs 5hp) My reasons were many.

First of all, the trunnion size and design is outstanding. The only picture I can reference is the thumbnail on General's website, but it doesn't do the saw justice. Note how the two belts and pulleys on the arbor shaft are mounted BETWEEN the bearings for full support and minimal deflection under load. (many others have them mounted outboard). Note how the trunnion castings extend to the corners of the cabinet to better distribute and transfer the weight of the carriage. Not all cabinet saws have this. The arbor bearings are common sizes, meaning they are relatively inexpensive and readily available should they ever need replacing (they are not a General-specific part #). The motor is a standard-frame mount. The only way to fully appreciate the trunnion of this saw is to see it in person with the table removed. And I have. And beside the General was a Uni, and it paled in comparison (no offence Uni owners!!;)).

You may already know some of the other attributes -- seasoned meehanite iron table top and extensions, powder-coated 11ga. steel cabinet with hinged steel door, US made Baldor motors, magnetic switch, General T-fence (not a clone, but IDENTICAL to the Biesemeyer Commercial), cast iron handwheels... I could go on.

If you're serious about a traditional cabinet saw, you owe it to yourself to see a General 350/650 and draw your own conclusions. Happy shopping!

[Dev Emch]

When it comes to a traditional unisaw class cabinet saw, the only saw I would consider is the General 350 or 650. I personally prefer the 350 esp. if your installing aftermarket sliding tables. The 650 is the same saw but in a left tilt. I have owned quite a bit of general in the past and it took a companies like oliver and martin to replace my generals. That is saying quite a bit! A brand new oliver model 88 made by eagle machinery will set you back $30,000 dollars! So I think you will be happy with the general for many years to come.

[David Less]

Are you sure that General uses 11 ga (1/8") thick steel on their cabinets? Seems very thick for a cabinet saw that weighs 500 lbs and sells for $2000.00. I don't think any cabinet saw (American) style uses sheet metal that thick.

My $.02

David

[Andy London]

Clint, I have the 350 with a 5 h.p. motor, I can take some images if you wish, it's a pretty tight area so I am not sure how well the images will turn out. I can tell you these are an amazing saw, no complaints from me except the instructions still need a lot of work....however there is so little to do it's not a major issue.

Here are a few images from General's site.

http://www.general.ca/machines/gen/saws/closeup/350_a.jpg

http://www.general.ca/machines/gen/saws/closeup/350_b.jpg

[Dick Latshaw]

My General 350 M2 arrived on Jan 16. I am quite pleased with the saw itself - the table and wings are dead flat using a 55 inch straight edge. No light visible at all.

The T fence is another story. The rear rail had one hole that matched the saw, and two overlapping holes close to the other hole in the table top. Had to do some filing. The holes in the front of the saw for the rail were about 1/32 too low, so I had to shim the box rail to keep the fence from dragging. Some of the holes in the bottom of the front rail did not line up with the holes in the box rail. One was so far off I couldn't get the bolt in at all. The right extension table is flake baord with exposed raw edges. It appears that the folks who make the saw don't communicate with the folks who make the fence.

[Jim Hill]

I ordered and received my 650 about 2 weeks ago. SMC members provided some great insight. I thought long and hard about spending the money over what I could get the Unisaw X for. When compared, the trunnions on the General are much heavier than the ones on the Unisaw. When I looked at the whole package, i.e. heavier trunnions, meghanite (?) cast iron, baldor motor, and metal motor cover, I decided to spend the extra money and get the saw which I thought was the best. I'm sure it's overkill for anything I might do, but I don't regret getting it. I have to agree that the extension table top is not high grade; the edges flake with the slightest bump. However, the saw is great-heavy and flat. I can always replace the extension table. Just my thoughts.

Jim

[Clint Gauthier]

Thanks to everyone would provided input and helped me make my choice. I ordered the General 650-T50-M2M, and the saw should arrive next week.:)

[Frank Pellow]

Congratulations Clint, from a fellow 650 owner.

[Allen Grimes]

Frank, I thought you were going with the 350, what made you change your mind?

[Frank Pellow]

Frank, I thought you were going with the 350, what made you change your mind?
Allen, the position of the dust port on the 650 suited my shop layout better. It certainly was not becuase of the left tilt.

[Allen Grimes]

Yeah, thats what confused me, you were always (at least it seemed to me) pro-right tilt.

If I could do it all over again I would get a right tilt. I didnt think it out enough when I made my table saw purchase