New Delta Unisaw

[Dave Lehnert]

I was reading on Popular Woodworking web site about the new Delta saw.

"The biggest news in woodworking machinery this year was the redesigned Delta Unisaw. With a new look, new features and a new factory (in the United States), skeptical but excited woodworkers were clamoring for a first look at the saw."

I can't help but LOL!. There were some heated debates on here about how the Delta saw has always been made here in the USA. As well from some Delta reps. But it seems now Delta is admitting that the Unisaw WAS NOT made here.

I think it is great what Delta is doing. Be interesting to see if it helps sales and if others will follow.

[Bill Houghton]

What the statement says is that Delta built a new factory to make the new Unisaw. Maybe the old factory was poorly laid out, or is being switched to production of something else; maybe the new factory contains some production technology that just wasn't feasible in an existing building. I don't know; I'm always kind of amazed at how much money corporations spend on real estate when they have existing real estate, but, as someone who's only ever owned one house, I guess I'm just too simplistic in my thinking.

Whatever, none of that says the Unisaw used to be built outside the U.S.; only that it wasn't built in the same building the new one is.

[Terry Beadle]

Here's a link to a video on the new saw.

http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2008/08/21/the-new-delta-unisaw-roundup-video-pics-first-response-from-woodworkers/

It doens't say where it's built though. Sure like the rivening knife feature. Good to know the manufacturer's are listening too.

[Pat Germain]

I would very much like to buy that new Unisaw. The date when it's actually available keeps getting pushed back. February, '09 is the last I heard. That's not really a problem for me because the date when I'll have the funds to buy the saw keeps getting pushed back.

I'm under the impression the old Unisaws were made in the US, then Taiwan. Now, Delta is bringing the Unisaw manufacturing back to the US.

There will always be naysayers on any new product. The new Unisaw isn't perfect. For example, I don't understand why Delta is bragging about the blade angle gauge being accurate within a half a degree. But I personally think the new Unisaw is pretty spiffy. I've always liked the old Unisaw, but really wanted a riving knife.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Seems to me like it's just a "catch-up" saw from Delta.
Pretty much everything on it has already been done by someone else, and the riving knife is now a required feature.
Two more inches of table in front of the blade...whopeee....
I have short arms anyway and would rather use a cross cut sled and get LOTS more capacity for the cost of a little plywood....and no two inches won't support your entire 4x8.
Can't see anyone trusting a bevel scale on a table saw, and why doesn't anyone put a height scale on the saw?...just to get close than use a rule?
What I'd really like to know is if the cast iron itself will be any better. I have heard that the Taiwanese are much better than Americans at building quality cast iron products now, and the Japanese surely make better steel than we do. We are way behind and need to catch up.
If the saw costs anything close to a Sawstop....why bother?
As for Delta's customer service......(&%*(^_*_%!!!!!

[Don Bullock]

The new Unisaw does look and sound like an advancement by Delta. It was interesting to read the following comment on the Popular Woodworking website:


As long-time Unisaw users, we cannot wait to get our hands on the new model, which will be assembled in Tennessee from parts from all over the country (more details on this later). Welcome home Unisaw!

It will be interesting to find out where all the parts come from and to read some "hands-on" reviews. I haven't seen a price yet either. The Delta/Porter Cable website has no information on the "new" Unisaw.

[Karl Brogger]

Just to play the devils advocate.

More table between you and the blade means you need to reach farther forward, which is dangerous in my opinion. If you've ever used a Powermatic model 72 table saw you'll know what I mean. But that is a bit extreme, seems like the blade is a mile away.

A locking arbor. A stick jammed inbetween the table and the blade works just fine. If the stick breaks, replacement of said stick should be pretty easy.

Combination nut and washer. I hope the washer is thin enough that the nut will still get a good bite on the arbor if you're running a molder head, or dado set.

Only left tilt? Right tilts work great as dado saws. The distance from the fence to the first blade doesn't change, regardless of the change in thickness of the dado head. If I could only have one saw, I would get a left tilt though.

Both cranks on the front would be nice, you could build a cabinet underneath the table and get it real close to the stand.

Looks like it comes with a measure on both sides of the fence. That'd be handy once in a while.

Why is the "ON" button blue?
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/upload/contents/290/field_1742/New-Unisaw_Side.JPG

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/upload/images/2008/Aug%2008/New-Unisaw_Top.gif

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/upload/images/2008/Aug%2008/New-Unisaw_Front-Controls.gif

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/upload/images/2008/Aug%2008/New-Unisaw_Table-Geometry.gif

[Kevin Groenke]

I second the concerns about the blade being farther back, a long reach can increase inherent risk. I've never had a complaint with the blade where it was. I wonder if the blade location is somehow the result of the up-front controls and Delta is trying to claim it as design intent/benefit.

The nut/washer has been available as an accessory for years, nice, but the threads are very short and have a tendency to shear off (maybe to protect arbor threads?).
http://pro.woodworker.com/images/j210/36-659.jpg


Most of the features of the saw are pretty ho hum, some bordering on gimick-y, but the drawer is a JOKE...come on Delta, we buy tablesaws so that we can make our own drawers and most of us know that there are better materials to make them out of than the MDF you used. The up-front 90 and 45 stop adjustments are nice. Arbor lock?... This is a revolutionary feature?

My single biggest question about the new Unisaw is this:
If Delta can't effectively design, announce, produce and deliver a new drill press (20-959) 2 years later while maintaining quality control and customer service, how do they plan on doing it with a new Unisaw?

Then of course there's the cost of parts and the abysmall customer service. With great service from the likes of SS, ULS and Grizzly I won't go back to Delta until I hear they've turned things around.

-kg

[Mark Carlson]

I like the riving knife features. Mabe I can't see it in the picture but it looks like the blade guard doesn't have overhead dust collection. Am I the only one that wants a blade guard with overhead dust collection?

~mark

[Rick Fisher]

I have a loathing for Delta. Folks who got tools "Pre-Black and Decker" should be happy. Delta made some great stuff in the past. The past is the past..

The customer service is poop! and they are arrogant to do business with..

What possible reason could they have left for being arrogant? Companies like SCMI, Festool and Felder "could" be arrogant, but Delta?

(not saying the Europeans are arrogant, but it would be more tolerable from them, at least I would know what they are arrogant about).

[Pat Germain]

Based on this thread and others, this what I'm hearing as to the features we want in a table saw:

- 100% made in the USA, to include the motor
- SawStop technology
- Riving knife
- Balls-on accurate indicators for blade angle and height
- Hundreds of pounds of cast iron
- Outstanding dust collection
- Blade guard with dust collection
- Good customer service
- Optional, built-in router table

Seems to me building a saw with most or all of these features is quite doable. But I'm wondering if we would be willing to pony up for the cost.

The point about why bother with a Unisaw instead of a SawStop is a good one. I think price will be the primary factor. If the new Unisaw is priced anwhere close to a SawStop, there probably wouldn't be a reason to go with Delta.

And, boy, Delta had best get their customer support problems fixed. Even the best of manufacturers are going to have problems. If Delta cant resolve those problems effectively, there will be a storm of protest on the 'net which will kill sales.

I still like what I see in the new Unisaw.

[David DeCristoforo]

There's only so much you can do to a table saw. When the Uni was fresh, there were few rivals. Now there are many. Delta should fix their support before they worry too much about a "new" design. Service and support are everything. This "new" design will have to withstand the test of time. But if Delta's support remains as poor as it has been, they may not sell too many machines regardless of the design. Also, this saw "breaks the mold" for "industry standard" saw design. Up until now, most manufacturers seem to have felt the need to emulate the design of the Uni. The main diference has been the color of the paint job on the cabinet. But this may free them to design machines that are more easily identifiable as their own and that may incorporate more unique features.

[Greg Peterson]

The riving knife and both cranks on the front are the two obvious updates. The riving knife was eventually going to happen. Placing both cranks on the front was a great idea.

Arbor lock is real handy when setting up a dado set.

Wonder about DC. Is there a shroud around the blade or does the dust just drop inside the cabinet?

I have no experience with Delta customer support. But given how long their drill press has been taking to get to market I'm not expecting this TS to hit the release date.

[Pat Germain]

Wonder about DC. Is there a shroud around the blade or does the dust just drop inside the cabinet?

Based on the video, it has both. There's an internal hose which connects to a lower blade shroud. The bottom of the cabinet has a ramp which directs any other shavings to the dust collection port.

[Gary Curtis]

The UniSaw is a new animal to me. Because of an impending move, I just sold my General 350 w/ Sliding Table and will need a replacement.

Most of this thread has answered questions I have. I gather that this is Left Tilt only, so a sliding table bolted to the left side is a No-No. Is that correct?

Is the same true of the current X-5 versions of the Unisaw?

If a Right Tilt is available in the X-5, can I get a 5hp motor?

Are the motors made by Baldor?

Is a 30" Biesemeyer fence available. 50" is too much for my needs.

Gary Curtis

[Paul Steiner]

I am a fan of Unisaws and the new one looks great. I wonder how hard it is to turn the dials? Have you ever being doing alot of cutting and have your dials stick from sawdust in the gears? I find that when this happens it is easier to turn a dial on the side of the saw, you can put more force on it. It is harder to turn a dial on the front. My father is older and losing his dexteriety I wonder if people like him would find this setup more or less difficult?

[Danny Burns]

I would very much like to buy that new Unisaw. The date when it's actually available keeps getting pushed back. February, '09 is the last I heard.

If it ends up the same as the promised New Drill Presses that Delta never delivered, then perhaps Delta should apply to the Government for some of that money they are handing out these days!:rolleyes:

[Rod Sheridan]

Personally, I think Delta missed a one off opportunity to produce something innovative, and home made for American customers.

The riving knife is a no brainer, it's required by UL now.

The "new" Unisaw is really just a cabinet saw, it was innovative when they first made it, but that was what 70 years ago?

Now it's a tired old, sub standard design from a features and performance perspective, from a company that seems to have forgotten innovation and customer support.

Sure it rips well, that's all a cabinet saw ever did well.

If they wanted to come up with something innovative how about:

- licensing SawStop technology

- a blade brake to meet EU safety rules

- a good Euro style grooving cutter with scoring and hogging cutters for perfectly flat, chip free dadoes and grooves

- a sliding table format so that you could crosscut with good capacity and safety

- a good overarm guard with dust collection

- excellent quality control

- customer service and support

As a Canadian, I purchased a General 650 saw, it's arguably the best cabinet saw in production, and it's home made for me, so I understand the "Made in America" appeal for Americans.

However the General once again is simply a cabinet saw, and I think it will be replaced in a year or so now that I have a Felder dealer in Toronto.

I'm glad to see that Delta is making something in the US, too bad that it's decades out of date.

Regards, Rod.

[Karl Brogger]

What you're talking about is a different saw all together.

[Rod Sheridan]

What you're talking about is a different saw all together.

Hi Karl, in some ways yes, in other ways no.

A Euro slider is a cabinet saw, the mechanism is attached to the cabinet.

The Euro slider also rips like a cabinet saw, it can also rip and crosscut using the sliding table.

A blade brake will be required in North America at some date, why not "innovate" now?

I would guess that many if not all of the components for the new Unisaw are different than the old model.

Why squander this opportunity to get ahead of the crowd by producing a saw with so little improvements, and so many missed oportunities?

Regards, Rod.

[Karl Brogger]

For my shop, I'll never own a slider, or a tablesaw with a scoring blade. To my way of thinking its a waste. For one I don't use melamine any longer, so the scoring blade is a feature I don't need. Two, sliding tablesaws are expensive, and really a pain to use. For what you pay for one you can get a good panel saw, either Striebig or Holz-Her, and be able to rip/crosscut sheat stock quickly and easily. Its all just what you want I guess. Some shops run sliders, some don't. I just hate l loading material onto one. I find it cumbersome.

[John Callahan]

Karl, you could go into town (with lots of $ of course) and pick up one those "real" cabinet saws. :D

[Karl Brogger]

Oh how I'd like too. Not in the cards, or more importantly the checkbook.

[Rick Fisher]

When Black and Decker bought Delta Portercable. They allocated $15 Million to closing 3 factories and moved production offshore. I dont know if they kept any US plant open or not.

The goal was to improve gross margin and profitability by bringing B&D's innovative methods to the machinery business.
Black and Decker is the world biggest power tool manufacturer but not the worlds biggest woodworking machinery manufacturer (SCMI is).

The motor is apparently made by Marathon.