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Thread: Oliver 232 Table saw-Worth it?

  1. #1
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    Oliver 232 Table saw-Worth it?

    I know somebody trying to unload an old (late 1940's) 12 inch Oliver 232 Table saw that is in fairly good condition; the top was replaced with a new one around 5 yrs ago--and it has a biesymore fence (along with the origonal); but otherwise everything else is original. The only problem I noticed is that it takes some effort to crank the blade up & down. The price is very reasonable.

    I currently have a 2hp Grizzly cabinet saw that does pretty much everything I want (except for blade hieght); so I'm wondering if it would be worth the trouble to get rid of the Grizzly and get the Oliver? Any other Oliver owners out there who regretted the move to old iron?
    Last edited by Doug Mason; 01-09-2011 at 7:11 PM. Reason: saw details

  2. #2
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    If you think the price is right jump on it. I have a General 350 and would by that saw in a minute. Might weigh about 1250lbs. All cast iron, and that org. fence is nice if all the parts are there. What do you mean top was replaced new 5 years ago? Could be 2-5HP, but it might be 3 phase. Can you run it in your shop? The up and down can be just in the need of a good cleaning . Good luck.

    Steve

  3. #3
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    Browse OWWM.org for more details on the saw. Outside of the 3 phase like Steve said the most expensive time will be buying new blades.

  4. #4
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    Regarding the top--a previous owner (who rebuilt the saw) said there was a warpage problem with the top when he got the saw; so he ordered a new top from Oliver around 5 yrs ago when he did the restore. He didn't know how old the top is that Oliver sent him--but he said he was happy Oliver had a replacement on hand.

    The saw is in good shape--my primary concern is if I'm asking for trouble getting into old iron. It is 3 phase and 2hp--but I have 3 phase so that is a non-issue. The price is $2,200.

    Thx for your thoughts.

  5. #5
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    A little high, but not if the saw is in good working order. How does the motor sound? Means I think it is directdrive.

    Steve

  6. #6
    What is the perceived benefit of owning this Oliver saw in this case? If it is already restored that can't be the reason and usually that is why most people choose to get into old iron. I just looked and Grizzly has multiple 12 inch options in that price range with more safety features, more power and a warranty.

  7. #7
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    Oliver was one of the heavy duty machine companies, for comparison Delta, PM and Walker Turner were LIGHT duty manufacturers. Particularly if he did a full resto and it is in excellent working order I would pay that for it. I would like to pay less BUT that is a great machine.

  8. #8
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    Kieth,

    My Grizzly is underpowered, lightwieght and fragile; that said, the Grizzly has done everything I have asked of it.

    The benefit to me of a saw like the Oliver is quality (which I appreciate)--and this saw appears to be in good working order/condition; my worry is that the saw might be too heavy duty for me/and I am not interested in restoration work should I discover the saw has problems. In addition, there is the "I THINK I WANT IT" factor!!!!!

  9. #9
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    I bet that new top the owner installed cost him a pretty penny. He might be trying to recoup some of that. Post pics if you get it!

  10. #10
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    In my opinion IF a saw fits in your shop (and I don't mean if the rest of the tools have to be in the driveway) then it is never too heavy duty. A table saw does not lose finesse if it is overbuilt for much heavier tasks that you perform, a bandsaw on the other hand CAN be to large and heavy duty for tight scrolling work. By the way you SAY you are not interested in resto work, if you want that to remain true do NOT get the saw, not because I think you will HAVE to do resto work on it (I have no way of knowing) but I will bet you will WANT to do it once you have such a saw.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    In my opinion IF a saw fits in your shop (and I don't mean if the rest of the tools have to be in the driveway) then it is never too heavy duty. A table saw does not lose finesse if it is overbuilt for much heavier tasks that you perform, a bandsaw on the other hand CAN be to large and heavy duty for tight scrolling work. By the way you SAY you are not interested in resto work, if you want that to remain true do NOT get the saw, not because I think you will HAVE to do resto work on it (I have no way of knowing) but I will bet you will WANT to do it once you have such a saw.
    I don't know the Oliver saw in particular but some of those older 12" saws had the blades set way back in a larger table, and they can be a real PIA to work with if you use your saw for joinery and such on a regular basis. It creates a lot of reaching and leaning, setups are no joy. Even ripping can be more work. Of course if you are doing heavy ripping with large stock that longer lead in on the fence is a benefit. So in my opinion, a TS that is too big can certainly loose finesse. I was in a shop this fall with a large old 12" Powermatic of some sort, and it was a nasty bear to deal with, I'd rather have been using a 10".

    That said, we have an older (1960's?) SCMI 12" saw at work, again I have no idea how this compares to the oliver, but that extra power (this one is 7HP III phase) and extra 2" is a godsend for heavy work, and the saw handles detailed work with ease as well. I guess it depends on the match of machine and operator. Have you had a chance to use the machine or kick the tires? If it feels comfortable to work with, I'd certainly rather have the oliver than the grizzly personally. It was mentioned that grizzly makes saws in that weight class, but speaking of weight I'd suspect you could probably melt the oliver down and make two similar grizzly saws with the iron if you chose. Oliver was known to make machines that last a long time. And not to be over looked is the "Sexy" factor. Me, I love the look of beautiful old school industrial designs. Its a very pleasant aesthetic to be in contact with each day.

  12. #12
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    Peter, that is a VERY good point and can be very true. The 232's blade is not very deep in the table even though it is/was a production saw. Quite a few of the 232s were used in vocational and high school shops, but one would need to make sure the dimensions were comfortable for them!

  13. #13
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    Peter makes some good points, especially the lead-in space to the blade. However, I am goind to post a different response about acquiring the machine: get the Oliver to use for general ripping/crosscutting work and keep the Grizzly for a dedicated dado and joinery machine. These operations usually don't require as much muscle or horsepower, and can be set up and ready to go in an instant. No such thing as too many tools or machines in a shop.

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