Whitney 177 Table Saw Questions

[Ben Byma]

Hello all. New to the site and just getting my feet wet with woodworking (as an adult at least--did a few "projects" as a kid but nothing big on my own).

I'm working on acquiring tools over time and have been looking out for a table saw. Was leaning towards starting with a job-site style saw mostly for cost and convenience of storage.

But then I came across a Whitney 177 for sale locally--needs a little work but looked doable. Being pretty new to all this, I'm not the most familiar with all the ins and outs of various types of saws. In my googling I've seen some nice pictures of restored machines and some interesting pictures of machines with the table split either side to side or front to back. I don't totally understand that feature (and it seems like it's maybe not standard on all their saws? it doesn't look like the one I found has that feature in any of the photos I've received)--was wondering if someone could explain that to me.

It seems like the general consensus is that these are high quality saws. Was also wondering if some folks could weigh in on the various features, strengths/weaknesses, or other things to know about the Whitney saw for someone who's never used one.

Any and all advice and wisdom is welcome.
Many thanks!

[glenn bradley]

The split table you describe sounds like some sort of sliding tablesaw as seen here. Western tablesaws typically are cabinet saws like this. Contractor and job site saws are reductions of this basic format. The Whitney 177 has a sliding table section (as opposed to an outrigger) and larger, industrial tablesaws in America were certainly available in this format. The jump from a 40 pound job site saw to the Whitney is significant. It sounds like you better write down your priorities to help you narrow your selection ;-)

[Patrick Kane]

Ben, is it truly a 177 or is it a 77? If its a 177, mind sending me a PM with the seller's contact info : ) That is a rare saw. If it is a 77, that is still a very nice cabinet saw. Rough condition 77s are usually under a grand from what ive watched over the years. Ive never personally used them, but most serious enthusiasts/pros have a high opinion of the 177 and 77. Like Glenn mentions, its a little hard to compare a working 77 to a portable saw. You are talking a 1500lb table saw that was designed to rip hardwood for a century. Two words of caution on the whitney. One, that is a very heavy machine, like i just said. A forklift/pallet jack would make sure work of moving it on level ground, but going down stairs into a basement would be akin to flying to the moon. Two, im pretty sure thats a direct drive saw, and 100% its 3 phase. You will need a VFD/phase perfect/RPC to power it. It wont be possible to just buy a replacement single phase baldor and bolt it on. This also means you will be buying 16-20" blades for the machine, which are shockingly expensive at times.

[David Kumm]

Whitney 77 and 177 are among the finest table saws made. I think they stopped manufacturing in the 1970s. I have a 1932 Model 77 and a 1942 177. They came with fixed or sliding tables although the sliders are rare. I prefer the Wadkin or Robinson sliding table to the Whitney but most everything else is in Whitney's favor. They are not for the faint hearted and not a particularly good first time users saw. They are direct drive so the motor can not be swapped. they will be three phase and the arbors can be 1", 1 1/8", or 1 1/4" so watch for that. The 77 will handle up to a 15" blade ( 14" really ) and the 177 a 16". The original rip fence is center mounted in holes on the table. If those holes are wallowed out, it is a sign the saw has been used hard. The saw has a massive base and trunnion and runs the largest arbor bearing I've seen, 6311 on the 77, 63311 on the 177. The back bearing is smaller and easier to source than the 63311.

Most Whitneys have splitters but a few will have a true riving knife. The tables will be cold planed so you should still see the lines across the table. If they are worn off near the blade, it is another sign of heavy use. Keep in mind, the saw is so over engineered it will outlast most anything if rehabbed and cleaned up.

I only know of less than 10 77 sliders, but the 177 sliders are slightly more common. There are threads over at owwm.org that you can access. I'm actually selling my 177 but will never part with my 77 slider even though the Robinson is my favorite. The 77 is older but much better looking. Dave

[Bill Dufour]

They were a USA made saw. what country are you in? Company is long gone so no parts avaialble.
Bil lD

[Ben Byma]

The jump from a 40 pound job site saw to the Whitney is significant. It sounds like you better write down your priorities to help you narrow your selection ;-)

Definitely agree. Figured it would be worth investigating and getting some expert info before getting too far into looking at it.

Is it more saw than a noob should need? Absolutely
But...if the price is right I'd hate to miss an opportunity to grab a finely crafted tool and a steep discount and maybe grow into it...

[Bradley Gray]

You are entering a rabbit hole here. If you can handle a machine the weighs 1000 lbs + and are willing to set up 3 phase power and plan on a commercial level shop - go for it.

[Will Boulware]

You are entering a rabbit hole here. If you can handle a machine the weighs 1000 lbs + and are willing to set up 3 phase power and plan on a commercial level shop - go for it.

^ read this, then read it again. That is an amazing saw, but if you’re new to table saws, it’ll be like taking drivers ed in a semi truck. It can be done, but there are easier ways to get your feet wet in this hobby.

* I run a thousand plus pound VERY vintage table saw. They are incredible. It was not my first saw and it definitely should not have been either.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I agree.

I currently own 3 table saws. A newer jobsite Dewalt on rolling stand, a Powermatic 66 with 52” bies fence, and a Tannewitz Model U with factory rack and pinion fence and miter gauges.

There is no comparison between the job site saw and the Tannewitz, which is very similar to the Whitney. 16” blade (can fit up to 20”), no riving knife, weighs 1400#, 3 phase 5 HP motor, huge table, no vibration because of all the mass. Turning the blade on blows your hair back, no kidding.

The quality of saws like this are incredible, but I would not recommend it as a first table saw. Too much that could go wrong without previous experience and they can be a handful to move and set up 3 phase for the uninitiated.

The Dewalt is used strictly on job sites and is a fantastic saw for what it is. The fence is as good as you could want on a portable job site saw. The riving knife is a huge plus and works very well. It’s permanently mounted a rolling/folding stand that I park at the corner of a 4x8 assembly table I made on top of saw horses I made specially for the table to be the proper out feed height for the table saw on the stand. I would highly recommend it is a first saw, though you will eventually find limitations for it if using it for a lot of dedicated cross cutting or heavy dado operations.

What type of woodworking are you doing / see yourself doing?