I have an opportunity to buy a 3HP Delta Unisaw X5 in excellent condition. It has a 52" Beisemeyer fence with the extension table and several accessories.
If you have any experience with this saw, what are your thoughts? Pros, cons, whatever.
[OP]
Contributor
I have an opportunity to buy a 3HP Delta Unisaw X5 in excellent condition. It has a 52" Beisemeyer fence with the extension table and several accessories.
If you have any experience with this saw, what are your thoughts? Pros, cons, whatever.
Contributor
I don't know about the Unisaw, but I have never heard anything good about the x5 series, and have heard that parts are NLA. If you get it really cheap it still might be a good deal, though.
Contributor
I'm not sure how much difference there is between an x5 Unisaw and mine, which is about 7 years before that? I don't think the castings had changed much at the time. Motor might be different.
~mike
happy in my mud hut
Member
X5 series are essentially the same tools that came with a five year warranty and a few extras thrown in. Uni's are great saws ,if you use it hard for 20 plus years it might need new bearings .Tons of parts because there were so many of these made ,this is a non-issue to me. Have one that I have used for 20 years or so ,and have worked on, bought and sold several more. The Bies is a great fence as is the Unifence ,in my mind the two best fences ever made for a cabinet saw. How much is the asking price ?
Contributor
As long as it’s a real unisaw and not that new fangled one they came out with 10 years ago.
I had an X5 6” jointer as my first jointer and it was a great machine.
Contributor
I had a X 5 unisaw and it was terrible. The single phase motor thumped hard when it started. The table around the throat plate was dished so much it made squaring the blade was a guess. It also threw more wood cut offs at me and past me then any table saw I’ve ever used.
Good Luck
Aj
Member
Originally Posted by Andrew Hughes
When properly set up they are fine. It is a non-softstart machine, it's not a flaw. I like unisaws, they are a workhorse. They lack a few refinements of the electronic age but in my opinion that simplicity is part of the benefits. Less bells and whistles, just make sawdust. I'd recommend a Felder if you want a more "civilized" machine.
Contributor
Steve I don’t want a civilized machine. I also don’t want a lemon from Taiwan. I have a Davis and Wells that’s just about as simple as it gets. Very quiet and cuts great. That’s not asking too much
Aj
Contributor
I have a Unisaw I bought new in about 1997, workhorse, no issues at all. Its not an X5 though. I have a Delta X5 15" planer that I bought used (in really bad condition - my son found and bought it for me) and rebuilt, now works great and has for a number of years now. I have heard that the X5s were made in China, I know my 3hp 220v motor on my X5 planer is because it says so on the data plate. Runs fine though. Randy
Randy Cox
Lt Colonel, USAF (ret.)
Member
I have a mid 80's Unisaw, but with a Unifence. I've owned 5 saws in my woodworking lifetime and was always wishing that I had a better saw, so was always looking to upgrade to something better. Since getting my Unisaw with 52" Unifence about 16 years ago, I am no longer seeking a better saw. I bought it used from another woodworker hobbyist, cleaned it up and put new belts on it and then began using it. Since then I have added a Wixey DRO to the fence. I couldn't want a more accurate or reliable table saw than this. I bought the Uni-T-Fence extrusion options from Peachtree Woodworking for it, so I now have a fence that has T slots for adding options like feather boards, etc, but kept the Unifence extrusion and switch fences when I want a low fence etc. I also bought the 16" length of Uni-T-Fence, so I can have a short fence when the need arises. My son will inherit this saw and it will likely be his saw until he passes. I was a little uncertain about the Unifence at first, but once I learned it's versatility, I have fallen in love with it.
I have no need or desire for a better saw than my Unisaw, if one really even exists. It's been one of the best woodshop investments that I've made my past 65 years of woodworking.
Charley
Contributor
They all thunk a bit on start in my experience. Oh well. Otherwise, in the 20+ years I've owned mine it's been trouble free. The only change I've made was going from a 52" Bies to a 30" Unifence, and now to a 50". Initially it was due to shop size, and I traded fences with someone. I like both fences, they have pluses and minuses.. but they're both rock solid and reliable. Country of origin has really little to do with quality. The companies quality control does.
~mike
happy in my mud hut
Contributor
The other problem with the particular X5 unisaw that I had. When the blade was tilted at 45 wood would bind ripping was the worst. It took me some time to shim the top I think it was the front. But I did get pretty close.
I’m sure there’s for more good unisaw made in China or Taiwan out there then lemons.
Im not really fan of anything made in China. So the op can take my post anyway he likes.
Im not one that finds a tablesaw all that important to my shop.
Good Luck
Aj
Member
All my Unisaw experience has been with 1990 ish and older saws. These were all US or Canadian made saws. The design "under the hood" virtually unchanged in the 30 or so year model range I have personally seen and worked on. I have not used or worked on a X5 so not sure where they were built. I did have a friend who bought a new Unisaw in about 1999 or so that had a dish in the top. The OP is talking about a used saw so he would be able to check it out before he buys.
Member
Mike I have an x5 and it's made in USA. 2003 model.
Member
The X-5 series just had an extended 5 year warranty and some accessories from the regular version, the factory was the same. At the time the Unisaws were still being assembled in their Tupelo plant. The jointers and planers were already being made in China.
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