General 350 vs 1980s Unisaw

[Rollie Meyers]

There's a consideration that no one has mentioned. Both saws are well out of production so no new parts being produced. Any parts replacements will rely on used parts pool. Which saw has a larger spare parts pool?

The Unisaw has a pretty good parts availability, helped by Rockwell & Delta building large numbers of them, & some aftermarket parts too.

[Doug Garson]

I wouldn't be concerned about parts for the General 350. They are built like tanks, the only parts that typically ever need replacement are belts and bearings which are industry standard parts with lots of availability. Also the General 350 was made for decades with few if any changes.

[Patrick Kane]

Yeah, I wouldn’t be concerned about parts. The delta unisaw was produced for 60-70 years with little changes. I can’t seem to find a production stat, but I believe it was the most produced table saw in North America. I stripped down 3 unisaws, used one for years, and eventually flipped out of all three. New motors, belts, bearings, and switches for all. I think I ended up switching out splitters for smaller varieties too. One had messed up arbor threads and so I replaced the whole arbor. All of the above was easily and readily sourced.

To follow up on the “which is better?” Discussion, the OP might want to search the archives at fine woodworking. Plenty of threads from the early 2000s comparing the General 350, Powermatic 66, and the Delta Unisaw. Interestingly enough, plenty of guys happened to own all 3 at some point, or work in cabinet shops with all three. To summarize, most guys said there’s no difference in practical use, but the Powermatic 66 had a slight edge in opinion of design/heft. And I think that is almost a fact. The 66 came along decades after the unisaw, and powermatic’s marketing made it clear that it was a heavier built saw than the unisaw. Same approach for Oliver’s 232 saw dubbed the “unisaw killer”. I am pretty sure both saws were a fair amount more than the unisaw, and in the case of the Oliver, a fair amount more machine. I have a 232 and I can confirm it takes up a very similar footprint, but it weighs 3-4x as much, and has a lot better design features. Looking up the PM66 on owwm, it weighs about 60-70lbs more than a unisaw. The 66 is also heavier than the General 350. I haven’t stripped a 66 down, but I’ve used one many times, and I think it’s the best North American 10” cabinet saw. Now, with that said I would definitely keep a unisaw with a unifence over a PM66 with a bies fence. One, I much prefer the unifence. Two, the 66 will fetch about $500-600 more on the used market than a unisaw. Three, I don’t think the 66 has any functional advantage.

Anyway, I hope that adds a little more color to my opinion. Keep in mind I am American and therefore biased against General in this comparison. I don’t believe there is much difference in the comparison, and if the OP wants a real upgrade then sell both and get an Oliver, Tannewitz, Whitney, or other heavier 12”+ saw.

[Bill Dufour]

I would do a quick search and see if you can price a replacement arbor or tilt gear. That will give you an idea about parts availability.
When buying a used car I check prices for a starter, alternator radiator before buying.
Bill D

[Mike Kees]

Patrick if you ever get a chance try out a General, it may surprise you. I know all about Unisaws having bought ,sold and fixed up 5 or 6 of them, as well as using one for the last 25 years. I have never used a PM 66 but I have used a General . It is a step up from a Unisaw in smoothness and overall performance. This coming from a Uni fanboy. The Unifence is my favorite fence . And yeah as a Canadian there is something cool about a General machine in your shop with the Maple Leaf sticker on it. My Unisaw is a fully Canadian made machine from the time period when they had a plant in Ontario. I would not be worried one bit about parts for either saw. In my experience the only weakness on the Unisaw trunnion design that I have seen is a couple saws that needed a new arbor raising gear. I am not sure what makes them break (tipped off the back of a truck maybe ?) I have a Uni in my shop right now that needs one and my spare parts pile does not have one because I sold the one good one I had to someone else who needed one. Whichever saw the OP keeps he really can't go wrong either way.

[Warren Lake]

yeah dont know what breaks or how people can break them. Ive had two Generals from new since 81. Both worked hard but one more than the other the ripping one. They are good for what they are until i tried an SCM. The difference is dramatic. I like the generals and if I ever did job site stuff that is what id want. Entry level SCM slider blows the generals away in many ways.

[Simon Dupay]

Since no one else has said it, duh keep both the unisaw setup for dadoing 😁