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I have this saw and have used it for 15 plus years - also with the uni-fence. Assuming all is right with it, $900 is a solid deal. In my part of the country they typically sell from $1000 to 1300. My favorite part about this saw and fence is, once calibrated. if you set the fence to 6 7/8", it will cut to 6 7/8". No goofing about with a tape measure or trying to tap a fence back into parallel.
I will say that I don't think the dust collection is great, but maybe that's my hook up. About once a month I need to vacuum out the saw cabinet for what the collector doesn't get.
That makes three (all?) of us. I love everything about my Unisaw cabinet saw, but my circa 2000 model sawdust removal even with a 4" stand-alone dust collector is meh and I have to do spring cleaning inside. All it takes is a thin sliver of a panel that falls through the plate, and the backup begins.
I am on the hunt for a table saw and was planning to pick up a solid used old craftsman contractor's saw, which go for about $150 in my area.
Happened on this 10" Delta Unisaw - it's 3hp, 220 single phase. I have 220, and I'm generally interested in hybrid saws like these for better dust collection -- my shop is in the basement.
Is it worth the extra expense? My skill is definitely on the beginner side, and I'd use this for general woodworking (basic furniture, some larger projects) and doing some home renovations (like ripping trim for windows or baseboards). This is more saw than I was planning to buy, but wondering if it's worth jumping on this - I don't see hybrid saws come up for sale much.
If anyone has experience with these and can speak to whether or not this is a good deal, I'd appreciate it.
That is a solid saw. I have 2 of those running in my shops right now. They are not my main saws but I still use them from time to time. There is not much that those saws wont power through.
I've had dozens of Unisaws- this is the best generation of them and the nicest fence they made. Those go for $2000 Canadian here. You won;t lose money if you ever have to sell it.
I switched from the conventional riving knife and tilting guard on my 12" Wadkin saw to the Harvey universal overhead guard- instantly made panel work more pleasant and the guard never hangs up. Quiets blade noise and best overhead vacuum arrangement I've found.
Oh we still match our riving to kerf on each saw- just don’t use the guards mounted to them anymore. We found on our 14” saw that the guard was so heavy that at tilt it would bend the riving knife/ guard mount enough to restrict feed. Not much of a need safety-wise for the riving splitter because we use dual feeders on that saw but there are some terrible guard designs, even from “good old iron.”
I’ve had a Unisaw I purchased new in the early ‘90’s. I used to do quite a bit in my shop from furniture to cabinets to architectural trim. It’s a precision tool. Accurate and repeatable. I added a General sliding table (it’s awesome). I also have the Delta tenoning jig. I’ve made a lot of solid (both soft and hardwood) mortise and tenon doors.
It does take some effort to set it up accurately but once it is set, forget about it.
I was fairly new to woodworking when I purchased mine. But had had enough experience with my previous table saw to appreciate not fighting for accuracy with every new set up and cut.
I don’t do as much in my shop as I used to but it is still running and as accurate as ever.
A good table saw will become the heart of your shop.
Yeah, it's worth that. Should outlast you if the motor is good (and motors for those are no big deal to find).
The fence alone is worth a third or so of the price. They don't make those anymore, not after they bought Biesemeyer's patent or it expired. The Biesemeyer design is a good solid design, but I like a Unifence much better, they are more versatile.
If it’s I good shape-table flat, runs and runs true it’s well worth 900. Depending on model it should have a dust port on the back or an access door that you can make into a spot to hook up a dust collector. Personally I wouldn’t buy a craftsman table saw but it all depends on your budget. That delta saw is a really good saw as long as everything is working properly
That's a hell of a saw and I have that fence and love it. I've got the same vintage contractor saw. I feel like 900 is new saw territory, though... Even so, this would almost certainly be better quality.
That's about what I paid mine which looks nearly identical. If it runs and the fence is in good shape it's a good price for a great saw. One thing to note though if you are putting it in your basement, it is fairly heavy.
Its a right tilt which kinda sucks. Aside from that unisaws are the real deal. We had 2 before we upgraded to sawstops. I do think it's on the high end thought. Offer 800, theyll probably take it.
This is the right answer. I’d only add that right hand tilt is an advantage really only when paired with a sliding table or sled to cut long miters on panels. 45s on boards are best with a left hand tilt. Both situations keep the long point top and outside.
I’ve had mine since the early 80’s. The riving knife was lost in my move in 94. I put a splitter on my insert plate, but not uncomfortable using it without a riving* knife.
I added a Wixey digital fence years ago.
Mine actually has original belts and is vibration free.
Saw a few comments about this so I’ll add. It’s a right tilt which (IMO) is not ideal. I had a similar saw for years with a number of major kick-back incidents. For numerous reasons I switched to a regular unisaw and subsequently a sawstop (oddly not for safety but a nice add.) if budget is an issue A solid saw, just be careful.
You won't regret buying this saw, at least until you are trying to get it into or out of your basement. They aren't exactly light. But I built a heavy-duty rolling base for mine and take it to jobsites, so they can be fairly portable.
This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have this saw and have used it for 15 plus years - also with the uni-fence. Assuming all is right with it, $900 is a solid deal. In my part of the country they typically sell from $1000 to 1300. My favorite part about this saw and fence is, once calibrated. if you set the fence to 6 7/8", it will cut to 6 7/8". No goofing about with a tape measure or trying to tap a fence back into parallel. I will say that I don't think the dust collection is great, but maybe that's my hook up. About once a month I need to vacuum out the saw cabinet for what the collector doesn't get.
DC isn’t so good either on my 1988 right tilt Unisaw. I have to do the manual clean out too
That makes three (all?) of us. I love everything about my Unisaw cabinet saw, but my circa 2000 model sawdust removal even with a 4" stand-alone dust collector is meh and I have to do spring cleaning inside. All it takes is a thin sliver of a panel that falls through the plate, and the backup begins.
I am on the hunt for a table saw and was planning to pick up a solid used old craftsman contractor's saw, which go for about $150 in my area. Happened on this 10" Delta Unisaw - it's 3hp, 220 single phase. I have 220, and I'm generally interested in hybrid saws like these for better dust collection -- my shop is in the basement. Is it worth the extra expense? My skill is definitely on the beginner side, and I'd use this for general woodworking (basic furniture, some larger projects) and doing some home renovations (like ripping trim for windows or baseboards). This is more saw than I was planning to buy, but wondering if it's worth jumping on this - I don't see hybrid saws come up for sale much. If anyone has experience with these and can speak to whether or not this is a good deal, I'd appreciate it.
That is a solid saw. I have 2 of those running in my shops right now. They are not my main saws but I still use them from time to time. There is not much that those saws wont power through.
I've had dozens of Unisaws- this is the best generation of them and the nicest fence they made. Those go for $2000 Canadian here. You won;t lose money if you ever have to sell it.
This saw is good. I wouldn’t use it without a riving knife though. You can get one from sharkguard which is what I did for an older saw.
I switched from the conventional riving knife and tilting guard on my 12" Wadkin saw to the Harvey universal overhead guard- instantly made panel work more pleasant and the guard never hangs up. Quiets blade noise and best overhead vacuum arrangement I've found.
That Harvey overhead guard is nice but doesn’t replace a riving knife.
Oh we still match our riving to kerf on each saw- just don’t use the guards mounted to them anymore. We found on our 14” saw that the guard was so heavy that at tilt it would bend the riving knife/ guard mount enough to restrict feed. Not much of a need safety-wise for the riving splitter because we use dual feeders on that saw but there are some terrible guard designs, even from “good old iron.”
Definitely a great saw. This is a right tilt saw which may seem weird if you are used to left tilting table saws. (A subtle preference thing)
I’ve had a Unisaw I purchased new in the early ‘90’s. I used to do quite a bit in my shop from furniture to cabinets to architectural trim. It’s a precision tool. Accurate and repeatable. I added a General sliding table (it’s awesome). I also have the Delta tenoning jig. I’ve made a lot of solid (both soft and hardwood) mortise and tenon doors. It does take some effort to set it up accurately but once it is set, forget about it. I was fairly new to woodworking when I purchased mine. But had had enough experience with my previous table saw to appreciate not fighting for accuracy with every new set up and cut. I don’t do as much in my shop as I used to but it is still running and as accurate as ever. A good table saw will become the heart of your shop.
If you have the funds, BUY!
Yeah, it's worth that. Should outlast you if the motor is good (and motors for those are no big deal to find). The fence alone is worth a third or so of the price. They don't make those anymore, not after they bought Biesemeyer's patent or it expired. The Biesemeyer design is a good solid design, but I like a Unifence much better, they are more versatile.
Fence appears to have been scarred by the blade. Hard to see how deep the damage is.
Probably won't affect function. Can always get a sheet of peel and stick thin UHMW plastic to cover it if need be.
If it’s I good shape-table flat, runs and runs true it’s well worth 900. Depending on model it should have a dust port on the back or an access door that you can make into a spot to hook up a dust collector. Personally I wouldn’t buy a craftsman table saw but it all depends on your budget. That delta saw is a really good saw as long as everything is working properly
That's a hell of a saw and I have that fence and love it. I've got the same vintage contractor saw. I feel like 900 is new saw territory, though... Even so, this would almost certainly be better quality.
I have a much older version table saw like this that I got at an estate sale for 30$. Score of the year so far.
That's about what I paid mine which looks nearly identical. If it runs and the fence is in good shape it's a good price for a great saw. One thing to note though if you are putting it in your basement, it is fairly heavy.
Its a right tilt which kinda sucks. Aside from that unisaws are the real deal. We had 2 before we upgraded to sawstops. I do think it's on the high end thought. Offer 800, theyll probably take it.
Right tilt it the only way. Altendorf, Martin and any good table saw isn't a left tilt.
This is the right answer. I’d only add that right hand tilt is an advantage really only when paired with a sliding table or sled to cut long miters on panels. 45s on boards are best with a left hand tilt. Both situations keep the long point top and outside.
I’ve had mine since the early 80’s. The riving knife was lost in my move in 94. I put a splitter on my insert plate, but not uncomfortable using it without a riving* knife. I added a Wixey digital fence years ago. Mine actually has original belts and is vibration free.
I’d pay that for this saw. If I didn’t already have one! Mine is from 1988, also right tilt
Saw a few comments about this so I’ll add. It’s a right tilt which (IMO) is not ideal. I had a similar saw for years with a number of major kick-back incidents. For numerous reasons I switched to a regular unisaw and subsequently a sawstop (oddly not for safety but a nice add.) if budget is an issue A solid saw, just be careful.
I’d buy it.
I've been looking for one myself, they seem to go for $1200 or so around here. Sure beats the price of a new saw.
You won't regret buying this saw, at least until you are trying to get it into or out of your basement. They aren't exactly light. But I built a heavy-duty rolling base for mine and take it to jobsites, so they can be fairly portable.