Andrew Schicho Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Hey guys I have the opportunity to buy an old Delta Unisaw (http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/tls/4866947935.html) The guy selling it doesn't seem to have much info on it and when I asked he didn't give much more than was on that post. I offered him 750 stating I needed to retro fit a riving knife if possible or at least a new splitter and cutter guard assembly for safety.(the delta one is obsolete and cant be replaced) Would it be better to save up for a few months and get a new saw or continue to look in the used market hopefully you guys have an idea of how often used saws like this are duds and end up needing more work than they are worth. Thanks for your time and opinions! Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Right tilt is not my first choice, but I use one very similar to that one every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 The price seems a bit steep to me. . It's obviously got some miles on it. Are you set on a cabinet saw? Saw stop just released a contractor saw. I have not seen one in person yet but the reviews I have heard say that they really knocked it out of the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 For that kind of money, I'd look at Grizzly's cabinet saws... They have decent tools, and their "new" have a warranty, and from the dealings I've had with them, good customer service. Check there before you commit to a tool you might have to do a lot of repair and retrofit on......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I would take the old uni saw over a Grizzly in the same price range riving knife or not, probably over their new cabinet saws. Even if it needed new bearings those can just be had at any local bearing supplier. The only issue I have is with Delta being up in the air company wise right now. The chances of actually wearing out a saw to the point of not being usable would take a couple life times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 If it's a 3 hp, I'm sure it's 220v ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 A little TLC will have that saw looking great. The Unisaws were really built well, and the Unifence is excellent. It's not all that old. Maybe 20 years. The mobile base alone is worth $100. Right tilt isn't my preference, but it's not a deal breaker either if the price is right. $900 isn't bad for all that IMO. I'd go as high as $800-$850 if it checks out well. The BORK riving knife will fit on that saw...so will several decent splitters. With a new Griz cab saw you get a warranty, a riving knife, and a Biese clone fence for another $500-$600. The construction quality of the Griz 3hp cab saws is pretty darn good for the price, but not to the level of a Unisaw that was made to run hard 24/7. New car smell or a classic? I'd at least go look at it, see if you love it, and see whatf the owner will take...the Griz deals should still be there next week, but that Uni might not be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ResidentEvil Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 That looks like the exact Unisaw I have. I bought mine at an estate sale about two years ago. The guy had it marked for $1500 and I got to chatting about it and he was getting desperate to get rid of it by that time, as he needed to get the house sold. I told him it was a nice saw, but to me it wasn't worth more than $500. About two months later he called me up and told me to come and get it. Assuming the motor/bearings and stuff are good, its a pretty decent saw. I've never had any issue with mine bogging down or cutting poorly at all. The fence system is just OK in my book. I like the ability to use it in a tall or short position, but the clamping system is a little bit temperamental. The other thing in the con category is the dust collection, it just doesn't work very well at all. I've never had issue with the tilt direction on my saw, but I rarely ever cut miters on it either. IMO, if it runs well and just has cosmetic touch up things; I'd be ok with a $700-750 price for that saw. If there are mechanical things that need to be fixed or replaced (bearings, motor, fence is not true or doesn't clamp down square and tight, table isn't true and level, etc), its probably not worth that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I'd ask the owner if he bought the saw new or did he buy it second hand. I'd also ask him what he did with it. Was is worked every day or is he a hobbyist that only used the saw occasionally? I'm not much on buying used equipment. I'd rather work on the wood than the equipment. Only you can decide what's best for your situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 For the money, buy a Grizzly with a riving knife. Its a great saw and will give you good service for years to come. Being new, it has a warranty and if something's wrong, Grizzly has unparallelled customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Schicho Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Wow the prices on those grizzlys are tempting. Is the quality all the way there yet? My local shop guy was telling me not to buy them because they are not accurate but surely he'd rather i buy a more expensive saw from him ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Funny how the guys making money selling saws that compete with Grizzly never have anything good to say about them! I suspect that the accuracy of the Griz cabinet saws is better than your sales guy's evaluation of them! They have a very strong following of mostly happy campers....especially the G1023RL and G0690....very few have issues. The G0690 has an Asian made Leeson motor, and is essentially the same saw as the former Laguna Platinum and current Baleigh 3hp saws (made in the same factory, using the same parts, and built to the same specs....both sell for more...are they better?). The G1023RL has the Shop Fox Classic fence and features dovetail ways on the arbor carriage. As far as Grizzly quality goes - I have a 2008 Shop Fox W1677 that's essentially the same as the former G1023SL. I'm about as close to 100% satisfied as I could realistically be. Many feel the same way....I read very few complaints, and many of those were shipper related. Much of the price difference is due to lack of dealer markup and a shorter warranty. You do have to be willing to be your own middleman, because no dealer is going to be around to intervene on your behalf if a trucking company damages your tool during delivery. However, Grizzly's CS is excellent, and will take care of any issues. The saw has performed flawlessly. It rarely if ever even slows slightly. Things like the blade guard and miter gauge were fairly typical, though the miter gauge was pretty well built....just not as precise as my EB3 or Incra. I've since sold the guard and miter gauge, and added a BORK riving knife and blade guard. I liked, but didn't love the Shop Fox Classic fence...it worked find, but specifically, the handle just felt rougher to me than the Biese I was used to...a fairly minor concern overall. An opportunity came along to grab a Jet Xacta fence (no rails) for $45, so I grabbed that and sold the Shop Fox fence. Fit and finish, reliability, power, usability, etc., have all been just about perfect. I wish the dust ramp was steeper, and that the motor door didn't provide a flat shelf for dust to settle on, but those are minor things that I've easily remedied. I don't ever wish I had spent more on a different saw...nor would I have been able to! I have a friend who has a commercial shop who runs a G1023S...he's run it hard for close to 20 years, doesn't baby it, and it keeps on going strong. Another friend has a late 90's Jet Xacta 3hp cabinet saw, and a third friend has a General 350....I've used both on occasions...they're great saws but not notably different than mine. I'm grateful that Grizzly and Shop Fox offer so much saw for the money, or I would have never been able to make the step to a full cabinet saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 I own a Grizzly 1023RLWX. I could have bought pretty much what I wanted. Personally I think a lot of saws have a lot of hype...and higher prices to match the hype....they're good saws but not worth all of the reverence they're given over say a Grizzly. I'm 3 years in with mine and have no complaints. The dust collection could be better but it's not worth a bunch of drama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jharry Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 my two cents is to buy new. I'm going through table saw woes right now on a used saw I bought. after lots of calibration and cleaning on what looked like a decent saw, I thought I had it working well. however, just found out the motor was full of dust and something went wrong with it recently that caused it to stop working (see my other post I just put up for more details). I wish now I would have bought new. Now instead of woodworkimg, I'm tinkering with tools. (which I'm finding is part of wood working, but is minimized with new tools). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jharry Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 my two cents is to buy new. I'm going through table saw woes right now on a used saw I bought. after lots of calibration and cleaning on what looked like a decent saw, I thought I had it working well. however, just found out the motor was full of dust and something went wrong with it recently that caused it to stop working (see my other post I just put up for more details). I wish now I would have bought new. Now instead of woodworkimg, I'm tinkering with tools. (which I'm finding is part of wood working, but is minimized with new tools). btw, this was my first 'real' table saw (upgrade from my $100 craigslist craftsman contractor saw) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Turner Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 i have a used tablesaw, (its nothing special) if i had to do it again i would buy new, I am looking into buying a new saw myself probably a sawstop but not until we move and i have a flat concrete floor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 I love buying old tools and restoring them. I own a 1950 unisaw and it is a great machine. That said, I want a riving knife and the Bork which I own right now is not a good option compared to real riving knifes. Splitters are expensive as well. So I am going to save up and buy new. If you want to buy used, then understand to you are definitely paying top dollar for that unisaw. 500 to a maximum of 600 is more typical, and at that price the mobile base and fence should be coming with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 I'm going to take a slightly contrarian view I guess. I started my ww journey with a direct drive craftsman job site saw that I bought nib off of Craig's list for $50. I worked the snot out of that thing and learned a lot about it's capabilities and limitations. My next saw was a delta belt driven contractor saw with a mobile base and long fence. I love this saw. It has never let me down when asking something reasonable of it. My next saw will most likely be a saw stop cabinet saw with a top end fence. . It feels like a natural progression to me. I learned a lot of tricks having to make due with an older/under powered saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Schicho Posted February 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 Well this is all great thanks for everyone who's replied. The reason I have been saw shopping is because I have been putting up with a delta contractor saw that has a crooked/shody child's play toy like fence and now that I am doing bigger projects those small errors balloon and become unacceptable. Since I am putting in a new garage to help support this ridiculously expensive hobby it seems like the right time to get a "real" saw. The annoyance of dealing with people who have unrealistic values for their stuff on craigslist is getting pretty old (seriously why do people think used tools are worth 75% or more of their new price 10 years later...) and honestly those grizzlys are looking pretty nice. I suppose I'll hold off until the garage is in to make a final decision but unless some amazing deal comes along I'll be headed down the new route. Not totally sure what happened but the other day someone listed a sawstop cabinet saw in a going out of business sale for 1400 I responded within 5 minutes of posting thinking I had it for sure I was super excited. Hours later after not hearing anything the saw was re posted for 2200 by the same guy and hours after that it disappeared to my dismay oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 Andrew, my experience echoes yours almost exactly. It seems totally not worth it to spend hours and hours scouring Craigslist looking at nothing but crap and when something is maybe slightly decent, they want to sell it for 90% of cost of new. I think it's very location-oriented. Some parts of the country people have huge success buying on CL...but where I live it's a barren wasteland. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderBill Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Sawstop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ResidentEvil Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Andrew, my experience echoes yours almost exactly. It seems totally not worth it to spend hours and hours scouring Craigslist looking at nothing but crap and when something is maybe slightly decent, they want to sell it for 90% of cost of new. I think it's very location-oriented. Some parts of the country people have huge success buying on CL...but where I live it's a barren wasteland. I've had decent luck on CL. I'm in Vegas, and there isn't a huge WW community to my knowledge; thus there is not a lot of good finds on CL. Being patient, I have found a saw just like in the OP for $500 and a Powermatic 54A for $500 as well. Not amazing prices, but not too bad either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.