Delta Reviews

I bought this for my Craftsman contractor's saw to replace the piece-o-junk fence that came with it. I was not disappointed. This is a solid fence. It went on my Craftsman saw without any problems and without any type of retrofitting.

The fence is easy to adjust with the microadjustment dial.

The only issue I had with this fence it that it has to be locked down with both levers very tightly, otherwise it will move when you're cutting. There is no real click or feedback when it is locked down. I've gotten used to double/triple checking to make sure that it is secure.

I've noticed that since I bought my table saw 4 years ago, they have improved the contractor saws quite a bit, especially when it comes to dust collection and fences...

I now have the U26 fence installed on a JET 10" contractor saw. Rock solid and rips to within a few mils of setting after I got my viewing angle/technique standardized. If you're an accuracy nut, can microadjust with a dial indicator against the fence to essentially dead nuts. Easy to install on the JET and should be on any TS with mounting holes in the cast iron 8" either side of the blade. Haven't had a chance to build any jigs for it yet other than a sacrificial wood fence face, but the channel on the top of the fence will be very useful for sliding jigs.

Three tips which should help installation/function/appearance: (1) After struggling to attach the fence to the sliding head, I cleaned up the four 5/16"-18tpi machine screw threads and mating holes in the head with a tap and die set - got easy then. Machining is rough as mentioned elsewhere. (2) It's in the instructions, but a little WD-40 on the rail applied with a paper towel made for very smooth slide action. This fence has an exceptional silky smooth sliding action. (3) Black automotive enamel touch-up paint (small bottle with the tiny brush) nicely covered scratches on the parts.

It sure beats the heck out of the JET fence I've been using for a couple of years. The Vega U26 is an excellent value.

Very easy to install, slides like silk and when locked in place it is very secure. When you put the indicator on the measurement you want and lock it, it doesn't move. For the money it can't be beat.

This is a nice saw for the money, no problems with it. I've had one project where I wish I had a 12-inch saw or sliding miter, otherwise this works for everything around the house from chopping 2x4's to fine trim work. It's light and easily moved too. The blade that comes with it is OK and works for trim work, but it would be nice if an 80-tooth blade was included!

I've had this saw for a couple of years. It is a great saw that has never bogged down or been at a loss for power. The horizontal handle is superb. The blade is not that bad either, however it did splinter some oak & some plywood I recently cut. The only drawback is the size. I recently had to cut some shelves that were 9" wide; too big for the saw. I wish I had the 10" sliding saw (36-240). If you plan to keep your projects small to medium sized this is an excellent saw. ! If you are doing larger projects, i.e. shelves, bookcases, etc. then invest in the Delta Sidekick 36-240 sliding miter saw. I have also added a LaserKerf to mine, which is a great addition ...Over all, this saw is phenomenal for the price and I am going to continue to buy Delta products.

Excellent tool. Easy to assemble and the manual makes it easy to learn how to use. Comes with a very good blade and the side and back extensions are a great asset. The tool is easy to learn and use and is very well finished. Spending more money would be a waste of time.

This is my first and last table saw! Easy to set up and cuts perfectly with little to no adjusting right out of the crate. The moble base is an excellent accessory that make it easy to roll to the side when not in use. You will not go wrong ordering this saw. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed. Excellent customer service from Delta. The only problem that I had was with the Biesemyer fence. Seems that Biesemyer had a bad production run on the rails that fit this saw. Called Biesemyer and they sent a new set of rails without delay. If you have problems with the holes not aligning up with the table saw, let Biesemyer know. Other than that, excellent buy!

this is a great tool. It may often be more than you actually need, but I can't imagine it ever being less than exceptional. If you have the room and the money, I would not hesitate to buy this saw.

You will want to consider where you will put it and how you will get it there. With the 50" fence it is very big, and your 220V needs to be located correctly so the cord can reach and you are not tripping on it. These are things I did not think clear through before the saw arrived and I should have. The other thing to think about is that it is extremely heavy, and it ships in effectively one piece. I needed a lot of help getting it into a basement shop, and after I got it there I decided I could never move. Assembly is simple, and everything is rock solid. After you have it in place, all that weight (and the associated power) is a wonderfull thing.

I am very happy with the fence, and have no complaints about the mobile base, though if the floor is not level, it does not have much clearance when you are moving the saw.

Delta really thought about the entire package when they put this together. Not only do you get one great saw, but they include the mobile base, a great blade, the table board, and the zero clearance table insert. They have taken all of the guess work out of buying multiple items for a saw and wrapped it into one package. ...

It you're comtemplating over a smaller contractors saw for your shop or a cabinet saw, go with the cabinet saw if you have the room, you won't be disappointed. I was so close to buying a Delta contractors saw, I'm glad I laid out the additional funds and went with the cabinet saw.

The saw is heavy, you need one or two friends to get the saw off of the skid and onto the mobile base and a friend to help you align the cast iron extension wings. Other than that the saw can be put together by one person. It took me about 5 hours total, working over a couple of days to get it together. The saw cuts straight and true and needed very little initial alignment. The fence made by Besymeiser is the best, you can't go wrong with it. I've added the Delta outfeed table to it (see review), and would highly recommend adding some kind of outfeed table to the saw to make cutting long board that much more easier.

Overall I am very happy with the saw, it is the backbone of my shop.

I Would buy another Delta cabinet saw if I had to, but I believe I'll never have to replace this saw.

I think that less than $20 is a great price for this attachment. It doesn't come with directions because you don't need them. Installation is only a couple of minutes. It will fit perfect with a dust collector. I use a 4" quick disconnect for mine with a delta 1200 cfm dust collector with pre-seperator. I highly recommend doing this because it is so easy do dump all of the shavings. One problem: the hose is directed straight up in the middle. This design is very poor. The 13" inch planer has an angled port which guides the hose easily to the side. Because it is in the middle you have to tie your duct to the side to keep it from hitting your board as it exits the planer. This is not a problem if your hose comes from the ceiling. It is for me because mine ductwork was designed in the floor so that it would be seen. Works good, but could easily be better like the 13" model.

This is a much needed part. Using a 4" to 2 1/2" adaptor, you can hook this up to your shop vac. It picks up most of the dust and chips. I used the planner without this part and it was a mess. The only reason this part did not recieve 5 stars is that I felt that Delta should include it as a standard to their planner as it is a much needed feature.
I wish that the web site for the planner had a link to this part. I initially ordered the wrong part and had to return it. I had to research for the part number via the Delta web site and then order it. But worth the pain as it is a great addition to a good tool.

I didn't purchase this item at the same time as I purchased my planer. What a mistake. This makes the operation of the planer so much cleaner and more effective. (I don't have to stop and clear chips out of the way.) The adapter goes to a 4" hose for a regular dust collection setup. However, with an adapter, you can use a shop vac. I used both systems and they both work extremely well. Setup was a breeze and took under five minutes. Very simple and very useful accessory.

these knives are ok. they don't last too long as they are only steel, not carbide. next time i would spend the xtra and get carbide ones. these knives go dull in just soft wood, as is expected from a steel knife. these delta knives are good for what they are.
go carbide.

Amazon low price match got these for 31.60 with shipping. My HomeDepot or Lowes does not carry these. Disposable is perfered to sharpening and then adjusting. Disposable allows for adjustment free new blade installs.

Best of all, these blades are easy to find.

Because the table saw is so important in the workshop, I waited a year to write this review. You should inventory your needs and research available products on the market. I have had the saw for a year and am happy with its performance.
pros: I really like the on/off switch. It is very easy to slap off. I really like the T2 fence and find it similar to the Biesemeyer Home Shop Fence. It is very easy to change out blades.

cons: It has steel stamped wings. I would have prefered the cast iron wings that are available on the 36-680. (I got the saw on sale at Home depot for $250.) It has a 30" rip capacity. This is a step up from my old benchtop model, however, I would prefer 50" capacity. I truly feel the saw is underpowered and would much prefer the 1 3/4 HP that Delta now uses on their hybrid saws. Dust collection is possible only with the purchase of a dust hood and alot of rigging.

I recommend this saw. It is what it is - a contractor saw not a cabinet saw. It has served me well and I have made many projects on it. I found myself doing alot of add on's to make it more like a cabinet saw. It is serving me well, however, I would recommend looking at the new Delta hybrid saws. They are better powered and dust collection is simple.

If you purchase this saw you can do many things to make it better like I did. You MUST change the belt to the Power Twist Plus Belt. It makes a world of difference!!! Add an outfeed table. One advantage of the stamped steel wings is that they have holes on the side of them where the cast iron wings do not. You can use them for bolting on your outfeed table. I also made a hanging board on the left side of my saw. I store my extra Freud saw blades, miter gage, inserts and push sticks on it. I made it out of a sheet of 3/4" plywood and just bolted it to the steel wing and let it hang down. (works great)
I added a delta mobile base and boxed in the bottom to add primitive dust collection.

Just purchased this saw from Rockler for $399 + tax. For the price it's an outstanding saw. Almost everything was aligned right out of the box. The only thing that needed a little tweaking was the fence (adjustment to miter slot), the splitter (alignment with the blade), and the 90 degree stop on the blade. From previous posts I was concerned about the fence, but after using it I'm really happy with it. I haven't noticed and flex and I haven't had trouble setting it to the rule.

The stamped steel wings were a concern for me because I'm planning on replacing the right one with a router table. A plus is they are MUCH easier to align than cast iron. No shims needed. Just move them into place and tighten the bolts. I may eventually change out the left wing with a cast iron one, but right now I really don't see the need too.

The only thing that I can complain about is the milling on the cast iron top. It isn't nearly as smooth as the tops on more costly saws. It's more like the quality one sees on the TS200 model Delta makes. The top was flat. I didn't take a feeler gauge to it, but I couldn't see any light under my straight edges.

I put a dial indicator on the arbor and it wasn't as tight as I hoped but it was acceptable. The flange itself was .002 and the end of the arbor was .004. Where it was really tight was the blade seat next to the flange. That was .001.

I put a Freud F410 blade on it and the rip and crosscuts were very smooth. I used featherboards above and to the side of the on the rip cuts.

One other thing that I was apprehensive about was it being a right tilt saw. But after using it, I can hang with it. I really don't think it's as big a deal as a lot of threads on the web tend to make it.

I also put it on the Woodcraft mobile base (plywood version) which works well with the saw.

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. I had considered buying the new Delta hybrids, the Craftsman hybrids, the new Delta left-tilt contractors, the Ridgid 3650, General and Grizzly. They're all fine saws, but at $399 it seemed the best value to me. A close second was the Ridgid saw, but I wasn't too thrilled with the base (it seemed flimsy and 'tipsy' to me).

I just started using my model 36-675 saw, and so far, I am very pleased with its performance. The saw is built very solidly, and it has an easily replaceable motor in the rear. After I fine-tuned the fence and blade for squareness, wood cuts were right on the money. This would be a great saw for small to medium-sized wood shops.

I bought A used unisaw at an auction for less money than this motor . However it was 3 phase. So I went shopping I found A leeson Same spec.For a little less but I couldnt send it back if it didnt fit.Also baldor has been around a long time and have made great motors.So I order this motor and installed with new arbor and bearings.This saw blows My Old Junk craftsman out the door. I set a carb planer type blade all the way up to resaw A 2 X and it went through like butter the moter didnt slow .If your going to spend money on a motor go with 3 hp or more when you need the power your going to have it . By the way the guy at the delta part store said he would buy this moter . He couldnt get it this low with his disc. You do have to cut the side of saw not hard to do.

If you changed your motor, do yourself a favor and look at the Delta Uniguard. It is a great blade guard and splitter to upgrade to. More importantly it will allow you to bypass the current power switch and put the new switch within easy reach. On the older unisaws you have to reach under the table to turn on and off (not very safe) The uniguard will allow you to rewire and have a new switch within easy reach.

I replaced the motor in my 1940s vintage Unisaw with this motor and found it to be an excellent unit. As the other gentlemen observed, it is important to check the RPM of your old motor. I called Delta and ordered a new pulley and drive belts, and installed everything in an evening. Now my saw runs better than ever! One other item to note: Be sure your switch is rated to handle the 3 HP motor. If you haven't updated your old switch, it might not be up to the additional current required for the 3 HP motor. Good luck!

Overall, I am happy with this product. It makes blade replacement less cumbersome, but you still need to use the original saw's tensioner for the proper tension as you switch blades.

I have an older hex post rockwell 14" saw which has the closed front upper arm casting and I was not sure if this tensioner would fit. It does, but you can't just drill throught for the mounting holes like they suggest in the directions because you have no way to put nuts on the screws so in stead you must drill and tap two 1/4-20 holes into the cast iron of the saw to mount it. other than this the installation was a snap and took only like half an hour start to finish.

as for the tensioner itself, man is this thing nice. blade changes are super fast(which is a blessing if you own a wood/metal cutting version like mine where you are changing blades fairly often), it is really nice to be able to relieve tention on the blade when not in use, and it is build like a brick $#!?house. the main body is machined out of a solid block of steel and the quality is top notch. It seems expensive but when you get it you will know where your money went.

Instructions a little confusing at first. Adds a little headroom, which in my case was not good so I had to shorten tension adjustment screw a little. Works really good and glad I got it.

I own a dozen or so great blades, but one of these came with my new Unisaw, and I was amazed at how well it performed. I use a lot of MDF, which is very abrasive, and tough on carbide, and I cut about 800 feet of cabinet rails and stiles, and trim pieces before the blade showed any signs of wear. This is very good life for MDF. Rips hardwood very good, and crosscuts well also. It is a better blade than the CMT products at a much lower price. Razor sharp cuts with MDF, and runs straight and Quiet. Lasts longer than the Woodworking Wizards and Signatures from Oldham, although they are top notch as well. I save my favorites, the Forrests, for furniture. You can't go wrong with this one!! I ordered another one to use while my first one is out being sharpened.

Awesome combination blade. Clean crosscuts and decent rips. You can't go wrong! I have two.

This is an excellent combination blade at a great price. It produces very smooth, finished cuts with no visible saw marks. I no longer need to run boards through the jointer before panel glue-ups. I have cut hundreds of feet of Oak and Cherry with it (enough to build a dresser, chest of drawers, two night stands, a bookshelf, and a wall shelf) and the blade is still sharp! Delta even threw in two coupons for free sharpenings. Bravo on this one, Delta!

This saw is the same base unit as the other 3hp, right tilt. The only difference is the fence system.

Everyone knows that the Unisaw is the Holy Grail of all saws, and it lives up to this reputation. Out of the box it was flawless. It required almost no further adjustment. Even with the crappy blade that comes with the saw, the cuts are near perfect. The cuts become perfect after you throw that blade away and replace it with a better one. I recommend the Forrest Woodworker II.

The 30" fence that came with this saw was in service about 10 minutes before I decided to replace it with the 52". The saw was a gift (great gift, huh) and had I ordered it myself, I would have ordered it with the bigger fence. I got on the Biesemeyer web site and bought the replacement front and rear rails to convert it to the larger fence. You only need to replace these components, as the fence is compatable with both. I bought the new components and "factory seconds", but they were in perfect condition.

I looked at the "other" saws and came within inches of buying one based on price. I even drove five hours to a competitive product's showroom to see their saw hands on. I'm glad that I didn't buy it because it doesn't compare to this unit. The Unisaw is easy to use, easy to set up and adjust, and makes woodworking a religious experience.

Would I recommend this saw? Yes! Yes! Yes! The only drawback to this saw is that most people wait too long to buy it.

I've wanted a Unisaw since first using one years ago in high school shop class. It was a good saw then; it's even a better one now.

The saw arrived on the date ... said it would. The delivery driver not only unloaded it from the truck, but wheeled it around to my shop behind the house and into the shop. Only gripe about Delta's packaging is that extension table wiggled loose from box and suffered minor damage. Delta should rework packaging so damage in shipment is minimized.

Assembly of saw was straightforward, following Delta's directions in the owner's manual. The fence did not arrive with the saw as ... informed me it had been damanged, and would send a new one as soon as possible. So for about a week I could only use the miter gauge and dream about ripping boards.

All told, once completely assembled, this saw lives up to my years of dreaming and anticipation of ownership. I look for several things in a table saw; accuracy of saw and fence, quiet operation, fit and finish, easy and safe to use. The Unisaw never lags in any of these requirements. The saw and fence were dead-on accurate out of the box. The start/stop button mounted to the left of the saw's center is the ideal location for the saywer. The stop button protrudes from the switch face, allowing me to turn the saw off with my knee if necessary. Handy thing when the cut sometimes goes a little awry. The start button face is recessed, so accidental starting is minimized. The blade guard isn't the greatest, but what OEM guard is? Still, it is better than the one on my last saw, and I plan to keep it in place for all through cuts until I can go aftermarket for a better guard.

The saw has plenty of power. Dadoing operations that would practically stall my old table saw barely lowers the RPM of this saw. Ripping thick stock should be no problem. The fit and finish of this saw are adequate, though the plastic motor cover kept wanting to slide down till I figured out how to secure it properly. I'd prefer it to be hinged rather than the way it attaches.
The saw starts and runs quietly. My last saw was terribly loud; even with hearing protection on it was a major distraction and made using the saw unpleasant. With the Unisaw, I can pick up a board and buzz it through without hunting around the shop for my ear muffs. It's that quiet.

...P>You can't go wrong with this saw. This particular configuration must be "optioned" up a bit at this price; i.e. you'll want the 30" extension table and a mobile base if your saw isn't destined to live in one designated spot in your shop. I got both for my small shop; makes the saw the perfect addition for it.

I've used Grizzly, Jet and older Delta table saws and this is hands down the best I've used yet. This is one of the strongest 3hp units available on the market. At 220v this saw puts out 12 1/2 amps. This added power lets you use wide kerf blades which allows for smooth cuts and no bogging down. This saw is smooth and quite and is very compact too. The reason for getting this saw is because I have limited space available and with a moble base, you'll hardley notice that this is even in your basement. The miter slots are precise with no binding or sloppiness. If you're looking for a new saw shop around and ask questions but I guarantee you'll be back for this. Please do yourself a favor, and save yourself money in the long run buy this one now. I've gone through two different table saws and wish I had purchased this one first.