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We received our new Delta Unisaw this afternoon. The boxes are unpacked, and I’ve watched some of both Scott Phillips’ and Unisaw Product Manager Michael Boie’s presentations on the included DVD.
If you’re interested in this new table saw design, you’ve probably sifted through most of the information that’s been written about it. It’s exciting for us to finally get the machine in house so we can get a first-hand look at it.
So far, I can say that I have never turned handles to raise or lower a blade, or to control blade tilt, that work as smoothly as the ones on this saw.
Also, being the snoop that I am, I pulled the table saw top loose from the base , after I checked for run out (and found the measurement dead on). I wanted to get a closer look at the machine’s guts. Easier said than done. Once the four bolts were out, the top lifted, but I would have had to remove other parts to have the top come free. Oh well; I’ll save that for down the road. There’s no sense in dismantling a machine before we get it plugged in and running.
Lucky for me that reversing the process was just as simple! The Unisaw has a small pin located at the back center of the cabinet. Just hook that pin in the appropriate spot in the top, then finger-tighten the four bolts before checking and setting the top according to the blade. When all was set, I snugged down the bolts. It was easy.
One of Delta’s most unadorned but fascinating redesigns was with the arbor nut and washer , this is now a single unit instead of the two pieces we’re used to seeing. When you turn the nut loose from the arbor, the unit stays in place so you can reposition your hand and pull the nut out instead of dropping it into the saw. It’s a little thing that makes life in the shop better. I’ll have more details during the next few days as I actually make some cuts. Stay tuned.
The complete review will appear in the August 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking.
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