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The extension table to for the fence is worthless(bowed and crooked). Great saw and worth the 15 years I have been doing without it. Very easy to assemble and the cast iron tables were straight as an arrow out of the box. I will probably just build my own and be done with it. Overall worth the wait and everything I was expecting the saw to be.
The operation of the dust collection system while not perfect, is also much better than the Craftsman system. Unfortunately this bag included the assembly instructions and parts list so determining exactly what parts were missing was difficult for me. While the performance of this saw is meeting my expectations, I did experience several difficult problems during the assembly and set up steps. I was able to make the wings level by adding shims. 1.A bag of parts was missing from the saw shipment.
However, it seems to me that I should not have to make these kinds of corrections on expensive new equipment like this saw. I have not yet received this part. Bottom line is that I believe Delta has a very good design for this saw. This saw made the job much easier and the whole project more enjoyable for me.
I built a new piece of furniture recently. The blade height and tilt controls operate easily and precisely which is a big improvement over my old Craftsman table saw. I called Delta again and they concluded that the scale had been installed improperly at the factory. The powerful motor can easily handle the tougher woods and the saw is massive enough to dampen out vibrations that can cause inaccuracies. This problem was caused by a.003 runout across the thickness of the wings on the edges that mate with the table. This machine is a real pleasure to use.
However in my mind, Delta's manufacturing quality is questionable because I experienced so many factory caused problems while assembling my saw. The people at Delta were polite and sent me the parts without question. I have been using my new Delta X5 table saw for about a month and I am satisfied with the function and performance of this machine. 3.My saw is equipped with a BC50 Biesemeyer fence. The measured distance between the blade and fence did not match the reading on the scale and making the adjustments suggested in the instructions did not come close to correcting this problem.
They agreed to send me a new scale for my fence which I can mount in the correct position.
However, my complaint about the missing pieces did not seem to be a surprise to them and they treated my case almost routinely which makes me wonder if my problems were just part of a bigger quality issue at Delta.2.The wings that attach to the table were not level with the table top.
I really hope to have many trouble free years of use from this saw but I'm concerned that other quality problems will jump up and bit me later on.
The mobile base that I purchased with the saw allows for easy movement of this heavy equipment around my shop.
Unless you have your heart set on a Delta saw, you may save yourself some trouble by considering another brand.
After two calls to Delta, I now have all of the missing parts.
The outside edges of the wings were about 0.030 inch lower than the table top.
It is a great tool for building cabinets and fine furniture.
But don't worry, because the palette will not glide down by itself (unless you're parked on a steep incline), you need to constantly push it to keep it moving. The freight dock forklifted the palette into the truck no problem and off I went for home (just make sure you use tie downs inside the truck, because it will move around and if you stop suddenly, it becomes a massive missile). I've never had a table saw before and decided that I would just go for the kill and get one of the industry's best saw right off the bat. The last thing to do with any considerable weight was to install the cast iron wings.
So I rented a 16' u-haul type moving truck (from Budget Trucks) with a ramp that pulls out and secures flush to the truck bed. First of all, this is one fantastic saw. Next, I took all the wrapping off, unbolted the saw from the palette, and pushed the saw to one side of the palette. Thread the bolt by hand to the saw's main table, getting it hand tight. When I got home, I backed the truck close to the shop, unlatched the ramp so it extended into the shop, climbed into the moving truck and positioned the palette over the middle of the ramp (the forklift operator positioned right in the center for me so it made it easy).
I positioned my mobile base right underneath it, held the mobile base in place with one foot, and gently tilted the saw down and pulled it onto the mobile base. Now all you have to do is rotate the wing and do the other two bolts and get it level. But I was determined to get this saw home and set it up by myself for some reason. Here's how to handle this by yourself too: hold one of the wings with both hands, go down on one knee, and place the wing end (the long end) resting on your other knee (actually, the top of your thigh). All I did then was push the whole piece down the ramp and into the shop; but before you get to the bottom of the ramp, you'll need to actually switch position and instead of pushing, you'll need to pull it off the ramp.
Believe me, I'm not the hulk or anything, and this was easy to do because the palette acted like skis on the ramp. Hold it there for a moment with one hand, insert the bolt through the CENTER unthreaded hole of the wing, now slowly lift that knee with your toes and/or foot so the middle hole of the wing lines up with the middle threaded hole of the saw's main table. Complete the rest of the setup and enjoy.
Not sure why the threaded holes are there, but if you were planning on using them to secure the wood extension, you would have to cut part of the wood bracing underneath to gain full access to them. Obviously, you still need to check for carton damage. The hard part is getting everything level and in plane using multiple clamps and support boards as other reviewers have indicated. It's about the size of a credit card, and the little round window in it will tell you if the box was tipped over. Like another reviewer, a different carrier than the main saw shipped the Biesemeyer fence and extension table.
Obviously, it turns out once you start to level the extension table it's time. This is a $550 item at Woodcraft. The threaded holes are covered around half way from the thickness of the wood table, so the wedge idea worked perfectly. I found nothing I could complain about other than some poor assembly directions. I used this as a wedge in the middle of the extension table and was able to move the wood table up to be level with the cast table. I think you would still have a hard time bringing the table into plane without some wedge idea.
Bought this as a retirement present. In addition, they were offering 10% off all other tools, so the mobile base came down to $135 compared to Woodcrafts $200. This made getting it off the pickup truck and into my workroom rather easy. I had a small piece of ΒΌ" wood doweling. I was then able to load it onto a friend's pickup truck without any lifting. It's the main saw package that weights around 450 pounds on the pallet. My son-in-law had a four-wheel dolly that handles 1000 pounds. Fortunately I was able to ship everything to our company's receiving area where they have a truck loading dock.
I could not pass up the Amazon deal. I then noticed the three threaded holes on the RH side of the cast end. Let's see how long my idea lasts. If you are planing the out feed table, leave the motor cover off temporarily. I had just been given some free 4*8 MDF, so I made a ramp around eight feet long, supported by two 2*4's on the side and around 25" wide.
I agree with a couple of other reviews that the side extension table is bowed in the middle. You don't have to take any pieces off of the saw once you have it together other than the motor cover. Was planning to buy at Woodcraft and spend around the same price once you add Amazon $200 shipping charge, but Amazon then offered to throw in the Jet 1100CFM canister dust collector. You may want to read my review on the Delta Out feed table, and read those directions thoroughly. Fired up the saw and realized I have a true professions piece of equipment compared to my Sears Contractor series that is around 10 years old. I was ready to remove the rear support rail until I realized the directions are very vague at this point. Like telling you to wait before tightening the front fence support, but never telling you when to do it. This causes the fence to stick at this point, so you have to lift it slightly.
If you're concerned about shipping damage, pay attention to the RED tilt indicator on the main saw box. I have a Jet jointer and planner, but I am very happy with the fit and finish of the Delta saw. I did the assembly myself, and it probably took six hours out of my Saturday. You can't help but have a ridge next to the cast steel table on the RH side. This is my first Delta product.
No vibration and the setup and fine adjustments needed are nothing compared to the quality of the cuts made with this saw. This made it easy for my wife and kids to shop for me; all they needed to do was get me table saw accessories. The dust shoot works well and the stable mobile base that was included with my saw makes placement AND storage quite easy. Almost two months later, I'm still like a kid with a new toy.42 years ago I had my first experience with a Delta Unisaw in High School woodworking class. After setup, (about 8 hours of time), I plugged her in. I was privileged to have a GREAT woodshop teacher (Bruce Kelly) and wonderful (Delta) tools at hand. I talked to fiends in the business and visited several local shops for advice.
I made a Grandmother clock and stereo cabinet that took state honors back in the sixties. It was taken for granted that all machines were good. My present profession as a remodeling contractor allows me to buy tools as I need them. My opinion is that Delta has their act together on the manufacturing once again and the statements in earlier posts, I feel, are not substantiated.With a Biesemeyer fence (now a subsidiary of Delta), Delta outfeed table that folds flat against the saw, removable splitter and overhead blade guard, this setup is just what I needed.
I purchased the Delta 36-L31X-BC50 X5 3HP Left Tilt Unisaw with 50" Biesemeyer Fence as a gift to myself for Christmas. I originally planned on the five horsepower model and was told by others that three horsepower was more than enough unless doing production work. Although more professional equipment was in use in the bigger shops, still there was a 10" table saw available for general use, and 9 out of 12 shops had a Delta Unisaw.This Unisaw is by far better than I remembered it some 40 years back. The soft purr of the motor spinning a Woodworker II blade was music to my ears. Now after 25 years in the business, I wanted to get back to my dream of cabinet making once again.Spending close to two thousand dollars on a saw was a hard decision. I know there have been several corporate owners of Delta, and I know there was a period of dissatisfaction on quality. For four years while in woodshop, I never really considered the quality of the shop machinery we had back then. As with many products over time, quality sometimes suffers.
When it came to table saws, bench top and contractor saws made the most sense, but the quality required in cabinet making took some real doing. Which one do I buy. Not with this saw. I'm quite happy.
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