After some significant soul searching, I ordered the General 650 Table Saw. Here's my experience.
- "Should be in next week." No - no that didn't happen. A month later Thomas Tool, MN gets two of the 650s they ordered. "They used to be packaged better." They are now very poorly crated, exposing all sides to the elements of the delivery ilk. One was damaged so bad it twisted the cabinet - dropped or hit hard. Mine appeared fine.
- Big saw, heavy. Built a ramp for my truck and rolled it into my shop over PVC tubes. My friends said it couldn't be done alone. I said anything could.
- Unpackaged. The left wing surface was gouged badly, the motor cover gouged a bit too. Dealer swapped wings with the damaged saw - another long trip for the exchange. Checked it for runout - no problems.
- Assembly. What a bitch. Oct. '03 Wood Magazine noted the poor documentation General has. Holy shit - what a f@*@ing understatement. Why they bother including anything is beyond me. What was there was either incorrect or inapplicable.
a. The fence rails necessitated drilling the holes larger to fit the bolts that hold it to the table. The holes themselves appeared to be misdrilled as the hole overlapped another one, making redrilling difficult. b. The rails for taper-head screws had no taper, necessitating a trip to get a 3/4" taper bit so they didn't stick out and interfere with the fence. c. Directions state: Mount fence tube to rail using 1/4x1/2" screws. Only the F*#ing holes in the tube aren't threaded. Another trip back to Home Depot for a tap. d. Back rail is missing the screws that hold it in place to the table. Another f%$&ing trip to Home Depot. e. No cord is included, wired cord and plug.
All in all I had to buy a tap, taper bit, cord and plug, make an extra trip to swap out wings, and make three trips to the hardware store to assemble and I now have a gouged motor cover. That said, I now have an absolutely beautiful saw (sans cover), but the hassle, expense and time make me livid. What a joke. This was a spendy saw. I might expect this from the Taiwan stuff, but not at the price point. This thing had better be the greatest tool I ever bought from here out.
Perhaps the Delta or Powermatic would have been the better choice. I'll keep you posted.