powermatic 66 VS. Delta X5 series

Hello there,

I speak with the people at General almost every day, email me privately what you want done and I will see what they want ($$$) to do it. Tell me who you local dealer is and I will see if something can be worked out. If you don't have a local dealer, I will be happy to have it shipped direct from Canada to your house.

The plinth on the bottom of the cabinet is about 5", removing that alone should give you the working height you are looking for.

Would it not be easier to make a ramp up to the saw rather than cut the saw down though?

Be sure to follow the instructions in my sig to email me.

Thanks,

David.

Every neighbourhood has one, in mine, I'm him.

Remove the "splinter" from my email address to email me.

Newbies, please read this newsgroups FAQ.

rec.ww FAQ

formatting link
formatting link
FAQ
formatting link

Reply to
David F. Eisan
Loading thread data ...

Hello again,

Actually, the irony is, is that I have a Unisaw and not a General 350. I have an old Canadian made Unisaw that I restored two winters ago. I am about to sell it and restore another one, this time an even older saw.

Thanks,

David.

Every neighbourhood has one, in mine, I'm him.

Remove the "splinter" from my email address to email me.

Newbies, please read this newsgroups FAQ.

rec.ww FAQ

formatting link
formatting link
FAQ
formatting link

Reply to
David F. Eisan

I respectfully disagree. Go with what you are used to. Each tilt has its advantages and disadvantages. Having used a right tilt since my shop days in high school as well as dad having a right tilter, I 've grown up with the right tilt and have gotten used to working with that tilt. I have also used the left tilt quite a bit. I'll also have you know I've been hit with kick backs from both! So to say one is safer than the other is hog wash. Both tilts need your undivided attention when cutting at any angle.

Now if you are a newbie and getting a saw for the first time and are not used to a certain tilt, I would try to find both a right and left tilt to demo and decide for yourself which is better. A cabinet saw is a big expenditure and is one you should definately be comfortable with. Just my 2 cents. SH

Reply to
Slowhand

Wow that opened up a can of worms

I think I'm going for the Delta Model 36-L31X-BC50 (3Hp X5 Series Lt Tilt). I'm going for this more for the 5 year warranty and availability of after market products here in North Carolina/USA. But I still can't get the Powermatic 66 and now General 350/650 out of my head Decisions Decisions.

My wife and I are new to serious woodworking but we have done a lot of DIY around the house with power hand tools e.g. reshingled roof, siding house and built a large shed and all of them look great. Now we want to make furniture, cabinets and whatever else we can think of or do not know yet. Just trying to figure out the tools to get is endless and frustrating and I thought the OSB vs. Plywood debate was tough!!

So could I ask the group with all your knowledge and great sage power if you went back in time and were going to redo your shop and/or for serious DIY's and had $5000 to $7,000 to set up a workshop what would you get? What is over kill e.g. 6' joiner vs. 8" joiner. We would rather get one quality tool and save up for the next then make a compromise and have regrets in the future.

Thanks

Ken

Reply to
Ken

If you're going to compare complaint amounts (god knows why you'd want to, but) then start using percentage of those sold, not just comparing total amounts.

Reply to
Upscale

Thanks David, I'll keep your email address handy. Since I live in an apartment, my first priority in purchasing a tablesaw is getting a shop location that is wheelchair accessible close enough to where I live.

I live in Toronto, but so far, the closest dealers I've been able to find are in Hamilton; Tegs Tools or Ashman Technical.

Wouldn't the plinth be a necessity for solid support? Looking at pictures of the 350, it just looks like a thicker band of metal around the base.

That was suggested to me by General email support. Considering all the moving around a shop one does, moving up and down ramps and the possibility of rolling over the edge of one would likely make it quite dangerous. I thought of raising the entire floor on 2x4's and sheet plywood and lowering the tablesaw into a cutout, but that would use quite a bit of cubic footage and come with it's own problems. One advantage to it though, might be running something like vacuum lines and dust collector lines under it. If I had my own house, I'd have a lowered concrete hole dug out.

Reply to
Upscale

Not to butt in, but it seems that if you chop 10" off the base of the saw, the support may not be necessary. The sheet metal will have to span a smaller distance, making thinner material strong enough.

Barry

Reply to
B a r r y B u r k e J r .

Possibly. However, original tablesaw height is 34" inches and my ideal working height is 29" so it would be 5" maximum that I'd want removed. Looking at the picture of the 350, I'm not sure how General came up with the

10" figure. Removing that much, at least directly from the bottom of the cabinet, makes it look like one would be eating into the dust port. Guess I won't know until I actually see one in person.

"B a r r y B u r k e J r ." wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Reply to
Upscale

"Slowhand" > get caught between the blade and the fence.

Sage advice, all!

PB

Reply to
papaboop

They're using Canadian inches. In six months you may need to remove 12. ;>

Michael

Reply to
Michael Baglio

Interesting thread David. When in the US, my "ultimate" saw was (was) as PM-66...until JET bought them and "JET-ized" many of the parts. I don't have a problem with JET, in fact quite the opposite. I own a mess of JET tools and have learned to appreciate them for the fine production tools they are. Nope...the problem I have is today's PM66 is a gold JET Cabinet saw with a few extra bells and whistles and a whole different price range.... Up here in the great white north, I've now had a chance to have a look at some of those "other" brands you name and find that in terms of quality, they are now, where Jet/Grizzly was five years ago...you paid your $$ and you tooks your chances. Big difference is up here, customer service seems to be on the light side..

Nope...when (and I do mean when) the time is right, I believe a 350 will be in my collection. 'Till then...if you happens to hear of a smokin; deal on a west coast one, let me know :)

Rob

Reply to
Rob Stokes

A'yup. This is true.

UA100

Reply to
Unisaw A100

Easy to say knowing he'll never buy anything less than 40 years old.

Reply to
My Old Tools

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.