Refurbished Unisaws

[Greg G]

OK - you all have convinced me. It's not that big of a problem. If one old man and a young lady can move piano - all I have to do is think positive and use the laws of physics to my advantage.

I used to occasionally deliver (1980s) Big Screen TVs to our more picky customers, 'cause our delivery crews were a bunch of animals. We had to pay for Delft plates, broken door trim, etc. One guy grabbed what he thought was a "rock" from the landscaping and tossed it under the wheels of the van (due to a steep grade). The customer had an absolute fit. Turned out it was some sort of imported oriental "lawn art".

Anyway, granted a BS isn't quite as heavy as a tablesaw, but if I can haul one of those alone, I shouldn't have a problem moving a 500 lb. saw to the ground from the bed of a truck, and 15 feet into the shop.

I'll send you guys a card from the hospital... ;-)

I just hope to hell I get a flat table. The contractor saw I bought years ago had such a severe hump in the top, right at the blade opening (the mill skipped, probably due to too heavy a cut), that it would leave a wave on the end of a cut. That was almost the end of my woodworking, as I found I could make a better cut with a circular saw. I read a few books by Ian Kirby and Kelly Meyer, and figured out what was wrong. I ground some of it down myself and starting using a cutoff sled and that helped considerably. But it's still not great - just functional. For 3 times the price, I want this sucker *perfect*.

So, a couple more stupid questions. Does this come assembled on a pallet? What does the table weigh? (i.e. - Would it be beneficial to remove the table before unloading? I have dial indicators and micrometers for re-alignment and would probably do it anyway - just to be sure and to check out the innards...)

Greg G.

[joe2]

My Unisaw arrived with a large pink label on the box instructing me to check the contents for possible damage. There was a pierce in the box near the bottom. Looked like a sloppy forklift operator didn?t have the blades set at the right height and smacked into the saw box. Sure enough, the cabinet base was bashed in. I called Woodworker?s Supply and told them, they called Delta, and a new base was sent out that day. When the base arrived I called WW Supply again and asked how to swap bases. DO NOT LEAN THE SAW OVER a very stern voice instructed me. IT WILL BREAK THE TRUNNION.

And there you have it. Unisaw trunnions do break in shipping if they are tilted...of if you lay your Unisaw over to swap bases. The solution is a tilt meter on the shipping carton. It your saw box arrives with a silver meter you are good to go. If it arrives with a red meter, don?t even let them take it off the truck. This I was told when I purchased my saw, to check the meter before the saw is unloaded. So yes, the SHIPPERS are not keeping the saws upright, so I guess you can say the shippers are the ones breaking the trunnions. But you could also argue it should be possible to design a saw that can be tipped on it?s side without damage.

Unless your Unisaw is tilted you're not likely to have any trunnion trouble. Don't know how far over you can tip it before the weight of the stuff on the trunnion causes a problem for it.

Edit: I won?t tell you how I single-handedly swapped bases on a 300lb saw without tilting it. However, I claim to have a much better understanding of how the pyramids were built.

[Greg G]

Frank,

This was a very informative rundown on the problems associated with the trunnions and as I suspected all along - improper handling by shippers was the cause. I have never heard of one breaking in use. I HAVE, however, see dock crews in action - and it is appalling. I have worked at several large electronics distributors and the damage caused by idiots on fork lifts was a source of considerable loss within each company. I've seen them exceed clearly marked stacking heights, run into equipment with fork lifts at top speed, and tip equipment off the raised lifts.

My only real fear of a refurb saw is the same reason I work on my own cars - stripped threads and fasteners. (Used to be a Mercedes mechanic.) Scratches and dents I can live with. Stripped threads will keep me up at night. I would hope that, like most production facilities, you use torque limited air tools in the plant, but I have no idea.

It is quite interesting to me to hear "war stories" concerning the plant you managed and the tools I purchase. Feel free to pass along any more you feel are interesting. For that matter, a tour of the plant would be a blast. I've toured Ford, GM, and various electronics plants - but never a stationary machine plant.

It is probably a mistake for management not to participate in this forum, as long as it doesn't turn into a P.R. affair. After all, these guys are your primary customers and their ideas are often quite excellent.

Thanks,

Greg G.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Since toaster flipping is a popular hobby, I took a close look at mine. It does say KA in Michigan, but the bottom of the label also says Made in China. I'd be surprised if there are any made in the US in the past 10 years.

At work we pack a lot of products in large poly bags. The best thing to seal them with is a Teflon coated household iron. I buy Black & Decker. When I first started buying them 15 years ago, they were $20 to $23 (origins unknown). Now they are $13. What I don't understand is that I was willing to pay 20 bucks, so why go through a lot of contortions to sell them cheaper?

[Greg G]

Cheaper, but higher profit margin. And you sell more of them, because they break more often.

Greg G.

[Ba r r y]

I would imagine simply leaning the saw over wouldn't break a cast iron part.

Dropping the tool into that position, or transporting it that way might. It sounds as if the retailer was being a bit melodramatic.

Barry

[Joe Brophy]

Maybe the weight of the saw against one side of the unit causes some flex= on that side, changing the inner dimensions of the casting and the stress gets focused = at the mounting point of the trunion attachments. I have not heard of people breaking = them however. Joe Brophy CountryTech Computer email: [e-mail]