Gloat Vote follow up on General TS

[john moorhead]

Folks -

Okay, the saw is all set up and I am one HAPPY camper! Here's what I got and what I paid? Gloat or no, whatcha think?

General 350 10" RT tablesaw w/extension legs, magnetic switch, 3 HP (Leeson) , about 10 years old, home use - purdy good shape - 'cept for a couple of scratches in the table

50" Bies Commercial Fence - face had some saw marks Accu-miter miter guage with 36" adjustable fence and stop - new HTC Extended Mobile Base - new

I got the whole shabang for $1,000.... If'n I had purchased new everything would have come to almost $2,900, tho' that would have been discounted by a bit, one would imagine.

The saw passes the "nickel test" starting and stopping even on the mobile base.

Did I find a treasure or get taken???

More to come!

John Moorhead

[Mark Jerde]

You got taken. In the shop of my dreams there are (at least) two table saws. The one for cutting sheet goods is of course left tilt and has a 50"+ fence system. The crosscut table is mounted on a right-tilt table saw.

I'm willing to take this mistake off your hands for $800.

-- Mark

[Brian]

What a steal. My lord.

Brian.

[SawEyes]

Early Xmas pressie hey! :-) Nice pickup.

-- Regards,

Dean Bielanowski, RN. BNurs (QUT) PGDipSci(HMS) Editor, OnlineToolReviews.com The Woodworker's Product Review Resource Online!

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Gloat away!

I have a new General 650, the left tilt version of the 350, on the way. I've looked for a used Unisaw, PM66, 350, or Jet for about 2 years. All I've found were unisaws for $100 less than new, and Grizzly saws for _more_ than new. Since I've gone for a new saw, a good used cabinet saw, at a great price, will appear in the local bargain shoppers next week.

Since I ended up going new, I compared the Grizz, PM66, X5 Unisaw, Jet and General via personal inspection. I was able to play and cut with all 5. My local school has both the Jet and Unisaw, buddies have the 66 and the Grizz, and a local shop has a 350. The Grizz was a bit below par, and the other 4 have a long history of support and parts availability. The General sang to me, so that's the winner, but in reality, 4 were excellent, the Grizz was a very small notch below, when it came to cutting wood.

My Jet contractor's saw has served me well for years, but I have two substantial projects due where I need a 50" fence and a larger table.

FWIW, There will soon be a Jet 10" CS for sale in excellent shape, with link belt and outfeed table, in CT.

Barry

[Brian]

What does this mean? I'm very curious to hear your specific comparative observations on the Grizzly's performance in "cutting wood" versus the other machines. From everything else that I have ever gathered, the fit and finish, trunions, and castings of the PM66 and General saws are indeed superior to that of the Grizzly (or the Uni and Jet in some of those areas for that matter too). However, I'm not convinced this translates into improved woodworking performance, everything being equal (blades, belts, etc). But will the Grizzly stand the test of time like these others, though? Perhaps not. But who knows.

Brian.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

message news:...

Blade marks on the wood caused by slight vibrations or runout.

Keep the following in mind: I looked at ONE saw, other examples of each brand may be better or worse. I brought my own blade, a Freud, that cuts perfectly on my existing CS. The Grizz had minor vibrations when running that were noticeable above the other 4 brands.

Barry

[Brian]

Ok a slight vibration I can understand. The runout on the Grizzly's is typically as good or better than even the PM66, though.

Thanks.

Brian.