I admit it, I suck

[marc rosen]

Hey All, I picked up a '63 Unisaw today from a public school auction and it is in great shape. Included was the old type flip up blade guard , retractable splitter, and a perfect Jet-Lock fence and rails and table wings. Three phase machine but I plan to get a new motor for it and set it up in my garage once it's restored. There was an amazing display of various colored sawdusts inside. It looks like it was used to cut plastics and wood. I also got the remnants of a 6x48 belt sander for $60. Not much left of the sander but the 1&1/2 hp motor (Delta, 120/230V wired for 120 with a 120V starter ) purred like a lion. That motor will probably go on my "not yet running" gap bed lathe. I am looking forward to theis Uni restoration- i think it will be a lot of fun. Marc (it's not like I have a lot of time on my hands, but I really wanted to do this for a few years now)

[Garage_Woodworks]

Nice find! I guess you can't use the 1.5 hp sander motor on the Uni. ;^)

[marc rosen]

Hello Brian, I wish it were that simple. A few years ago before I bought my brand new Uni I almost bought a real old unit (from the same retailer) that had a 1.5 hp motor but I opeted for the x5 with all of the goodies on it. Hey, I really like that cherry table you had pictured on your website. That's more inspiration for me. Marc

[Garage_Woodworks]

Thanks Marc! That was a fun one to make. The wrap around cove was the most nerve racking for me. I was worried about it lining up at all four corners (router table and sled). Worked out great.

[Greg O]

You might consider buying a VFD to run it instead of putting the money into a motor. You can buy one VFD and use it to power several 3 phase machines, one at a time. Great deal for a one man shop. With 3 phase available you open up a new world of machines you can buy often buy cheap, and sometimes are not offered in single phase. No affiliation but try here.

[Mike O.]

I rebuilt one of about the same vintage a while back although I still need to re-paint it. It was also a school-shop saw. I had to have the bearings replaced but removing the yoke was pretty simple once I found something to hold the motor up. Mine already had the Jet-Lock replaced with a 52" Bies which was definitely an improvement. They are pretty easy to work on and with the top off you can get to everything. It's a fun project. Enjoy.

Mike O.

[B A R R Y]

What does the school have now?

If they replaced it with a Saw Stop, or some other nice new saw, you indeed sucketh! Congrats!

If the shop was closed down, that's a 10-yard anti-gloat offset!

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[CM]

Yup you suck.

Here is an old iron forum:

here are motors on eBay: parts here: have a 1950's Unisaw I bought a few months ago. I was going to sell it because there is no room in my shop for it. My wife says it can be stored in HER garage.

Have fun,

cm

[RicodJour]

What did you pay for the Unisaw? We can't take your word on it that you truly do suck without the proper submittals. ;)

R

[Upscale]

To be properly submitted, the Unisaw had to be taken away and evaluated. What time should I send someone over?

[marc rosen]

I paid $375 for the Uni and in my opinion, it was the best unit in the lot. There were 7 Uni's and the two that sold for more had Unifences on them, but they were newer units and the mechanisms were not as smooth. Two other older units had the goose egg but had stiff controls and/or were missing the front dust door. One bidder who won a few Unisaws bid 358 on three items and I'm guessing he/they bid the same on the one I won. This was my first- and perhaps last - auction for tools (eBay exluded) but it was a real interesting experience. When I went for the viewing last week I felt like I was in a toy store; old tools all over the place, some in states of disassembly or near destruction, some parts only and some ready to plug in. There was one winner who got three 14 inch bandsaws and he paid $350 for each of them. I missed out on apallet of old blade guards and junk parts that also included a table and arm assenbly for a 6x48 inch belt sander. That's the one item I need to complete one of my belt sanders and I lost it by $3.50. Anyway, it was fun, but not as much fun as this Uni restoration will be. I had to dismantle it to get it off my truck so the project is already underway. The VFD is looking like a good option as I could use that to control my gap bed lathe and save that other sander motor for something else that may come along. Oh, and I think I identified the colored flakes mixed in with the sawdust; It looks like plexiglass flakes, probably from cutting signs or plaques. Marc (who has already "evaluated" his purchase, but thanks for the offer)