Replies

1. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 21, 2006 01:04am | #1

   Dear Cool,
   Very satisfied PM66 owner here. Five years, no troubles. If I were doing it again, and the budget allowed, I would get the Sawstop.

   Best,

   John

2. 
   JeffHeath | Dec 21, 2006 02:39am | #2

   cool

   The exact same topic about your three choices was discussed quite thoroughly about 6 months ago.  Nothing wrong with discussing it again, but if you want a ready made thread about this, check the archives.

   I've got a PM 66 and am happy.  I had to do quite a bit of tuning to get it perfect, but it has served me well.  I replaced a Unisaw, which I would never buy again.  I hear alot of good things about the General.

   I'd say that if you flipped a coin between the General and the PM 2000, you would be happy with either choice. 

   I have had nothing but trouble and return trips to replace BRAND NEW equipment from Delta, and will never buy any of their stuff again.  3 different 12" jointers, none were complete.  A unisaw that had a top so wavy you could use it as a form for bent laminations, and a planer that had 6" of snipe at both ends of the board out of the box.

   No thanks.

   My .02.

   Jeff

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 21, 2006 05:26am | #5

   Jeff, don't hold it back. Tell us what you really think. LOL

   My current table saw is a Delta contractor saw. I have alwo had a problem with a sagging top. Hed to brace it up with an angle iron and it still is problematic.

   There was a FWW tablesaw comparison and Delta got fair marks except for deflection in the fence. With the fence on my contractor saw, I have to clamp my fence when I am running a 4 X 8 sheet through because of deflection.

   The reason I posted new is that I also included a request for outfeed photo's. I do not know if I will get any, but I hope so.

   I am inclined to go with the PM 2000 because of the retractable base rollers and the riving knife.

   BTY, I have a Delta 6" jointer that has been really great. I have a dead flat bed. It is easy to get true 90 with the fence and I have never had problems with the ouftfeed. I sometimes have to reset the knives, but that is infrequent.

    

1. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 21, 2006 10:56am | #7

   Dear Cool,
   OOPS! I forgot about the outfeed table! I don't have any pics, but I use my friends Unisaw as an outfeed table. ;-) They are set up back to back and if the Delta had power I would set it up with a dado............perhaps one day I'll get to it. The Unisaw that is in my shop is a white one, perhaps ten years old, but there really is no comparison to the PM. The Delta looks inferior, based on fit & finish. I will second the post about Delta being a bit of a horror show. They are my last choice.Best,John

3. 
   Knotscott | Dec 21, 2006 03:55am | #3

   I'm a big fan of the General and it's tight tolerances and robust construction, plus it's still made in North America by a family owned business.

   FWIW, Wood Mag rated it #1 over the Unisaw and PM66.

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 21, 2006 05:31am | #6

   Thanks Knotscott.

   I just dug out FWW #185 and will read it again tonight.

4. 
   user-231372 | Dec 21, 2006 05:26am | #4

   I bought a Unisaw in 1993 and it has been a pleasure to use over the years. I can see some of the others that had problems w/ Delta but mine has been great. The is a good FWW article on saws in th elast year or so. I do agree with another reply that the Sawstop looks pretty darn good. Take time to tune, whatever you buy, up.

5. 
   Quickstep | Dec 21, 2006 01:48pm | #8

   I have an older US made Unisaw and I love it. If I were buying today, I'd probably buy the Powermatic. I don't have hard evidence, but I think Delta has made some compromises to hit price points.

6. 
   t_mauery | Dec 21, 2006 07:49pm | #9

   I got the PM2000 in March, and I am very pleased.  I'm not sure how it compares with the current Unisaw or General, having never used those, but it is every bit as substantial as the old 1960s Unisaw I used all through high school.

   With a WWII blade, there's no need to run edge cuts through the jointer.

   All that being said, it is made in Taiwan, and the motor is not a Baldor.  I'm not sure how well it will hold up in the long run, but if initial quality is any indicator, I'll be giving this saw to my grandkids.

    

7. 
   jackplane | Dec 21, 2006 07:51pm | #10

   I've used all of your choices.

   Powermatic, bar none.

    

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 22, 2006 12:42am | #11

   Looks like I will be getting a new PM 2000.

   Thanks to everyone.

1. 
   Omah | Dec 22, 2006 01:01am | #12

   I own a fairly old Rockwell delta cab saw thats fairly decent. I've heard alot about how crappy they are now. Enough that I would not consider one, at least a newer one that is. Powermatic has been the gold standard for quite a while now. I had heard that they were bought up by a parent company, I can't remember their name. It was a while back, a few years anyway. There was moment there when every one was holding their breath to see if their quality was going to be compromised. I quess its still a pretty decent saw.

2. 
   JerryPacMan | Dec 22, 2006 04:58pm | #14

   While the PM 2000 is a very nice saw I would consider the SawStop.  It is built like a tank and fit and finish far exceed the PM 2000.  Also, if a body part contacts the spinning blade it is protected.  

   Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .

8. 
   highfigh | Dec 22, 2006 02:23am | #13

   Jeff is right- do the search and it will save a lot of time since the posts are already there.

   If you don't, I'll repeat mine- I have a Grizzly 1023S with the 7' rails (it comes with 50", normally), mobile base with extension (Shop Fox, which can be configured so the wheels are aligned front to back or along it, depending on how you need to move it and how the weight is distributed) and extension table. Happy, happy, happy! 5 years and have done little setup, other than the initial minor stuff. Plenty of power, flat, stable, beefy and really accurate. No subsequent setup but I occasionally check it to make sure it's still right on the money. The scale is dead nuts on.

   The only think I will change is the face on the fence, which is white poly-something that expands a bit when it's hot. This creates waviness on the face between the screws that hold it onto the rectangular steel tubing. I bought a piece of phenolic that I'll be able to mount, it's more stable (more $ than the plastic, too) and will be tall enough to put a T slot in for featherboards.

   BTW, I think it's on sale now.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
9. 
   Jfrostjr | Dec 22, 2006 05:06pm | #15

   I am well pleased with my Unisaw and Unifence. The fence is underrated in my opinion and has many good features. As it mounts to a front-rail-only it certainly makes your outfeed table goal much more practical.

   The attached photos (I always hope I can get the job done) show how I mounted my outfeed table. My first version was 3/4 birch plywood. It worked fine but last week I upgraded to a custom made top from Woodpeckers - roughly 30" x 52". They will rout all the slots eyc. I bought angle iron from the hardware store and ginned up the support system. It is VERY sturdy and the whole package rolls with one hand on an HTC mobile base.

   Good luck, Frosty

   I failed! I know how to attach photos but I can't locate the photos I want. I'll try later.

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 22, 2006 07:18pm | #16

   Please do try again. It really helps to see examples.

   Cool

1. 
   Jfrostjr | Dec 22, 2006 07:46pm | #17

   Let's see if I found the correct photosFrosty

   
10. 
    sapwood | Dec 22, 2006 11:21pm | #18

    Hi. I've no good recommendations of the saw you should purchase. I've got a Unisaw but it's over 20 years old and isn't the same thing that's being produced today. The thing I would like to advise on is to not make your outfeed table an assembly table also. I did this way back when I didn't have choice due to space considerations. And now, even though I have loads of floor space, I still have a work in process on my outfeed table when I need to use the saw. It's a royal pain in the hind end. So if you can arrange to not get into this habit, my advice is to take an alternate path.

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 23, 2006 12:51am | #20

   Sap, You d man!!

   I have decided on the Powermatic 2000. I have been thinking about just what you have said. It helps to hear it from one who's been there and done that. I do not have loads of space 24 X 32 but I probably can spring for separates.

   It is funny that you posted just minutes after having to clear my workbench to clamp a piece for pattern cutting. I was thinking that a combo is not what I wanted

   Hope you have a great holiday.

11. 
    UnclePablo | Dec 23, 2006 12:42am | #19

    I've been using a 5hp single phase Sawstop in a commercial shop for about 8 mos. now. We use the heck out of it. In my opinion the Sawstop beats all the Unisaw clones hands down. I have used Delta, Powermatic, and Jet saws extensively in the past and none are a close second. It would be an easy choice for me.

    Best of luck,

    -Paul

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 23, 2006 01:02am | #21

   Paul,

   I am a tweener. I consider myself a hobbiest but occasionally will let people twist my arm enough to take a job. I just have not convinced myself to spring for the extra it would cost to go to the Sawstop. It got great reviews by FWW and so did the PM 2000. I have been using a 1 1/2 hp contractors saw and the move to a 3 would be heaven for me. I will blade it with the Forrest MK II(think it is the name of the blade). I have a Forrest Chopmaster on my SC miter saw and it is well worth the price. I am sure the general purpose Forrest is what I will want of the TS.

   Thanks for your input.

1. 
   highfigh | Dec 23, 2006 02:16am | #22

   If it's not the MKII, it's probably the Wood Worker II, which you may have noticed, is probably the most popular blade here. It is a great blade and I have cut hard/soft maple, red/white oak, cherry, doug fir and other pines, plywoods, PB, MDF, poplar, melamine laminates, ripped an LVL, you name it. Oh, yeah, a couple of nails I didn't know about but they didn't phase it.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

1. 
   coolbreeze | Dec 23, 2006 06:16am | #23

   My bad.

   I have a MKII but it happens to be a sharpening jig. Good one at that.

   I meant a WWII.