Replies

1. 
   RickL | May 28, 2004 09:53pm | #1

   There is no such thing as which one is best.  Best is something that is suited to the individual for personal reasons. Both saws are good and there are others equally as good. Price, service. availabilty in your area, shipping would come into play for various reasons. Pick one for whatever reason. In my opinion and experience either one will perform equally as well.

2. 
   BG | May 28, 2004 10:12pm | #2

   Freeway,

   The biggest difference between those two pictures is the Delta Mobile base.  You can step on the lever and push the saw with one hand...
3. 
   mudman | May 29, 2004 02:00am | #3

   the most importaint thing about any saw is the fence. The two saws have very diferent fences. The Unifence can be remounted to be a 5" tall fence or a 1/2" tall fence with space for your hand when making narrow rips.

   I like the Unifence a lot. The Beismier style fence is more durable. If you drop a Beis style fence it is unlikely that it would even ding. A Unifence is made of aluminum (very heavy guage) and could dent. I think the Beis style fence is better in a large multi-user shop.

   Mike

1. 
   Michmesquite | May 29, 2004 06:24am | #4

   I agree with Mike's opinion on the UniFence.

   How's this, go to your local pro shop that sells both General and Delta and buy the General without the fence and have them mount a UniFence. (You can buy a UniFence as an after market item.)

   Then you get a really good saw and a really good fence. IMO, the General is a notch or two above the Delta; take a look at the guts, and the fit-n-finish, side by side._________________________________

   Michael in San Jose

   "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell 

4. 
   hammer1 | May 29, 2004 09:17am | #5

   They are both good saws. I think the General is more expensive in the US. Delta, this is their lowest price saw I think, has 3 v-belts, not 2. Has a T-slot miter way, not just a flat. The Delta motor end is outside the cabinet for cleaner air. I prefer the Unifence to the Bessy. I like being able to flip it and move it back for crosscut indexing, versatile. It's not susceptable to humidity, either fence needs a sacraficial piece added for up to the blade work, I think the Uni is easier to attach accessories to. It does have a quirk in that a 1/8 turn on the handle will completely free the fence from the rail. You need to learn to adjust it correctly. The Uni also can be easily aligned not only with the blade but also 90 with the table, this really helps when adding a tall fence board. Delta parts, service and accessories are available everywhere in the US. Shipping from Amazon.com is free on Delta but you may want to pay extra for a lift gate delivery.

1. 
   mudman | May 29, 2004 11:55pm | #7

   Hammer,

     The one thing that I don't like is that it is harder to attach stuff to the fence. Like clamping on stop blocks or sacrificial fences. How do you attach a sacrificial fence?

   Mike

1. 
   RickL | May 30, 2004 04:06pm | #8

   http://www.ttrackusa.com/unifence.htm

   You could add the uni-t fence.

   I prefer the Bies myself. I've used both types since they first came out and with a few fixtures I can out do the versatility of the Unifence, plus the extra mass comes in handy for me. It's all based on individual opinion...there is no right answer as to which fence is best.

2. 
   hammer1 | Jun 01, 2004 04:27pm | #11

   Mike, I used some nut plates with a coil spring back. They slid right into the channel of the fence and locked in place. A variety of fences and accessories are drilled and countersunk that match the nut holes and are attached with flathead bolts. I always called these aircraft nuts but in looking for them, I apparently have the wrong name. You can make some just by welding a nut to a rectangular plate, there are also multi-thread, captured tinnerman nuts, anchor nuts and flush rivetless insert nuts that do the same. Most of the time I use an auxillary fence just in case someone moves the fence while the blade is spinning. You can also buy a short piece of the unifence for index work.

5. 
   Dustmight | May 29, 2004 01:28pm | #6

   Can't go too far wrong with either. If the decision is really that close, I'd start trying to find pros and cons of each and compare.

   If you look at the guts, the 350 appears to be more industrial grade. The General will come with the 2 cast iron wings that will be lined up at the factory ready to go. General is a smaller more personalized family owned business and is a great company to deal with. The cast iron is still cast in their own foundary in Canada. The top will be ground flat and smooth.

   As stated, the fence options and mobile base are certainly worth something. I've never been a huge fan of the swirl marks Delta leaves on the surfaces of their bigger machinery after grinding....Shouldn't affect performance though. The Delta is supposedly still made in the US, but the lines are graying quickly about the origin of many parts. There has been strong rumblings and rumor about Pentair selling ownership of Delta....even heard rumor of Ryobi's parent buying it. With that up the in air, I'd be a little more hesitant to jump in.

   Either of these saws would be a welcome addition in my shop. If I were making a purchase today, no doubt I prefer the General, but it'll boil down to what's most important to you and which one you prefer.

   Please keep us posted!

6. 
   nikkiwood | May 31, 2004 06:16pm | #9

   Whenever one of these table saw threads drifts into a discussion of fences, I am moved to put in a plug for the Excaliber model.

   I added the Excaliber to my old Unisaw, and when I got a new Powermatic 66, it came equipped with a Biesmeyer-style fence.

   Well, the new fence is ok, but I really miss the Excaliber. It has wheels that run on tracks (front and back of the saw), so the sliding action is terrific. It has t-slots in the top, so it is easy to attach all kinds of jigs, etc.

   I wish I had switched out the fences before I sold the Unisaw.

   Here's their web site:

   http://www.excalibur-tools.com/products/products.asp?product=tt45

7. 
   jquinn | Jun 01, 2004 03:58am | #10

   I have had my General 350 for almost 12 years and I have no complaints, other than I did not order it with the motor cover for dust collection, so I will have to be making one myself, since they changed the cabinet slightly since then.

   Mine came with the Paralock fence, which is apparently no longer available?  I have no complaints about that either.