Here is my dilemna. I am a hobbyist. I just sold my contractor’s saw, in order to upgrade to a 3 HP cabinet saw. My inclination is to get a General 650, but I also have the opportunity to buy a barely used 12 year old Unisaw, for about half the price of the General. The General, even at full price, is not going to make a hole in my budget, but OTOH, I do not like to throw money out the window. To compound things, the seller of the Unisaw lives 3 hours away from my house, so I am buying the saw without first inspecting it. I have to rely on pictures and the seller’s word as to the Unisaw’s condition. He is not a pro, and has used the saw sparingly, to do home renovations. He is willing to deliver it with his own truck for a small charge. Another issue is that the Unisaw apprently does not have an integrated dust chute, and needs to be fitted with an accessory for dust collection. My concerns are: how much of a risk is there in buying a used Unisaw, and how good is the dust collection going to be, relative to the General 650? What do you guys think?
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Your input will be greatly appreciated.
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As always, thanks in advance.
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Guy L.
Replies
Don't know if I can be of much help....I have a soft spot for the General 650 and would love to put one in my shop some day. If I had sufficient funds, I know I'd just buy the General and never second guess myself. That said, the older Uni's were fully American made and were built to similar standards as the 650, so the quality should be good if everything's in good working order...bearings, arbor, switches etc.
The older General's weren't good on DC, but the newer ones have a ramped bottom to improve DC. Assuming the older Uni is in good working order, there's not much financial risk b/c you're essentially paying current market value. The General will be worth a few hundred less as soon as it leaves the store. So while the Uni may be the better value, there's alot to be said about a brand new saw with factory and dealer backing...there's also something to be said about the feeling of uncrating that shiny new saw!
Good luck whichever you choose...
Edited 11/29/2005 11:20 am ET by scotty
The Unisaw is as good of a saw as the General, Powermatic or any of the other American style cabinet saws. The differences in weight and castings is not a functional difference. In other words with a 10" blade you will not feel or see a difference in the cut. If you are running a production shop where 15 users are running the machine all day those differences show up over the years. So saving a thousand dollars is a no brainer, for me. However if you will always wonder what it would have been like to get the General..... then you should get it. People seldom regret buying better, only buying less.
Mike
Well, I think you just hit the nail on the head. I have in the past been soory about buying less and regretted the decision. My contractor's saw was one such purchase. To boot, the Delta is right tilt, and I am used to left tilt. After seeing some of the posts on that topic, I am convinced that I should stick with left tilt. So for safety and other reasons, I will go with the General 650. Thank you all.
Guy L.
Hmmmm, might you be willing to give a general location of the Unisaw? Thank you!
Indeed. The seller is located in Beauport, Quebec, which is a suburb of Quebec City. I see that you are in Massachusetts, so you are about 7 hours away.
Here is the link to his ad on the internet.
http://www.lespac.com/search/detail.php?cp=23®ion=&majalerte=&a=3730229&o=%2Fsearch%2Findex.php&r=2591&parindex=0&page=1&total=15&nbrpages=1&categorie_titre=%5BOutils-mat%E9riaux+-+Outils%5D&filename=%2Fvar%2Fwww%2Fnfs_FR%2Frecherche%2F23%2Fdistance%2F0%2F0%2F2591%2F62616e6320646520736369652064656c7461%2F0d00to0d00%2Fonon%2Fonon%2F0to0%2FB.1&orderby=distance&mots=banc+de+scie+delta&tr=4&distancemax=0&agemax=0&yf=0&yt=0&prixfrom=De...&prixto=%C0...&offre=t&etatb=t
I am not sure if the Seller speaks English, but he might. I dealt with him in French. He is a very nice guy. His asking price is $1,250 CDN, which is equivalent to $1,062 USD. His price includes a Melamine scoring blade.
If the link does not work, contact me via e-mail at [email protected]
Regards.
Guy L.
Tres bien. Merci beaucoup, mais loin pour moi. ;-) (C'est terrible, n'est ce pas?)
Hi FrenchGuy - Being that your French Canadian in the heart of General country, I'd think the decision would be easy! Root for the home team!
I factored that (General tools being made locally) in my buying decision as well, and I must say that I derive a certain pride in knowing that for once, the best item out there, is also the one made in my neck of the woods. Strangely, up until about a month ago, I was unaware that General machinery was locally manufactured.
Mind you, I just upgraded my band saw and I went with the GI 90-150 (the Taiwan made tool), but in that case, the price differential was too great to justify buying the Canadian made tool. BTW, that band saw is a very nice tool, and it is heads and shoulders (in terms of features and finish) above the similarly priced Delta model. The table saw is a different story, as the price differential between the GI and the General is not that great.
So, it is going to be the General 650. I should get it this Saturday, if things go as planned.
And if anyone happens to know someone who is looking for a Unisaw, please do not hesitate to send them the link contained in my post above. The seller is a very nice man, and I would like to help him unload his saw.
Cheers.
Guy L.
Run out and get Fine Woodworking #181. There's a bit of info on buying a used cabinetsaw that would be helpful. Aslo look http://www.owwm.com for some tips. Improving the dust collection is no big deal. Don't be afraid to cut a new hole in the cabinet. My big concern would be the fence. A half price unsaw with the old style jet lock fence isn't such a deal as getting one with a unifence or biesemeyer. You can't really go wrong with a unisaw if it's in good shape.
I would never buy a used machine at that price without inspecting it. As a general rule, old machines can easily consume a lot of money to fix problems that the previous owner nay not even have been aware of.
Pete
I think you will be happy with either saw. The General is an excellent saw. I have two buddies who each have a General. I've used them and liked the saw very much. However, I guess I'm too much of a tight-wad and would probably opt for the Unisaw, if I were you. I own two of them. Both are 30-35 years old and both are still in excellent shape. The first one I purchased 25 years ago ($750) and used it commercially in the Detroit area for most of the time since then. I purchased the second one ($650) last May to help me with the restoration of our summer home in Newfoundland.
At $1,100, the price of the Unisaw in Quebec City seems a little on the high side. On the other hand, if it comes with a decent fence and a 3 hp motor, it may be worth it. Both of my saws are only 1.5 hp (not really a problem unless you're constantly ripping 2" oak) and they originally came with the old jet-lock fence. The fence on the first saw was upgraded long ago and I'll do so for the second saw when I have a bit more space. I know that left-tilt saws have become all the rage in the last few years but I wouldn't base my decision just on that. You quickly get used to your own saw whether it's left or right tilt. Right-tilt saws have been around for a long time and I don't think they're inherently any more dangerous. Oh well, just my thoughts.
ChipTam
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