I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
Thanks for any feedback,
Tanya Rooney
I have had several used Unisaws. The earlier models did come with a 1
HP repulsion induction moter, big guy. My dad had one of those, bought
new in 1940, I think the moter was $50 and the saw the same price at
that time. This particular saw is still running fine(with a new
owner), the raising and tilting mechanisms worked better on this saw,
than my 60's Unisaw. The speed of the earlier saws was pullied
differently and the arbor turned slower than the later models, I have
forgotten at what speed.
Another thing to watch, expecially if it came out of a high use area
like a school shop. The gears for raising and lowering are sometimes
quite worn. On one saw, I built up the old gears by brassing rod and
ground it down to form new gears, a bit time consuming, but it did
work fine.
Randy
On 1 Mar 2006 10:12:48 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
>Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
>will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
>an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
>questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
>it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
>I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
>Thanks for any feedback,
>Tanya Rooney
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> Thanks for any feedback,
> Tanya Rooney
For you and folks who don't know, a 1 HP repulsion/induction powered unisaw
will indeed go through anything with no problem. The one at the school has
suffered fifty years of student abuse without a sign of weakening.
If it's a RI, which you can ascertain by locating the carbon caps on the
motor, it's every bit the equal in cutting of a 3 HP by today's standard.
I know several hundred folks who will be willing to buy it
if you have any major concerns. Unless the saw is "pristine",
the $700 sounds a spec high.
Does it have "ALL" the original parts including the dust door
and the guard ????
Does it have the "original" motor switch ???
Does it have the "original" miter gauge ???
Does it have the orignal motor cover ???
Are there any "holes" in the body that were not there
originally ???
Each item is a Plus or Minus on the final price.
The 1HP motor while, small is quite powerful.
Does it look like this ????
http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=90
or this:
http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=205
What is the model number and serial number ???
[email protected] wrote:
> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> Thanks for any feedback,
> Tanya Rooney
>
"R. Pierce Butler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] wrote in news:1141236768.771423.11250
> @u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com:
>
>> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
>> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
>> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
>> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
>> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
>> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
>> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
>> Thanks for any feedback,
>> Tanya Rooney
>>
>>
>
> 1 HP is a little light but it will cut but you might have to take it a
> little
> slow. Wiring the motor for 220 will help.
>
Actually, it won't help.
It helps to rewire a 2hp motor to 240v because it means much less voltage
drop; the the amperage on a 1hp is low enough that it doesn't much matter.
George wrote...
> For you and folks who don't know, a 1 HP repulsion/induction powered unisaw
> will indeed go through anything with no problem. The one at the school has
> suffered fifty years of student abuse without a sign of weakening.
>
> If it's a RI, which you can ascertain by locating the carbon caps on the
> motor, it's every bit the equal in cutting of a 3 HP by today's standard.
Let me add an AMEN to that! My Delta shaper (1936) has the 1 HP repulsion
induction motor. It's a beast. Wish my 3HP Unisaw had the same sack.
Jim
> I'd get higher power. I did a bunch of ripping 8/4 maple on a 3hp cabinet
> saw
> and it was slow_in_the_going, so to speak.
Slow feed rate through 8/4 maple with a 3hp ?
I've been through 12/4 ash and 12/4 hard maple with my contractors saw and
the horse power is so low it isn't even published. :)
If I feed to fast I pop a breaker. :( But if I feed S-L-O-W I can get
through it ok.
Stoutman
http://www.garagewoodworks.com
(Featuring a NEW look)
I've never seen a one hp unisaw. Two, three, and five hp models are the only
ones that I had ever seen until Delta recently came out with their
new hybrid saw, which is a light duty version of the unisaw - kind of a
contractor saw in a unisaw cabinet. I'm willing to bet that this guy is
talking about an old contractors saw and not a real unisaw. At any rate,
getting a good used saw requires a careful inspection. Look for broken
castings (might be re-welded), bent parts, missing parts, worn bearings,
funny burn smell from motor, a really good accurate fence, etc. If the saw
is a real 50's unisaw with a 2 hp or larger motor, and it passes all of the
above inspections then it could be worth $700. Otherwise it's probably not
worth anywhere near that much. Remember, parts for old machines are very
hard to find. If it's a 50's vintage contractors saw it's hard to belive
that it would be worth more than $200, even if it was in perfect condition.
--
Charley
"Billy Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:m2MNf.39858$pE4.18739@trnddc04...
> I cannot tell you whether this saw is underpowered (see the other
> responses to your post) but if it is then the other factors that
> affect cutting efficiency are all the more important. The main
> ones I remember are how sharp the blade is and keeping the
> blade clean and free from anything that produces friction against
> the wood, e.g. buildup of pitch. Also using the right kind of
> blade for a given cut (crosscut, rip, combination). I suspect that
> maximizing these factors will greatly help compensate for a
> lack of saw power.
>
> --Billy
>
>
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> > Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> > will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> > an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> > questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> > it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> > I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> > Thanks for any feedback,
> > Tanya Rooney
> >
>
>
> OOps! I meant to say 8/4 hard maple.
>
> I have not tried 12/4 hard maple yet! The ash I think I had to do in two passes by flipping over.
>
>
>
> --
> Stoutman
> http://www.garagewoodworks.com
> (Featuring a NEW look)
>
I think maybe it had something to do with the blade on the 3hp cab, you can
slightly wobble it, ever so slightly, and it burns brown coloration into the side
of the cut, not too badly, I think it needs a tune up. It's got some non existant
Chinese name on it and a rotten stinkin' lousy heavy fence from hell. As far as
the Unisaw, it needs new bearings because when thicker wood is thrown at it,
it's real slow to cut bogging down easily, and it smokes. It keeps going for
everyone else's lighter work though, and it is the most used in the shop. The
other saw we have is a 5hp 14"/16" oliver 270-D, and that one is amazing.
Probably worth $4,000. Star Wars dynamics.
--
Alex - "newbie_neander" woodworker
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/
[email protected] wrote in news:1141236768.771423.11250
@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com:
> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> Thanks for any feedback,
> Tanya Rooney
>
>
1 HP is a little light but it will cut but you might have to take it a little
slow. Wiring the motor for 220 will help.
pierce
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
>
> "R. Pierce Butler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> [email protected] wrote in news:1141236768.771423.11250
>> @u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
>>> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
>>> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must
>>> be an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s.
>>> Two questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to
>>> determine if it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those
>>> tests, should I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
>>> Thanks for any feedback,
>>> Tanya Rooney
>>>
>>>
>>
>> 1 HP is a little light but it will cut but you might have to take it a
>> little
>> slow. Wiring the motor for 220 will help.
>>
> Actually, it won't help.
> It helps to rewire a 2hp motor to 240v because it means much less
> voltage drop; the the amperage on a 1hp is low enough that it doesn't
> much matter.
>
>
Electric motors from the 1950s are notoriously ineffecient and as such
they draw more current than one might expect. I contend that wiring the
unit for 220 volt operation will reduce IR losses enough so that
producable torque is maximized. Of course the feasability of supplying
220v will depend on several factors.
Another way to look at it is that once one has the 220 volts available and
the the motor needs to be replaced, one can purchase almost any motor
designed for the saw and be able to get maximum power from it.
> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> Thanks for any feedback,
> Tanya Rooney
>
I'd get higher power. I did a bunch of ripping 8/4 maple on a 3hp cabinet saw
and it was slow_in_the_going, so to speak. Look at $700 it's old and only 1hp,
then look at prices and specs here: http://www.grizzly.com/index.cfm? Grizzly
is well liked.
I use the same 1hp Unisaw saw you are looking at in adult ed class, and for
some thick cutting it's just too slow, even in douglas fir. Spend a grand for 3hp
at least.
But for "normal" projects up to 5/4 wood (1 inch thick), your prospect is a
fine saw, the motor bearings may need to be replaced.
Then, there is the feature of the blade tilting to the left or right, as a choice, left
tilting so the top of the blade goes "away" from the fence (which is to the right)
is highly desireable.
--
Alex - "newbie_neander" woodworker
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/
I cannot tell you whether this saw is underpowered (see the other
responses to your post) but if it is then the other factors that
affect cutting efficiency are all the more important. The main
ones I remember are how sharp the blade is and keeping the
blade clean and free from anything that produces friction against
the wood, e.g. buildup of pitch. Also using the right kind of
blade for a given cut (crosscut, rip, combination). I suspect that
maximizing these factors will greatly help compensate for a
lack of saw power.
--Billy
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> Thanks for any feedback,
> Tanya Rooney
>
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
> Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
> will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
> an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
> questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
> it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
> I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
> Thanks for any feedback,
> Tanya Rooney
I just replaced the motor on mine everyone recommended upgrading it from a
one horse to a three horse motor .I ended up with a 1 1/2 HP motor . I was
quite happy with the one horse before it gave up the ghost ,perhaps a little
slower than the more powerful motors however several times the blade has
bound up in the workpiece and I was able to overpower the saw so I could
turn it off.A 3HP motor would probably thrown the workpiece back at me with
at least some kind of injury.
I was lucky, I got mine for $300....and never have been in that great a
hurry.
On 1 Mar 2006 10:12:48 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>I've been looking for a good quality tablesaw and have found a Delta
>Unisaw for sale locally, but it is only 1HP. The owner tells me it
>will "go through anything" if plugged in to 220V. I assumed it must be
>an old unit, and the owner confirmed that it was built in the 50s. Two
>questions: What should I be looking at on a table saw to determine if
>it's in good shape, and if this saw was to pass all those tests, should
>I buy it? The price being asked is $700.
A lot depends on whether or not the machine is complete and in
restored condition.
If the saw has been rebuilt and is in good shape $700 is not way out
of line. If you need to rebuild it and replace arbor bearings and or
motor bearings then somewhere under $500 might be more fair.
Ask the owner if he has replaced the arbor bearings. That's about a
$90 repair (if you pay someone to do it) and that's assuming the arbor
is good. It could be a $400 repair if the arbor and yoke need to be
replaced
Also ask about the motor. If it's the big bullet style motor, a
bearing replacement and or motor rebuild can be quite expensive.
You might have a look a http://www.sawcenter.com/ and have a look at
what some parts and repairs could cost you. Most of the work could be
done locally (depending on your location) but you can get a good idea
there.
Another thing to consider is that old complete Unisaws can easily be
(dare I say it) " parted out" for nearly $500.
Poke around over at the site Pat mentioned http://www.owwm.com and
you can get good education about the older Unisaws.
Mike O.