Customer Reviews

Betterley Tru-Cut Blade Insert System. Fits Delta Left Tilt 10 inch Unisaw and Delta Hybrid Saw

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Every thing about this insert is well engineered. But whoever decided to go cheap with the fasteners really downgrades the whole product.
As I opened the box there it was, a gleaming red Betterly Insert just as described with the blue blade insert.
Also in the box was a bag with a gob of blue lock-tite incasing all of the rusty set screws needed for assembly. I spent the better part of an hour seperating each screw and picking off the excess lock-tite. Don't skip this part because you will break the allen wrench or strip the screws. If you take to much lock-tite off the screws will vibrate back and the insert will not be true.
Maybe the guys at Betterley never heard of patch locking set screws. But plan on this thing making you mad before, during and after you start to assemble it.

I have a delta left-tilt contractor saw, which I've recently used to cut some oak veneer plywood for a cabinet carcase. With the stock Delta blade insert, I had unbelievably bad, completely unacceptable tear-out on the cross cuts. A friend of mine at work suggested I try a zero-clearance blade insert. After some looking on the web, I settled on the Betterley Tru-Cut system. I was not disappointed!

The primary insert is thick, machined aluminum, anodized red with two spring loaded balls on the side to remove any play when installed. Into this, the user installs phenolic sacrificial kerf plates through which the blade is raised to form the zero-clearance blade slot. The primary insert is machined dead flat. Unlike the thin, warped metal insert that came with the table saw, I can actually get the Betterley insert completely level with my saw bed. Although the description of the product (both here and on Betterley's website) does not specifically say this insert will fit the delta left-tilt contractor saw, I can now assure you, it fits perfectly (customer support at Betterley explained to me that their documentation and product description were written before Delta offered a left-tilt contractor saw, and had not yet been updated).

Speaking of leveling, a two-stage leveling system is employed. There are 12 leveling screws underneath the phenolic insert that are used (in conjunction with the 6 hold-down screws) to level the kerf plate to the primary insert. With that done (an operation that is tedious, but only needs to be performed once), four larger perimeter leveling screws are used to level the primary insert to the bed of the table saw.

I should mention that the threads of the 16 leveling screws and the 6 hold-down screws are lightly coated with a polymer that appears to be red Loctite, but, in truth, I don't know what it is. It's purpose is to provide some resistance to turning such that the levelers and hold-downs don't move due to vibration once they have been adjusted. At least one review I've read here expressed deep concerns about this material, indicating that installing the screws with the material in place would result in seized screws, stripped threads and/or broken allen wrenches. I can happily say this was not my experience. I made no attempt to remove the material and I had no trouble installing or adjusting the levelers. The fit was snug, but not unacceptably tight. I was never in danger of breaking an allen wrench, but I am fairly certain the screws will not vibrate loose.

I also bought a pack of four replacement kerf plates. So far, I have used three of them -- two for different dado setups and one for my normal blade. Using these, I have had ZERO tear-out on my troublesome oak veneer plywood.

Switching between kerf plates is not as convenient as I would like it to be. Kerf plates are held in place by six hold-down screws. The system works well, and newly installed kerf plates do not need to be re-leveled, but a slide-in kerf plate with beveled edges to ensure accurate (re)alignment would be handier. Regardless, where the rubber meets the road is in the quality of the cut, and I could not be happier with the cuts I've got since switching to the Betterley insert. Betterley is a good company. This is an excellent product, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.