Customer Reviews

DELTA 34-555 Sliding Table Attachment

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Received item promptly, that's where the good things end. As expected assembly took several hours. Fussing to get table parallel and square to blade proved to be an execise in futility. Nothing on the unit is straight, square or flat. The upper bar the rail rides on was concave 1/8 th inch in on either end. Unacceptable when cutting sheet stock that needs to be square. The upper rail also tilted down several degrees when attached to the side of my contractors saw, I can't imagine that being part of the design. When I made crosscuts on material results were inconsistent. Overall quality and performance was poor. If I had known it was an import I would never have bought it. Now I must pack up an eighty pound box and schlepp off to UPS at Chrismas time to return it. Stay away from Deta imports!

I could not wait to install my new sliding table what a nightmare could not get anything to line up right. first thing I thought of was to send it back,but I like the idea of it so I was determined to make it work. To all out there this is not a boltup and go item First thing was to bore 1/8in over clearance holes in the main tube that bolts to the saw table I did this so you can level it to your table front to back otherwise there is no ajustment.The measurment in the book for the lower guiderail is wrong now my saw has an extra set of holes in it.the table went together ok until you mounted it on the rails, talk about out of square. The table was 3/8 of an inch out of square from my saw table when looking at it from the infeed of the saw, had to remove the railrollers and shim them to square them up.thank god the rollers are asentric to ajust the the table height. After all that the table works great.Delta needs to look at there quality control standards for this product.

Items that cost this much should bolt right on with minimal set up time.Happy woodworking

This is a great add-on product for shops that need a means of squaring sheet stock, but don't have nearly the floor space for either a real panel saw or the larger after-market sliding table attachments available (describes my type of work and shop environment to a "T"). The first thing that attracted me to this item was the fact it did not require support legs and allowed the saw to be shifted in position without having to re-align everything (my Unisaw is on a mobile base and is frequently moved to accommodate cuts). The structure of this product is solid and very well built with plenty of adjustment points to ensure the unit can be made as accurate as you wish (how accurate this product is has a direct correlation to the amount of time you spend setting it up). The installation took less than two hours, but you should allow the rest of the day to adjusting & aligning and then re-adjusting and re-aligning and then doing it all over again... and then very possibly doing it all over again the next day. The manual tells you how to make all the required adjustments, but does not explain how shifting one adjustment effects everything else. Not frustrating, just time consuming figuring it all out and patience truly is a virtue when setting up the Delta sliding table. Everything in the packaging was complete and undamaged, although the melamine table on mine was badly cupped, I hammered in a couple of wedges front and back to straighten it out until I can get a new one.

Delta have made this add-on almost impossible to get information on (it took several calls to get Delta to post the manual on their web site), there is a total lack of specifications such as recommended floor space, size of the overall unit once attached to the saw etc. This was critical information for me and my small shop and took a great deal of digging to find out. FYI, the bars are 57" long that the table slides on and the fence is 42" long, you can use those dimensions to work out if this item attached to your saw will fit in your shop. Another minor point is the photo they use in the manual and on their web site shows this unit mounted on the contractor saw. This gave me the impression that this is really a light weight product intended for hobby or casual use. Kind of off-putting for commercial users who own a Unisaw, but fortunately this is not the case and I would rate this product for light industrial use. Many thanks to the other reviewers of this product herein, based on your reviews I did further research on this product; if all I had to go on was information available from Delta I would have bought something else. The reduced capacity of this sliding table did not turn me off in the least, not every shop that does cabinet making full-time requires the ability to deal with 4 x 8 sheet stock (my back gave out on that folly years ago). So I get suppliers (with real panel saws) to chop sheets down to sizes I can effectively deal with prior to humping them into the shop, the Delta's maximum 36" crosscut capacity is fine for 99.9% of what I do. Sadly, the fact that the fence must be re-located to the rear of the table to cut 36" and then adjusting and re-adjusting "square" for both the front and rear fence positions is a bear of a job, and in my humble opinion totally unnecessary... and also in my humble opinion the design flaw.

With the fence in the front position it slides a full 10" past the point on a Unisaw where the fence has cleared the blade on a crosscut (even at maximum height). I realize this length of slide is to accommodate a 36" crosscut with the fence in the rear position. However, why not add that capacity to the front by shifting the bars the distance they overhang the back of the saw toward the front of the saw? This will add at least 10" of cutting capacity (and another 12" with the blade at an appropriate height for 3/4" stock) with the fence in the front position and forget about having a rear position for the fence entirely. This would eliminate the need to move the fence around and enable a much more positive and definitive positioning system for the fence on the table. I can't believe that I'm the first to make this observation on this product; but given the difficulties I had in even finding this product, one has to wonder about how much focus Delta has on the add-on market so I'm not holding my breath for improvements. Having said all that, next to the Unifence this is the best add-on product I've put on my Unisaw (or any of the Unisaw's I've used in the past 30 years). I should have done this years ago, great value (only slightly more money than "precision" mitre guides but with 100 times more capability) and thus far has proven invaluable. Highly recommended.

Precision sliding tables run up in the area of $1200. Don't expect the same performance with this one. It's not bad. It's not "great" either.

I've had this slider for about 2 years now. It's works fine, and does what it's supposed to do - But it's a somewhat of a PITA to set, and keep square. The flip-stop is worthless. Removing the miter fence (and pivot point bolt) is a pain when you need to rip sheet material.

You will spend hours setting it up the first time. No argument there. But the real aggravation is keeping it square! I have to re-tune mine every 1-2 months.

FYI: This sliding table is EXACTLY the SAME as the one Grizzly sells for it's right-tilt (1023S) cabinet saws! The ONLY difference is the paint color and logo. http://www.grizzly.com/products/G4227

I wrote my first review when the sliding table was partially installed. I (obviously) was not happy at the time for the reasons cited in that review. However, to be fair to Delta, and to give my fellow enthusiasts the best portrayal of the tool, I am writing again. First, I was able to flatten the sliding table using braces and shims, though if you had the same problem Delta would warranty the table. Remember, mine sat in the box until the warranty had expired. I did order a replacement table from Delta in case my straightened table gave me more problems. Though Delta couldn't offer a warranty replacement, they did pick up the shipping charge (they offered, I didn't have to ask).

Adjusting the table to the saw is a tedious task so plan on spending almost as much time on this part as bolting the pieces on. Be sure to verify that the travel tube is parallel to the saw blade as I had to shim (one less feeler gauge in the world) mine to get the alignment correct. Also, I set the table about fifteen thousandths above the saw table and I am finding this works fine.

Once set up, the sliding table works as intended. It easily moves long or wide stock cleanly through the blade. With the setup disappointments behind me and some experience with the table, I now have to give it the "thumbs up!"

yes, it's true that this is not a PERFECT add-on and yes, it will take you a number of HOURS to assemble and install it on your table saw, but after that you gain perhaps one of the SAFEST ways of crosscutting wide pieces of wood which lead to one of the most FREQUENTLY reported accident - the kickback. if you try pushing the wide end of a piece of wood through the table saw against the rip fence and accidentally push the leading edge into the spinning blade, the wood will fly backwards INCREDIBLY fast and will either hurt you or leave a hole in the wall. at the very least, it will ruin your workpiece. this sliding table attachment minimizes that risk by giving you a horizontal fence to safely guide your work through the blade.

this is the most USEFUL accessory that i have purchased for my table saw. i used it extensively while building a set of kitchen cabinets and it worked like a charm, easily handling perfectly SQUARE panel cuts up to 36". i used the convenient flip-stop to cross cut all my face frame, door and drawer parts and then used it freehand to trim off the horns.

setting it up definitely takes a bit of PATIENCE. first of all, if you are installing it on a non-delta table saw (mine is a powermatic 64) you will most likely need to find the appropriate screws for the mounting rail. these can easily be found my looking under FASTENERS in your yellow pages/book. next, if you don't want to cut off your rails, you can bore new holes in them with a drill press and move them to the right thus extending your rip capacity simultaneously - assuming you have the room! getting all the various settings to align correctly can be frustrating. in the end, i set my sliding table so that the workpiece would project slightly above the surface of the table saw and had the fence set approximately 2" away from the blade so that i could keep the blade guard in place - i HATE exposed rapidly spinning blades which is why i bought this attachment and threw away my miter sled! make sure that you use the FIVE CUT METHOD and a dial caliper (grizzly makes a cheap one that works well) to square up the fence with your blade. yes, you will periodically have to readjust the settings but that's also the case with the more expensive crosscutting apparatuses including the excalibur.

there is simply NO COMPARISON between a crosscutting table and a miter sled. i would HIGHLY recommend getting one even if it's not the one made by delta. the sliding table is always ready to go - no need to haul the sled out, hoist it up on the saw and then DRAG it back and forth (turning the saw off in between cuts like you're supposed to do...) and having to deal with the LIMITED cross cutting width. did i mention that the blade is usually spinning free and unshielded and constantly THREATENING your fingers?

if you would like further reading material, try googling "crosscut sled design guide" for the most definitive comparison of sliding tables and miter sleds.

UPDATE: i have recently sold off my delta sliding table and replaced it with the 60" exaktor sliding table. MUCH BETTER as far as capacity goes and the fence is much easier to re-align. on the delta, i'd have to cut down the plywood sheets prior to finish trimming them. with the exaktor, i can perform dust cuts and FINISH crosscuts without any difficulty apart from lifting the sheet of plywood, melamine or MDF. the only drawback is that it takes up a TREMENDOUS amount of space equivalent to an SUV.

I just purchased this sliding table. I had a project that required large panels to be mitered at 45 degrees and I have always looked at getting a sliding table so decided to take the plunge.
I was a little concerned after reading some of the comments on calibrating this table. However, as I assembled the table to my saw I was able to focus on how each step would affect the allignment so that when I had to do final adjustments it was relatively easy. I would go so far as to say that the whole instalation process was actually quite enjoyable. All of the critical adjustments were made to ecentric connections so it is clear that delta had a pretty good design to make adustments possible.
Now that it is installed I am finding all different ways to use this. All of those special methods for trying to cut a panel are now gone. Smooth action, accurate cuts and a real "solid" feel. I would highly recomend this to anyone who has a delta contractors saw as not only is a great addition, but it also adds some nice weight to the saw itself.
As far as value I would say that you can not go wrong with this product.

I installed this attachment on a Unisaw with a Beisemeyer fence. You need to remove the left table cast wing and cut back the fence hardware as well. I cut mine back right on the saw with a Sawzall. Only took a few minutes. The system installs in a few hours total and has enough adjustment to get it aligned. The first cut was perfectly square and smooth. Works well for me.

After reading the reviews on amazon I was very confused if the sliding table attachment was the best thing since sliced bread or a hunk of junk. I must have ordered it and cancelled it three times before I finally placed my order for good. Of course I wasn't home when it came. When I got home to see the condition of the box I was a little worried. The box is very heavy and it appeared that UPS wanted to teach it a lesson for being such a pain to move. Despite the shambles of the box all the parts inside were present and accounted for and in very good condtition.

The assembley process on my unisaw was not that difficult. The only issues are the fence rail has to be cut. Thanks go out to the guy who suggested the zawsaw to cut it off. I measured it carfully and marked it with pencil. It cut off fairly easily. I had to move the brackets which hold the rip fence down about 8 inches. There is also a saw dust "slide" inside the unisaw under the blade. The screws for this are on the outside of the saw and would have had to sit under the lower rail. I simple drilled two holes about 3/4 of an inch below the existing holes. I then took a piece of wood and pushed the slide down so that it lined up with the new holes and screwed it in. It took alot of pressure to push it down but it worked fine.

The slide does take a little time to align, but wood workers should be used to adusting their machines. I have never had any tool that didn't need to be adjusted and re-adjusted over time.

I have only used it a few times so far, but I think that this will be on of the best investment I made to my shop in quite awhile. I highly recommend it.

Finally, if you use your table saw and are used to constructing things you should have no problem installing this add on. If you can'tfigure out how to put the sliding table attachment on your table saw and get it adjusted, you probably shouldn't be using a table saw in the first place!!!!

I don't know what saw the other people who rated this used it on, but I put it on my Powermatic 64 & installation was simple & the instructions clear. I fortunately had holes in my base exactly where the lower tube rail needed to go, I just had to remove a small bolt. The lower bearing is eccentric for a reason: noting is perfect for all situations and it allows you to make adjustments to keep the sliding table level/parallel with the saw table. I needed bolts with a different thread than those provided to mount the top rail (my saw has NC threads the bolts provided are the same size, but NF thread). This is because I don't have a Delta saw. They are "button" type bolts w/small heads and a hex/allen head. Once I found these bolts, installation to no more than 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

I could not be happier. It works PERFECTLY, stays allaigned and I can crosscut a 6' x 24" piece with NO problems and the results are consistently perfectly square. It is also pretty good for dados, but I still use my homeade dado crosscut sled to cut dados. This is a great product that requires patience when installing. I tell everyone who sees my shop that it may be the best money I have spent in the shop and DEFINATELY is the best attachment/accessory I have ever purchased. It is a timesaver that adds a great degree of accuracy to my work.