Customer Reviews

DELTA 36-507X X5 Contractors Saw with Biesemeyer

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I did a lot of price and feature comparison before purchasing the Delta 36-507X X5 table saw. This is the first table saw I have owned and I truly believe I made a good purchase. I initially spoke to my uncle, an avid woodworker and Jet saw owner. He recommended the Jet or Delta lines to me. Price and feature comparison was the reason I decided on the Delta, as well as the 5 year warranty.

The saw was received in excellent condition, the Biesemeyer Fence had some paint wore off the guide tube but it was minimal in size and fortunately in a location that is not obvious once installed. The assembly directions for both the saw and the Biesemeyer Fence were pretty straight forward and in a logical order. Assembly and adjustment took about 4 hours and that was with no helper, and at an unhurried pace.

The saw has plenty of power wired for 115 volts, I cut one and a half inch stock walnut and it did not bog down and audibly the saw barely changed in pitch. I was very impressed with the ease of adjustment of the fence with respect to squaring it up to the table. Overall I am extremely pleased with the saw/fence combination and am sure it will meet all my needs for the projects I intend on making.

I have also ordered from a local lumberyard a 50-317 mobil base and extension. The 50-317 is a combination of the 50-277 saw base and the 50-284 extension base.

Overall, for the price, ease of assembly and adjustment, and most importantly performance I would highly recommend this saw to the semi-serious to serious woodworker.

I assembled this saw by myself - even mounting the cast iron extension wing - and had no problems. Takes some time to put it together but you really get to know how a table saw works. I found that the saw table was flat front to back, side to side and diagonally (within 0.005" - the thinnest feeler guage I have) measured with a feeler guage set and 24" precision straight edge. Both the cast iron extension wing and the extension table were easy to align and planarize with the main table. Once again flat within the limit of my measurement. I suspect the surface was nearly perfectly flat as I could see no light under the edge of the straight edge. The blade was parallel with the miter slot out of the box. The Biesemeyer fence was parallel with the miter slot out of the box. The only adjustment I had to make was setting the 45 and 90 degree stops which was quite easy. The extension table requires that you drill holes in the wooden support and it does take some time to get the saw table and extension table planar and flat which needs to be done before you drill holes in the support. Fit and finish were excellent - no marred paint or other blemishes on any component. Rewired the motor for 230V using the wiring diagram provided on the motor plate. Cuts like a hot knife in butter using the provided blade. Excellent saw for the serious hobbyist.

I bought this saw through Amazon and was very pleased with the buying experience
- Saw was shipped via ABF and could be tracked via a tracking number
- Arrived on the anticipated date, everything in excellent condition
- The driver even dropped the boxes in the garage for my wife
- Promotional discount and free shipping brought this saw close to the next tier lower Delta saws

I've been a weekend saw dust creator for about 10 years. This saw replaced a Ryobi BT3000 that has served well for what it is, but it was time to trade up.

In my research on saws I came to the following conclusion: what distinguishes top end contractor saws is primarily the fence system and second the trueness of the table. I bought this saw because I wanted a Biesemeyer fence and a saw that was made in the USA (the motor is made in Mexico).

And that is exactly what I got. The saw is very heavy. It was dead-on true right out of the box. I installed the splitter and blade guard, both have worked flawlessly in a variety of crosscut and ripping tasks. I've always worked without either, but after a coworker lost a finger a few months back, I wanted a saw that came equipped with a serviceable safety system.

But realize this saw is essentially the 36-444 with upgraded knobs and wheels. The instruction manual is for the 36-441.

I am less than pleased with the quality of the Bies fence. The quality of build of the extension table was poor and I'm concerned it is spreading the side rails. The assembly instructions call for a z-bracket that was not shipped with the table extension. After a call to Delta, they informed me this step is no longer required and the hardware not included. Why not include a slip of paper with the assembly instructions notifying of this change? This cost me a weekend of time. Second, one of the screw holes that attach the fence guide did not line up with the corresponding hole in the front rail. Finally, the fence is very stiff and hard to move from side to side (see the comment above about the extension table). I have had no luck with Biesemeyer service to solve this problem.

I suppose I got what I paid for - the saw cuts cleanly, accurately, is safe and stable. It just doesn't have any Wow! factor to justify the X5 marketing and price. Too many little hassles and imperfections to make this a really great saw commensurate with its marketing.

I have owned this saw for about 1 1/2 years and I have found it is powerful enough to cut through everything I have put in front of it. The Biesmeyer fence is rock solid. My only complaint is a huge one for me and that is the dust collection inadequacies of this saw. I worked in my home's basement for 1 year and this saw made that arrangement impossible. Short of building a dust collection stand under the saw (Wood Magazine Oct. 2003) there is no way to collect the saw dust. I have moved to the garage and continue to use this saw. I am really sorry I did not forsee the dust problem and pay the $$$$$ for a cabinet saw. The fence is great, but I expect more for the money.

I've been thinking about purchasing a delta table saw (among other tools) from you for a while. The table saw that I have been looking at is the Delta 36-507X with the Biesmier fence system.

Particularly for this saw, every time I look at it (basically on a weekly basis), the price is different. And there's no rhyme or reason to it. One week it's $869. The next it's $849. Now its $999. Sometimes there's shipping, sometimes there isn't. Sometimes the shipping is $45, this week its $199! Sometimes there's an Amazon discount, sometimes there isn't.

Why have you suddenly started jerking your customers around so much??? And why do you think that this behavior will keep customers coming back on a repeated basis?

You've turned buying consumer goods into something as erratic and stressful as venturing into the stock market. A total price on a table saw that in two months time has varied weekly and by as much as 40%? Give me a break.

I used to come to Amazon because I could get the convenience of a wide variety of items in one location at a competitive price. I'm realizing, and I hope you realize that the competitive price is really the more important factor -- and you are losing my confidence in that.

What is the real price? What is a fair price? Make me an offer and I may go for it. Else, I am just going somewhere else.

I'm pretty fed up. And I'm tired of being jerked around.

Thanks,

Mike

I purchased the saw for home use to replace another brand that I contributed to a Habitat for Humanity garage sale. The saw is very good and the B meyer fence is excellent. After I added some side flashing and a catch box the saw dust is not a problem. My main problem was the support that I didn't receive from Delta. I was to receive a mobile base for the saw and extention table. After 4 months, twelve phone calls, and ten e-mails I still don't have all the parts. I can not get anyone a Delta to return a call and when I do contact them I am told tha tthey will make it right, but to date it ain't right. My suggestion to anyone who wants to take them up on any offer, take cash and buy the accessory yourself.

This is my first table saw purchase for my home workshop and I couldn't be happier. Everything arrived in great shape. Took about 4 hours to get setup and aligned. Plenty of power, cuts like a dream. No complaints at all.

I have owned this saw for two years and really love it. I do have the dust problems that others have noted but I would assume the same would be true for other contractor's saws. I've just been putting off building an enclosure to collect the dust.

I am very happy with the Biesemeyer fence although I do wish the extension table were easier to attach and adjust the line up to the saw table. The assembly instructions referred to a z-bracket to help with this but Biesemeyer said it was not longer needed when I contacted them. Overall - Great saw!

I was just in our local ACME electric store yesterday and they had one of these American made Contractor's table saws on the showroom floor. It was really refreshing to see a Contractor's table saw that has a made in America sticker on it. I think that Delta would bring back it's reputation and sell more saws if they kept makeing the saws here. As far as the one complaint here about the the lack of a dust port on this saw, I have the answer, and built a very efficient dust hood like no other for underneith that will fit this saw.