Customer Reviews

Delta 36-843 D Edition-Inch 3 HP Unisaw with 50-Inch Biesemeyer Fence

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a cabinetmaker for 20 years and have purchased at least 5 different table saws. None stand up to daily use like a Unisaw. Each time I am in the market for a new saw I do alot of research to see what is availble and each time I foolishly came to the conclusion I could not justify the expense of a Unisaw. I own one of these models already and am purchasing another. If you are tring to decide between left or right tilt consider what you will be doing. If you need to cut alot of miters in melamine or other britle material consider the left tilt model. If you run different blade thicknesses or a dado head you will need to get a right tilt. The left tilt is safer to miter on. The right tilt will always keeps the fence accurate because the distance from the arbor shoulder to the fence remains the same.
These are all great, smooth running, last a liftime saws that are designed to run eight hours a day 7 days a week.

I've had other table saws in the past. During the past few years, I've been using a Ryobi BT3000. It's a great little saw and is very accurate. But I wanted a larger table, more rigidity, and more power.

A few years ago, I did a volunteer project for one of the state parks where I live. I had the opportunity to use their Delta for this project and was immediately impressed. It was an old saw but the cuts were clean and straight. The blade ripped through the wood with little effort.

I recently purchased the Delta 3 HP with the Beismeyer 50" fence. I had a very difficult time making this choice. I thought that the 50" fence was much more than I needed for my projects. But the 50 incher seemed like a better deal (especially since my local supplier had only that model in stock).

The table comes mostly assembled. The cabinet has is complete. All I had to do was to add the wings and the side table. The wood side table (covered with a nice formica) didn't seem to be perfectly flat, but after mounting it, I don't notice any problem.

The fence was easy to install and calibrate. The blade that comes with the saw is very nice. I screamed with joy when I made my first cut on a 2x4. A beautiful surface, absolutely no tear out, and it went through with very little effort. With my Ryobi, I had to push the stock with some effort. I always worry about putting too much force behind an object feeding into a spinning blade. If I get a kick back, I don't want "my" muscle presser to cause me to fall into it.

I've used the saw for several weeks now to build several items including some oak furniture. The saw cuts the hardwood very easily and leaves no burn marks. The fence is extremely accurate, very easy to attach and detach.

The 3 HP motor is plenty of power. I am very pleased with this machine and heartily recommend it. You won't every regret the purchase.

Michelle

Delta really thought about the entire package when they put this together. Not only do you get one great saw, but they include the mobile base, a great blade, the table board, and the zero clearance table insert. They have taken all of the guess work out of buying multiple items for a saw and wrapped it into one package. ...

It you're comtemplating over a smaller contractors saw for your shop or a cabinet saw, go with the cabinet saw if you have the room, you won't be disappointed. I was so close to buying a Delta contractors saw, I'm glad I laid out the additional funds and went with the cabinet saw.

The saw is heavy, you need one or two friends to get the saw off of the skid and onto the mobile base and a friend to help you align the cast iron extension wings. Other than that the saw can be put together by one person. It took me about 5 hours total, working over a couple of days to get it together. The saw cuts straight and true and needed very little initial alignment. The fence made by Besymeiser is the best, you can't go wrong with it. I've added the Delta outfeed table to it (see review), and would highly recommend adding some kind of outfeed table to the saw to make cutting long board that much more easier.

Overall I am very happy with the saw, it is the backbone of my shop.

I Would buy another Delta cabinet saw if I had to, but I believe I'll never have to replace this saw.

I recently purchased this saw and took my time assembling it... alone. Given the weight of the thing, I assembled it in the mobile base. I finished it and easily rolled it to it's new home, which was 1/2 inch off level (front-to-back of saw). While there are two holes for the wheels in the base to afford front-to-back leveling, the bolt is not accessible with the saw in the base. So I had to jack up and brace both ends of the saw to level it, cussing the engineers the whole time. What should have been an easy, safe, 5 minute job turned into a cumbersome, dangerous, 2 hour effort. The wheels on the front and back of the mobile base should be redesigned and placed on the left side to afford leveling while the saw is in the base. I also found the finish of the cast top inferior to that of a couple Jet tools I bought at the same time. The mill marks in the Delta saw make it hard to wax. I hope that I see these as minor inconveniences 10 years from now... we'll see.

I spent quite some time researching cabinet saws to upgrade my Delta Contractors saw that provided many years of good service. I finally settled on the Delta LE with the Biesemyer fence, rear extension and sliding table.

I assembled the saw myself which was no small feat but it can be done as long as you don't mind going back and sanding the metal table because you poured out so much sweat it stained it and started rust. The fit and finish on this machine is very good. Every thing lined up and went together well. None of the hardware was missing and the instructions were adequate insuring that it was assembled correctly.

I was a little disappointed with the grinding and finish on one of the extension wings. The mobile base also needs another look by the engineers. If the saw is moved to an unleveled surface it is difficult to stabilize especially the rear wheels, which can't be adjusted without taking the saw out of the base UGH!

The jury is still out on the fence system. I have owned two saws that came with the Delta Unifence and decided to give the Biesemeyer a look see. While the fence is accurate and was dead parallel to the blade right out of the box I'm not sure I like the gap formed between the table edge and the glide rail. It seems to always be full of something. The clean lines and connections of the Unifence never presented this problem.

All and all I am very pleased with this saw. With the rear out feed table and sliding table attachments, it makes awkward cuts a breeze. Cuts that used to bog down the contractor saw cut like butter on the Unisaw. I highly recommend the saw and these options for a small one-man shop such as mine.

I'm adding a comment on the sliding table which I didn't have assembled when I wrote the review. Don't bother with this unless you are prepared to cut 8 inches off your guide bar and 8+ inches off the front and back guide rails of the fence system as well as loosing your extension wing.

And the jury is still out on the fence system itself.

Three years ago, I upgraded my 8" 1943 Rockwell table saw with the 10" Craftsman top of the line contractor saw. I thought that was the cats' meow... until I setup my Unisaw. Quiet, no vibrations and enough power to rip 4/4 stock or 3/4" melamine pannels without slowing the motor down. Blades that I thought needed to be replaced on the contractor saw, work better on the Unisaw than they did brand new on the contractor saw. Cross cuts with a completely smooth edge. I know that this one will be with me for a long time.

I bought the Delta Table Saw (model 36-843) with Biesemeyer fence. Setup was a breeze with the owners manual and a little common sense. I've read all the reviews posted, and I have to agree with all of them. Some of the troubles people had I've encountered but was able to solve them on the spot. What really impressed me was the POWER. With a new sharp blade and its power cutting through hot butter does not describe it correctly, its like cutting through 2" of oak like if nothing was there.

I built my own design of an out feed table, and put a rout-er-lift, Speedmatic 3 1/2 HP 5 Speed, Incra Ultra-RT Router Fence on the right hand side. For dust collection I have a Portable Dust Collector mounted on the under side of my table where it collects saw dust from both the table saw and router. There was not enough vacuum for both to be open at the same time so I had to put blast gates on the saw and router.

this is a great tool. It may often be more than you actually need, but I can't imagine it ever being less than exceptional. If you have the room and the money, I would not hesitate to buy this saw.

You will want to consider where you will put it and how you will get it there. With the 50" fence it is very big, and your 220V needs to be located correctly so the cord can reach and you are not tripping on it. These are things I did not think clear through before the saw arrived and I should have. The other thing to think about is that it is extremely heavy, and it ships in effectively one piece. I needed a lot of help getting it into a basement shop, and after I got it there I decided I could never move. Assembly is simple, and everything is rock solid. After you have it in place, all that weight (and the associated power) is a wonderfull thing.

I am very happy with the fence, and have no complaints about the mobile base, though if the floor is not level, it does not have much clearance when you are moving the saw.

I upgraded from a Delta Contractor Saw to this Unisaw with the Biesemeyer fence..Of course they all come with a factory setting and I enjoyed to do the "fine-tuning" of my new toy...I tell you is reflects Quality and robustness for the price you pay.. Definitely a "winner" and I am a proud owner..By the way .. It also performs like a "champ" :-)

This is my first and last table saw! Easy to set up and cuts perfectly with little to no adjusting right out of the crate. The moble base is an excellent accessory that make it easy to roll to the side when not in use. You will not go wrong ordering this saw. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed. Excellent customer service from Delta. The only problem that I had was with the Biesemyer fence. Seems that Biesemyer had a bad production run on the rails that fit this saw. Called Biesemyer and they sent a new set of rails without delay. If you have problems with the holes not aligning up with the table saw, let Biesemyer know. Other than that, excellent buy!