Customer Reviews

Leecraft DL-1U Zero Clearance Table Saw Insert for Delta Table Saw

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

By using the Leecraft Zero Clearance Insert, I have virtually eliminated edge splintering when cross-cutting all types of wood including plywood, oak and others. They work great when making dado's as well. These inserts can be installed on your table saw within minutes and you are ready to cut.

You might wonder why people just don't make their own from wood until you use these. They are nice heavy duty inserts are easy to level with grub screws and are solid heavy plastic laminate with a low friction surface. These are much better than the standard metal inserts that come with the Unisaw and better than and less hassle than you can make yourself. I have several for regular blades and dado cutters.

I have two of these, one for zero clearance of my Forrest WW II blade, the other for my stacked dado set. It takes just a couple of minutes to adjust the screws to get a perfect fit. Then it's a simple matter of clamping a scrap 2X4 or something onto the top of your table saw, covering the insert, and run the blade up through the insert to your desired height. On my zero clearance insert for the Forrest I went up as high as the saw would go, on the dado insert I went up a full two inches. It was easy to drill out the insert to allow for my splitter.
These inserts make it safer and cleaner when operating your saw. Being that mine are bright yellow, they also act as a reminder to me when I'm entering the DANGER ZONE.... You won't regret getting one, or more, of these for your shop.

Adding a zero cleareance substantially increased the quality of my cuts. I was cross-cutting plywood with my old Delta blade. The tear-out was surprisingly bad considering that the blade was sharpened recently. I dropped this insert in place and the tear-out was nearly gone. In other words, this thing really works.

I love tools that work. Couple of other notes: The set screws work really well but they are really tight. I had to use my cordless drill to adjust them. Second, the bright yellow color is nice because it is a stark reminder of the danger zone.

By the way, if you experience a lot of noise, the directions state that it is probably the blade rubbing on the insert. The solution is to widen the kerf slighty with a bit of sandpaper. I haven't experienced any noise.

This is a well-made product, and if you typically use the same size (and kerf) blades in your table saw most of the time, it's probably worth picking one of these up. I've been using mine for about three years, and have been pleased with its durability and stability. I have made a bunch of shop-made inserts myself (1/2 inch Baltic birch with self-tapping machine screws to adjust the height). I used the original insert from the saw as a template, rough cut the plywood a band saw, and used double-stick tape to attach the original and the wood insert together. A flush trim bit on the router makes quick work of finishing.

I was going to buy an insert from Delta for my left-tilt unisaw for my dado stack. Then I got the idea to make one with this insert. It took a few minutes to plow through the material and to ajust the set screws but now it works perfectly and saved me [...]!

I bought two of these for my Unisaw. I've seen guys fiddle around and make their own inserts, but I don't want to waste my shop time (limited) making saw parts, so I plopped down the cash for these boys, and I'm really glad I did. I made one into a zero-clearance insert, which has greatly decreased the already unlikely probability that my Forrest Woodworker II blade is going to produce tearout on the back side of whatever I'm cutting. I made the other one into a dado insert, which is also zero-clearance for 3/4" dadoes... It makes your dadoes clean and crisp on the edges. Plus, if you cut a narrower dado, you can use the same insert, it'll just have a little clearance.

Overall, I'd recommend these LeeCraft inserts -- get a couple of them and you won't be sorry!

Be safe!

At first glance this insert seems well made but it becomes apparent very quickly that Leecraft never tested it on a Delta saw. There are two problems. The first is minor, the screws are not long enough. Their heads hit the top of the countersink, stopping their downward travel, before the top of the insert is flush with the top of the tablesaw. This can be fixed with 1/16" longer screws or by drilling the countersunk holes a little deeper.

The second problem takes a little more effort to correct. The back adjustment screws are in the same position as they are on the Delta insert. No problems there. The two front screws however have been moved back about 1/2" from where they are on the Delta insert. This shouldn't be a problem because the ledges below the insert are long enough. It becomes a problem though because the adjustment screw on the front left is directly over what was the lock-down hole (the fifth hole) on the Delta insert. Because the Leecraft insert uses adjustment screws that are the same diameter and thread pitch as the drilled and tapped lock-down hole below it the adjustment screw has nothing to push against to move the insert upward, and in fact, it will thread itself into the lock-down hole with no height adjustment possible. The Peachtree insert has the same adjustment hole positions as the problematic Leecraft but because they use larger diameter 1/4-20 screws the screw doesn't thread itself into the lock-down hole. Leecraft should have either left the adjustment screws where Delta placed them or used larger diameter screws. If they had done any testing they would have found this problem themselves.

I bought one to try it; I will be buying more. All I had to do was adjust the screws for a tight fit. Some have criticized the noise level; remember that blades designed for exceptionally smooth cuts will contribute to the noise level because of their inherent design characteristics. If this is a problem for you, cut the initial slot using a blade with a strong alternating angle on the teeth and a wide kerf.

When installing, you might have to increase the relief on the bottom; my blade was all the way down and made contact after only 1/4 turn but I didn't have to increase the relief.

Personally, I'm going to buy at least 2 more; one for 45 degree angles and one for my dado blade. Exceptional quality and price.

For the money, this thing saves time and effort. Plus, the slicker surface than I normally get out of 420 sanded hardwood makes stock slide easier. Lastly, it isn't affected by expansion and contraction, so it always fits. It works better than my best one I've ever made by hand, which was pretty darned nice.
You'll need a smaller blade to get through it the first time, I used my dado blade (8") to make the cut into the insert, then switched back to the 10" blade to finalize the cut. The insert is too thick to fit in the hole with the 10" blade retracted completely.