Customer Reviews

DELTA TS350 10-Inch Left Tilt 1-Horsepower Contractor Saw with 27-Inch DELTA Fence and 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings,120-Volt 1-Phase

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Faced with the task of building a workshop from scratch, I compared various saws for hours. I couldn't justify spending the extra $$ to jump up to one of the delta contractor saws, and the TS350 seemed like a good compromise. It's a very solid machine. The instructions for putting it together are poor. There were a couple bolts and washers missing... very annoying when you're in the middle of putting it together. One last note -- if you're going to buy a dado set, get the 34-672 table insert. It took me an HOUR to find that info (Delta even has the wrong insert pictured in the manual)... it sure would be nice if AMAZON had a link to the correct insert from the TS350 page (hint, hint...)

The Delta TS350 is all about getting your money's worth. It is very well-machined, stable and durable. Although it is not a professional woodworker's tool, it is so well-made, it "feels" professional. It was an excellent purchase choice. For the money, it is all business and there is no doubt, it's a Delta.

This saw is very sturdy and substantial, weighing over two hundred pounds. The cast iron table accounts for most of this weight, but nearly everything else is made of steel, except for the handles. Both adjustment wheels and the rip fence lock handle are made of plastic. The wheels are a bit flimsy and do not provide a feeling of positive control. The plastic fence handle poses no problems.

The rip fence itself is made of rugged, heavy steel. It doesn't glide quite as effortlessly as Delta's big saws, but it is still smooth. Once the lock is set, it is rock solid -- as is the entire saw.

The motor takes a while to spool down and it is one of the compromises that will remove this saw from the world of the professional. For the sake of job-site speed and efficiency, a carpenter or cabinet-maker would need an electric brake. For the hobbyist or home handyman, the wait-to-stop time is not unreasonable.

All the metal work is top-notch. The mitering guide is very tight and well-machined. The steel base stand, combined with the heavy cast-iron table top provide excellent material control and extremely low vibration. This is a direct-drive saw, not belt-driven. But its heavy, solid, low-vibration design delivers amazing stability.

Assembly: the part count was perfect down to the last washer, but the directions were poorly written and failed to reflect an apparent improvement in the rear guide rail. The directions called for bolt and nut assembly but in fact, the rear of the table was drilled and threaded. It took a while to figure out why Delta didn't supply the nuts. Obviously, it was because the units no longer require them. The directions also fail to provide actual size illustrations to identify the various carriage bolts, hex bolts, flat washers, split washers and nuts. You will need to be able to identify and M8 from an M6 bolt, and measure both millimeters and fractions of inches with no help from Delta!

A niggling detail: the black paint around the edges of the table-top is not well-executed. Truly, it is not really needed. The factory-shipped protective wax/grease on the table top seems to degrade this black paint around the edges; it becomes quite soft and somewhat gooey. You may find it coming off and sticking to your hands before you even attempt to remove the factory table top coating.

Removing the factory-shipped wax/grease protective coating from the cast iron table top sections takes a little time and elbow grease. Acetone and a large pile of towel rags are very helpful. Be sure to remove the factory protective coating, then coat each exposed section with car wax before assembly. This will ensure that the wax will get down into the seams. Once the entire saw is assembled, shoot it one more time with Pledge and rub it out well. Your table top will be very smooth and wood will slide over it easily.

The insert plate has two thick rubber washers underneath that are crucial to proper adjustment. BE VERY CAREFUL not to lose these! Delta really should provide a bag of spares for this but they don't. All they do is warn you not to lose them. Not so great. You may want to order a couple packs of spares, or find some alternative rubber washers and keep them on hand.

In summary: Value, value, value. This saw looks and feels like it's big brothers in Delta's line. There are small faults, such as the plastic adjustment wheels and paint imperfections but the overall design is very professional. It's the kind of saw that could quite possibly last 3-4 generations in a family of home woodworkers.

I have a small shop and was looking for a really nice saw I can put on a mobile base to scoot next to the wall when not in use. Cabinet saws were too big with the motor hanging off the back and I was not impressed with any of the portable saws - too much plastic, too much noise/vibration, poor fences and the tables were all too small. Tried out a craftsman portable. What an absolute piece of junk! Then a dewalt portable which was a good saw with a good fence, but it was noisy and the table was way too small.

I took a gamble buying this saw as no retailers carry it in my area. It is a new model from Delta and seemed to have all the attributes I was looking for. I was right!! Could not be happier. Very solid saw. Cast iron top is great with plenty of room. The blade is set back so you can miter cut big pieces. Fence looks cheap but does an outstanding job. Very smooth operation and it's as quiet as my fathers unisaw. Best of all - it will fit up against the wall and out of the way when not in use. My only beef is there is no brake on the motor. Takes about 30 seconds to stop. So....If you want a precision saw and don't have alot of room - this is the saw for you.

Not only did i get the ts350 $60 cheaper than the ts300, it was delivered right to my garage door. I am extremely happy I read the reviews posted on the ts350 as well as the ts300 they were instrumental in my decisionmaking process.

The machine arrived at 1PM and I had it put together by 2. The directions were easy to understand and all the parts were included. One suggestion to assemblers: flip over the rubber spacers below the blade cover plate to facilitate proper flushness to tabletop, a small dot of superglue applied to the spacers will also keep them from falling into saw guts during blade changes. Cosmetically, i would have thought they could get the front and rear chamfer of the extensions to match that of the tabletop. WD40 disolves the antirust wax on the bare metal tabletop. For a lifetime of rustfree use apply plain old turtle wax now and then, it's worked on my other saw for 20 years.

I spent countless hours researching which table saw to buy to start up my home work shop and the same piece of advice kept coming up. "Buy the best saw you can afford". Since the table saw is the work horse in any shop it made sence. I decided to spend around $400 on a saw and had picked out the Jet JTS-10JF. I stop in at a Lowe's to look at one in person and the Delta was right next to it. everything about the saw seemed better, fit and finish, the ability to read the fence markings easily and it has a full cast iron top including the wings! Did I mention after the rebates and free shipping the Saw only cost me $270! Only thing I would change after having used it fo ra while is I would put a break on the blade. It takes a little extra time to make adjustments because you have to wait for the blade to stop spinning. Otherwise I love it. I'll look at delta first for every tool I buy from here on out.

I've had this saw for about a week now and I really like it. This isn't my first Table Saw, and I used to use them professionally every day. If you know that you need a large table, this saw isn't for you. If you don't have the space for a full size saw, this is the way to go. Very solid, nice and heavy, and so very, very quiet. I bought a bench top saw once thinking that it would be good on site - hated that thing with a firey red passion (wretched cuts, miniscule table, loud enough to make your ears bleed). If you're afraid that this machine is just a larger version of that, don't worry, it's not. I almost said 4 stars because I don't really like the stock insert, or the way that it attaches (rubber washers let it sit uneven), but it's not a huge problem. If this is your price range, I'd highly recommend this saw. Amazon got the order out exactly when they said they would, no problems with the shipping or the condition of the item when I recieved it. Thanks Amazon!

I too picked up one of these at a local home center. I have an older Delta Unisaw and have wanted a secound table saw for some time and just happened into the store and saw this one on sale at such a good price I could not pass it up. I have been using it for three weeks now and am very happy with it. I would recomend it to any one needing a first saw or any one just wanting to get started in woodworking!

Dwayne

March 2006. I have a small shop and needed to replace a small Craftsman table saw. I wanted a cast iron top for the stability. After looking at many saws and many different prices, I came across the TS350 at Lowes for $399,99. I compared this to Amazon and discovered I could get it for #268.99 with the discounts being offered plus no shippoing and no tax. Lowes refused to match the price although they had a big sign saying that they would. I was pleased to be able to get a smaller table top. My needs were for making small items and I dont plan to be in a commercial business of ripping large pieces of wood. I did read the complaints about the small table top and wondered why anyone who wanted a large top would buy a smaller saw and then complain ablut it. I read the directions through before assembly and had no problems with the assembly. I was up and running in a very short time. Read the directions and look at the pictures and you should have no problems. If you cant assemble this saw from the instructions, you probably shouldnt be allowed to play with tools. My only complaint is that it is pretty heavy and I got some help to set it upright when I was through with assembling the base and putting on the dust collector, but thats a good thing I think. Very stable and a solid table saw for a small shop. I was prepared to pay as much as 4 times the price I paid for this unit and am very pleased at getting a quality and very stable saw with a cast iron top and a smaller footprint in my smaller shop. It is a direct drive and not a pully drive so I dont know how that will effect me in the long run but there is nothing sticking out the back to bump into so I am glad about that so far.

March 2007. I wrote the original review in March of 2006 and so have had this saw for a year. I can agree with some others that there should be some sort of way to stop the blade when the saw is turned off. It is extremely quiet and the blade continues to spin for quite a while. I guess on a belt drive there is much drag and on the direct drive there is little. I have had no problems with the power or the adjustments. I do fumble around looking for the Off On switch. I know its there somewhere. I even took a magic marker and marked the table top where to find it but the mark soon rubbed off of the table top... If I could only make two recommendations, it would be to put a blade brake on the saw and put the power switch in an easier to spot to see or find, or to mark the top in some way as to let you know where to find it. I know its there but still find that I back up a step and look to find it. The plastic handles work fine but I dont like them. When I come across a set of metal ones I will replace the flimsy feeling adjustment handles. With that said, I still would buy it again. It has performed well.

My TS350 arrived Wednesday, 27 days after I ordered it. It took two of us about 7 hours to assemble the saw. Of course it was missing some machine screws, lock washers, and nuts so a trip to HomeDepot was included in that time. Also bought and assembled at the same time the Universal Mobile Base Kit. On the whole, I judge it superior to the saw.

Specific issues with the saw:

The table insert is NOT a standard Delta. The standard is a 3-3/4" x 13-5/16 oval. The TS350's measures 3-3/4" x 12-1/2". Thus I had to give 3 Zero Clearance inserts to my friend with the Unisaw, and have to come up with a way to make my own, which won't be easy. There is a lip only 1/8" below table level all the way around the oval, so only 1/8" max stock can be used. I've ordered so UHMW, I hope that is strong enough. Next, the insert is held down with two 3/8" headed phillips screws, which need to be countersunk. Delta provides two rubber washers to go under the insert but no way to retain them, so I know I'm going to lose those to the dust vacuum at some point. Might as well order some now.

Second issue with the saw is that the fence, being a T-square design, is not great. When locked, there's anout 1/2" play at the rear.

The splitter/blade guard is horrible. It takes 3 hands to align it properly, then during the first cut is goes out of alignment, binding the stock. I wanted to use it, but I'm afraid it will cause an injury if I'm working alone.

The last may be a nitpick, but, it takes 39 seconds after turning off the moter for my Freud Thin-kerf blade to come to a complete stop. Seems like forever when you're waiting to make an adjustment.

I shopped long and hard for a good quality and affordable table saw. I have used Delta Unisaws almost exclusively, but just could not justify the expense. While I don't consider buying the TS350 a mistake, it does seem to be the best saw under $1000, I do suggest buyers be hesitant.

I have been using this saw for about eight weeks now. It has a very nice cast iron table with cast iron extension wings. It is very solid, yet not too heavy. The blade adjustment wheels are made with a cheap plastic. The motor is quiet, and vibration is minimal, and is somewhat under powered. Yet it still makes it through 1" cherry without any trouble.

If space is a premium in your workshop, this is a great saw. It is like a mini version of a contractor saw. If you have room, I would suggest spending the extra money to get a 30" deep table.