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#1 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
 

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#2 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
That is a very moving and unfortunately familiar story. Your extra gift was incredibly generous.

We all like to find bargains on craigslist, but the backstory is that they oftentimes come at the expense of someones misfortunes. I was very lucky to purchase a jointer planer, dust collector, and bandsaw, on craigslist. They were purchased from a widow who's husband never got to use the machine, a woodworker going out of business, and a person who had been out of work for more than a year. Depressing to gain from someone else's loss.

Hoping for better times.

David
 

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#3 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Nice story!
 

Attachments

#4 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Happy day for some, and sad day for some also. I can imagine how Cowboy felt. We will all be there some day. When we are just not able to do things. It will be a sad sad day for all of us. Congrats on this nice hunk-a-hunk-a machinery. Make Cowboy proud. A bit o tlc, and she'll be like new
 

Attachments

#5 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
That Is a HUGE motor!
 

Attachments

#6 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Good on you!!
 

Attachments

#7 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
You made my day with your generosity.
Sleep well my friend.
 

Attachments

#8 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
You might be interested in this series of videos....
 

Attachments

#9 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
FYI that is not a factory motor. It is also a right tilt be sure the motor will clear the cabinet. You might consider looking for a smaller motor to place less stress on the internals. They are not designed for the weight
 

Attachments

#10 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
You just renewed my faith in humankind. I think I am gonna sleep extra well tonight thinking about that story!
 

Attachments

#11 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Great story, great gesture, and a great saw! Its very refreshing to hear of someone not forgetting their "neighbors" in these tough times.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
@djwong (David) - so true and I see it all too often in our city - we were on the top ten list of foreclosures for about 8 months along with a neighboring city. So much sadness because of the losses these folks suffered. I acknowledge that many of these folks leveraged themselves into the mess, but the banks were complicit in their dealings with sheister appraisers, inflating the prices of normal, ron-of-the-mill houses.

@Roger (in Kentucky) - I intend to send pictures of it to the lady, Joanne, once I am done. Yesterday, I took a lot of it apart to inspect and clean it up. Today I am tidying it up inside, checking bearings and hopefully putting it back together. Roger - part of my family originates from Kentucky - still doing the research, but grandma was from small town across the river from Cincinnati/Hamilton, OH area. South of Covington, KY

@Alexandre - yes, it is big, and not original - it should have had one of the "bullet" motors, but this one is a 2HP 230v motor, single phase Dayton Farm Duty motor. The specs for the motor can be seen HERE

@SirFatty - t hanks for the videos! They are well done and I stumbled upon them months ago when I began my quest for a Unisaw. Well done videos… MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

@jim c & exelectrician & chrisstef - I have had so many people do nice things for my family when we were down (I blew out my back, was on disability and got laid off while recuperating!!!) - I know the mental anguish people go through and I try, whenever possible, to help others in despair.

@MedicKen - I may do that - the original bullet motors are 84 pounds, this one is "only" 66 pounds, but it is BIG - have not checked clearances, so that along may make me seek out a smaller, lighter motor. Good idea and recommendation. Thanks!!

Thanks to everyone for the comments, support, links and ideas - I truly appreciate it.

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Mr. Measure Twice
 

Attachments

#13 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Great score and a good story to go with it. The fact that you went back and gave 'cowboy' a bonus says a lot about the kind of person you are. That restores my faith in humanity somewhat.
 

Attachments

#14 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Cheers to all and sounds like it is a solid purchase, with a reason to keep in mind where it came from
 

Attachments

#15 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
@gfadvm - thank you for the kind words. I firmly believe in helping those who are really in a pickle.

@NormG - yes, solid indeed - one hefty machine!
 

Attachments

#16 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
Jim, that was a tremendous gesture on your part. As you said, $500 is still a steal for a running saw of that quality. Hopefully I can come across a deal like that someday. I look forward to seeing it completed.

Sean
 

Attachments

#17 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
@sb194 - thank you! It was pure luck - who lists things on Craig's List on a Monday? Go figure…
 

Attachments

#18 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
very few people seem to have kept the sheet metal motor cover, which is probably the most costly part of a restoration, getting that sheet metal bent up, or replacing bearings.

good luck on your restoration!
 

Attachments

#19 ·
The deal of a lifetime... my first Unisaw (maybe my one and only!)

Fellow Lumberjocks,
I submit to you the story of my Unisaw (so far…).

On June 26th, a Unisaw popped up on Craigs List with a price of $300 - I hesitantly clicked expecting one of two things to happen. Either the posting would have been deleted already because I did not see it within 37 seconds of it being listed and sold, OR, it would actually be a heap of PARTS for a Unisaw. But, I clicked anyway… Lo and behold, it was still listed, and NOT a pile of parts! Immediately clicking on the email link I sent a brief email stating the following: "Hi - I want the saw. Will be there in 45 minutes, cash in hand, just need help loading. Can you do that? - Thanks, Jim"

Within 8 minutes, I got a reply. Reluctantly I opened the email and found that the saw was still available, they were there ready to help me load and they would even let me see it run before we loaded it!! HOLY SAWDUST! I finally hit the mother lode of table saws for a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $300.

I ran out to the van, ripped out the seats leaving them in disarray in the driveway and I hauled BUTT to the location only 31 miles away…

42 minutes later, I am rounding the last few corners into a nice, upscale neighborhood near the waters of San Francisco Bay around 7PM. Left, right, right and a left into a cul-de-sac and I coast along looking for the house number… 1542 - there it is in the court, and my sawdust radar locked onto the saw - the top glistening in the evening sunshine and a small crew of 3 men and one woman are milling about smartly, apparently picking up for a garage sale.

Van parked, cash in left front pocket, I walk up and introduce myself to the woman, Joanne, and she smiles as I shake her hand. the men range in age from about 60 down to 30'ish. The 60 year old is clearly the one who owns the saw, but they all inhabit the one home, along with 3 children in the garage playing among themselves, unaware I have arrived - they don't care about Unisaws. I named him COWBOY (he has a BIG tattoo on his forearm that says COWBOY - looks as if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but the S was left out, maybe, because his arm was too short… I dunno…)

COWBOY old pulls out a long, thick extension cord with an L6-20 connector, plugs in the saw and flips the switch without saying a word. It spins up and hums along smooth and clear. He grins and unplugs the saw, it winds down and eventually stops. "So, whatayathink buddy?" I said "I think I owe you $300!"
Joanne shuffles over and in-between us, facing me with her hand out waiting for the cash. I shoot a glance to COWBOY - COWBOY smiles and nods, so I hand the stack of 20's over to Joanne.

COWBOY and the two fellas flip the saw over, and move it into the rear door of my Chrysler mini van - it fits fine and now slid deep into the van, I slam the rear door shut. COWBOY hands me the door and one insert plate for the saw and looks sad. He laments for a moment "I've had that saw for 22 years now - it's been perfect and I've built three houses and countless cabinets with it. Take good care of her, OK?" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and tell him that his saw will be well cared for and used lovingly in the production of much sawdust, and hopefully some nice projects too.

COWBOY tilts his head, let's go of my hand and says a hearty THANK YOU to me. Joanne has gone inside, most likely to add the money to the coffer of the garage sale. The 30'ish looking guy walked with me and said that COWBOY was his dad and they were losing the house since all of them were out of work and can't make the payments. I told him I was sorry about that awful situation and that I wished them better times soon. He said so long as I got into my van.

They stood in the driveway and watched as I pulled away with COWBOY's beloved saw. Inside I cheered a big HOORAY for finding such a great deal, but I also felt bad for COWBOY and family that they had to sell the saw in desperation. It bothered me a little too much and I turned around, pulled back into the driveway and hollered for COWBOY. He turned around and I asked him to come over to the van. When he got to the window he asked me "Didyafirget sumthin'?" I said no, but I wanted to give him some extra money to help them out. Handing him another $200 in 20's, I told him that I hoped it would help a bit and I really would take good care of the saw. He just smiled a sad smile and patted me on my arm.

Backing out, he turned away, head hung low and walked into the house like a defeated Rocky, only $200 richer. It was not much, but we came VERY close to being in that same situation, so I understand their plight and felt like I needed to do something.

Besides, $500 for a Unisaw in running condition is still a very good deal.

Did I mention the Biesmeyer fence? Oh, well, it has one attached to it as well.

Wood Hardwood Wheel Flooring Table


Wood Gas Engineering Machine Electrical wiring


THe saw is serial number 115-3861, and, according to the Vintage Machinery Delta serial number wiki page web site, it was manufactured in 1955
1955 serial numbers: 113-9614-116-5949

So, COWBOY had it for 22 years, but I wonder who had it from 1955 to 1990?

In sawdust,
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
@rasp - yes, that cover… UGH! Original ones are few and far between, and when found, usually expensive. There is a guy in Hayward, CA that makes a replica, to spec, but out of thick vacuum formed plastic for a reasonable price of $89.00 - he makes the newer square one as well as the "egg" one, either are $89.00

As opposed to the one I just saw on ebay for $399.00 - original, of course, but I am not hellbent on getting all original stuff. My motor is not original either. I am more interested in cutting wood at this point. :)
 

Attachments

#20 ·
Tearing it down, inspection, cleaning, and a clearance issue...

Fellow LumberJocks,
I submit to you, the second installment of the Unisaw Experience…

Day two plan:
  1. remove the table
  2. clean the interior of the saw
  3. inspect trunion ways
  4. clean ways of any crud/corrosion
  5. check motor clearance…

Table removal was uneventful, but required assistance from my 20 year old son to put it aside once the bolts were removed. When removing the bolts, I noticed one was longer than the other three. Not sure if that is normal, or ?? Maybe someone here knows the answer to that one.

CHECK - table removal complete

Next was to clean the interior of the saw - there was a LOT of caked on sawdust, and some indications that there may have been some overlubrication due to the drip marks and caked on, oily sawdust. I vacuumed all of the loose stuff I could reach with my shop vacuum and it looked pretty decent. No surprises were revealed, so I then took a brush and began to knock off the more difficult sawdust and the caked, oily deposits as well as vacuuming the bottom of the box (the floor of the cabinet), and as deeply into the trunion and yoke assembly and the gears and mechanisms as possible.

This brought light a Unisaw interior that looked pretty decent. Minor rust as expected, no major pitting or holes or other bad stuff. A little more brushing and vacuuming, and even some blowing, got rid of nearly all the undesirable material inside.

CHECK - interior cleaned

A careful look at the ways indicated they were in need of some WD-40 and a brass wire brush to remove some light rust. Squirt-squirt, brush, brush, wipe, wipe and the front way looked pretty decent. One more round of SSBBWW and it looked very nice, and on to the back way we went…

SSBBWW x 2 on the rear way and it too looked like a nicely prepared portion of the assembly.

CHECK - ways cleaned and remediated

As mentioned by MedicKen in the comments of the first blog entry on the Unisaw Experience, clearance with the non-stock motor may be an issue, and, IT IS AN ISSUE!. Currently, the tilt only goes to 20.5 degrees, and then the motor hits the cabinet. It can be forced past that, but I am not fond of forcing things that are not designed to be forced. So, now it is decision time. I can either go out and find an alternate motor, which I cannot afford, or, I can make a small notch in the cabinet so the motor can clear without forcing it past.

CHECK - check motor clearance (fail)

As with many other projects I have endeavored, this one too has its snags, albeit a small one overall. I am seriously considering the notch since I intend to keep this saw until I die, and, it is not original anyway without the bullet motor, so it's already not a pristine and perfect example of the Unisaw. Lastly, I fully plan to use this saw and it needs to operate correctly without busting what little budget I have set aside to finish this project up and start cutting wood. So, after a bit more fiddling around, I realized all I have to do is raise the blade about an inch, tilt it while the blade is up and it clears the housing. WHEW! I really didn't want to cut the cabinet.

Also, the pulley on the arbor shaft has the triple pulley, but the motor only has a double. The two belts are not installed correctly, with one of the not in alignment with the triple pulley, so I will need to move that belt over one spot to align it correctly. Since I will be keeping this motor, I need to make it work correctly, with good clearance and properly aligned belts too.

Another thing I noticed on the cabinet wings that the table bolts to, is that the right front wing and left rear wing both appear bent. The left rear is bent slightly up, and the right front looks bent down, very noticeably. My gut says it may have suffered some sort of impact since it was built in 1955 - since I am owner number X, and COWBOY was owner number X-1, who knows how many previous owners may have had this saw. I am not going to sweat it too terribly much as the saw is in overall very good condition and I expect it to be a great saw for decades of producing sawdust.

If anyone has seen similar bending of these wings on a Unisaw, and they know HOW it happened, I would be interested in learning more, but it does not look to be a "deal-breaker so far.

Here's a little bit of the process documented with my fancy little phone camera…

Bolts removed…
Table Wood Bumper Electronic instrument Gas


Table removed - lots of packed sawdust, lots of loose stuff too…
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper Cuisine


Clearance issue…
Automotive tire Alloy wheel Motor vehicle Rim Gas


20.5 degrees of clearance - won't make it to 45 without forcing it…
Wood Automotive tire Road surface Automotive wheel system Metal


Injury on the job - should have removed saw blade…
Gesture Finger Wood Thumb Nail


A clean saw is a happy saw!!
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Gas Machine Auto part


Front way - some rust…
Wood Automotive tire Bumper Gas Machine tool


Rear way - some more rust…
Wood Gas Beige Tints and shades Automotive exterior


Right front wing - bent… not sure how or why… been there a long time based on rust where pain has cracked away.
Wood Machine Metal Machine tool Auto part


Left rear wing is slightly separated from the cabinet… but not bent itself…
Wood Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Gas


Clean ways - front is much nicer and the things glides perfectly now…
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive design Bumper Automotive exterior


Clean ways - rear one looks very nice as well…
Wood Gas Chair Bumper Automotive exterior


Next steps:
  1. put table top back onto cabinet
  2. install new Freud blade
  3. align miter slots to blade and tighten down table
  4. check tilt gauge and ensure accuracy - adjust as needed
  5. adjust cast iron wings (right now they are out of whack)
  6. clean table top
  7. find a miter gauge for a Unisaw ($$$)
  8. make a crosscut sled for the saw
  9. CUT WOOD!!!

Next installment should be mid-week - so long…
 

Attachments

#21 ·
Tearing it down, inspection, cleaning, and a clearance issue...

Fellow LumberJocks,
I submit to you, the second installment of the Unisaw Experience…

Day two plan:
  1. remove the table
  2. clean the interior of the saw
  3. inspect trunion ways
  4. clean ways of any crud/corrosion
  5. check motor clearance…

Table removal was uneventful, but required assistance from my 20 year old son to put it aside once the bolts were removed. When removing the bolts, I noticed one was longer than the other three. Not sure if that is normal, or ?? Maybe someone here knows the answer to that one.

CHECK - table removal complete

Next was to clean the interior of the saw - there was a LOT of caked on sawdust, and some indications that there may have been some overlubrication due to the drip marks and caked on, oily sawdust. I vacuumed all of the loose stuff I could reach with my shop vacuum and it looked pretty decent. No surprises were revealed, so I then took a brush and began to knock off the more difficult sawdust and the caked, oily deposits as well as vacuuming the bottom of the box (the floor of the cabinet), and as deeply into the trunion and yoke assembly and the gears and mechanisms as possible.

This brought light a Unisaw interior that looked pretty decent. Minor rust as expected, no major pitting or holes or other bad stuff. A little more brushing and vacuuming, and even some blowing, got rid of nearly all the undesirable material inside.

CHECK - interior cleaned

A careful look at the ways indicated they were in need of some WD-40 and a brass wire brush to remove some light rust. Squirt-squirt, brush, brush, wipe, wipe and the front way looked pretty decent. One more round of SSBBWW and it looked very nice, and on to the back way we went…

SSBBWW x 2 on the rear way and it too looked like a nicely prepared portion of the assembly.

CHECK - ways cleaned and remediated

As mentioned by MedicKen in the comments of the first blog entry on the Unisaw Experience, clearance with the non-stock motor may be an issue, and, IT IS AN ISSUE!. Currently, the tilt only goes to 20.5 degrees, and then the motor hits the cabinet. It can be forced past that, but I am not fond of forcing things that are not designed to be forced. So, now it is decision time. I can either go out and find an alternate motor, which I cannot afford, or, I can make a small notch in the cabinet so the motor can clear without forcing it past.

CHECK - check motor clearance (fail)

As with many other projects I have endeavored, this one too has its snags, albeit a small one overall. I am seriously considering the notch since I intend to keep this saw until I die, and, it is not original anyway without the bullet motor, so it's already not a pristine and perfect example of the Unisaw. Lastly, I fully plan to use this saw and it needs to operate correctly without busting what little budget I have set aside to finish this project up and start cutting wood. So, after a bit more fiddling around, I realized all I have to do is raise the blade about an inch, tilt it while the blade is up and it clears the housing. WHEW! I really didn't want to cut the cabinet.

Also, the pulley on the arbor shaft has the triple pulley, but the motor only has a double. The two belts are not installed correctly, with one of the not in alignment with the triple pulley, so I will need to move that belt over one spot to align it correctly. Since I will be keeping this motor, I need to make it work correctly, with good clearance and properly aligned belts too.

Another thing I noticed on the cabinet wings that the table bolts to, is that the right front wing and left rear wing both appear bent. The left rear is bent slightly up, and the right front looks bent down, very noticeably. My gut says it may have suffered some sort of impact since it was built in 1955 - since I am owner number X, and COWBOY was owner number X-1, who knows how many previous owners may have had this saw. I am not going to sweat it too terribly much as the saw is in overall very good condition and I expect it to be a great saw for decades of producing sawdust.

If anyone has seen similar bending of these wings on a Unisaw, and they know HOW it happened, I would be interested in learning more, but it does not look to be a "deal-breaker so far.

Here's a little bit of the process documented with my fancy little phone camera…

Bolts removed…
Table Wood Bumper Electronic instrument Gas


Table removed - lots of packed sawdust, lots of loose stuff too…
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper Cuisine


Clearance issue…
Automotive tire Alloy wheel Motor vehicle Rim Gas


20.5 degrees of clearance - won't make it to 45 without forcing it…
Wood Automotive tire Road surface Automotive wheel system Metal


Injury on the job - should have removed saw blade…
Gesture Finger Wood Thumb Nail


A clean saw is a happy saw!!
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Gas Machine Auto part


Front way - some rust…
Wood Automotive tire Bumper Gas Machine tool


Rear way - some more rust…
Wood Gas Beige Tints and shades Automotive exterior


Right front wing - bent… not sure how or why… been there a long time based on rust where pain has cracked away.
Wood Machine Metal Machine tool Auto part


Left rear wing is slightly separated from the cabinet… but not bent itself…
Wood Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Gas


Clean ways - front is much nicer and the things glides perfectly now…
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive design Bumper Automotive exterior


Clean ways - rear one looks very nice as well…
Wood Gas Chair Bumper Automotive exterior


Next steps:
  1. put table top back onto cabinet
  2. install new Freud blade
  3. align miter slots to blade and tighten down table
  4. check tilt gauge and ensure accuracy - adjust as needed
  5. adjust cast iron wings (right now they are out of whack)
  6. clean table top
  7. find a miter gauge for a Unisaw ($$$)
  8. make a crosscut sled for the saw
  9. CUT WOOD!!!

Next installment should be mid-week - so long…
I thought I would let you that I'm watching this closely as I'm about a week behind your steps with my new saw.
Have to get the 3 phase plugs set up. Just learning the ins and outs of the VFD.
 

Attachments

#25 ·
Blades of Glory!!

Hi fellow sawdust creators,
In the pause during this week before I actually touch my Unisaw again on Saturday, I thought I would share my new blades that will soon be doing 10's of thousands of revolutions and ripping, crosscutting and mitering their way to oblivion…

Introducing the four new additions to the "blade brigade"........

May I present "Lord Combination", offering a variety of talents to his royal highness, ME
Data storage device Font Automotive lighting Circle Advertising


Please welcome "The Duke of Clean Cuts" offering chip-free service to his royal highness, ME
Font Advertising Gas Circle Logo


Here comes "The Marque of Rippage, from the region of thin-kerf", offering less wood chips and narrower kerfs, for his royla highness, ME
Jewel case Font Data storage device Technology CD


Lastly, Sir Dado, knight from the royal order of widecuts, offering flat-bottomed grooving, for his royal highness, ME

Jewel case Data storage device Dvd Material property Measuring instrument


I present to you the court of blades of greatness, fine woodworking and massive sawdust.

Thank you for visiting these honored members of my shop - you may resume your normal activities at this time.
 

Attachments

#26 ·
Blades of Glory!!

Hi fellow sawdust creators,
In the pause during this week before I actually touch my Unisaw again on Saturday, I thought I would share my new blades that will soon be doing 10's of thousands of revolutions and ripping, crosscutting and mitering their way to oblivion…

Introducing the four new additions to the "blade brigade"........

May I present "Lord Combination", offering a variety of talents to his royal highness, ME
Data storage device Font Automotive lighting Circle Advertising


Please welcome "The Duke of Clean Cuts" offering chip-free service to his royal highness, ME
Font Advertising Gas Circle Logo


Here comes "The Marque of Rippage, from the region of thin-kerf", offering less wood chips and narrower kerfs, for his royla highness, ME
Jewel case Font Data storage device Technology CD


Lastly, Sir Dado, knight from the royal order of widecuts, offering flat-bottomed grooving, for his royal highness, ME

Jewel case Data storage device Dvd Material property Measuring instrument


I present to you the court of blades of greatness, fine woodworking and massive sawdust.

Thank you for visiting these honored members of my shop - you may resume your normal activities at this time.
Sweet stash of new henchmen ya got there … they should serve the king well.
 

Attachments

#32 ·
The Woodworking "devil" made me do it...

Dear almighty woodworking god - please help me with my addiction. I now know that I have a serious problem and I am not sure how to conquer it. AWWG (almighty wood working god), here's is my problem… I am addicted…...

addicted to…....

choke - gulp!

TABLE SAWS!!!!

It's true AWWG, and it is a SERIOUS problem. I see one on "the devil's web site", Craig's List and I am unable to contain myself. I immediately email or call the person and see if the saw is still available. If it is, I make idiotic, silly, crazy promises to come get it within 35 minutes, cash in hand, no questions asked. Shoot, I even saved the query on my computer to find "table saw" in my two towns… it's a dang button on my browser!!!

I've even offered more than their asking price AWWG. Even when no one else has even looked at the saw yet - I offer more.

IT'S BAD AWWG.

Tonight, I got home early from work, but while at work, I peeked into "the devil's site" and found another great deal. Instantly, almost out of body like, I clicked the link and emailed the seller. Words flowed out of my fingertips into the email and then like in slow-motion my right hand moved to the mouse and clicked SEND.

I even left work early in hopes of getting that saw.

After my 1 hour train ride, and 30 minute bus ride, I arrive at the Park-n-Ride in 104 degree heat, fervently looking at my phone for a missed call - NONE. DANGIT! I start my car that has no air conditioning and begin to back out of my spot. Pulling out of the parking lot and turning towards home I dream of a new saw in my shop - one that I have NO NEED FOR. I just WANT it. PURE, UNADULTERATED LUST AND DESIRE.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

I make it home, 2 miles, and pull into the drive way, envisioning this saw as I open my garage. It's not there. <<sigh>> - I walk into the house and say hello to the family unit, kiss the grand-baby and ask how everyone's day went. Everyone answers "fine" or "good" or "hot"...

I announce I am going to the next town over to pick up several pallets (another addiction that we will deal with later… 1 addiction at a time) - another listing on "the devil's site". A mile into the 4 mile drive to get the pallets, free ones, not broken ones, my cell phone rings… my heart thumps and then skips a beat - an unfamiliar number displays and I hurriedly pull over (can't talk on cell phones and drive at the same time in California…) and I answer "Hello, this is Jim".

The voice on the other end says "Hi, I am returning your 4 emails about the saw. I still have it. One guy said he was coming to see it tonight and two other guys tomorrow morning" I say"Oh, OK. So, no one has seen it yet?" - he says "no, but that guy is supposed to come over tonight." - I say "Oh, well, OK, I happen to have cash in my pocket and am in town right now. What's your address?" - he says "I'll text it to you…" - I say "Cool - thanks!" - we hang up.

I am 3 blocks from him… HOLY COW I AM ABOUT TO BUY ANOTHER TABLE SAW!!! I can't stop myself… it's is like one of those beams in Star Trek that pulls in the Enterprise, helplessly, they are pulled closer and closer…

Two turns and to the end of the street I go, and there it is…

Cabinetry Wood Drawer Automotive exterior Gas


Sitting there, calling me, like sinful sirens, saying "buuuuuyyy meeeeeeeee…."

I wave and pull in to take a look. We shake hands and greet each other with a hearty HELLO. I ask why he's selling it, he says he never uses it and it belonged to his dad. Dad died a while ago and it's just sitting there, collecting dust, the WRONG kind of dust. I say I am sorry for his loss and we talk a lap around the saw. (yes, I meant TALKED A LAP)

He then tells me about the stuff that comes with it - an INCRA M3000 precision miter gauge, 11 blades, a bunch of stuff in drawers, original paperwork, EVERYTHING. His dad built the cabinet for it even…

I immediately whip out a stack of twenties and shell out $200, quite a bit more than he was asking. He said I overpaid, but I told him that the fence alone is worth it for me, so no big deal - he was asking $125 for it ALL.

AWWG, I know it seems silly that I have this problem, but you know what my shop looks like (listen, he is the AWWG, he already KNOWS about my problem and my overcrowded shop - OK?) and then I haul off and buy this other saw. That makes 2 Delta's and a Craftsman. And that is just table saws!!

AWWG, please help me… Now, I cannot move in my shop, my wife is about to send me to the Jim Krenov Clinic for Woodworking Addicts, and my kids, they just laugh at me.

AWWG, how do I overcome this addiction?

In holy sawdust, amen…
 

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#33 ·
The Woodworking "devil" made me do it...

Dear almighty woodworking god - please help me with my addiction. I now know that I have a serious problem and I am not sure how to conquer it. AWWG (almighty wood working god), here's is my problem… I am addicted…...

addicted to…....

choke - gulp!

TABLE SAWS!!!!

It's true AWWG, and it is a SERIOUS problem. I see one on "the devil's web site", Craig's List and I am unable to contain myself. I immediately email or call the person and see if the saw is still available. If it is, I make idiotic, silly, crazy promises to come get it within 35 minutes, cash in hand, no questions asked. Shoot, I even saved the query on my computer to find "table saw" in my two towns… it's a dang button on my browser!!!

I've even offered more than their asking price AWWG. Even when no one else has even looked at the saw yet - I offer more.

IT'S BAD AWWG.

Tonight, I got home early from work, but while at work, I peeked into "the devil's site" and found another great deal. Instantly, almost out of body like, I clicked the link and emailed the seller. Words flowed out of my fingertips into the email and then like in slow-motion my right hand moved to the mouse and clicked SEND.

I even left work early in hopes of getting that saw.

After my 1 hour train ride, and 30 minute bus ride, I arrive at the Park-n-Ride in 104 degree heat, fervently looking at my phone for a missed call - NONE. DANGIT! I start my car that has no air conditioning and begin to back out of my spot. Pulling out of the parking lot and turning towards home I dream of a new saw in my shop - one that I have NO NEED FOR. I just WANT it. PURE, UNADULTERATED LUST AND DESIRE.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

I make it home, 2 miles, and pull into the drive way, envisioning this saw as I open my garage. It's not there. <<sigh>> - I walk into the house and say hello to the family unit, kiss the grand-baby and ask how everyone's day went. Everyone answers "fine" or "good" or "hot"...

I announce I am going to the next town over to pick up several pallets (another addiction that we will deal with later… 1 addiction at a time) - another listing on "the devil's site". A mile into the 4 mile drive to get the pallets, free ones, not broken ones, my cell phone rings… my heart thumps and then skips a beat - an unfamiliar number displays and I hurriedly pull over (can't talk on cell phones and drive at the same time in California…) and I answer "Hello, this is Jim".

The voice on the other end says "Hi, I am returning your 4 emails about the saw. I still have it. One guy said he was coming to see it tonight and two other guys tomorrow morning" I say"Oh, OK. So, no one has seen it yet?" - he says "no, but that guy is supposed to come over tonight." - I say "Oh, well, OK, I happen to have cash in my pocket and am in town right now. What's your address?" - he says "I'll text it to you…" - I say "Cool - thanks!" - we hang up.

I am 3 blocks from him… HOLY COW I AM ABOUT TO BUY ANOTHER TABLE SAW!!! I can't stop myself… it's is like one of those beams in Star Trek that pulls in the Enterprise, helplessly, they are pulled closer and closer…

Two turns and to the end of the street I go, and there it is…

Cabinetry Wood Drawer Automotive exterior Gas


Sitting there, calling me, like sinful sirens, saying "buuuuuyyy meeeeeeeee…."

I wave and pull in to take a look. We shake hands and greet each other with a hearty HELLO. I ask why he's selling it, he says he never uses it and it belonged to his dad. Dad died a while ago and it's just sitting there, collecting dust, the WRONG kind of dust. I say I am sorry for his loss and we talk a lap around the saw. (yes, I meant TALKED A LAP)

He then tells me about the stuff that comes with it - an INCRA M3000 precision miter gauge, 11 blades, a bunch of stuff in drawers, original paperwork, EVERYTHING. His dad built the cabinet for it even…

I immediately whip out a stack of twenties and shell out $200, quite a bit more than he was asking. He said I overpaid, but I told him that the fence alone is worth it for me, so no big deal - he was asking $125 for it ALL.

AWWG, I know it seems silly that I have this problem, but you know what my shop looks like (listen, he is the AWWG, he already KNOWS about my problem and my overcrowded shop - OK?) and then I haul off and buy this other saw. That makes 2 Delta's and a Craftsman. And that is just table saws!!

AWWG, please help me… Now, I cannot move in my shop, my wife is about to send me to the Jim Krenov Clinic for Woodworking Addicts, and my kids, they just laugh at me.

AWWG, how do I overcome this addiction?

In holy sawdust, amen…
You, MrMeasureTwice, have taken the first step. You admit you have a problem. I have no idea what comes next, as I never never even gotten that far.

Good luck with your new roommate.
 

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#36 ·
It is gone...

This is part 5 of this series, and the last entry. I know, I know, but some things have got to come to an end.

I had to make a decision - a tough, life altering decision. My dilemma was, and still is, that I have a very narrow, one-car garage as my wood shop. The Unisaw with the BIESEMEYER fence made it impossible to pass by it, so anytime I had to get past it for a tool, wood, hardware, etc., I was forced to walk around through the other garage, through the door into the shop, get what i needed, and then head all the way around, again. , I know, I know, that's not such a big deal. Well, it is for me as I have numerous problems with my back, so the less I have to move around things, and twist my torso to get by, the better off I am.

Automotive tire Motor vehicle Hood Asphalt Bumper


Anyway, I had already bought yet another table saw that is not a Unisaw, but it will suffice for my needs, and, it will not block the passage. It is a Craftsman 152.221140 1.5HP 110v table saw. It came with all the fixins, 9 clamps of varying sizes and brands, even the original manual. It belonged to a woman's father who had passed away 6 years ago, but she could not bear to sell any of his woodworking tools. And, she hoped her son would pick up where his grandpa left off. He did not, and she finally relented and began selling his tools.

Anyway, I saw the Craig's List ad, and jumped on it. I parted with my $250.00 and commenced to load it into the van for the 6 mile trip home.

I then listed the coveted Unisaw on Craig's List and it sold in about a week.

But, the upside is that my back is not suffering, I am cutting lots of wood and making potting tables at the moment. The table saw is very nice, not as cool as the Unisaw, but it cuts and cuts and cuts, so I am OK with the trade offs.

Furniture Plant Outdoor furniture Wood Wood stain


I'll start another series on what I am building and such… sorry it took so long for this final post of this blog series, but I was in mourning (for the loss of my Unisaw), but I have come to terms with it and it is in a better place now.

~ Jim
 

Attachments

#37 ·
It is gone...

This is part 5 of this series, and the last entry. I know, I know, but some things have got to come to an end.

I had to make a decision - a tough, life altering decision. My dilemma was, and still is, that I have a very narrow, one-car garage as my wood shop. The Unisaw with the BIESEMEYER fence made it impossible to pass by it, so anytime I had to get past it for a tool, wood, hardware, etc., I was forced to walk around through the other garage, through the door into the shop, get what i needed, and then head all the way around, again. , I know, I know, that's not such a big deal. Well, it is for me as I have numerous problems with my back, so the less I have to move around things, and twist my torso to get by, the better off I am.

Automotive tire Motor vehicle Hood Asphalt Bumper


Anyway, I had already bought yet another table saw that is not a Unisaw, but it will suffice for my needs, and, it will not block the passage. It is a Craftsman 152.221140 1.5HP 110v table saw. It came with all the fixins, 9 clamps of varying sizes and brands, even the original manual. It belonged to a woman's father who had passed away 6 years ago, but she could not bear to sell any of his woodworking tools. And, she hoped her son would pick up where his grandpa left off. He did not, and she finally relented and began selling his tools.

Anyway, I saw the Craig's List ad, and jumped on it. I parted with my $250.00 and commenced to load it into the van for the 6 mile trip home.

I then listed the coveted Unisaw on Craig's List and it sold in about a week.

But, the upside is that my back is not suffering, I am cutting lots of wood and making potting tables at the moment. The table saw is very nice, not as cool as the Unisaw, but it cuts and cuts and cuts, so I am OK with the trade offs.

Furniture Plant Outdoor furniture Wood Wood stain


I'll start another series on what I am building and such… sorry it took so long for this final post of this blog series, but I was in mourning (for the loss of my Unisaw), but I have come to terms with it and it is in a better place now.

~ Jim
Sorry for your loss! Putting a smaller fence/removing the extension on the unisaw was not an option?
 

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