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Unisaw Price Question

3K views 22 replies 17 participants last post by  toolie 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello LJ's
I'm looking to upgrade my table saw, I have a old ryobi bt3000 and its just not up to what I would hope. There is slop in the angle of the blade and it won't stay at a true 90 degrees. I found a unisaw posting on craigslist, and would like to get some feedback on what a fair price would be. Below is the posting

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/tls/4286069620.html

I don't have a ton of money to spend but what would be a fair offer. My friends say offer $500, but I don't want to low ball him too much. But $900 seems like a lot for a 30 year old saw, looks to be in good shape.

Thanks
 
#4 ·
I see that as being high, though that saw appears to be in good shape. Interesting, that a saw in that condition would still be missing the motor cover. I would guess that saw has some sentimental value to the owner, and he/she probably thinks it has sentimental value to everyone else as well. Keep looking, a better deal will turn up.
 
#5 ·
That seems a little high to me, it would be an acceptable price (not a deal) for that saw IF it had a 3hp motor and a more modern fence, like a Unifence or Biesmeyer. All of the older saws are going to be right tilt, which some don't prefer, but it's just the way it was back in the day, left tilt saws are arguably safer. Keep shopping an you'll find a deal eventually.
 
#6 ·
depending on where you are at some 'used' markets are higher than others. With that said, for a 1.5HP unisaw with no Biss/uni fence seems to be too high of an asking price. somewhere in the 600-700 ball park would be more reasonable. offering 500 and trying to get it to that ballpark is a good direction to take.
 
#7 ·
I think it is a little high. I bought a Unisaw with a 52 inch unifence and a 5HP 460V 3 phase motor for $180. The 3 phase made it cheaper. It is solid and newer than the saw shown. KnotScott and some others are more into this line of stuff than I but I would go on looking a bit more. this guy might be cheaper in a short while with no bites on this saw. If it sells you know it was just right for your part of the country. Location makes a difference.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
+1 with price comments. i sold this 3 hp '72 unisaw for $850 with the mobile base. I had the OEM Baldor motor's bearings replaced and the Sawcenter provided a new arbor and rebuilt the arbor swing arm. i got it for $40 in gas money to see what all the unisaw hoopla was all about. sold it and kept two emerson electric built 10" CI contractor saws instead.

Wood Motor vehicle Automotive tire Gas Engineering


and this is how it ran on the day it was sold:



the unisaw linked above is a nice looking saw, but i'm not a fan of right tilts, which was one of the reasons i disposed of my unisaw. the linked saw looks pretty complete and in good conditon, so perhaps $600-650, +/- $50, would be a pretty good deal, assuming proper operating condition. i put over $600 into mine and it worked almost as good as new, but check out this FAQ from the Sawcenter:

http://www.sawcenter.com/unisaw_faq.htm

these things can become a money pit if you're either not careful when buying or aren't handy if repairs are needed. BTW, here's what it looked like when it came home:

Wood Plant Grass Gas Lawn


Wood Gas Automotive exterior Machine Metal


good luck with your search. IMHO, a 3hp cabinet saw isn't mandatory for fine woodworking. i post over at the bt3central forum and there are some bt3x users there that really max out the capability of their saws. i'm not opposed to cabinet saws, just mentioning that good work can be done with lesser tools.

for $900, check out the steel city TSs. they have one for ~ $1000 (or less when they run their seasonal sale) that has cabinet mounted trunons and a 1 3/4 hp dual voltage motor, along with a great looking fence. and they are available through HD online with free to store shipping and HDs return policy and deferred billing.
 

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#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
$900 seems pretty steep to me too. It looks to be in great shape, but with 1.5hp motor, no mobile base, and the old style jet lock fence, it's not worth more than $700 IMO. There are several heavily overpriced saws in your area…maybe they're all benchmarking off each other….
 
#14 ·
Hello I would like to give you guys an update. I did buy a Unisaw this weekend but it wasn't the saw I posted earlier. I ended up buying a differnet saw, I think it is a 1996 because the first two numbers of the serial # were 96. It is a 3hp single phase, came with a mobile base, side table and collapsable outfeed table. 54" Unifence. It also has some Wixey digital display and an excailbur over the blade dust contol. I ended up paying a thousand cash for it. Seems like a good deal but this is the first table saw that I've ever bought.
 
#15 ·
The Excalibur might be worth $200+ (I paid $250 for mine), and add something for the outfeed and the mobile base (It's about $150 new , or at least mine was). So I'd say all in all you came out alright. What always matters in these deals is whether the purchaser is happy, and I'd say it seems you are! Congrats!
 
#18 ·
Bass - sounds like a nice deal.

the one you were looking at I would not have gone above 6 - because i am not a fan of the old Delta fences (toothed rail)
They lock well - - but often can lock crooked.

Is your unit left of right tilt?
 
#20 ·
I'm not familiar with Unisaws but this one looks great. I like the large top. Price seems a tad high to me. How old is this saw, any idea? How long has the ad been up?
I got a jointer that I had seen for more than a week or two. Owner wanted $125. for it. I offered him $50. and he took it. It was an old model but after I cleaned it up and had the knives sharpened and it works great. Just saying.
Charlie
 
#21 ·
Here is a pic from the posting. I dont have any pictures yet. I had a hell of a time moving the saw. I had to take it completey apart. My shop is in my basement and i dont have a furniture dolly. No one warned me on how heavy it is. We took the side table off. Removed the top and motor to break it down into moveable junks. So know i need to put it all back together. Also i need to run 220V to me shop to power it.
 
#22 ·
Good to hear you made a move. It is VERY easy to dilly dally around and worry a ton about price point, $50 here or $100 there. When I bought my unisaw, it wasn't because it was a great deal, it's because it was a pretty good deal and it was immaculate. Sounds like you got a great setup for $1k. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, and most importantly, you can forget craigslist and get to work in the shop. Congrats!!!
 
#23 ·
Still no pics! When the top was removed for transport, did you located, catalog and retain any shims that were between the cabinet and the top? Bevel rip alignment. Can be affected if the top is not in the same plane as it was prior to transport.
 
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