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(update) opinions on used Unisaw

3K views 49 replies 15 participants last post by  mzimmers 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
http://boise.en.craigslist.org/tls/4590495861.html

The seller says it's in good shape; my primary concern is the lack of a riving blade (evidently this unit pre-dates that addition).

Anyway, I'm curious as to what people think of this deal…thanks.

UPDATE: based on feedback, I passed on the one above. Found a newer (2007) Unisaw X5 that and bought it. Now just discussing some cleaning and maintenance details.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well, considering it's Idaho, maybe that's a good price.

Worth $500 or a little more in Los Angeles due to the
decent fence… to me anyway. I like that sort of fence.

If you're really in central California, keep an eye on
Machinerymax.com, which is an auction site that
a machinery liquidator based in Tracy, CA
uses a lot… I'm in LA so it's a 6 hour drive each way
for me which puts the cost up, but I've seen some
screaming bargains selling through that location.
 
#3 ·
If you're in Idaho you will have to pay more just to get a decent saw I think. If the saw runs like it looks 1000$ isn't a deal but it's a starting point I guess. 7-800$ would look a lot better but the saw looks to be worth 1000$.
 
#5 ·
That looks like a very old say, although it appears to be in very good condition. If I had to guess, I would guess 30-40 years old?? My Unisaw is about 20 years old, and is a different style than that one. I would also think that ~$750 is a more reasonable price.

Personally, I don't need a riving knife (or guards) on my saw, but if you're more comfortable with one, than you should get a saw that has one.

I've spent the last 20 years working in commercial cabinet shops, with several table saws with no guards or riving knives. I've seen one injury, and it was from kickback. It was a young kid with no experience using a table saw.
On this forum, you can read about hundreds of table saw injuries. Imo, the most important factor in table saw safety is the users experience and skill level with that tool.
 
#6 ·
I agree that your area plays a large part of what prices tools will sell for, but in my slice of the nation (rural Ohio) that would be overpriced. I place closer to $600-$700. Only the latest Uni's have the Riving knife, and that one pre dates those by quite a bit. If you can get the serial number you can probably establish when it was made. Look here for some info.. If you page down a little, you''ll see that starting around the early 80's the manufacture date was built into the serial number (first 3 digits).
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Seems high to me, too. Another question-is that a 3HP saw or one of the 1HP or 1-1/2HP saws? None of the pics really shows the motor well, but in the one that gives a glimpse the motor looks small. If it is the smaller motor, that reduces the value quite a bit more.
 
#8 ·
I have become very well used to using a riving knife over the years and see no good reason to work without it myself.
I suspect as I don't have the figures in front of me that it must be very comforting to know that you could buy that saw say forty years ago ,then use it for forty years, and then sell it for a lot more than you paid for it in the first place.
In other words imho he is asking a lot for an old machine a very old machine.
It has perhaps, though we cannot be sure,seen a fair amount of wear and tear through extensive use and possibly even ocassional abuse during that period especially if it has been used by others during it''s life .
I personally would steer clear of it and buy something much nearer to this century Sorry that's probably not what you wanted to hear but that's my thoughts on this one,however please remember I am no expert with these saws but have seen much newer ones for that kind of poppy.
Have fun buying.
Buying a new saw if it is a quality piece of equipment, is a cool experience as we only do it like buying a house, a few times in our lifetime, and it is IMHO for me something to be studied and reflected over before moving on down and boogie-ing on up.I wish you well brother. Alistair
 
#9 ·
This saw looks like an early to mid 70's to me. The motor is likely a 2 or 3hp. Too old? Nope. Old enough to still be made of good solid materials that will last forever if not abused. I have one exactly like it. '72. I put new bearings on the arbor and the motor, and it runs awesome. Likely with the upgrades on this saw those have already been replaced or are running fine. Price? $1000 is high to me. $500 is closer to fair IMO. But that's what my wallet says. If you want a great saw, and you've got that cash, this will fit the bill.
 
#10 ·
I bought a used 3 hp 240 V Delta Unisaw, circa '86 or so, two years ago and I love it. Mine cost $450 on the Northern East Coast. The unifence is pretty cool, the saw has tons of power and is really sturdy. Because of the lack of riving knife I purchased the MJ Splitter and put that into a zero clearance insert I made. I have had no issues with kickback with the MJ Splitter installed, and if I need to make a cut that is shallower than the MJ Splitter I simply swap out inserts. They are a great saw if you don't want to drop $2,000+ on a new cabinet saw.
 
#11 ·
You can get a new Grizzly hybrid with a riving knife for about
that price.

I am not saying it's the same class of saw, but neither
is more than a light industrial tool anyway and whatever
wear and tear the Delta may be suffering from could
be a factor. It does look like it's been used a lot.

An important thing to understand about old machines
is that sometimes they have been run hard in production
shops by poorly trained employees and with little
maintenance for years on end. Some machines
are (or were) built to withstand this sort of abuse
but the Unisaw is not one of them, even though
it is sturdy machine.

I'm a used machine guy all the way, but if a riving
knife is important to you there are other options,
including considering most any used saw made in
Europe in the last 40 years.
 
#13 ·
You can get a new Grizzly hybrid with a riving knife for about
that price.
This is probably the crux of the matter. I didn't mention it in the original post, but I don't need 3 HP. Heck, my Bosch 4100 is powerful enough for most of what I do; the purpose of my upgrade is more about the table space and fence.

And, based on comments from the seller, I'd agree that this saw has a lot of miles on it-I think he said it was owned by a professional. I might have to pass on this one. Good discussion, though; as usual, LJ has given me things to think about.
 
#15 ·
The newer saw will certainly be less likely to have been over worked, neither has a riving knife per se, though both will take a splitter offering close to the same level of safety while being less convenient. I've seen gems and garbage at both ends of the age spectrum, a thorough inspection of any machine you plan on buying in that price range is a must. As well as running a board to two through it. I think either would represent about the same deal with the obvious benefit of the newer one having less wear and potential abuse.
 
#16 ·
Personally, the second one deserves a good look, the mobile base adds about $150 to the (new) cost. If it's important to you, the second one is left tilt, which most folks consider more desirable.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
There are. Biesemeier has a nice, albeit expensive snap in splitter that I believe is still available. I have one and really like it. Seems like there is a least one other one (I can't remember the brand name) and if you intend to add an overblade DC, a Shark Guard comes with a really nice one (the one I'm using in my Bies clamp). There's likely some others of which I'm unaware.
 
#23 ·
Well, I did it…after a bit of negotiation and a ride home that was a little more eventful than it needed to be, it's now safely in my garage. A couple of questions:

There's a bit of surface rust on the iron faces…any suggestions on what to use to take it off? I was thinking steel wool, but I thought I'd ask here.

And, now I have to wire up a 240V circuit. Do you guys use solid or stranded wire for something like this? Seems like stranded would result in better contact at the breaker.
 
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