I'm just getting into WW. There is a G1023s for $500 on CL and will deliver it. It seems to be in great condition. I wanted a left tilt but this seems like a great deal for a horse of a saw (220/3hp) that will get me started. It appears that the optional motor cover is no longer offered from Grizzly. That is a bummer. Anything I should be wary of? Orig mitre gauge is gone but seller is offering an Incra 1000 for $50. Any advice or recommendations?
I don't know much about about that saw but I was recently looking at the lower end G0771 and G0715.
I spoke with somebody at Grizzly and they recommended the G1023.
If it was me I wouldn't be asking, I would get my butt over there with $500 and buy it before its gone.
That is a lot of saw for $500.
You better jump on it quick…. it won't last long at that price…
They are very solid and well respected saws.
Right tilt has it's advantages…. I actually prefer it, as I use a dado stack a lot more often than I bevel rip cut, and with a Biesemeyer style fence, I can put the fence on the left side for safe bevel rips in all of 5 seconds.
Nab the incra miter while your at it….
you can easily make a motor cover out of thin plywood that will work perfectly well.
I bought a G1023 off of CL a couple years ago for next to nothing because the motor was blown, and it didn't have a fence. It all worked out in my favor because I was able to get the motor fixed for free by a friend, and I didn't want the original fence anyways (I have an Incra fence that I love).
The one major issue I have with the saw is that the table is not flat front to back. The center of the table is a good .015"-.020" higher than the front and back. For the most part it isn't a big deal, but it has occasionally caused frustration when I'm trying to make precise cuts. I would take a decent straight edge with you to check the top for flatness. If I didn't get such a good deal on my saw I would have passed on it, and some day I plan to replace it with something better.
The G1023S is essentially an older style Delta Unisaw clone, and is generally well regarded as solid value. $500 could be a nice deal if it has a Shop Fox Classic or the Shop Fox Original fence….I'd likely offer less for an older style fence, or if it's rough shape. Can't hurt to ask him to toss in that Incra too….or negotiate heavily on it. You can build a motor cover.
Run it see if it's smooth and sounds right. With the saw unplugged, spin the blade and listen for any notable bearing noise. It should be fairly quiet. I've never done it, but have read that bearing replacement isn't an expensive or difficult task, but it would impact my offer if the bearings are grinding/squealing. Check inside that the trunnions aren't cracked, and for other obvious damage. It's nice if the hand wheels move freely, but saw dust and lack of lube can cause them to be stiff…easy to fix, if that's the cause.
Well, I nabbed this G1023s and an Incra Mitre gauge for $585, delivered right to my garage too. The tilt was a tad squeaky but I'm confident it just needs a little lube. It passed the nickel test (turn on power with a nickel balanced on edge) that I read was a good indicator of acceptable vibration. It has the Shop Fox classic fence, but it doesn't have the rear rail. Is that a necessary part of the fence? It didn't have the splitter that I think came standard on this model either. The belts look like they may need to be tightened a little too. Minor surface rust on top. I'm letting a little CLP soak in before I get to work on it with a medium 3M pad and some 400 grit to clean it up.
Any recommendations for lubricating the undercarriage (Trunnion is it called?)? Grease? Oil?
I am pretty satisfied with what I got for the $. The blade seems pretty square. There is prob less than 1/32 difference between front to back. Less than a sheet of paper anyway. Seems like a horse of a saw that will serve me well, and for a good while, as I enter the hobby.
I ordered the missing dust/trap door and a shop fox mobile base already. I think I'm ready to start making some saw dust!!
My first cabinet saw was a 1023 Griz, very darn good saw, gave it to my uncle who needed one real bad and gave me the excuse to get the PM66 new in the crate for 1500.. Win Win for all…
So, if I had the rear rail, then the fence would slide smoothly on both rails and eliminate some of the friction of it resting on the saw top as it is now?
You don't really need the back rail unless you plan to run the fence past the end of the table. I'm not sure what that rail looks like, but you could probably make your own. It's just to support the end of the fence.
As for the splitter, you have several choices: 1) find an original; 2) make a ZCI (you'll want this anyhow), and mount a splitter in the blade slot; 3) get an aftermarket riving knife, such as the BORK (Bolt on Riving Knife). Knotscott and others have reviewed it.
So, if I had the rear rail, then the fence would slide smoothly on both rails and eliminate some of the friction of it resting on the saw top as it is now?
If it's anything like my t-fence you can run down to any borg and pick up a piece of angle iron to use as the back fence, it will just need a few holes drilled into it.
Paul
_
Edit:
Here is what I did to my fence to extend it. Just the back rail is all you need. Any hardware store should have angle iron.
Hi Paul I suppose if you install the rear rail slightly higher than the saw table and wings? On my Unisaw the rear rail sits below the saw wings and as best as I can figure it holds the extension table. The fence rides on the table and wings. Sometimes I cut thin stuff on it like laminate and a gap would bother me if the thin stock slipped under the fence.
Grab your can of paste wax (if you don't already have one, go get one!), and old toothbrush and scrub that wax into all the bearing surfaces including threads. Problem solved, and won't attract dust & chips.
You only need the rear rail for support past the end of the table.
I have the 1023RLW with the router table so there's table support
along the entire length.
The first thing I'd do is get a riving knife. I will occasionally be
ripping something and can see the board pinching in on itself
on the back side of the riving knife. I really can't imagine not
having one. Then again the sawstop people can't imagine not
having a flesh sensing brake, so there's that. Pick your risk tolerance.
Some t-square style fences have a foot at the tail of the fence that rides on the rear rail, some not. Those that don't, generally have a nylon pad that rides on the table. IIRC, the SF Classic does not, so it shouldn't need a rear rail. If I'm wrong, and there's an actual foot, then you'll need install something for that foot to ride on. If it's supposed to have a pad and it's missing, you'll want to install some sort of pad to support the fence on the table if it's not already there.
Here's an example of both types…credit "dartforth" for the great pics: The pad is white rectangle at the tail of the yellow PM fence. The other has a foot.
Mine DOES have the nylon pad on the bottom that is actually riding on the back edge of the table. If the fence does not ride on the top edge of the rear angle iron piece, then what is the purpose for it? I still plan on trying some Johnson's Wax to everything and hopefully that will help with the stickiness. How easy should the fence move? Mine takes both hands and some jerking motions to persuade it. I think it also has to do with the spring pressure design at the attachment point.
I bought a used Grizzly 1023S two years ago, and like yours, mine was missing the rear rail and the motor cover. Although the fence slides fine without the rear rail, the first time you push the fence past the table, you'll wish you had it. I bought the rear rail from Grizzly for $80, but I bet a piece of angle iron from Home Depot would work just as well. Other then drill holes, you would have to cut a notch if you planned to mount the factory blade guard and splitter.
I bought an after-market plastic motor cover for a Unisaw and with little effort, mounted it on the 1023S. The only problem was that the 1023S has hinges welded on the cabinet that you have to deal with. I cut a couple of mortises in the motor cover that allowed it to mount flush against the cabinet. I used wing nuts to allow me to remove the cover if I want, and I added a butterfly vent from an RV store to the motor cover so I could control the amount of air entering the cabinet. I found that adjusting the amount of air going into the motor cover helps make dust collection more efficient.
Finally, it was suggested that you look at a riving knife for the G1023S. A riving knife needs to be part of the saw's design and the G1023S predates riving knives. Someone has figured out how to engineer a riving knife for this saw and I ordered one. After looking at how the knife mounts using a hose clamp close to the blade, I chickened out and put it on the shelf. There are limitations to this riving knife anyway and I am able to accomplish every thing the after-market riving knife can do by adding a splitter to my zero insert plates.
A riving knife raises, lowers, and tilts with the blade….a splitter added to your ZCI will be fixed in place. It'll work to prevent the work piece from closing in on the kerf, but can't accomplish everything a riving knife can do.
Of course you are correct, and I shouldn't disparage the riving knife I purchased when I didn't have the courage to install it. That wasn't my intent when I wrote about it, but reading the post in the light a day, it appears that I did.
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