# Decisions, decisions...



## FlyinWillys (Sep 26, 2016)

Thanks for the information. You have saved me a lot of leg work! I'm just about at the same place you were before buying your saw. I will have a new saw before spring and this will help with the decision!


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## Jon_H (Jun 21, 2016)

Congrats! Thanks for the excellent run-down on your decision-making process.


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## No12 (Sep 20, 2015)

I bought the Grizzly 1023 about 12 years ago. Very good saw. Same problem with the rails. I've used Powermatic and Delta so I had something to compare to. A couple of things I've noticed. I had to replace the arbor bearings within a year, also had to replace the arbor blade flange. It's stamped steel instead of forged so it would deform when it was tightened. I replaced it with a powermatic flange and nut for about $25. The saw has been trouble free since those repairs. The saw is very accurate and vibration free. Good choice for me.


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## dannmarks (Oct 22, 2016)

my Grizzly G0478 12 inch blade - two horse power

I bought this saw back around 1985. I had to replace the arbor bearing very quickly. I used this saw a whole lot and I used it for all it was worth. We would use it at full depth resawing Beech lumber from barn beams to make spiral stair case railings. I did everything on it that could be done. I even used it to make custom cove hard wood trim. if you keep a sharp blade in it it will do every thing that you need it to.

Been 30 years and it is still going strong.


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## Jarrhead (Mar 15, 2009)

A couple more observations to note. 
The riving knife and spreader are pretty high quality parts. A couple of complaints though. First is that it is extremely difficult to adjust the alignment with the blade. The adjustment screws cannot be accessed from above the table, and from below the table it is impossible to see what kind of effect you are having on the alignment when you make an adjustment to one of the allen head screws. A lot of trial and error, but I finally got it right. Now that it is adjusted, I don't expect to have to mess with it much ever again. The second complaint I have is for the spreader that replaces the riving knife for use with the guard. You should be able to pull out the throat plate, reach in and flip up the cam lever that holds the riving knife in place, and then replace it with the spreader. You *can* actually do that, however, the standard throat plate cannot be reinserted after the spreader is installed (because of the width of the device with the anti-kickback pawls). It requires you to reinsert the throat plate before you install the spreader, and then you have to go underneath the table to re-engage the cam lever and lock the spreader in place. A total PITA. 
Enough of the bad news. Let me talk about the good stuff. I am still amazed every time I run the saw at how quiet and vibration free it is. The quality of the cuts is superior in every way to my old saw, using the same blades. I also love the smooth action of the handwheels. They are bigger, and heavier than the ones on my old Jet, and the knob that locks the handwheel in place is a beefy heavy steel also, unlike the plastic on the Jet. The table wings went together easily, and when I checked for flatness across the seams with my Veritas straightedge, they were as near to perfectly flat as possible. There is no space or light visible under the straightedge anywhere along its length. No shimming was required. 
So far the dust collection (below the table) seems to be functioning great. Above the table, I think I will need come up with some kind of solution. The dust above the table isn't terrible, but It should be addressed somehow.


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## dannmarks (Oct 22, 2016)

I am glad that you are happy guy. I have loved mine forever.


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## Jarrhead (Mar 15, 2009)

Real photos added as promised. As you can see, I need to address the extension table to the right of the blade. I am reluctant to put any time or money into this until I decide if I am going to purchase the longer rails. So far I have made a "thin stock ripping jig", a zero clearance insert, and a crosscut sled for her.


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## dannmarks (Oct 22, 2016)

I do not have room for the table that you have. I plan on using this Grizzly G1317 instead


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## Gittyup (Jan 16, 2013)

I've owned this saw for about 6 years now. Love it! Dust collection only so-so, and the supplied arbor wrenches are junk. But otherwise a very fine saw. I looked at those other options too. But, at less than half the cost, the Grizzly was a no-brainer.


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## Breeze73 (Jul 14, 2016)

If your gonna upgrade to longer rails, just get a whole new fence system. I have an Incra TS-LS system on my saw and it is SOOO worth the money. I absolutely love the precision the fence gives you. There is no way someone could pay me to go back to the biesmeyer style. Its $500 bucks, but that includes shipping. If it's your first order with them you can usually get a 10% discount. And they seem to go on sale a couple times a year. I absolutely love mine!


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## Jarrhead (Mar 15, 2009)

So, I bought the longer rails, and as promised, here is an update, post install:










Buying the rails separately only saved me a little over $100. However, if you order the saw with the longer rails, they include the extension table to go between the rails, but they don't give you the cast iron wing that goes on the right side of the table. I wanted the extra weight the second cast iron wing provides. So, this was another good reason to add the rails after the fact.


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