Delta industrial Contractor Saw

[starfireww]

I found a FB marketplace post very close to me for a Delta industrial Contractor Saw. Does anyone have any opinions on this model? I'm working out of my garage and don't need anything too big but I really don't need a lemon on my hands either.

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There's also this one which seems slightly overpriced but I could be wrong...

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[NCPAPAOF2]

#1 definitely over priced. #2 high but at $200 and replace the switch with a quick cut off or slap switch.

 

[zdorsch]

Between the two options I would go with the first that’s at $325 right now. The second saw is very overpriced - cabinet saws come up fairly regularly for less money than that hybrid saw.

Edit: a cabinet saw will also likely take up less space than a contractors saw that has the motor hanging off of the back.

 

[Rocheman]

I'd go with saw #1 as well. The top is all cast iron and it comes with the Unifence, which is solid fence. Alot of the older Delta Contractor's saw had metal wings and not the cast iron, like saw #1 has. IMHO, #325 is a fair price for the saw.

Good luck in your quest.

Jim

 

[mkepke]

Condition and price aside, both saws should be perfectly adequate for a hobbyist.

The cheaper saw with the open base looks like the better purchase, but I’d make sure to check it out thoroughly: run it, raise the blade up and down, tilt the blade from side to side. It looks like it’s had a harder life than the second saw with the enclosed stand. It’s missing a knob on the height adjuster, uses a non-factory (and possibly unsafe) on/off switch and the overall level of wear and tear.

-Mark

 

[starfireww]

Between the two options I would go with the first that’s at $325 right now. The second saw is very overpriced - cabinet saws come up fairly regularly for less money than that hybrid saw.

Edit: a cabinet saw will also likely take up less space than a contractors saw that has the motor hanging off of the back.

True about space. Good point.

 

[starfireww]

Condition and price aside, both saws should be perfectly adequate for a hobbyist.

The cheaper saw with the open base looks like the better purchase, but I’d make sure to check it out thoroughly: run it, raise the blade up and down, tilt the blade from side to side. It looks like it’s had a harder life than the second saw with the enclosed stand. It’s missing a knob on the height adjuster, uses a non-factory (and possibly unsafe) on/off switch and the overall level of wear and tear.

-Mark

I was concerned about the heavy use, hence the lemon comment. The contractor saws typically have the guts attached to the top which makes them hard to fix. No one has really jump on here to say they're worth fixing.
I'd much rather have a cabinet one. I've worked on a few pretty old powermatic 66 that a shop I worked at had. I was surprised how easy it was to swap out bearings and the like.
I've owned other old and odd machines so working on them is no problem.

 

[mkepke]

Both of the saws you posted have the trunnions mounted to the saw table, so no difference there.

You know the more expensive saw isn’t a ‘true’ cabinet saw, right?

-Mark

 

[starfireww]

Both of the saws you posted have the trunnions mounted to the saw table, so no difference there.

You know the more expensive saw isn’t a ‘true’ cabinet saw, right?

-Mark

That's some information I was hoping for by posting here. I appreciate it. I'm still waiting on something else to pop up somewhere at this point.

 

[ChemE75]

Not being a full fledged unisaw, they seem to be asking for unisaw pricing. It’s sort of like a contractor upper was mounted to a cabinet base. Plus few benefits over the $325 contractor saw which looks decent, table can be cleaned up and throat plate inserts are easy to make. A much older version was my first saw with crappy old style fence. This one is much better. Right side wing looks like a melamine coated sheet which lends itself to mounting a router if so desired. Might offer a tad less $ due to switch which is easy to replace, but $325 sounds reasonable. Guessing a safety type switch is around $25.

 

[ErinJ]

If it’s one of the older Delta contractor saws with the cast iron top and belt drive, they’re generally pretty solid saws for a garage shop and a big step up from most jobsite saws. The biggest things I’d check are the fence quality, motor noise/vibration, arbor wobble, and whether the top is flat/rust-free. A lot of woodworkers still prefer the older Delta contractor saws because they’re simple, reliable, and parts are usually still easy to find. Definitely not a lemon if it’s been cared for.