Older Delta Unisaw - $350 (Burlington) GONE

[Martin Roper]

Not mine, etc.

Older Delta Unisaw - $350 (Burlington)

looks like it would be pretty nice with newer rails and fence.

 

[Roy G]

Seems to be missing the plinth. They are available but you have to look for it.

Roy G

 

[Henry W]

Seems to be missing the plinth. They are available but you have to look for it.

Ok I will take the plunge and display my ignorance Roy. What's a plinth?

 

[Martin Roper]

It's the base that the cabinet rests on.

 

[Roy G]

Exactly. The older models of the Unisaw had a cast-iron plinth like the one that Martin showed. The newer models had one made of sheet steel. I'm not sure what holds the cabinet together without a plinth.

Roy G

 

[Charles Lent]

That's a nice and well maintained looking saw. It's likely a 1940's saw and with a 1 1/2 or 2 hp motor, so it's possible to run it on 120 volts, but you would be better off using it on 240 volts. It's very likely a single phase because of their voltage statement. Those older jet lock fences aren't that bad, and will likely keep you happy until you can get a better fence. I don't see a miter gauge in the photos, so you should ask if it includes one, as they can be quite expensive if you need to buy one. If I didn't already own a Unisaw, I would be after this one. I think it looks like a great deal. The one in my high school shop in the 1950's looked exactly like this one and looked to be in the same condition back then.
For a home shop, you won't find a better deal, and the motor hp is likely all you will ever need if you wire it for 240 volts.

Charley

 

[Oka]

Plinth used in a sentence. "I drank so many pints I was drunk to the plinth degree" -

Plinth generally in construction is any base to a column that is not part of the upper member it is supporting, like the square base you see on a round fluted marble column. Reality, any bottom part of a column that differs in shape at the bottom of a column is often referred to as a plinth whether it is integrated as part of the column or not.

 

[FredP]

While all the wannabe's procrastinate this will go fast. It's a great saw at a very good price. The fence is serviceable and the saw looks well taken care of. Even if you have to put a few hundred dollars in it you will have a professional grade saw for less than a Asian made contractor saw that you will not likely be happy with.

 

[bob vaughan]

Missing the plinth may be a blessing in disguise. First, the price will be lower since a major part is missing. Second, the dust collection on that type of saw is not good. A lot of people remove the plinth and make one with a good dust collection hookup.

 

[junquecol]

Missing the plinth may be a blessing in disguise. First, the price will be lower since a major part is missing. Second, the dust collection on that type of saw is not good. A lot of people remove the plinth and make one with a good dust collection hookup.

You mean DC being the floor of the shop? With a little door in the front, through which you shovel out the dust.

 

[bob vaughan]

A special plinth is made with a dust collector opening to hook up shop dust collectors. Such a thing didn't come on the early Unisaws. A Unisaw of the age of the one in question came with a sheet metal floor. That floor would obviously have to be removed. The front cleanout door would be used very little.

 

[Hmerkle]

A special plinth is made with a dust collector opening to hook up shop dust collectors. Such a thing didn't come on the early Unisaws. A Unisaw of the age of the one in question came with a sheet metal floor. That floor would obviously have to be removed. The front cleanout door would be used very little.

I was going to ask "why would you take the plinth off - why not just put a hole in the back of the cabinet and connect a flange and the DC hose?"
But now I am thinking you are suggesting to remove the plinth and develop your DC connection connection to your "new" plinth?

 

[bob vaughan]

I'm saying that I have observed that some Unisaw owners did that to avoid cutting up the cabinet. A hole in the cabinet has to be pretty high up and having the dust port close to the floor is more desirable. This, of course, applies to the older Unisaws that didn't come with factory dust ports. By making their own plinth, an owner of an older Unisaw doesn't have to cut up the cabinet or plinth base.
I used a Unisaw for about 10 years and just shoveled out through the front door.

 

[Charles Lent]

Many Unisaws Post WWII came with a small plate at floor level in the back, and they once made a square to round duct transition that bolted on at this point. Unfortunately, I have no idea what models were involved or how well this dust port worked. Pulling sufficient air through this dust port likely turned all of the cabinet openings, including the louvres in the dust door, into inlets to help speed the dust flow across the bottom of the cabinet and into this port. Since this adapter is no longer made, a metal duct fitting would likely have to be made or a standard one modified to serve this purpose. Before carving up your Unisaw cabinet, it might be worth looking to see if you have this feature.

Charley

 

[junquecol]

When I taught shop, we had a Uni with bottom back outlet for DC, Dust would collect, then form a neat little valley towards the hole. Every Friday, during shop clean up, we would shovel out remaining dust. Motor looks like repulsion start, induction run from pictures. Though only rated at 1.5HP, we could never bog it down.