Unisaw

[Ray McCullie]

Well I saw a post on CL two days ago for a (among other tools) "delta cabinet saw". Guy wanted $475, said new 3hp motor and bearings. Long story short it's in the back of my truck now.

For all intents and purposes it's a Unisaw but dating it is impossible. The motor has been replaced and the switch plate is gone. The only thing left is the bevel scale which has S/N: J214 stamped on it.

It has the original fence, a Grizzly 3hp "A" graded motor ("F" grade is the highest FYI "A" is lowest, unless there is no grade...) and new switch box with a homemade sheet metal motor cover.

Any advice?

Which addons will work and what am I looking for? Or should I just turn it around to someone else who's gonna love an old saw and use the money towards a new one?

I'm not sure what to do with it at this point.

[David Nelson1]

A pic would be nice.

[Ray McCullie]

Sorry, working on it now. Just took the tarp off and getting the truck backed up to unload it.

Here we go:






I took the fence off a few minutes ago so it wouldn't get damaged while moving it. No inserts or blade guard with it.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Any advice?

nice.
Now make some sawdust

[Bruce Page]

nice.
Now make some sawdust

I agree, but put a new blade on it first.

It looks like an older Unisaw. I wouldn't worry about the motor rating.

[Carroll Courtney]

I think you did good,just look at some of the bench type saws at HD,cost more than what you paid for a cabinet saw.If you brake the cost down you could say 100.00 dust cover,100.plus for the fence and rails,homemade motor cover is around 100 bucks,then the griz motor and switch maybe 200 buck,the cast iron base say 75 bucks and the cabinet itself goes 50.00 then all the old case iron parts inside the cabinet maybe 100 plus which is on the low end including the hand wheels.So if you sell it for parts you will turn a profit,but if you keep it then it will be the last saw you ever need.go to www.owwm.org for more on this saw.Take alook at mine that I restored about 1yr ago,its fantastic----Carroll

[Ray McCullie]

Got the thing unloaded, thanks to my neighbor's help. Phew. Thank goodness for neighbors. On a mobile base and waiting, now all I need is to rewire the garage for some 220 outlets.

The fence looks to be the original, in pretty good working order but the rails are a little bent. I think I'll try replacing it. Since it's been fixed up already, rather then a full restore I'll go for modern addons.

The locking knobs on the height and bevel don't seem to lock it at all but I'm not sure why. Doesn't look like the threads are stripped or anything.

Any ideas on what to add or tips? I figure there are at least a few around SMC that have been there and done that on this type of saw.

[David Nelson1]

Good find ole man!!

[John Thompson]

Great price.. ya don't need a new saw.... just some wood!

[Chip Lindley]

Really nice-looking ol' Unisaw! Appears to be well worth the price!

Add Ons? A Biesemeyer fence would be the best investment you could make in this saw.

Although that homemade motor cover serves it's purpose, It looks kinda funky Thereis a fiberglass version of the original motor cover marketed by an OWWM guy on eBay for about $89. But, I'm not sure your larger motor will fit inside an original-shaped motor cover.

A 50T Freud Combo blade would be a great upgrade. It will do 90% of all you will probably need to do. And, a blade guard with dust collection would serve you well too. Enjoy your "new" Unisaw!

[Dave MacArthur]

Saw looks to be in good condition, a little work and you're set! I actually like that motor cover a lot, the prior owner clearly put some effort into it. You can make an insert quickly, and there's a thread here just 2 weeks ago about making a dust boot for inside the saw to collect most of the dust on an old unisaw, search will find it.
I like a biesmeyer fence, there may still be folks around here who bought the home-depot deal fences a couple years ago, now looking to do something with them.

Nice!

[Chad Stucke]

Make or buy a throat plate and start sawing to see if ya want to do much else with it.

[george wilson]

It looks like the older classic Unisaw,but has had a more recent motor(and cover) added.The old style fence,which I wish you had shown,was made of thick,folded sheet steel. Later,an aluminum extrusion. They always moved some when you locked them down. Many replaced them. I did with a Parralock,which is no longer available. I don't care for the Biesmeyer(sp?) The Parralock used an under the table system of aircraft cables,and did not move at all when tightened. Cost as much as the better known fence,but I guess whoever has the money to advertise the most wins out.

[Ray McCullie]

Here ya go:



You can see the micro adjust, kinda neat feature on such an old fence.



Looks like someone was making a beveled cut a little too close to the fence:

[Kirk Poore]

....

For all intents and purposes it's a Unisaw but dating it is impossible. The motor has been replaced and the switch plate is gone. The only thing left is the bevel scale which has S/N: J214 stamped on it.

...

Ray:

Very early Unisaws (pre-1941) had a serial number system like yours--a single letter with a three digit number. The leading letter varied by month--they started with A, then B for the next month, then C, etc, before they finally (sometime in 1941) went to a different SN system. The OWWM.com site's info on Unisaws doesn't explain this very well, but if you go over to the OWWM.org discussion site, you can ask the experts there. (As more of a Powermatic guy, I haven't payed close attention to the real details.)

Anyway, I bet your Unisaw was built in 1940, maybe between June and August. Is that close enough?

Kirk