Grizzly G1023rl review

[Cary Falk]

Jim,
It looks like it is choked down, but it actually does a really good job. The new Unisaw is the same way. I split a 6" between this and my Excalibur and it works great.
Cary

[Will Overton]

The two wrenches that they sent with the blade are an absolute joke. I know not to over tighten the blade and even still the first time I went to put a new blade on the open wrench that holds the arbor bent like it was made from plastic.

Even a plastic wrench would be able to tighten the arbor nut enough. I'd guess you're still over doing it.

I'm glad you got the bugs out of the saw and are getting to use it. I just got my new saw up and running last week, and it is thrilling. My Freud glue line rip blade just came today.

[Jim O'Dell]

That is interesting. I'm thinking you are saying the wrenches are like the router wrenches? Flat steel? The wrenches with my G0691 are double open end wrenches, like mechanics wrenches. Yeah, probably HF quality, but they seem more than up to the task.
How wide is the space on the arbor for the wrench to fit? If wide enough, go to the pawn shop and dig through for a quality wrench that is the right size. Shouldn't cost too much. Jim.

[keith micinski]

I already made my own wrench at work.I agree about a plastic wrench being able to do the job that is how cheap the wrenches that came with the saw are. The right side tilt wheel didn't hurt me as much as I thought it would. I already have my cabinet built. I have another thread on how that is coming also.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That is interesting. I'm in the process of assembling my G0490X and the wrenches that came with it are double-end cast wrenches.

[Cary Falk]

That is interesting. I'm in the process of assembling my G0490X and the wrenches that came with it are double-end cast wrenches.

All of my grizzly tools have "cast" wrenches. The 1023RL came with stamped steel. All the saws I have had have been stamped steel(including a Unisaw). There isn't much room behind the arbor to have much more. My blades aren't tight enough that a block of wood against the teeth and a wrench on the nut can't loosen.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Cary that makes sense.

[John Petsche]

great review, nice pics of the inside of the cabinet (good view of elevation brackets).

[keith micinski]

I'm thinking about updating my side cabinet top over the holiday break and giving an update on how the saw has treated me so far if I get a little extra time.

[Brian Weick]

Tin foil, warped inserts,.....

Just something I pulled of Grizzlys site,,,,,,

Where are your machines manufactured?

Our machines are manufactured in several countries, but the majority of them come from Taiwan. We have dealt with factories in Taiwan for more than twenty-five years and have two offices with quality control engineers in Taiwan and China.

B,

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tin foil, warped inserts,.....

Just something I pulled of Grizzlys site,,,,,,

Where are your machines manufactured?

Our machines are manufactured in several countries, but the majority of them come from Taiwan. We have dealt with factories in Taiwan for more than twenty-five years and have two offices with quality control engineers in Taiwan and China.

B,

and your point is?

[Brian Weick]

Well,
I was Just pointing out where thier/most machinery is being produced and assembled. What puzzles me is they do get very specific where thier machinery is made,rather a general term. Now if it were made in America or Germany i am quite certain they would be sure to emphasize that.

There was another thread about a job site table saw (different forum) that the owner was complaining about a slight give in the arbor. Side to side movement and also the noise it made.........Bosch. As most were commenting on where the saw was made and what to expect out of a job site saw......I certainly don't expect precision and do expect some added noise. The owner of the saw had 3 returns of this saw and they all came back with the same results. The last one he received he kept and was determined to remove the very slight movement in the arbor and get to the noise issue,,,,,


After the ordering a better quality bearing and installing it.....the result.....there was no improvement in the slight lateral movement of the blade.

So I guess what I was trying to say is don't expect a lot from Asian made machinery......

Back in the day when we employed people/skilled craftsman- to make this machinery here in the US. They used to make the cast tops and all the parts and then store them outside to season for a year. Then they planned and machined all the parts after the stress relief process was completed.

Modern WW equipment is not made this way anymore....what took a year is now done within a few days...different formulas for the metal used on the tops/parts ,different stress relief processes....etc..etc.......and what thier doing overseas.....who knows?



JMPOV,

B,

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian,

I am aware of only one US company still manufacturing table saws in the US. If I read their 2012 price list correctly, Northifields low end saw cost a little over $14,000 before adding any options. I have heard of a possible 2nd manufacturer making tablesaws in the US but haven't been able to confirm it.

Most of the people on this board are hobbyists and frankly couldn't afford or if they can afford it, can't justify the expense of a US made tablesaw to the specs that USED TO BE US standard.

However, it's has been decades, probably over 40 years, since a stamp of "Made in the USA" could provide the buyer some assurance of receiving a good quality product.

Beyond that.....wood is dynamic medium. Unlike some materials....some metals and plastics....it will move on it's own. Manufacturer specifications of 0.0015" is less than 1/64th of an inch. When people talk about having a variance of around 0.010"...that's just under 1/96th of an inch....Hello? Often the material itself will seasonally move that much or more. It's hard for me to get excited about a variance of 0.015" as long as it doesn't impede normal operation of the machine.

Some woodworkers would suggest to buy old and fix. That's fine if that's your preference. Frankly, I spent over 40 years repairing equipment from radar and communications equipment used in air traffic control centers to multi-million dollar MR scanners and CT scanners in hospitals across this country. I don't want to buy a used woodworking tool and spend the time necessary to repair it. Buying new is my preference. Because it's just a hobby, while I can afford to buy some US made tools, for the majority of my tools, I can't justify that kind of increased expense and neither can most hobbyists.

[keith micinski]

I couldn't be happier with the quality of the overall machine I got. It cost a fair margin less then a unisaw and for that I expected to have a few little things that needed tuned up or fixed. I don't think anyone buys a grizzly and thinks they are getting the same quality tool as a PM or a delta but it is pretty good and with a little bit of work and setup it is more then adequate to get the job done.

[Keith Hankins]

Hey I've had a 1023 for over 10 years. General rule of thumb anything within +/- .005 is considered acceptable (that goes for other vendors) The inserts they will replace no issue but to be honest I've never used mine I put in zero clearance and they are better anyway. I can't tell from your pic if the wing might be causing part of your issue. Mine had a slight issue the other way and I had to do the tape strips to bring it up a tad. Talk to CS they are pretty responsive. I like they added a riving knife. They did not have that way back when I got mine.