Delta Unisaw ASSEMBLY, Thread #3 = Unifence body won't engage fence rail

[mark kosse]

On the bandsaw there was a difference in guides and a fence was standard, if i recall correctly. I've never owned anything that new.

[Tom Burgess]

I love my Unifence. One suggestion though. There is a cursor for each fence position. I put tape over the one I am not using. Don't ask why.

I hate to admit it, but based on my own limitations I already know why!

[Tom Burgess]

My bad, you need all the cheering up you can get.

I deserve that, but now that I have the fence mounted and all squared up, I'm beginning to like the saw. As you advised in my first thread regarding ASSEMBLY, this is a whole different level of table saw. I've never worked on anything this smooth and precise (and YES, I'm kicking myself as predicted).

My complaints have been well founded, but I think that phase of the relationship is behind me (us?) now. Those problems/solutions should pay off in the USING of the saw.

[Bruce Page]

Don't take this the wrong way but in Delta's defense, I think most, if not all of your assembly issues are a direct result of it sitting unassembled for 8 years and your admitted lack of assembly experience. I bought my Unisaw with 52" Biesemeyer fence and mobile base in 1998 and put it together that weekend. I don't think it took more than a couple of hours to assemble and dial everything in. It has never lost those settings. I did replace the OEM extension table a couple of years later with a Woodhaven extension table that had a router setup in it.
Unless you live in the desert southwest I'm betting you have humidity where you live. Humidity alone can cause problems if left unchecked. Having the extension table sitting on end rather than flat as intended probably caused the 1/4" crown. I'm surprised it wasn't more. I'm glad you can see the light at the end of the tunnel but blaming Delta for the issues you experienced is unfair, IMO.
Again, this is meant as constructive criticism not an attack.
I think you will love the saw and like you said, you're an expert on it now.

[Tom Burgess]

Don't take this the wrong way but in Delta's defense, I think most, if not all of your assembly issues are a direct result of it sitting unassembled for 8 years and your admitted lack of assembly experience. [...] I'm glad you can see the light at the end of the tunnel but blaming Delta for the issues you experienced is unfair, IMO. Again, this is meant as constructive criticism not an attack. I think you will love the saw and like you said, you're an expert on it now.

I take several of your points, and reject several. First, I don't admit any lack of assembly experience. In fact, I have "assembly experience" that would surprise you. There are obvious mismatches between certain sub-assemblies that constitute this 'saw package' as it were. And there are some glaringly bad examples of machine work and casting. The most troublesome for me has been the extension table, sold by Delta as part of this Delta saw package, but apparently manufactured by Biesemeyer.

I'll concede that the extension table bow might be due to time+humidity (water can and will destroy EVERYTHING eventually), but I don't think standing the table blank on end in its sealed original packaging bowed it. Maybe it did...in conjunction with humidity...but the substrate is covered on all surfaces with a serious plastic laminate, so I'm not sure how humidity would reach the water-sensitive substrate... Still, moisture is a destructive bugger and time + humidity may indeed be to blame for some of the "fun" I've been having here lately.

Whatever the cause of the bow--and despite advice to the contrary--I figured out a method to straighten the top enough to make it work with the fence rail extrusion - by weighting the top two different ways and applying torch heat to strategic locations. Again, hardly a lack of assembly or troubleshooting experience on my part.

And Bruce, if you could assemble this particular saw in 2 hours...well...I think you're very much mistaken about that. I spent more than twenty hours, in large part because I had to stop, back up, rethink and improvise so often. I think I'm going to enjoy using this saw, but its assembly was a time-consuming PAIN IN THE ARSE, and Delta's Customer Support / Tech Support reps were of no service or assistance whatsoever - couldn't be bothered to even advise me regarding an obviously defective part, and then questioned my honesty. The only meaningful information I received from the Deltoids was that this saw was manufactured at a time when Black&Decker (yikes) had recently purchased Delta - and all hell was breaking loose there. I think that might account for some of the problems I encountered in assembling this particular saw 'package'.

USING this saw should prove gratifying, and I own several Delta tools, but I stand by my prior statement:
I will never buy another Delta tool.

[Bruce Page]

Tom, as I said, I didn't mean to offend. I thought I read somewhere, maybe between the lines, that you didn't have much experience with this sort of process. In any case, you do now!

[Tom Burgess]

No offense taken, Bruce. The extent of my reply was only an attempt at clarity. And in that spirit, I admit I may have overlooked the part played in "the bowing" by the bare-wood framing under the laminate-covered extension table blank. There appears to be no finish applied to those 3/4 x 1-3/4" strips, so I guess they would be particularly susceptible to moisture/humidity - and we're having the rainiest summer on record where I live.

So you may be right about the source of the bow, and who knows...it might actually be a temporary condition occurring in just the past several months. I'm not holding my breath, but the table might flatten out on its own if it ever stops raining here.

I'm just glad the blasted saw is finally assembled and functional. Now it's back to work. Thanks for the help.

[Rick Potter]

One of the biggest disappointments with my Felder saw was the table. It had a two piece table extension for the 50" fence, and they were both sheet metal. It was solid enough, but it sure wasn't flat. I would have gladly exchanged it for a particle board/laminate table.

[Tom Burgess]

One of the biggest disappointments with my Felder saw was the table. It had a two piece table extension for the 50" fence, and they were both sheet metal. It was solid enough, but it sure wasn't flat. I would have gladly exchanged it for a particle board/laminate table.

I hear you, Rick. If this Biesemeyer U50 extension table does not flatten out entirely, I'll make a new one out of MDF with a Formica work surface. I'll also weld up a support frame from steel box tubing with legs that are situated at the outside edges (front and rear edges) of the table. And if I'm able to do away with the mobile base, I'll put those legs at the absolute corners of the table.

My current situation requires the standard/original legs be mounted too far IN from the front and and rear table edges - making for an unstable surface when cutting 4x8 sheet goods. That's because the legs must accommodate the oddly narrow mobile base extension frame. And to make things worse, the feet of those legs don't attach to the mobile base extension frame at all. The height-adjustable feet simply rest upon a pair of gussets. This is one of those poorly thought-out mismatches among the sub-assemblies that I've referenced. I worked around this shortcoming by fabricating a temporary pair of legs and wide platform upon which they stand (contributing to my 20+ hours of assembly).

The Delta NON-TechSupport rep claims that's a perfectly good design that never caused any problems. BULL. Take a look at the current Unisaw. The extension table legs are at the outside corners of the extension table. Gee, I wonder why they made that design change...

830

[Mike Goetzke]

Few years back I purchased a new Uni. After three tries I gave up on getting a flat table board. I just got over it because I designed and built a router/storage cabinet to fit under the wing. The cabinet eliminated the need for support legs and I used the cabinet structure with shims to flatten out the table board. I also reinforced the table board around the router lift hole. Over 3-years the table stayed flat. If you want a picture of my Uni & cabinet PM me.

I too can't envision it taking 20+ hours to assemble this saw. But, I've assembled a few other tools in the past.

(FYI-I sold the Uni after completing a huge kitchen/house remodeling project that burnt me out. I tried working without a TS in my shop. Didn't work and now I have a 1950 Uni that I had a blast restoring.)


Mike

[Tom Burgess]

Very kool, Mike. I sent you a PM.

Experimenting and brainstorming on how to work around problems eats up a lot of time, and then implementing whatever you come up with takes time, and waxing the tops takes time, and removing rust from parts that never got wet takes time, and calling the useless Deltoid Tech Supporters takes time, and on, and on, and on.

Add it all up. 20+ hours is a low estimate.