Old Table Saws

[Reg Mitchell]

If you had your choice of a Tanniwitz or and Oliver, say the 260 and a J model Tannie which would it be.
Reason : I have just found out there is a guy around here that has a big warehous of the things, he buys out companies going out of the furnitur bussiness and he has some of about everything.

[John Miliunas]

Reg, I have little doubt that it won't be near me but, where is "around here"???

[Reg Mitchell]

I live in Tennessee. I have a phone number to the guy, maybe if i throw some bussiness his way i can get a break on the saw i deside to buy.....but i need some input from you guys.

[Cecil Arnold]

I'm sure Dev has some definite ideas that he will share.

[Reg Mitchell]

OK wheres Dev...not sure i know him I am not that long a resident here...but I like it, pretty good info.

[John Miliunas]

Reg, his name is Dev Emch. Drop him a Private Message, referncing this thread. His knowledge of old iron is absolutely incredible and can probably rattle off model numbers of stuff he'd recommend! That's NOT to take away from some of our other members who are also inclined towards some of the older pieces but, you'll get the full skinny on something from Dev! Plus, he really enjoys talking and actually teaching us about the various pieces of heavy equipment out there.

[Dev Emch]

Oh, I can take it any more...... all these mentally difficult questions....

Should I get an Oliver or a Tanny... Hmmmmmm. The modern, large format saw was invented by these companies and, sorry to say this, these models are all inbred. They often hired folks back and forth between companies and they freely borrowed each others ideas. So to say that one company is better than another is hard to do. We are not comparing a yugo to lexus here. More like comparing differing models of lexus.

First of all, I am not a fan of late model tannywitz saws because many had sheet metal bases whereas the others and eary models of tannewitz had cast iron to the floor bases. This is a minor complaint. If an early model, tilting arbor tanny came my way, I would find it easy to adopt it.

In looking for working saws, beware that some had tilting tops and not tilting arbors. For a first saw, you should avoid the tilting tops. Most old iron guys who have tilting tops have them for collector sake and not use sake.

The oliver 260 is most likely the trickest oliver ever made. With its slip rings, dual motors, twin arbor mouted turret, etc., this is an engineering wonder. But I personally dont like dual arbor machines. I own an oliver 88 which in some ways looks like a grade school student designed the outer asthetic. For technical reasons including the addition of a european sliding table, I prefer the 88. I dont have a euro table on mine yet, but I keep this option open.

The tanny on the other hand is very much similar to an oliver 88. But quite a few have sheet metal bases. Nonetheless, many folks find the tanny superior to the oliver. I have never personally run a tanny in the bush so I cannot attest to this. But I have heard it from numerous folks.

But how much better would it be if any at all? Not Much. I would venture to say that if you pick any saw of this size, desgin style and layout, you will never never never return to what your using now. Be that an oliver 232, 270, 370, 88 or 260. A similar argument can be made for greenlee, oliver, whitney, tanniwitz, northfield, etc. I kinda like the whitney as a overall, general purpose saw be that a 77 or the later 177 model. Its been said that a whitney has many similarties to the tanny.

The problem with oliver is that oliver has a cult following. Its like the grateful dead. Take a new, goth rock group and rename it the grateful dead and see how many of the original fans stick around. That is the problem with the blue oliver today and what the old oliver owners did not understand when the naming rights were sold.

So what you should do is go to this warehouse and inspect *ALL* of the machines in this group and test drive them if possible. Raise and lower the blade, set up the fence, do a mitre cut, etc. The proof is in the pudding. Check out fit and finish even though the finish may be messed up right now. Many older machines were painted with a floor brush by huck finn's buddies!

At the end, if you prefer the tanny, then buy it. Else, if you like the oliver 260 or the whitney better, than buy that one. What I can tell you is that there is more iron in one tanny trunion than in an entire powermatic or unisaw mounting system!

Be on the lookout for excessivly load noise or vibration. Being an older machine, it may also be in need of work (i.e. work a reduced price).

Best of luck....

[martyphee]

Oliver and Tany are both great machines, but if you can find a 260 that would be my choice. Awesome machine.

http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=499

[Sparky Paessler]

I live in Tennessee. I have a phone number to the guy, maybe if i throw some bussiness his way i can get a break on the saw i deside to buy.....but i need some input from you guys.

Hey Reg would that be Upper East Tennessee. There use to be a warehouse of old machines in Elizabethton TN. Don't know if it is still there.

[Reg Mitchell]

Well Dev,
Thanks for the advice guess i just as well go and look. I really am looking to buy a good sturdy saw. I will let you know what i end up buying and why i bought it. Again Thanks for the info.
Reg

[Reg Mitchell]

Hey Sparky,
YEP you hit the nail on the head.
I worked as a machinest for a few years and now work in QC. One of the guys i work with use to do some work for "Charles" and he found out i was looking for a good saw. He told me the company name and the owner and i called him up, really nice guy. Told me to call a day ahead of time and come on over and he would let me tour the place and see what i wanted.
Might be an idea to do some tradeing with him and maybe start rebuilding some of the neglected ones and sell a few.
Reg

[Dev Emch]

As Marty said, the 260 is an awsome machine. I think if you lined up a row of these large format saws from Oliver, Tanny, Whitney, Northfield, etc., and told me to pick just one, I would have a very very very very very very very very and did I say VERY hard time choosing the right one. The dislikes or cons if you really wish to call them that are so minor. What become more of an issue if feel. Like putting on a suit, how does it feel in your hands? How does the saw make you feel? Do you have a warm and fuzzy? And that is something I cannot help you with.

If you go there, ask this guy if he has any really old machines by John White of Dover, NH? In particular, I would be interested in snagging a John White jointer with the gothic access door and the two front mounted table handles. Consider any condition as I wish to restore to show room myself.

[lou sansone]

there is a nice oliver 260D on eb_y right now. you might want to look at it
lou

[Mike Cutler]

there is a nice oliver 260D on eb_y right now. you might want to look at it
lou

I am going to have to have a major garage/shop wiring upgrade. I really want one of those.

[CPeter James]

Dev,

Did you see the picture of David Lamb's collection of John White tools on the back cover of this month's FWW. I have been in his shop and they are quite impressive.

CPeter