delta table saw

[Chuck Wintle]

I am shopping for a table saw and found this model from Delta. Its a 2 HP Hybrid model. Just wondering if anyone can tell me if its a decent saw to buy.

[David Weaver]

I have the same saw with a Biesemeyer fence. If you compared it to a US made powermatic or some such saw worth 2500 new, then you get a proportional amount of saw.

I would assume that you're getting it for a "deal" price. When I got mine, it shipped free, plus it came with a free blade and a rebate for a precision miter fence or a tenoning jig.

I spent the time to set mine up correctly and got a 50" Biesemeyer extension and guide rail for it, and it's really good for what I need it for.

I don't know how the power is with a full-kerf blade, but it cuts fine ripping 1-inch oak with a Forrest WWII.

My saw had a disappointing amount of runout - at the blade tip, it's 0.007" or so, but in practice with a good blade, the cut is still like glass. I worried about that a lot, but it's in spec for Delta - I called. Table flatness for the main table is 0.008" hollow in the middle - not a huge deal, not perfect.

The trunnions in the saw are not like the trunnions in a large powermatic saw or other such things. They look to me like the same setup as delta has in their heavier table saws, but I could be called out on that one. They're heavy enough for hobbyist use, but they may have a racking issue going from miter to straight cut to miter, etc. I do a lot of measuring and checking of things, but I haven't cut a miter yet to know if the racking could be or is a problem.

I love the biesemeyer commercial fence.

In short, it's a good saw for the price, but it isn't a 5hp powermatic 66 (which is what I use when woodworking with a buddy). It'll cut sheet goods and 1 inch hardwoods all day, but I don't know if I'd want to constantly rip 2-inch hardwoods through it.

Also, the delta ZCI can't be mounted without routing a channel - the blade barely goes lower than the table top, and touches the ZCI before it's cut. My solution was to rout out enough of a Rockler ZCI to get it flush, and then cut it. Worked out fine, but routing was a pain. With an MDF ZCI, I would think that would compromise the strength, but with the urethane - or whatever it is - inserts, I think they're fine. The other dumb thing about it is that the hold-down screw on the regular insert is at the same place that the height adjustment screw is on some of the ZCIs, so the ZCI will not have footing on the front left. The solution, I suppose, is to drill and countersink a different hole.

It's made in China and not packed very well at all. You will have never seen plywood like what comes with it - you can rip 2 inches worth with one push of a hand saw.

If 220 is available, and you're paying more than 999 shipped for the saw ($899 if it's the delta t-fence version), I would look at the steel city, or even the sears craftsman painted steel city 3 hp cabinet saws. If 110 is what you have in your shop, I think this is about as good as a 110 saw gets - especially if you get the biesemeyer version.

Mine is good enough that I won't be replacing it soon unless I manage to break it, or unless my buddy with the powermatic decides to get a slider and wants to get rid of his saw.

[Frederick Rowe]

Charles,
I had this precise model (w/T2 fence) and can report it is a good saw for the price. My run out was not as great as David's, and table flatness about the same. It has a very compact footprint, and passed the nickel test until the last second of shutdown. Look around, they can be had for less than sticker price. Good luck and enjoy.

[Luis Oliveira]

Charles,

I was just browsing at the Delta web site and I happen to notice, that the saw you are looking at (Model 36-717) is only 1 3/4 HP, 120V/240V, 60 Hz.

The Model 36-982 is only 1 1/2 HP.

As far as I can tell Delta does not have 2HP Table saw, unless once you switch it to 240 then it gives you 2HP.

I hope this helps.

[Ray Bersch]

I have had a Delta Hybrid for several months and am very pleased. There are a few issues but none that make me regret the purchase or that would send me to another saw if I had the chance to do it over again. Assembly was straight forward but both wings had to be shimmed to get level with the main table. This is a royal pain because there is no easy way to get it right - simply trial and error - but once done, its done.

I have had no issues with racking as David reported. The trunnions are mounted to the table top, like a contractor saw - so it is somewhat of a pain to adjust the blade parallel - but again, once done, it is done for quite awhile. The Craftsman Hybrid differs in that its trunnions are mounted to the base, as with true cabinet saws, so that may be an option to consider.

I had to clean off the arbor - it seemed to have paint or some other coating that was on the arbor, but it was easily removed with some 600 wet/dry sand paper - the symptom was that the blade was difficult to mount, as if the hole was too small or the arbor too large.

I hate the blade guard and made some modifications to make it acceptable so this is one area I will look to up-grade. The thing is, most everyone complains about the stock blade guard on new saws and our manufacturers have not yet heard our pleas. So this is not unique to the Delta. The miter gauge is actually pretty good.

I make my own zero clearance inserts from scrap - usually 1/4" birch plywood - so there is no real problem with raising the blade through the blank. If you have a difficulty consider using a smaller blade to start the cut through the insert, then switch back to the 10" blade.

I have the T-2 fence and am very satisfied with it. However, for the cost of the upgrades, about $100 for the Unifence and $200 for the Bies setup, if you have the bucks, you may want to consider the upgrade now rather than later because you can't beat the price.

My use is primarily limited to cutting 2" or less in board thickness, mostly in the 5/4 and 3/4 range plus 3/4" sheet goods - there are no power issues. You might check the horsepower rating - mine is 1 3/4 hp not 2 as you mentioned.

I have added a fold-down out feed table, see the photos - it is a good up-grade and saves space, which is so very important to me.

So, in my opinion, you will be as happy with this saw as with any of its competitors within a similar price range. About the only alternate to me would be the Craftsman, if you can stand having one around - it has been getting excellent reviews by woodworkers and magazines alike so Sears seems to have a hit with a quality product. Coupled with aggressive pricing and frequent sales you may find a better saw at a better price. (the better part, in my opinion, is the trunnion mounting system.)

Saw - front (290 x 386).jpg Saw w-outfeed up (295 x 393).jpg Saw w-outfeed down (295 x 393).jpg

[David Weaver]

I may have sounded a little critical, I like to make sure as much detail is known as possible. I should reiterate that if you can get it on sale, I still think it's a good deal. Maybe not a "steal", but there really aren't too many steals that don't come from little old ladies (and sometimes they really want an arm and a leg, anyway).

I can't vouch for the racking, and I don't know if the person who mentioned it to me had experience with the saw, or if they just said something about it. If I can remember, I'll cut a test piece the next time I have to do a miter - after cutting the miter and adjusting to 90 degrees and back several times.

The wings were interesting to install, I did it slightly different than shimming, unless shimming means something different than what I'm assuming. I just used a straight edge and tightened them down part of the way, and then tightened them the rest of the way after I tapped them into place with a mallet.

After all of my worry about the runout, when I did get the saw setup completely, and the trunnions adjusted, the cut is perfect and easily glue quality. I don't use the stock blade guard - I use the grip tite system and an MJ splitter, and the combination is good enough that on long pieces, I can stop in the middle of the cut and have no burn marks (or no marks at all) where the cut stopped - I think due to the MJ splitter being out from the blade a couple thousandths.

The key to adjusting the trunnions for me was to have the right sized (small) ratchet. If you get the saw and you don't have a small quarter ratchet, now's your excuse to get a small stubby one. There were several people on amazon who said they couldn't get to the back trunnion bolts - i'd assume because they didn't have the right tools. Mine was out 0.02" out of the box, so I adjusted it to dead nuts - fortunately, the 0.02" was away from the fence at the back of the blade. The book suggests aligning with a combination square - I'm not into that. It's a good excuse to get a dial indicator and base if you don't have one.

All in all, I wouldn't be afraid to buy it as long as you can get it several hundred dollars cheaper than a true cabinet saw. If it's the same price (and it has been at some places), then you might as well get a normal cabinet saw.

I agree with others' assessments about the power, it's 1 3/4ths. They cheat a little by running the arbor at 3000 rpm vs. the motor, which turns at 3450.

[Matt Day]

I've got this saw too and like it a lot. It does what I need it to do, and I just could not justify buying a full blown cabinet saw with the amount of time I have for my woodworking hobby. I upgraded mine to a 50" Vega fence, but the T2 is nice as well.

I wasn't really planning on getting a new saw, but I found it for a pretty smokin deal so I pulled the trigger.

[Lance Norris]

I dont have this saw, so I cant comment on how it performs. If you check on Amazon.com, you can read peoples reviews and that will give you a little more of an idea as to how the saw holds up. I would also recommend looking at the Delta 36-732. Its unbelievably cheap right now, and much more saw for about the same money. I have the 36-731 (same saw, different fence) and I love it. Its not a UNISAW, but is very close in my opinion. 3 hp, triple belt drive, magnetic switch, cabinet mounted trunnions, 220 volt.

[Nancy Laird]

...If 220 is available, and you're paying more than 999 shipped for the saw ($899 if it's the delta t-fence version), I would look at the steel city, or even the sears craftsman painted steel city 3 hp cabinet saws.

Just for clarification, the Steel City and Craftsman saws are NOT coming out of the same factory, nor is the Craftsman a "painted version" of the Steel City. SCTW purchased a company called Orion, which manufactures the Craftsman machines - SCTW's machines are manufactured in Taiwan, like every other "American" brand. The SCTW machines have more features and are manufactured to tighter tolerances than the ones that Orion is building...and the warranty is 5 YEARS on SCTW machines.

Nancy

[scott spencer]

Just for clarification, the Steel City and Craftsman saws are NOT coming out of the same factory, nor is the Craftsman a "painted version" of the Steel City. SCTW purchased a company called Orion, which manufactures the Craftsman machines - SCTW's machines are manufactured in Taiwan, like every other "American" brand. The SCTW machines have more features and are manufactured to tighter tolerances than the ones that Orion is building...and the warranty is 5 YEARS on SCTW machines.

Nancy

Sorry to doubt you Nancy, but is the above statement true of the 35601 "cab lite" hybrid series and the Orion made 22124? Pics from above look identical, and the part numbers for the 35601 all begin with "OR" and the vast majority of those numbers match my 22124 part numbers listed in the manual.

In this day and age it's hard to imagine associated companies using two different plants to produce what looks to be nearly identical machines (though SC offers a 3hp version of this format). I know SC also makes several nice industrial cabinet saw models that could very well come from a plant in Taiwan, but the hybrids look like identical twins to me.

35601:


22124:

[Nancy Laird]

Scott, I'm just going by what Larry(?, I believe that's his name) at Steel City told my spouse, and spouse told me. It may very well be that some of the SC parts are being made by Orion, and assembled elsewhere. I don't know.

Nancy

[Ed Baggett]

Purchased the new Delta TS from my local Lowes yesterday. Finished putting it together today. Putting the splits rails together was not very easy. I also had to scan that part of the manual and blow it up so I read it clearly. I cut a few test pieces. It was easy to adjust. It is the quietest TS I have ever heard. Large work surface. Plenty of room to add a router table. Glad I bought it.

[scott spencer]

Purchased the new Delta TS from my local Lowes yesterday. Finished putting it together today. Putting the splits rails together was not very easy. I also had to scan that part of the manual and blow it up so I read it clearly. I cut a few test pieces. It was easy to adjust. It is the quietest TS I have ever heard. Large work surface. Plenty of room to add a router table. Glad I bought it.

Ed - This is a 7 year old thread....did you buy the Delta 36-715 hybrid mentioned and shown above in this thread? (it hasn't been manufactured for a few years now).

[Ed Baggett]

You are correct, this is the wrong posting. I purchased the newest model. I apologize.