I like it!
Written: Feb 09 '02 (Updated Mar 01 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: good value, belt driven, cast motor mount, 24" rip, 2 yr warranty, stand included
Cons: poor switch location, steel wings, universal motor=noisy, smallish table
The Bottom Line: Good saw with some significant features for the price, and one moderate draw back. If you can find it on sale, it's a great value.
|
|
|
| woody2's Full Review: Delta 10" Table Saw 36-600 |
This saw was initially well beyond my price point, but by cutting an advertised sale price of $275 and taking advantage of a 10% price challenge at a major home center, this saw followed me home for under $250 about a year ago. At that price I'm fairly pleased with it. It has plenty of power, the cast motor mount doesn't flex the way a stamped steel mount does, and the fence is decent. The manual is very good and assembly went smoothly, even for a beginner. Everything was lined up nicely right out of the box and the fence was simple to adjust.
As mentioned above, most saws under $300 have a universal motor mounted by a piece of stamped steel that can flex during use and cause inaccuracies to your cuts. The 36-600's motor is mounted by a piece that is cast and is much stronger. The main part of the table top is cast iron, meaning that it's heavy, reduces vibration, and is less prone to warping than an aluminum top. The miter slots and miter gauge are reasonable at this price point, but not quite on par with the very best available that many professionals and serious amateurs will seek. The miter gauge can be upgraded as needed. The blade that came with the saw is a 36 tooth carbide tipped blade of reasonable quality. Again, decent at this price, but not what Norm Abrams would be looking for. I highly recommend spending $30 to $100 for a good combination blade from companies like Forrest, Freud, Everlast, CMT, Amana, etc. An excellent blade will really improve the quality of your cuts. A thin kerf blade will help maintain the saw's RPMs on thicker boards. Read or talk with a knowledgeable sales person about your specific requirements.
At the time I made this purchase, I was unaware of the difference between a universal and induction type motor. Universal motors tend to be very loud and fairly powerful, but also have a shorter life expectancy and are costly to replace relative to an induction motor. The vast majority of premium saws sport the induction type motor and are driven with belts, and have lots of torque. The 36-600 is belt driven, but the belt is a ribbed belt that is more like a vacuum cleaner belt than the strong v-belts used by top-of-the-line saws. One of my bigger complaints is that the on/off switch is located on the front in the lower right corner, which requires you to lean into the "kick-back" zone to turn it off. I highly recommend an alternative method for the on/off switch like a powerstrip switch or foot pedal. (a wiring modification internally will void the warranty, so hold off the first two years). One other downside to this saw is that the table is only 22" deep. That's deeper than alot of saws in the lower price ranges, but is 5" shallower than the industry standard for cabinet and contractor saws, meaning you can't upgrade to a high-end aftermarket rip fence if I should ever have the need to improve accuracy.
Full price is in the $350-400 range. I'd probably lean towards the Grizzly 1022SM if I were spending that much because it features an induction motor and larger table, but considering I was originally looking at a Craftsmen for under $200, I'm elated that I was able to stumble into this saw.
****added 3/1/03****
Delta recently changed model numbers on most of their machines. The 36-600 is now the TS300 and retails in the $300 range. It's a much better value than before. There may be units with the 36-600 number still floating around for a while. When I bought this saw I hadn't envisioned getting into woodworking and furniture making as much as I have. In a nut shell, my hobby and skills have outgrown the capabilities of the saw. The short table, fence inaccuracies, sloppy miter gauge, lighter weight and noise level all contributed to the need (...want) for an upgrade. It's still a very good choice at the $300 limit, but the Grizzly 1022SM @ $325 still looks better to me. Jet also offers a direct drive saw for around the $300 range that's very similar to the Delta. The TS300 is fine for the average home shop where it gets occasional use. If it's intended for anyone who's going to build furniture and will run it alot, my recommendation is to consider saving more money and looking at full contractor style saws($450-900). Gift givers....give check or cash towards a purchase of a new saw. Gift certificates, while a nice idea, limit choices and good deals. The right saw will perform and satisfy for a lifetime.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
woody2
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Rochester, NY
Reviews written: 97
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
Thank God for God. Think life is tough now...try without him!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.