Tool Review: Delta 36-675 Contractor Table Saw
Update July, 2005 : The replacement front rail arrived a few days after I called Delta. I installed it and my saw is now as good as new.
Update March 5, 2005 : I've discovered that my front fence rail is bent. I've contacted Delta and I just have to call them back with my serial number and they'll send me a replacement. Excellent, friendly service. I love that. I *will* buy Delta again.
My Old Delta
Table Saw
Last year (2004) marked the beginning of a whole new approach to the workshop for me. Up until November of last year, most of my tools have been hand-me-downs from my wife's family. (Not free, though, mind you.) These tools have been around for decades and have served my father-in-law quite well before finding a home in my small, dirt-floored shop. However, with my new focus on building a shop capable of producing some good, solid work with accurate craftsmanship, I had to sit down and take a hard look at whether or not these old tools were capable of going with me into this new phase of my own work.
Sadly, the table saw was clearly the weakest link in my shop with its small top and horrible fence. I have tried to get by with this saw for several years now, which required some rather creative clamping at the back end of the fence (this worked only enough to do shop projects, if that.) I finally gave up when I just couldn't keep the fence from drifting away from the blade when ripping.
I started researching table saws in my price range of $500-700. After getting some recommendations from the guys over at WoodNet, I took a close look at Bridgewood, General, Grizzly, Craftsman (hybrid), Delta, and PowerMatic.
Although I quickly discovered that the PowerMatic was out of my budget, I found excellent candidates in General and Grizzly. Since there seemed to be lots of Grizzly equipment owners and they had a good customer service reputation, I decided on the 0444Z contractor saw. I began saving a little bit at a time in hopes of placing my order in January. Meanwhile, I happened to stumble on some threads at WoodNet about Home Depot's clearance sale on the Delta 36-675 contractor saw. I followed these threads for days as more and more folks snatched them up for $399 and some for less.
I had to see what the fuss was about, so I looked it up on Delta's website and found that not only did it come in under my self-imposed budget, but it was just the sort of saw I was looking for, it came with Delta's excellent service reputation and twice the warranty of the Grizzly. Then, the sense of urgency grew in my gut. Some were posting at WoodNet that their local Home Depot stores were now sold out of this saw. Finally, I started calling around Little Rock and found 3 saws at one HD location and 1 left at another. But I only had about a hundred bucks saved up. I started digging around the ol' finances and managed to 'find' some cash and called HD. I was able to get their last 36-675 set aside with my name on it. That afternoon, I went over on my lunch hour and picked it up.
I suppose by now you're saying, "Get to the review already."
My new
Delta 36-675
Make sure you end up with three boxes when you buy the Delta 36-675 table saw. This model number refers to all three boxes, so the saw itself (without rails or wings) is actually a different number.
Assembly went pretty smoothly, but as with any machinery I recommend you take your time. There are several sets of nuts and bolts and its easy to get confused about which bolt to use where. The instructions warn not to try and lift the main tabletop with fewer than two people and although I managed to wrestle it myself, you should probably listen to their warning. It took about all I had to do so and my back was strained the next day. Also of note, I did end up with a 5/8" hex bolt and a couple of washers left over, but I've determined that I left no part unassembled. If you end up with extra parts, go over the saw closely to be sure you didn't leave anything out. If you still have parts, don't panic. It seems fairly common from other saw owners I've talked to.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was thrilled when I opened the fence rail box. These and the fence itself were of far better quality than I expected to get with a clearance sale table saw. The fence and rails were easy to install and adjust and best of all, the thing stays put when you lock it down. This fact alone was worth the $399 price to me after all of the frustration I went through with my old table saw. That said, it really wouldn't have taken much to impress me after that experience!
I haven't actually used the new saw much in the few weeks since I bought it. However, the few rips I've had time to do seemed quite smooth and the 1.5hp motor adequately powerful. I'll post more soon about performance and accuracy.
Delta 36-675
Fence indicator
Pros:
Update March 5, 2005 : I've discovered that my front fence rail is bent. I've contacted Delta and I just have to call them back with my serial number and they'll send me a replacement. Excellent, friendly service. I love that. I *will* buy Delta again.
My Old Delta
Table Saw
Sadly, the table saw was clearly the weakest link in my shop with its small top and horrible fence. I have tried to get by with this saw for several years now, which required some rather creative clamping at the back end of the fence (this worked only enough to do shop projects, if that.) I finally gave up when I just couldn't keep the fence from drifting away from the blade when ripping.
I started researching table saws in my price range of $500-700. After getting some recommendations from the guys over at WoodNet, I took a close look at Bridgewood, General, Grizzly, Craftsman (hybrid), Delta, and PowerMatic.
Although I quickly discovered that the PowerMatic was out of my budget, I found excellent candidates in General and Grizzly. Since there seemed to be lots of Grizzly equipment owners and they had a good customer service reputation, I decided on the 0444Z contractor saw. I began saving a little bit at a time in hopes of placing my order in January. Meanwhile, I happened to stumble on some threads at WoodNet about Home Depot's clearance sale on the Delta 36-675 contractor saw. I followed these threads for days as more and more folks snatched them up for $399 and some for less.
I had to see what the fuss was about, so I looked it up on Delta's website and found that not only did it come in under my self-imposed budget, but it was just the sort of saw I was looking for, it came with Delta's excellent service reputation and twice the warranty of the Grizzly. Then, the sense of urgency grew in my gut. Some were posting at WoodNet that their local Home Depot stores were now sold out of this saw. Finally, I started calling around Little Rock and found 3 saws at one HD location and 1 left at another. But I only had about a hundred bucks saved up. I started digging around the ol' finances and managed to 'find' some cash and called HD. I was able to get their last 36-675 set aside with my name on it. That afternoon, I went over on my lunch hour and picked it up.
I suppose by now you're saying, "Get to the review already."
My new
Delta 36-675
Make sure you end up with three boxes when you buy the Delta 36-675 table saw. This model number refers to all three boxes, so the saw itself (without rails or wings) is actually a different number.
Assembly went pretty smoothly, but as with any machinery I recommend you take your time. There are several sets of nuts and bolts and its easy to get confused about which bolt to use where. The instructions warn not to try and lift the main tabletop with fewer than two people and although I managed to wrestle it myself, you should probably listen to their warning. It took about all I had to do so and my back was strained the next day. Also of note, I did end up with a 5/8" hex bolt and a couple of washers left over, but I've determined that I left no part unassembled. If you end up with extra parts, go over the saw closely to be sure you didn't leave anything out. If you still have parts, don't panic. It seems fairly common from other saw owners I've talked to.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was thrilled when I opened the fence rail box. These and the fence itself were of far better quality than I expected to get with a clearance sale table saw. The fence and rails were easy to install and adjust and best of all, the thing stays put when you lock it down. This fact alone was worth the $399 price to me after all of the frustration I went through with my old table saw. That said, it really wouldn't have taken much to impress me after that experience!
I haven't actually used the new saw much in the few weeks since I bought it. However, the few rips I've had time to do seemed quite smooth and the 1.5hp motor adequately powerful. I'll post more soon about performance and accuracy.
Delta 36-675
Fence indicator
- Beefy fence and rails; much better than I was expecting.
- Very heavy gauge steel wings; again, much better than expected.
- 110/220v wiring. Came pre-wired as 110, which allows me to run it as-is until I can get my shop rewired and a 220 outlet installed.
- Two year Delta warranty. (as opposed to the Grizzly's one year.)
- Indicating pointer on the fence rail (shows rip measurement) needs to be closer to the tape. Can often be tricky to dial in the exact desired measurment.
