Delta Machinery, which introduced the industry’s first and only 10-inch industrial cabinet saw with the Unisaw name in the 1930’s, announced that it has completely re-engineered and re-designed its flagship table saw from the ground up. Read our Delta Unisaw with Biesemeyer Fence review for the full skinny on this new cabinet saw.
One of the unique features of this new saw is the riving knife, a key component of table saw safety. A lever on the front of the saw can be pulled to instantly (and toollessly) drop the riving knife down for non-through (blind) cuts. You can even remove the riving knife as needed, simply by pulling it out. Why remove it? Because the saw comes with normal, thin and thick kerf knives so you can be sure that no matter what kinf of blade you use your riving knife is appropriate for the job.
Delta Unisaw Table Saw Features
The saw comes with integration storage for your riving knives, tape measure, blade guard, throat plate, push stick, 3 blades, a dado head, and more – via a drawer built right into the table. The drawer literally has places for blades to slide into place and be easily removed when needed. This is a boon for woodworkers. A redesigned one-piece arbor nut (washer + nut in one) increases the stability of the blade and potentially improves the quality of the cut. It even has a serrated surface so it can be more easily removed without having it fall to the bottom of the cabinet during blade changes.
The front controls include a completely new design for the arbor and one-piece cast iron trunnion setup. There are dual front cranks to control the redesigned cast iron system inside the saw cabinet. There is no longer any knuckle-busting with setting extreme angles or having to use a side crank underneath the table. Both cranks turn very easily and you can lock the controls from moving during cut passes. The exact blade bevel can be dialed in via a “speedometer-looking” meter that is centered between the cranks. The meter is accurate to within 1/2 degree. As opposed to crawling inside the cabinet for adjustments, the blade bevel can be fine-tuned from the cabinet’s front using two large Allen screws.
The newly-redesigned On/Off switch is securely bracketed to the saw so it won’t bend or break. You can hit the switch from the front, top, or side and it will still kill power to the saw.
For control, the table delivers 15-inches from the front of the cast iron table to the front edge of the blade – beating most of the competition by a clear 3-5 inches. This means you have extra room to line up a larger sheet of wood before entering the cut. Dust collection around the blade is improved with a new dual pickup system that pulls dust directly from the shroud and even nabs particles that aren’t instantly collected via grooves and vents at the bottom of the saw cabinet.
The Unisaw is offered in three left-tilting arbor saw configurations (models 36-L336, 36-L352 and 36-L552).
A large throat plate and shrouded blade leaves additional access to a tool-free arbor lock and the single-piece arbor nut and washer. For safe operation around the blade, the saw is equipped with a user-friendly, two-position, versatile guarding system with tool-free adjustability. Using a lockable-hinged front cabinet door, the saw also offers improved accessibility for easy cabinet cleaning and interior inspection.
The new Unisaw will come with a new industrial-grade 50-tooth precision Delta combination blade, a push stick, an easy-to-grip blade wrench and an instructional DVD.
The Unisaw will be available in three different configurations including:
- Model 36-L336: 10-inch, Left-tilt, 3 horsepower motor and 36-inch Biesemeyer fence and rail system
- Model 36-L352: 10-inch, Left-tilt, 3 horsepower motor and 52-inch Biesemeyer fence and rail system
- Model 36-L552: 10-inch, Left-tilt, 5 horsepower and single-phase motor, and 52-inch Biesemeyer fence and rail system
Ideal for general ripping, cross cutting, mortise and tenoning, panel ripping, dado cutting, re-sawing, and miter gauge and jig applications, the new Unisaw, models 36-L336, 36-L352 and 36-L552, will be available for purchase in late March 2009. Pricing will start at around $2999.95.
The new Unisaw will be covered with a five-year limited warranty.
