Posted by: Roland Johnson
ATLANTA, AUG. 20, 2008--Fine Woodworking has obtained an exclusive first look at Delta Machinery's new Unisaw, a major redesign of the most popular cabinet saw in the U.S. Contributing Editor Roland Johnson spoke with Delta Product Manager Michael Boie, who showed the new saw the day before its official unveiling today at IWF 2008, a major woodworking trade show being held in Atlanta, Ga.
The new Unisaw is a complete redesign and reengineering of this venerable woodworking icon and it now has a true riving knife that stays close to the blade throughout the blade’s travel. Toolless adjustment allows the riving knife to be adjusted for through cuts or slot cutting.
Three left-tilting models will be offered; two 3HP models with 36- or 52-in. rip capacity and a single 5HP model with a 52-in. rip capacity. The saw will be made and assembled in Tennessee and powered by American-made Marathon motors.
Separate controls for tilt and elevation are located on the front of the saw with a bevel gauge, claimed to be accurate to 1/2 degree, between them. Stops for blade tilt (45 and 90 degree) are adjusted with large socket-head screws on the front of the saw cabinet; that means no more gymnastics to adjust the stops. A tool-free arbor lock makes single-wrench blade changes easy.
Sawdust should be well controlled with a dual port system that pulls the dust from the cabinet and from a below deck blade shroud. A hinged door on the front of the cabinet allows ease of access to the internals for cleaning and lubricating.
A feature I really like is the storage drawer located under the extension table. It provides a convenient place to stash additional throat plates, the blade wrench, blade guard parts. There’s even enough space left over for a dado head and three 10-inch blades. That’s handy.
The saw will be available in early 2009. The price has not yet been set.
This is the first news from the IWF trade show. FWW editors will be filing videos and blogs throughout the week.
Update 8/22/08: We asked Delta's Michael Boie why the company didn't add a SawStop-style blade brake to its new Unisaw. Boie told us that Delta doesn't own that technology, and that trying to add it wasn't as simple as licensing it. But he didn't rule out the possibility that such a feature might one day be seen on the Unisaw.
