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It takes time to put together, but is relatively easy. I think they could be bigger and heavier - but I am splitting hairs here. This is my 2nd saw. Well I saw this Delta on clearance at Lowe's recently and couldn't resist. The only thing I am really not crazy about is the nut and washers on the arbor. Very solid and heavy. I put it together myself, with help of a car-jack.
I definitely recommend this saw to anyone trying to balance quality and budget. I then picked up the 8" Freud stacked dado, and was great to see a beautiful square, flat-bottom dado (unlike my previous under-powered saw).
If I knew what I was missing, I would have bought this saw sooner at retail price. I did upgrade to the linked belt though.
I got into woodworking 2 years ago and was using a Craftsman mid-level contractor table-saw that was good, and I learned a lot on it. Plenty of power, runs very quiet and solid.
Other than that, I love the saw. I knew it would be an upgrade, but it has been much better.
Everything was square and true out of the box.
After initial alignment it's a breeze to use and produces accurate results.Assembling the saw was straight forward. For the money this is an excellent saw. Purchased at Amazon on sale with free shipping to my door it was a bargain.This saw is heavy, well built and has good fit and finish. The wheels that come with it are fine for moving around a garage or workshop but it would require a bit of effort to move to a job site.If portability is not your primary concern and you need a high quality capable table saw at a good price I doubt you'll do any better than this.
Finally this is not a very portable saw. With the cast iron wings and the large fence it takes up a fair amount of space. The traditional style drive belt works ok but I plan to upgrade it for even smoother operation. As mentioned by others, dust collection is ok but not great as is the case with most contractor's style saws.
I've ripped 2x4s to the full depth of the blade without difficulty. With the help of my son we had it unboxed and up and running in a couple hours. After a great deal of research I bought this saw for general home workshop use and I am very satisfied. The instructions were easy to follow and with no missing or incorrect parts.
It's made for this saw and bolts right on. It's operates smoothly, is quiet for a contractors style table saw and has plenty of power. The Delta (Biesemeyer style) T2 fence is a great fence.
I gave this saw 5 stars because I love it for many reasons of which a couple are, it was easy to assemble and is very solid and vibration free. What has happened to Delta quality control. I complained to Delta and shortly thereafter they shipped me a new insert. No one should complain about the alignment. I have an old Delta insert from another model Delta and it is heavier and flat. My problem is the table insert.
If all I did was rough framing it wouldn't matter but I do smaller precise work. My homemade inserts from MDF work fine but the original should also be better quality. It is not flat. So, I know it is possible to produce a flat insert. They should expect to do a complete alignment before using any new saw. It sags in the middle.
It was warped too, just like the original.
I have a sore back now :)I added a cast iron router table extension which is really nice too and extends the width of the table. This is a HEAVY saw. Even the wings are too heavy for one person really. This is a really well made and well thought out piece of equipment. That went on without a hitch as well.If you're doing small projects like jewelry boxes and doll houses, you can probably get away with something smaller.If you're making cabinets and furniture full time, then you might need a cabinet saw.If you're somewhere in between those, then this is the right saw for you. It wasn't lined up with the blade initially (maybe that's because I changed blades too).And while I did manage to put this beast together by myself, I wouldn't recommend it. The directions say it will take 4-6 hours to get it assembled and that definitely is true, but once you have it running (and add a better blade), this saw cuts like butter, runs smoothly and is surprisingly quiet (depending on the material being cut).I did have to spend some time fussing with the split guard. Get someone to help you.
The quality of this model is far superior to the predecessor. It still amazes me that people review a product with one star because Amazon screws up the shipping or the price. This is a sturdy saw and you can customize it until your heart is content. Assembly was somewhat easy, with the exception of a few frustrating head-scratchers. So, ignore the majority of reviews on here that have nothing to do with this product. This is my second Delta contractor saw.
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