It's the Standard for 10" Saws
Written: Mar 13 '01 (Updated Jan 24 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good price, Good basic design. Very durable & reliable.
Cons: Adjustment wheels don't turn as smoothly as the $1500 machines.
The Bottom Line: A star among the lower midrange ($400 - $600) for table saws. Reliable, durable, and a good value.
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| shieber's Full Review: Delta 10" Table Saw 36-600 |
Variety of models: Outside of the money-is-no-object machines such as the Powermatic (whose finely polished table and silky smooth adjustment wheels are state of the art) the Delta 10" table saws are possibly the best and certainly the most commonly used table saws. They make about 20 different models of 10" table saws last time I looked and about half of those are midrange. The 600 is in the lower end of the midrange class that includes the "Contractors 10 Table Saw" (Model 36-444). Small variations between models can double the price from about $400 to about $800, or even $1100 if you are not careful where you shop.
Basics: The basic design hasn't changed in decades nor has it needed significant changes. Check the motor amperage and the type of fence -- these usually account for the price difference. But even the $400 version is reliable, holds its settings well, and is durable. You can do almost any job with this saw that you can do with more expensive saws -- the only limitation being the horsepower and extension tables. Re extension tables, withot them, it's hard to cut large stock on any saw. Re horsepower, I've ripcut 8/4' hard maple using an 80-tooth-per-inch crosscut blade -- I don't recommend this practice, I just want to point out that the machine did not choke, it met the challenge.
Blades: If you use a saw often enough to need a standing table saw, then you need a decent blade. If your Delta still comes with a steel (non-tipped) blade, throw it away and replace it with a carbide tipped one for about $40-$80 for a reasonably good combination blade -- or get the best and get a Forrest Woodworker II for about $80-$100, it's worth the price. A carbide tipped blade will remain sharp much much longer than a non-tipped blade, and that means the motor will not have to work as hard, is less likely to be overloaded and will last longer.
Motors: Delta table saws uses Marathon brand motors, which are American made last I checked and have a good reputation for reliability. If you don't overheat them with abuse, they will last a noncommercial user ten or twenty years. Most electric motors die because of overheating. The harder you (over)load an electric motor, the slower it turns. The slower it turns, the more amperage it draws, which means it more current is flowing through it's coils being given off as heat. The amperage rating usually given for most motors is the "Full Load Amperage" (FLA) rating, which is sometimes called the "Breakdown Current." It's the amperage drawn by the motor when fully loaded to the point of just about stopping (breakdown). If you ran a motor with that hard a load, it would last only minutes before the overheating would kill the motor. Motors rated at 15 amps (FLA) typically draw about 8-12 amps in normal operation, depending on how hard a load you put against them. When you significantly slow down the motor (you can hear the change in speed), your pushing up the amps and increasing the heat. Delta says that each time you overheat a motor by about 10-20 degrees, you cut it's remaining life by about half. On the other hand, you don't need to baby the Delta. When hard pressed to finish a job, I have had to make do with a crosscut blade for cross and rip cuts on a large hard maple project (see above). I had to feed the wood more slowly to keep from slowing down the motor, but the Delta did the job without a single whine or whimper.
Fences: The 600 version has a usable, decent, nonremarkable but reliable fence once you calibrate and if you don't abuse it. A saw is only as good as the cuts it makes, and the cuts are good only if they are accurate. So buy a saw with the best fence you can afford. The better fences are easy to calibrate, easier to set, hold there calibration better, or hold there settings better each time you set them up for a cut. The best fences (like the Beisemeyer and Unifence do all four very well but cost as much at the model 600 saw itself. Bad fences are hard to set and they are not reliable -- you have to measure the distance from the blade to the fence at the front and back side of the blade. Good fences you just set to the mark and can rely on their parallel and accurate. Take a high quality steel ruler with you to the store and check models if you can. You might be surprised by some of the junk out there. The Delta 600 is not junk, it's not great. It's a very good fence for the money.
Competition: The Deltas generally run more expensive than the Grizzly's but the Grizzly's are more crudely constructed (check by eye and by feel and by test) and harder to set up accurately for each cut.
The table: A table saw's table should be cast iron that has been machined flat. No surface is perfect, but the flatter and smoother the better. It cost's the manufacuter more to machine a surface flatter and smoother, so the truer surfaces are found on more expensive machines.
The new DeWalt by all accounts is a real challenge to Delta long standing reign as the midrange-price king of the table saws. So take a look at the DeWalt. But don't pass by the Delta just because the Jets and Grizzly's can be found for less. For a machine that is accurate and durable without costly extras, the Delta's are a very good value -- reliable workhorses.
You will get good value for your money with a Delta if the midrange is your range. Nothing in this range is a Powermatic, but there is a lot of junk being passed off as table saws. Check out different Delta models at different stores if you can. In your price range you might find several models that give you some choices about the fence.
All of them will cut lots of wood well for a long time.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
shieber
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Member: Scott Hieber
Reviews written: 34
Trusted by: 2 members
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