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Should I buy this unisaw?

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tablesaw
3K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  MrUnix 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've been searching craigslist for a long time for a good deal on an old table saw to upgrade my very cheap portable craftsman. I keep hearing about how good unisaws are and I finally found what may be a good deal on a restoration project. From what I can tell from the serial, it's a 1959 1.5 hp 220v. The cabinet is a bit rusted and missing all the doors but the table seems flat and the arbor seems like its in good condition. Owner is asking for 300 and says he has a lot of people interested.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/5969437785.html
 
#2 ·
If it's a bullet motor, there will probably be a host of encouraging comments that you should run to get it as fast as you can. Having owned one that I refurbed and sold, I don't miss it. It's a right tilt, has a poltentially useful but temperamental fence system and the table top and sings are smaller in overall surface area than more current saws. $300 is not a bad price if it's all operational, but IMHO, i'd look elsewhere.
 
#3 ·
That saw has seen better days, but it's not too far gone yet. All that surface rust is pretty easily taken care of, but the fences will probably leave you wanting more (most likely micro-set, as the Jet-lock wasn't introduced until 1960 IIRC). Definitely not a plug-n-play machine, but would make a really nice restoration candidate. Figure at least another $100-$200 for new bearings, belts, paint, wiring and misc. hardware. At $300, it certainly isn't a steal… but as long as there isn't any other gotchas, you could wind up with a really nice saw. Guess it depends on how you feel about doing a restoration and how mechanical you are.

Cheers,
Brad
 
#4 ·
Thanks for both of your replies. My main issue is my current table saw is a pain in the ass and I don't want to spend $1000 for a cabinet table saw. I mostly work with smaller dimension lumber so I'm not sure that the size of the table is a high priority. It seems like people all say that one of these modern fences is a requirement but I'm not sure why. As long as it locks square reliably, I think I would be fine with it since I am used to measuring from the blade. And as far as it being right tilt, could I not use the fence on the left side of the blade? One thing that does disappoint me is the lack of a riving knife on old machines as my girlfriend is beginning to do projects with me. So I'm on the fence on this one. Is the fence and other modern equipment that important? My budget is about 800 max so I could potentially go with a grizzly hybrid saw I think.

Thanks
 
#5 ·
If you're near a bigger city like Nashville, patience and an ability to act quickly will eventually yield a very good saw for $800 or less that shouldn't need anything to get up and running beyond plugging it in.
 
#7 ·
If you decide to go the restoration route, you could wind up with a solid machine for half the price of a new Grizzly. Depends on how far you want to take it. The micro-set fence, while certainly not a Biesemeyer, will get you running. Right tilt versus left tilt is a personal preference more than anything else… I have both, and don't have a problem using either. As for the riving knife, you wont find one on any vintage saw - only on those made after around 2009. But it shipped with a splitter and guard, and you could probably find one pretty easily over at OWWM or on the bay. There are several after-market alternatives as well, and I think (I'm not sure, you would have to research it [1]) you can put a disappearing splitter on it as well.

Cheers,
Brad

[1] IIRC, the disappearing splitter was introduced in 1963 along with the overarm Uniguard.
 
#8 ·
Most of the old unisaws were right tilt, or the ones I have seen were. I find nothing wrong with it myself. I know it hasn't bothered me at all. I love those old unisaws, it's just something about them. When I bought mine it was a mess but about 6 mons. Later and some help here from MrUnix, I now have the best saw I've ever owned.
Gerald
 
#9 ·
I have an older Unisaw and one of the best things you can get for them is a Unifence. It completely removes any of the drawbacks of a right tilt saw while adding capabilities that no other fence system has. I missed out on one 6 months ago that looked new and was being offered for only $100, I was second in line of many callers, needless to say the first guy got a heck of a deal!
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
If it is going to need a new fence then it s not worth it.
- BenjaminNY
Not entirely… a BIesmeyer T3 can be had for under $200 new. Used commercial version can be found around the same price or less. You would still wind up with a significant hunk of cabinet saw for less than a new Griz hybrid. But the best way to get one is to find an old Delta contractor or similar saw for cheap, with a BIesemeyer or Unifence installed on it. Swap out the fence, then sell the saw to recover most, if not all of your money.

Or just have more patience and wait for one in better condition and with a Biesemeyer or Unifence to come along. (don't you just hate hearing that :)

Cheers,
Brad
 
#14 ·
You say a fence is okay as long as it "locks square reliably." Neither that fence, nor the Jetlock also mentioned, will lock square reliably. You will have to square it up every time you move the fence. I had one of a Rockwell contractor's saw, and I despised it.

A T square type fence is what you want. There are many to choose from, but any will require the round pipe fence rails be replaced by square tube rails.

I have a used Unisaw myself, and like it very much. But that one looks pretty rough. May be worth restoring, but the price seems high to me.
 
#15 ·
~
I say the purchase decision will depend mainly on your hobby aspirations:
Do you want to be an antique machine restoration guy, or do you aspire to do woodwork?

On top of all the other issues already listed, I see these two:
1. That old cabinet will not make for good dust collection as it won't seal up very well.
2. The motor is listed as 1.5HP. I believe almost all of us Unisaw advocates are using 2+HP, at 220v.

I have no idea at all why anyone would criticize a right tilt saw. My Unisaw is right tilt, and the ancient Sears saw I had for my first 15 years of woodworking before that was the same. Not once, never, have I said, "Dang, I wish this thing tilted the other way."

Lastly, I wanted to add my agreement for the wonders of a correctly installed, tuned, and maintained Unfence.

.
 
#16 ·
I'm not into restorations myself.
A descent plug and play unisaw could be found for 5 or 600 hundred I would think.

The only reason I would buy this is if I lived close to a lake and had a boat that needed a good anchor. LOL

If I were going to get it to restore, I wouldn't give more than 150 bucks for it.
 
#17 ·
Looks promising to me. Micro set fence will lock square reliably as long as tube rails arn't bent, though it takes a moment longer working two controls. 3hp would be better than 1.5 hp for sure but i suspect it will work just fine with a good blade, and really, are there that many 300$ unisaws popping up in that area?
I would definitely go take a look. It might be in perfect working order mechanically. The unisaw I bought was, and it looked worse than that one.
 
#18 ·
Well guys I decided to take the plunge. I thought and researched all day yesterday and reasoned that for pretty much any saw (even the hybrid grizzly) people suggest you upgrade to a biesemeyer or some other fence, so that cost can be mostly ignored when comparing my other options as I'll be buying one no matter what saw I get. I don't mind spending time restoring it (honestly how long can it take to remove the rust and paint it?). And as for the missing parts, apparently they are pretty easy to find as delta kept this same design for many years. Or I could just make my own doors if the cost is prohibitive. I tested it and it cuts well though I suspect from the sound of it that it may need new bearings but hey its almost 60 years old, I should probably replace them anyway. And the biggest factor: resale value. With the saw being 60 years old, it has probably lost nearly all the value that it's going to. If/when I get ready for something else, I will probably be able to sell it for at least what I paid for it, more if I fix it up. Thanks for all the opinions guys and I would be very appreciative of an further advice that any of you have about restoring the saw.
 
#20 ·
Google Unisaw restoration. There's a 6(?) part series by the former editor of popular woodworking that's excellent and covers everything you are likely to encounter as you start making the saw usable. And when you get stuck, sawcenter.com are the go to guys for all things Unisaw related. Good luck.
 
#22 ·
I have the jetlock fence on my 70s contractors saw, with some fiddling with the timing/adjustment of the rear rail lock, the fence works pretty good. There is alot of discussion on the OWWM site regarding using the fence.
I prefer the right tilt for use with the Excalibur sliding table attachment I use on my Delta cabinet saw.
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
I tested it and it cuts well though I suspect from the sound of it that it may need new bearings but hey its almost 60 years old, I should probably replace them anyway. And the biggest factor: resale value. With the saw being 60 years old, it has probably lost nearly all the value that it's going to.
Probably replace the bearings??! I'd say most definitely… the first thing I recommend doing on ANY used machinery, unless you know it's maintenance history and/or it's relatively new, is to replace the bearings - both arbor and motor. Cheap insurance and will prevent potential damage down the road that could be really expensive.

As for value, consider this; in 1959, that Unisaw (without a motor) sold for $311. A 1.5hp repulsion induction motor and switch for it added another $133, bringing to a total of $444. So for $300 and given the condition it is in, I wouldn't say that it's lost much value based on original purchase price :)

Fully restored, that machine can be sold for many times what you paid for it. Strip it down, de-rust, clean, lube, polish, paint and replace the consumables (bearings, belts). What you wind up with will be a better than new saw for a fraction of the cost (original sale price adjusted for inflation would be over $3,600 in todays dollars).

For de-rusting, do a little research on electrolysis and evaporust. Table top can be cleaned up nicely just using a razor bade initially to get most rust/gunk off, followed up with solvents and a scotch brite pad (put under a vibrating sander to make it even easier).

Cheers,
Brad
 
#25 ·
As for value, consider this; in 1959, that Unisaw (without a motor) sold for $311. A 1.5hp repulsion induction motor and switch for it added another $133, bringing to a total of $444. So for $300 and given the condition it is in, I wouldn t say that it s lost much value based on original purchase price :)

Cheers,
Brad
- MrUnix
$444 in 1959 dollars is $3,709.20 today.
 
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