Does anyone know about these saws? I have seen one for sale and it looks to be a nice saw. Any feedback of the quality or experience would be helpful.
Thanks
I bought it new from Wilke Machinery. It has/is serving me well. The only complaint I have about the saw is the method used to lock the blade elevation/angle. The design is such that it pinches the adjustment wheel between a stop and a smaller locking knob. Every couple of years, I have to disassemble the mechanism and readjust the stops to make sure the elevation locks securely and doesn't shift slightly during use.
The other design flaw (my opinion) is that when tilted to a 45 degree angle, the weight of the motor cause the blade trunnion to rack slightly so that the blade is not exactly parallel with the rip fence. I have learned to compensate for the problem but it is annoying because it does cause some burning of the the stock.
IIRC, that was Bridgewood's contractor saw with one cast iron wing. Very similar to the current Grizzly contractor saw, and has the same fence that Griz calls the Shop Fox Aluma-Class. It rated well in one of the mags several years back. These are both similar to the GI contractor saw. All Taiwanese made, possibly in the same plant. Solid, well proven design but still have the issues associated with an outboard motor….some of which were mentioned by Lew. If the price is right, it could still be a very functional saw.
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