[inventingdreams]

I just bought one of these. I upgraded from a Ridgid TS2424 and I will say this is a HUGE improvement.

#1 - Fence: Rock solid, very comparable to biesemeyer. (it IS a split rail, I have no idea why thats an issue for anyone. mine aligned very easily)

I love the positive stops on the miter gauge.

The fence and angle guides are easy to read and can be dialed in a lot more accurately than other contractor saws I have used.

The blue knobs lock settings in place (I have always thought this should be a standard feature.)

All the accessory storage eliminates the need for custom solutions.

Dust collection could be improved easily but the stock port is pretty good but not great.

The base is very sturdy (lots of rubber o floor surface area) and easy to level while the single caster on one side makes it extremely easy to move around when necessary.
(I do think the pedal should have been on the left side for easier access.)

The weight reduction is probably a result of thin casting and sheet metal wings (I plan on replacing these with MDF/formica tops and router extension anyway). (Skirts are all sheet steel btw)

Here's a couple extra pics. Not great but more than currently on the web. Ill post more once I have a chance to use it more and do a full review later. The first picture is my old saw on my stand that I just build from reused lumber. I plan on putting a similar router table extension on this new saw.

Oh yeah, I found this post looking for a phenolic zero clearance insert. So if anyone knows where I can get one let me know, Thanks.

 

[inventingdreams]

The same was true here. the throat plate screws should be screwed UNDER the plate for adjustment not through it to hold it down. the techs at Lowes probably just saw holes (for on/above table adjustment) and put the screws through them most likely because that's probably what it looks like you should do. The clips on the plate hold it down just fine.

Here are more pics while I'm at it:

Thin casting I was talking about:

 

[inventingdreams]

There was a little wobble (.01") in the blade at first, but in my experience it was no better or worse than other contractor saws I used Mathias' techniques to flatten the arbor flanges and got it down to about .002" so it is quite acceptable now. I had to do he same thing to my Ridgid. As far as the blade raising, mine actually moved in the other direction (away from the fence) when I got it, there is an adjustment set screw on the guide post that corrects this.

It is definitely an induction motor (Phase 1 3450 RPM etc), not sure why they don't use the horsepower rating but if I had to guess, it's probably that they are typically selling to people used to buying things with universal motors. (just a wild guess, god know what these marketing guys are thinking.) There IS a small enclosed belt directly under the arbor. the motor is mounted parallel to the arbor, I have it apart right now to work on the dust collection, so Ill take more pics this weekend and upload them.

I have decided that I am going to remove the dust collection and take advantage of the motor being inside the box and seal it up and put a 4" dust port in the bottom. After using it a bit, I find that the dust collection shroud inside is a bit in the way for blade changes and if small pieces fall down there, it is really difficult to get them out. Also, while the dust collection is pretty good for a Lowe's factory feature, and would be very adequate if I were using it more as a mobile saw, there is still a bit more free range dust than I would like, and being the most used tool in the shop, I need to upgrade it a bit.

 

[inventingdreams]

Here are some more pics of it all disassembled.
Belt Drive

Induction motor

Cast aluminum trunions

Also, the wheels can be reversed (I plan on doing this since I think it would be easier o access once I have a table built for the right side.) Here is a pic of how I am sealing it up to add a dust chute to the bottom of the box to maximize the suction at the point of cut.

 

[inventingdreams]

So I have been traveling for work, but I finally got home and got this saw back together and running.
Although the stock dust collection worked well (more so with a shop vac than 4" DC), however, there were two problems for me. 1) I have plans on building a new out feed cabinet that I would rather not route DC hose through on the back side, and 2) small pieces that fall down into the stock DC shroud are difficult to get out and could potentially cause a safety hazard. So I took advantage of the motor being housed inside the box, removed the stock dc shroud, sealed up the box and ported a 4" connection out the bottom.
I closed up the bottom using a piece of 1/2" baltic birch ply and used a 14" square 4" port Woodstock TS DC adapter from Amazon.

There were pretty substantial gaps at the top of the box under the top so I used foam rubber pipe insulation to seal with 1/2" pvc inside to support.

I used some "Gorilla" brand Duct tape from both sides to close up the previous dc channel and the vent holes.

Then I used some "Kobalt" brand tool box liner and duct tape to close up the miter channel as much as possible.

I also took the opportunity of having it apart to switch the wheel pedal to the left side for easier access and more stability from the large rubber feet being on the side I normally cut large pieces on.

 

[inventingdreams]

"Tyler: Did you consider leaving the blade shroud and taking the shroud hose to a wye at the 4" port you put in the base? That is how the better Grizzly saws handle dust, so you're pulling it from the blade as well as from the bottom of the cabinet."

I had several experiences with small pieces falling down in the shroud and shooting back out or getting lodged up against the blade which I don't really like a lot and the shroud is one of the few features I think they fell short on this saw. the sheet metal "air directing baffle" thing makes it a little difficult to make blade changes especially with dado blades.

"I've read that the one that comes with the saw isn't terrific, and that Delta doesn't offer zero clearance inserts."
Although they are not offered yet, the parts list here:
http://www.deltamachinery.com/downloads/manuals/tablesaws/36-725/ManualDPEC002777.pdf
lists a zero clearance and dado insert with part numbers 36-501 and 36-502 respectively. Delta does sell melamine/phenolic zero clearance for their other saws so hopefully we will see this on their site soon. (Fingers crossed) Or at least an after market alternative. (And, yes I know you can make your own, but since they have the blade travel so close to the table surface to increase the cut height (awesome), the lip for the insert is really shallow and would require some special woking that I would rather not do to what would end up being a softer insert than a made-for-this-saw phenolic)

 

[inventingdreams]

JayBarnes - Nice insert, thanks for posting, Maybe I'll take a stab at it after all

 

[inventingdreams]

I agree Kirbi69, having an accurate tape scale can add up to a lot of time savings in projects. If you are having this problem out of the box and are like myself and probably most woodworkers that would rather find a solution yourself rather than dealing with low level Lowe's employees, I would suggest picking up a good aftermarket one online (Kreg makes a good one) and tearing off the stock one and replacing it yourself. It is a pretty simple and straight forward excersize.