Popular Woodworking 2002-02 № 126, страница 44

been improvements. Ridgid's guard is easily slipped on and off its post without tools, making it more likely to be used. Other guards worth mentioning are DeWalt's, which has a smaller splitter (that actually reduces binding rather than promotes it) and the Powermatic guard has independent side shields that do a better job of keeping the blade covered during crosscutting.

And dust collection — usu

ally a joke on contractor saws — really works well on the Ridgid, Craftsman and DeWalt units.

Winners

In the end, we decided on more than one winner. Three equally priced saws take top honors: the Delta, Jet and Powermatic.

The Jet and Powermatic are nearly identical (Jet owns Powermatic), with the major difference being the Jet is a right-

tilt saw and the Powermatic is a left-tilt. While we think left-tilt machines are safer; this is a personal preference and either of these saws is a good choice.

The Delta saw is different in many ways and outperformed the other saws in the most categories. The Unifence system is equal in accuracy and reliability to the T-style fence offered on the Jet and Powermatic units, and does a lot of extra tricks, too.

When it comes to value, it was a tough call. The Grizzly and Bridgewood were tight competitors for this honor. Both required some extra set-up and patience during assembly. But once that's done, both are good performers for the price, but the Bridgewood pulls ahead with at least one solid-cast iron wing (and the extra legs thrown in), the left-tilt motor and a slightly better quality rip fence. PW

BRIDGEWOOD TSC-10CL

The Bridgewood TSC-10CL is the least expensive saw in the test, but it offers good power, a good T-style fence system and a left-tilt mechanism, which we prefer.The rip fence offers aluminum faces on both sides that have T-slots for attaching stops or fixtures. To square the fence to the table, you need to shim a pad underneath the fence.The solid cast wing is nice, though a second wing would have been better. The saw is currently sold with a free leg set (not shown) — and a laminate-covered table board is available for an extra $70.The blade height and tilt adjustments operated smoothly with positive stops.The saw is shipped without a blade, and if that keeps the price low, we're OK with that. In general most of the features were average.Again, if it keeps the price low, OK. Downside? Assembly took more work than with other saws. It was necessary to shim the fence's infeed bar with washers to raise the fence to a workable height. Also, some masking tape was needed on the fence to square it with the tabletop. But even with these complications and the less-than-pristine fit and finish of the machine, it's a sweet saw at a great price.And so we gave the Bridgewood Best Value honors on the strength of the better quality rip fence, left-tilt capability and the solid cast-iron wing. www.wilkemach.com/800-235-2100

CRAFTSMAN 22859

The 22859 was one of the nicest saws to assemble. The instructions are excellent and there were many small details that made assembly a joy. The 22859 was nicely packaged, with individually labeled hardware bags.The fence rails slide onto square-head bolts in place on the tables, and the switch location is ad-justable.When assembled, the fit and finish of the tool scored very well. Operating vibration was better than average and the handles were comfortable to use and easy to reach. Unfortunately the rest of the testing didn't fare as well.Though the saw offers a micro-adjustable fence (which can be helpful), we needed to shim the mechanism with six washers to align it correctly with its toothed gear. There are no positive stops on the blade beveling mechanism, causing a mushy feeling and the need to rely on the bevel indicator, which no manufacturer does correctly. Though the fence moves smoothly, it cannot be adjusted square to the table without shimming. Adjusting the fence parallel to the blade is very difficult, and the fence's scale is only in V16" increments and not easy to read.The motor performed acceptably, but on the whole the saw was ultimately not worth the $800 price. www.craftsman.com/800-377-7414

The word "Delta" means "saws" to a good many woodworkers, and the 36-426 supports that image. The saw arrived nicely packaged with all the components well protected by lots of cardboard.The instructions were good, illustrated with photos, and actually tell you how to remove the goopy protective coating on the metal surfaces. The three-piece stamped steel base (as well as the "slide-on" rails) proved for quick, simple assembly ... until we got to the side table/leg assembly.This proved over-complicated, though ultimately the legs add stability. The Unifence is a versatile, precise and reliable system that is a strong competitor to the T-style clones. The fence moved smoothly, the scale is readable, and the ease of adjustability proved superior to all others tested. While not a determining factor in the results, we were pleased with the 50-tooth combination blade includ-ed.With the extended table board, the Delta offered a full 5" more working surface than any other saw tested.Also,the Delta is one of two saws tested that offered a two-wrench blade changing feature, improving ease of use even further. Not everything was perfect, though.The height and beveling handles are undersized and feel of lesser quality than those on other saws. The blade guard cannot be raised completely out of way when in use and uses a safety feature to keep it from locking open at all unless the throat plate is in place. In the end, the benefits offered by the Unifence system, overall quality of the assembly, fit and finish, and the quiet and capable motor made us choose the Delta as an Editor's Choice. www.deltawoodworking.com/800-438-2486

42 Popular Woodworking February 2002