Popular Woodworking 2002-02 № 126, страница 45
A Class by Itself The Delta Unifence (above) offers both parallel and square adjustment to the table without lifting the fence from the saw. Though you may only have to adjust the fence once a year, it's very convenient to have all the adjustments easily accessible. Also note the unique aluminum fence face that can be oriented in either a high or low height arrangement on either side of the fence rail, and can be slid forward or back for improved support. This fence offers great versatility for the user. Locks the Bevel Both the Craftsman and Ridgid (shown right) saws employ a blade bevel lock, but not a height adjustment lock. Our initial concerns were that while the bevel lock could prove useful, would the blade creep down during dado operations without a height lock? After testing we found that no creep occurred. Likely the fine thread adjustment requiring 35 revolutions to raise and lower the blade made these saws less susceptible to height creep. Though we appreciate that improvement, we didn't enjoy the extra revolutions necessary to adjust the blade height. DeWALT DW746 The DeWalt DW746 was one of the easiest saws to assemble (arriving mostly assembled), with most of our assembly time spent being impressed by the design features on the model. This saw is unlike the other machines in this test because it has an internally mounted motor and a blade beveling wheel mounted on the left of the saw.We found the saw's instructions to be less than thorough, but adequate to the setup task. As mentioned before, the dust collection shroud around the blade works extremely well. The fence system is also different; it's a T-style fence that locks both at the front and rear.We found the fence to be smooth operating, accurate, easy to read and generally easy to set up and adjust.The aluminum fence face offers forward and back adjustment similar to the Delta Unifence, which is an asset in a number of situations.The DeWalt is one of two models tested that offer a two-wrench blade change system. The motor performed well, and the vibration is pleasantly low.We rated the DeWalt as having the best height and tilt adjustments with convenient handles that operated smoothly and positively. Even though the wings are of sheet metal construction, the heavy gauge of the metal makes these lighter-weight wings accurate and sturdy.The DeWalt finished very well in our testing, and was only edged out for Editor's Choice recognition due to the higher price.You may be able to argue that the price is justified if the option of adding the sliding table (another $400) is important to your style of work. GENERAL 50-185 The General contractor saw is a fine and capable saw with a decent instruction manual and a fair assembly. Its strong points are its well-placed and manufactured handles, a good quality cast iron miter gauge, and an easy-to-use and read T-style fence system.The saw is also offered in either a right- or left-tilt version, (the only model tested that is), so if the tilt direction is important to you, General can help you either way. Overall the General motor performed capably and the use of the fence system and all adjustments worked smoothly and accurately. If you want to adjust the fence square to the table, you need to shim a pad beneath the fence. There's no real nice way to say this, but the General is a very capable, but average saw. It doesn't excel beyond the other tested models in any significant category, but has features that make it a very workable tool.The pricing is comfortably below the highest price, but is also not low enough to make this saw a true bargain. www.general.ca/819-472-1161 The G1022Pro is new to the Grizzly family for 2002, but it looks familiar. The machine is essentially the G1022ZFXwith the Shop Fox Classic fence added. That's a good thing. Assembly was of average complexity, and not always explained well in the instructions. Once assembled, the Grizzly performed well in a number of categories, not least of which was the performance of its 2hp-rated motor (make sure your shop circuit can handle this motor). Strong features include a Powertwist link belt to reduce vibration, good cast iron miter gauge and a fence system that operated well (though less smoothly than some other T-style clones tested in this review).The scale on the fence was a tie for best readability, and the vibration during operation was very low. The saw arrived in our shop with the blade mounted V16" off parallel to the miter slots (a quick fix) and there were sharp or rough spots on the machine to be filed or sanded. The open cast wings are a bit of a compromise, and we'd prefer solid cast wings instead, but priced at $550 it's an extremely affordable package.When compared to the lower-priced Bridgewood, the Grizzly offers two cast iron wings and a beefier motor for an extra $50.This saw is a great deal, and was only beat out for Best Value honors by the Bridgewood by a whisker. www.grizzly.com/800-523-4777 www.popwood.com I 43 |
