Woodworker's Journal 2010-34-1, страница 50

Tool Review

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Craftsman

22805

Rip Capacity: 50"R, 10"L Depth of Cut: 3" (90°), 2%" (45 Table: 27"W x 37"L Weight: 490 lbs Price: $1,299 www.craftsman.com (800) 349-4358

table throat opening. The arbor design on this machine places the blade flange closer to the left edge of the table opening than other saws, so you have lots of room to reach down inside for blade changes. That's a subtle but appreciated convenience.

One unusual detail about this saw is that it comes with two interchangeable arbor spindles: a long one for stacking wide dado sets and a shorter one for regular blades. They're not hard to switch, but it's unnecessary to do on other saws.

Delta

Unisaw Rip Capacity: 52"R, 12"L Depth of Cut: 3%" (90°); 2%" (45°) Table: 31"W x 40"L ^ Weight: 661 lbs Price: $3,299

www.deltaportercable.com (800) 223-7278

Currently, this saw still has a fixed splitter and guard that bolt in place. Craftsman informs me that it will be replaced in early 2010 with a split guard and riving knife to comply with the new UL riving knife standards. That's a welcomed step forward. The riving knife will have high and low position settings to accommodate both through and non-through cuts such as grooves and rabbets. The guard system will install or remove without tools.

Flat aluminum fence facings (right photo) required no shimming on Craftsman's rip fence. The saw comes with two interchangeable arbor spindles (left) — one for standard blades and the other for dado sets.

Craftsman's saw has a smaller-dimension front fence rail and rip fence spine than other saws, but they were stout enough for heavy ripping. Plus, the fence's aluminum facings were flat — that's important for accuracy.

Despite a somewhat thinner trunnion casting than other saws here, this saw still cut smoothly, with three drive belts spinning the blade. I wish the power switch were mounted to the fence rail like other saws and not to the

cabinet; it's harder to "knee" the kill button quickly. After cutting, I scooped 13 handfuls of debris from inside the cabinet: a pretty good result, but not on par with some competitor machines.

My verdict: the Craftsman is a decent machine for a low price.

Delta Unisaw

As you're probably already aware, Delta completely redesigned the Unisaw two years ago with many new features. Up top, the saw has a two-piece split guard that offers a clear, open line of sight to the blade and pops off with a flip lever. A single riving knife supports it, and it's simple to shift the knife to high or low positions or

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