At last my Dream table saw has arrived!
Well, finally I have been able to spend
some "Quality Time" with my new Xcaliber 10 inch table saw. For those of you new
to this thread this is a "Delta Unisaw" clone, a typical American style cast
iron table saw.
First impressions- It was delivered in a crate, well packed and in good
condition. Upon breaking down the crate and cleaning off the anti-rust gloop
from the tables I was left with the feeling that I had made a good choice of
saw. The cabinet is made of 3mm steel, nicely welded and sprayed light grey. The
castings were of a high standard, machined flat with a nice polish to them.
There are two cast iron table extensions which have to be bolted to the main
table. Then the fence rails are bolted on, front and rear. These are long enough
to allow a 52 inch wide rip- this is pretty wide and takes up a LOT of workshop.
I wasn't anticipating such large rails, but can't bring myself to cutting them
shorter (an easy job is required).
The fence is a "Biesemeyer" type, which locks with a
single cam lever at the front. The fence moves smoothly and locks securely.
There is a scale along the front rail with crosshairs on the fence. The system
works really well and I look forward to getting stuck into some projects!
The motor on the saw is single phase, 3 horsepower. This required a separate
circuit to be run. In use the saw is very, very quiet. I was surprised at how
quiet-late night sawing might now be on the table! (no pun intended....
) There is a huge amount of
grunt there, and frankly, I'm a little scared. Nothing wrong with a little
healthy respect though, right!
The mitre gauge is a nice hefty piece-cast iron head with a steel runner. It has
adjustable stops for 45, 90 and -45 degrees-handy. It slides smoothly in the
runners, though there is a tiny bit of play. This doesn't affect the cut though,
as all pieces I cross cut came out smooth.
Blade rise and tilt is handled (doh!) by two large alloy handles, each of which
has a locking screw in the centre. The action is super smooth and rapid too!
Overall, I am impressed with this saw-it is an industrial machine and built to
very high standards. Fit and finish is superb, the machine performs as well as
could possibly be expected and is built to last a lifetime. Every function has
easy adjustability to ensure it performs perfectly. When you see Norm doing his
table saw tricks this is the machine he is using-and trying to carry out some of
the tasks he does on an inferior table saw is dangerous (and could well be on
this one). But the simple solidity of this saw is impressive and inspires and
allows you to carry out work to a high standard of accuracy.
Do I recommend it? Without a doubt this is the best table saw I have ever seen in
the flesh-it is head and shoulders above the ally tabled saws and budget
machinery you see for sale in the magazines. Indeed this is a machine from an
age past. I wish Woodford would market them more heavily, but from what I hear
they are struggling to cope with the demand for them!
Price £998+vat
The
"Dado Section" Please avoid this section if of a delicate
disposition.................
Of course, you all want to know about the dado capability, right?
I purchased a Frued stacked dado set from my local Machine mart (a very nice
set-mighty large lumps of carbide....). To use a dado head obviously the
standard throat insert is of no use. I made a replacement from some scrap
hardwood by sticking it to the original and routering around it with a bearing
guided cutter. The insert was fitted and held in place with some scrap and a
clamp while the saw was slowly raised through it to provide a "zero clearance"
insert. In use the dado cut a very clean rabbet through some plywood in my test
runs. If used safely and correctly I can't see any problems arising from it's
use. (in fact I found the dado to be a bit of a let down after the years of
"dado-itis" I have encountered in the UK press and internet forums....
This saw has a serious amount of power and in use the dado didn't cause any
noticable drop in power-it just motored on through. It was a lot quicker than
using a router as you can cut the whole rabbet in one go, as quick as
crosscutting.
Obviously, my routers have nothing to fear, but for through dado's and rabbets I
will be using my dado head. (guards removed for clarity, of course....)
I recently purchased a Delta mobile base unit to give my saw much needed mobility-it free's up floor space when I need it. All-in-all, an essential purchase!
There are more pictures in the Photo Gallery
Update! Oct '05
I have used the Xcaliber for many months now and feel an update would be useful. The saw has performed flawlessly-quiet, powerful and accurate. Keep your saw blades clean and the dust extraction working and you will have no problems with this saw. It just does exactly what you ask of it. The lack of vibration and the solid mass of the saw allow you to make very fine cuts-you can also cut off veneer thin slices of wood.
All in all, the saw is everything I hoped it could be. If you are in the market for a reliable accurate table saw you know where to look!