# Used General 50-185...opinions?



## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

In my quest to find a new TS, came across this on CL:

_General Contractor Table Saw purchased new approximately 5 1/2 years ago for $800. Very little use, and I don't expect much use in the near future, so I would rather reclaim the space. Cast iron wings, 2 HP motor. Extremely heavy (300+ pounds). Includes Freud Thin Kerf Blade ($110), high peformance belt (never installed), push stick, and zero clearance insert (never used)._

After inquiring a bit further, determined it is model 50-185L (left tilt) and the owner is asking $550 which may be a tad high IMHO. Not all that many reviews out there, but the ones I found sounded pretty promising. Anyone here know much about this model? Thanks in advance.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

I had a GI 50-185M1 for over 2 years from 2003 to 2005. FWW gave it a #1 rating some years ago. It's a nice solid saw and could handle just about anything I'd be likely to throw at it. It came with a General T-fence made in Canada, which is an excellent clone of the Biesemeyer Homeshop fence....nearly identical to the Biese Commercial fence, but with slightly smaller fence and tubing. Fit and finish were excellent, and the miter gauge is heavy duty. I added a router table, support legs, mobile base, link belt, outfeed table, crosscut sled, and aux fence. I sold that entire setup in mint condition for $525 with two good blades, dado insert, and agreed to deliver and set it up in her shop (~ 3 hours of my time). It's a very similar saw to the PM64a, former Grizzly G0576, former Jet, and former Bridgewood contractor saws. 

It's heavy and capable, but these saws all suffer from the same drawbacks. The motor hanging out the back is mainly a disadvantage unless you want to remove it frequently...it takes up extra space, makes dust collection difficult, requires a fairly long belt, and can become a lifting hazard when tilted if it hits anything, which can knock out the alignment (BTDT!). These saws also feature the old style table mounted trunnions with connecting rods as an arbor carriage between the trunnion brackets...mine never posed an issue, but they can twist in their mounting bracket, which skews the alignment and requires some special attention to rectify. There's also an older style splitter instead of a riving knife. 

I loved my GI 50-185, but I do think $550 is steep in today's market. I was lucky to get $525, and it included a lot. I doubt he'll get $475 now, but you never know. The age old question is what does $550 buy now, or how close does it get you to an upgraded saw?

Question - Is it a 50-185LM1, meaning it has a Biese clone w/50" rip capacity?

Here's my GI:























Hello...anyone home?


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