# Delta saw w/ Unifence $350, GOOD Deal??



## schreib (May 6, 2018)

I found what APPEARS to be a good deal on a Delta 34-441 Table saw with Unifence but it is partially disassembled-- $350. I am looking for an expert here to look over the photos and see if there is anything I likely missed that may be of concern. The last thing I want to do is get this thing home and realize that maybe it is not a fully operable Unifence or some critical part is missing. (There is a photo showing the cat #-- it IS a Delta 34-441 base unit.)

Ad text pasted below;

*"Great condition, some assembly required as it has been broken down for transport.

Comes with following accessories:
Dado plate
Miter gauge 
Aux. rip fence
Aux. miter fence
steel table leafs
blade change wrench
unifence system
Delta motor

This is a perfect, usable unit. "*


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## bargoon (Apr 20, 2016)

I own a similar saw but I'm no expert.

In your 1st picture I see the part of the unifence but can't see the hold down lever - I'm sure its there. On my unifence it has large hex head plastic caps for adjusting the fence to align with the miter slot - yours are small but I've seen a picture of a similar one.

In your 2nd picture there seems to be another rip fence? The red insert is for a dado set - is the normal ripping/cross cutting insert included? Don't know what the short aluminum thing behind the insert is - maybe a fence for the miter gauge?

You have 2 stamped steel tables. I only have one for the left side of the saw - the other side is where my 52" unifence is mounted.

I only have praise for mine but realize it has its limitations.

Hope this helps


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## schreib (May 6, 2018)

Thanks for the input; I will ask some of those questions when I look at it. I believe the other fence was from the original saw setup  . . . maybe before someone converted it to a Unifence. We will see. . . I guess the other question is whether this is a 52" or 30" unfenced.


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

"Is it a good deal" craigslist posts are so subjective I hate to participate. OTOH, when I searched the TwinCities CL there's no less than 178 hits for "table saw" in the Tools section. I can't imagine you can't find an actual Unisaw with proper fence for $350. Right now there's a Grizzly cabinet saw for $325 with a really nice fence. Might have to buy a VFD for a 3-phase deal but what's another c-note when you're getting a screaming deal and variable speed? Just saying....


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## subroc (Jan 3, 2015)

I don't know if it is a good deal. It might be top of the market for a 40+ year old saw. The fence and rail system is clearly a good one and much sought after by those that know and like them. It is a right tilt saw. maybe that matters, maybe it doesn't. What is a used contractor saw worth without the fence and rail system? What is the fence and rail system worth alone without the saw? If you had the saw without the fence and rail system and say a couple hundred dollars would you track down one of them or get something else?

$350 for a used saw can be a lot of money or next to nothing? But, in my view, $350 for a contractor saw is touching the top of the market.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I don't know that it's a good deal, but I will say that I LOVE my UniFence. I'd pay extra for a saw with one.


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## schreib (May 6, 2018)

UNREAL. That saw was NOT up there yesterday and probably worth seeing. I live a lot nearer that one too. I will let you guys know which I buy. It will likely be one of these two! thanks!


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## schreib (May 6, 2018)

I have to wait till Friday to see the Delta 34-441. But, I will be looking at the Grizzly tonight; it is a Mao Shan TSC-10L table saw. Grizzly must just put their name on a Chinese machine, right? -- but wider than OEM it seems, looks like about 50" wide on the right with a tubular fence... He is asking $325 and I could likely get it for$300-- just guessing. Anyway, when comparing that to the $350 Delta 34-441 my research from other forums etc leads me to believe the Delta may be a better buy mostly since it has the Unifence on it. Other than that, the Grizzly looks like it is made like a tank but still with a cylindrical tube guides but nothing like the Unifence as far as I can tell. Anybody here thinking it is no comparison, I should just stick with the Delta and ditch the Grizzly?? Grizzly pic attached.


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## Carl10 (Feb 3, 2017)

The Grizzly looks like a better saw (from the pictures). The Delta does not have cast wings and is 'just' another contractor saw with a unifence. I would look for other/better deals. In the Detroit area, they seem to come in bunches of good deals and then none for a while. I purchased a few months ago, a Delta 36-750 Hybrid saw. Cast wings, Vega fence, Forrest Woodworker II blade with 2HP motor for $375. It was in great shape (a little table top rust)! There were also several Unisaws in the 500-700 range at the same time. Now, mostly contractor saws and overpriced cabinet saws.

My Vega fence has tube rails and it is great. There are other older tube fences that look flimsy, this one is not. Before you check out the saw see if Grizzly has parts on their site for that saw. You will probably only need bearings at some point and those you should be able to get from anyone by size.

Good luck, be patient (lol) and let us know what you do.

Carl


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I own a saw with a Unifence*

My Sawzilla, has a Unifence with the extruded front rail all the way across. I acquired 2 extra heads off Ebay so I can use a sacrificial fence over the dado set and A UHM face one over the center blade.
I really like this fence because it's so versatile. You can slide it fore and aft OR flip it on it's side for a tall or a short fence. It's a bit tricky to lock down after it's moved, unlike my Biesemeyer. It's not a pain, just a bit fussy. The fence and head are worth $350.00 by themselves, without any saw attached... JMO. 










That Grizzly is an older version, built like a tank and with a 3 Hp motor will last another 25 years.

Delta parts and service has not been known for their great supply or response. That may have improved by now, I donno?
:vs_cool:


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

delta vs grizzly?? not going there, but will say that delta, once a powerhouse in shop equipment, has gone down hill the last 2 decades. Grizzly, staring out as an imported/lesser quality tolls, has improved over that last 2 decades. so, older delta or newer grizzly imho.


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## schreib (May 6, 2018)

The Grizzly with bad bearings just seemed like the potential for more problems than I wanted to play with from the get go. I bought the Delta with Unifence. Trunions on one side looked good. The fence was just laying on top but the extruded aluminum guide bar was mounted using two bolts on the front of the saw. Saw ran well, sounded fine, I paid up and brought it home. I had to remove the guide to get the thing into an elevator. It got bounced around on my crappy trailer so I will have to spend some quality time with it in re-assembly and setup. I just hope I have been given all the parts. This place was called a "Tool Library" in St Paul. . . run by a bunch of part time people who likely come and go and not familiar with the machine. It has not been used in a while . . . This will be somewhat of a crapshoot but it looks like I have all the basic parts! Update next month. (Big thanks to Julie Moriarty for the manuals on both the Unifence and the Delta saw!)

Crapshoot: in ref. only to the grab bag of parts I hope will assemble into a FULL working machine. Pretty confident it will be fine.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*a crapshoot ....?*

Oh snap, so now I'm responsible for anything that goes wrong?:vs_OMG:


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