DELTA 36-R31X-U50 X5 10-Inch Right Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Unifence, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase

If your looking into table saws here are a few recommendations:

1.) Never buy a table saw with a motor less than 3 HP unless it is going to be carted around and used on job sites (having said that, I have seen Unisaws used as job site saws!). 3 HP may seem like overkill, but this is a safety issue more than anything else. A gentleman I knew years ago had a horrible accident when a piece of lumber he was ripping got kicked back dragging his hand through the blade... he lost half his hand and mangled his thumb beyond recognition. The cause? By his own admission, a saw that didn't have enough power to cut through a piece of lumber that was distorting as he cut it, it just kicked back and his hand was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In 30 years of woodworking I have never had wood kickback; bog yes, smoke yes, pinch the blade many times, but never kick back and I attribute this to the power of the saw. If a 3 HP motor can't cut through a piece of wood, toss it out and move on. Thickness has nothing to do with this, some lumber just has too much internal stress and as the stress is released by a cut (usually when ripping) it distorts pinching the blade or jamming the wood between the fence and the blade. FYI, I don't use a saw guard, splitter or anti-kickback pawls; we were taught how to use saws without guards and to have a good healthy respect for the inherent danger in all woodworking machinery.

2.) Buy either the Unifence or the Beisemyer fence system. I can't believe that Delta still make and ship as "standard" the old two rail fence... it was junk on the first Rockwell Unisaw I purchased 30 years ago and is more than likely still junk. I own a Unifence (and have used these many times in other shops) and I am very pleased with it's performance even after 15 years of use on my current saw. My only complaint with the Unifence is the difficulty in attaching special hold-downs or guides to it.

3.) Take the standard mitre guide that ships with the saw and throw it away. This is another "I can't believe that Delta still makes..." statements. Ditto on this and the standard fence, junk then, junk now. Invest in a decent mitre guide or buy the Delta sliding table attachment for the Unisaw (I've also reviewed this item) you'll be glad you did. I have an old Accumitre which is very good and they have improved the way the bar fits in the table saw slot (and as an added bonus, you can buy the new bar for older versions of the guide). Precision mitre guides are all about how the bar fits in the table saw slot, the head of the guide could be machined to 1000th of an inch accuracy, but it all goes out the window if the bar wiggles in the table slot. The Osborne looks interesting, but Accumitre make a material hold down which I need for some of the work I do.

4.) Get the mobile base. I've never been overly happy with the mobile base that I have for my Unisaw with a 52" Unifence, it just doesn't seem to be designed to accommodate this configuration. However, I'll admit that I have a box of saw blades and a considerable number of glue batons sitting on the lower shelf... so in many ways I've compromised the functionality of the mobile base myself. I'd still get the mobile base even if you have the luxury of a permanent location for your saw, at the very least it makes clean up around and under the saw a breeze.

5.) Hook the saw up to a dust collector and get the motor cover (don't get the motor cover without dust collection or you will run into over-heating problems). Dust collection in the cabinet keeps the mess down (well duh!) but it also keep the mess off the worm gear mechanisms used to crank the blade up, down and to angles. I'm currently trying to find a suitable dust collection mechanism for above the blade for the well being of my lungs. Nowhere near 100% of all dust travels downwards in cutting operations especially with sheet stock.

Right tilt or left tilt is more-so related to the type of work you are planning to do. Mine is the right tilt version which is perfect for cutting mitres off the mitre guide positioned to the left of the saw, but tricky to rip angled cuts off the fence. This is because the second cut will always have the tip of the angle from the first cut trying to go under the fence. Ripping angles off the fence is simplified on left tilt saws; but I personally have never liked having the blade angled towards me when making mitre cuts with a mitre guide, and I've never liked using the right slot for this purpose (old dog, new trick kind of thing). There may come a day when Delta will make a saw that tilts both left and right, but until then you have to make a choice at the get go.

A table saw is perhaps the most important piece of equipment in your shop so get a good one, with the Unisaw you can't go wrong. If Delta shipped the saw with a decent mitre guide this would be a 5 star rating.