Thinking of buying a table saw, looked at Sears. Some are direct drive, others belt drive. Higher priced ones have belt drive. Is it worth the difference in price. Second question: anyone have experience with Delta table saws? Thanks.....
You should ask in rec.woodworking, or at least google it or read their FAQ.
In general, the direct drives use universal motors - loud and underpowered for their rating. The belt drive ones use induction motors.
Sears is generally frowned upon. Delta Unisaws are well liked, but expensive, I don't know about their smaller saws. Me, I have a small Grizzly - good quality at a low price for what you get.
DJ Delorie wrote: (clip) In general, the direct drives use universal motors - loud and underpowered for their rating. The belt drive ones use induction motors. ^^^^^^^^^^^^ So, the belt-drive vs direct drive converts to induction motor vs brush motor. An this difference is critical to your choice. All professional shops use induction motors. They are quieter, but more importantly, the run for years without trouble. The down side is, for a given horsepower, the are much larger. That is why hand power tools, like saber saws, drills and circular saws use brush motors.
My personal choice was for a DeWalt contractor saw, mounted on a folding stand from Home Depot. Reason: I am short of space. This saw uses a brush motor (no belt). Since I use it only occasionally, I am willing to accept the higher maintenance.
The single feature that got me to choose that saw, among all the contractor portable saws is the fence. The fence on a table saw is its most critical feature. People with good table saws often spend hundreds of dollars upgrading the fence (like, to a Biesemeyer.) The Dewalt has a unique rack and pinion drive on both ends of the fence, which make it very easy to move, and guarantee that it does not spring out of alignment. If you look at the fences on lots of saws in the same price range, you will see that finger pressure will deflect the fence.
The folding stand from Home Depot allows me to store the saw in a small space, and set it up easily in the driveway or elsewhere when I need it. It is moved like a hand truck.
I have the 744 Dewalt and for the same reason -- no space. I love it because of the fence. But I found that the folding stand that came with it was a waste -- no wheels so I dragged it around when I needed to use it which kept moving the fence out of alignment. I finally built a table/cabinet on wheels and since then I haven't had to readjust the fence (a year). Before that, I was adjusting almost every time I used the saw. The advantage of the arrangement was gaining some additional storage space.
Many thanks
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.