Either this or the Powermatic 64. Both are great, great saws.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24500 in Home Improvement
• Brand: DELTA
• Model: 36-L31X-BC50

Features

• Left-tilt cabinet saw with powerful 3 HP motor
• Four-inch dust connector fits most common vacuums
• Miter gage and computer-designed motor cover
• Table measures 27 x 76 inches; weighs 566 pounds; backed by a 2-year warranty
• Includes saw, 50-inch fence, steel support legs, two cast iron wings, carbide-tipped blade

Amazon.com Product Description
The DELTA 36-L31X-BC50 X5 10-inch Left Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw lets you bevel rip single-sided laminate without any problems thanks to its powerful 3 HP motor. This left-tilt version of the famous DELTA Unisaw has a computer-designed motor cover, a miter gauge, and a 4-inch dust connector that will fit most common vacuums. Included is a commercial-grade 50-inch Biesemeyer fence, as well as a carbide-tipped blade and cast iron extension wings. The table is 27 x 76 inches long, and the whole thing weighs 566 pounds. It is backed by a 2-year warranty.

From the Manufacturer
DELTA 36-L31X-BC50 X5 10-Inch Left Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Biesemeyer Fence, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase

---

Customer Reviews

WOW - GREAT SAW!
I shopped for a quite a while before buying, and compared all the saws out there. The other brands are also excellent; I couldn't find any big advantage from one to the other. It boiled down to name recognition for me. I didn't see the need to spend a few hundred more for a powermatic (which is now owned by Jet) or a little less to buy the Jet (although they have a GREAT deal on their saw with a built in router table and Bosch 2HP router - very tempting).

Here's the good and bad, good first:

- LOTS of power - I traded up from a Delta 10" Contractor's saw (had it for almost 20 years - problem free. It's also a GREAT saw if you don't want to shell out the 2 grand for this one) and this saw has significantly more power.

- Biesemeyer fence is excellent. VERY; sturdy, heavy, and easy to set up. I purchased a Unifence for my contractor's saw and was also very pleased. I decided to try something new this time around. The choice of fence and the right versus left were the biggest struggles I had. I will say this in hopes that it helps:

- B: heavier, seems a bit sturdier on the table, easier to set up out of the box - less parts, a little harder to take off the saw than the U - does everything I need.

- U: light, seems more versatile (the aluminum rail can be slid forward and backwards - a very nice feature, and the fence can "stand up" or lay "flat" for thinner stock which is also a very nice feature), harder to set up, easier to get off the machine - did everything I needed.

I have no regrets buying the Biesemeyer but do miss my Unifence.

A quick note on right versus left. Contractor's saw was left tilt so I stayed with what I know. I'd recommend anyone with the same experience do the same - it's what I "grew up with" and am comfortable with it.

Here's the bad:

- Minor issue but the hand wheels are cheesy. Just casted and painted. I thought the nicely polished ones on the other machine were better.

- You need dedicated 220V power for this. It's not necessarily a "bad" - we all know the requirement - it's just it will cost you another xx hundred dollars to get there....

- Mobile base is fairly easy to set up but the extension legs on the table sit right where the adjustment screws are for the leveling feet. It's a little awkward. I also found the fit (legs into the mobile base) to be VERY tight, almost too tight.

Good Power/poor finish and details
One of the reasons I spent the extra money on a unisaw, which is more expensive than most saws in its class, is the Delta reputation for quality. The reviews given to them by Taunton Press for example, give them top marks. The saw they sent to Fine Woodworking for review must have been gone over with cherry-picked parts by the folk at Delta, because what the sent me was a royal pain in the a**.

To make a long story shortthe 3hp Left Tilt Unisaw with 50" Biesmeyer Fence package that i ordered showed up with A) a warped/cupped outfeed table, B) a hardware package with missing parts, C) an instruction manual with instructions for assembly that included outdated information D) a base that was not firmly attached to the saw (the only way to access the bolts to tighten them is to jack up the saw and approach from underneath E) legs for the outfeed table with mounting brakets that were not welded square to the legs, so that when attached properly, they do not rest square and plumb (come on Delta, where's the Quality Control???) F) perhaps the most egregious problem was mounting holes for the fence that DID NOT LINE UP. I had to machine the fence mounting holes in our machine shop so that it would mount properly G) the iron table of the saw had a slight crown, while the Iron extension wings had a significant cup, resulting in a seam where they joined with a significant lip, impossible to make smooth transition., H) stripped threads on the handle for the miter gauge.

Can you believe all this is from one saw package!!!???????

Customer service had long wait times on the phone. Eventually Delta sent replacement parts that were better than those first sent, but even these were nowhere near the specs in the "rave reviews" in the magazines (specifically table flatness). Almost a month after receiving the saw package, I had the saw completely set up and running with adequately flat tables Good power, good trunion, great fence.

5 Stars, if wired properly :)
I'd like to take the opportunity to agree with one of the reviews, as well as possibly help the writer of the other...
As an electrician and carpenter, I can tell you that when the Unisaw (or any machine with a huge power appetite) is wired incorrectly, symptoms such as described (i.e. overheating and shutting down) can frequently occur. This will actually happen with any induction motor, which draws a HUGE amount of power when first started, and when under load, ex. that 3 inch thick maple!

I have sworn by the Delta Unisaw for years, and know many local shops around here that feel just the same. The new x5 line is improved in features and Delta offers a good package (they usually include necessities like cast iron wings, table inserts, etc.) regardless of where they are purchased from. It is a machine that when properly cared for (as with any other machine) will outlast any of us, with never ending performance, and accuracy.
Please be sure to consult a licensed electrician when installing the required electrical (receptacle, wire, circuit breaker, etc.) equipment for your own safety as well as proper functionality!
Hope this helps! :)