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Initial e-mail contacts with Delta were not satisfactory in that they told me the 5 hp motor would say 3 hp on the motor data plate. That same day, I received an e-mail from Amazon.com stating that they could not ship out the proper motor, but were shipping out a new saw with a 5 hp motor.On December 2, 2006, the second saw was received via expedited delivery. This concerned me as it isn't quite 5 hp even at 100% efficiency (more like 4.6 hp). One would think for the additional cost and horsepower rating, you would get a continuous duty motor. I am concerned that the 5 hp rating is "peak power" or some other salesman's slight of hand. I looked at the motor itself, and the data plate indicates it is a 3 hp motor drawing 12 amps, much less than 5 hp (3.7 hp at 100% efficiency).
I sent an e-mail to Amazon.com on November 29, 2006 telling them that the wrong motor had been installed in the saw. Delta is an excellent company, produces first rate products, and their ultimate concern was my satisfaction. When the replacement motor was received from Delta, it again turned out to be a 3 hp motor. A real world 5 hp motor should draw around 20 amps. In addition, the parts list for the saw show different part numbers for the 3 hp motor and the 5 hp motor. The part number on the motor in my saw was the correct part number for a 3 hp motor.I contacted Delta by telephone and talked with a customer service representative (angel would be a better title) by the name of Rebecca D.
I purchased the Delta 26-L51X 5 horsepower Unisaw through Amazon.com on November 12, 2006. The 5 hp motor data plate clearly says 21.0 amps current draw. They shipped the correct 5 hp motor to me via next day air, an expensive shipment method for something that weighs over 50 pounds.Both the 3 hp and 5 hp Unisaws are a great cabinet saw, with no reservations. I assembled the saw and noticed that the sticker on the side of the cabinet said "Model 36-L51X." and then listed the current draw as 15 amps. In fact, I paid no shipping charges for any of the additional items sent to me, nor for those items I had to return to them.
The sticker on the side of the motor starter switch says the starter can be used with motors from "21 to 25 amperes". Only when I spoke directly with a Delta customer service representative by telephone was the issue resolved.Another issue is that of the electrical service for this machine. Other owners of this saw indicate that the saw must be powered from a 30 amp supply which indicates to me that you put a 3 hp saw in a 5 hp model or perhaps the salesmen have taken over the engineering room."On December 4, 2006, the following e-mail was received from the Delta "Customer Care" department:"Thank you for visiting the Delta Machinery website.The motor is indeed a 5 hp motor but is not rated to run continuality at 100% surrounded by the cabinet. Wilson. One horsepower corresponds to 746 watts; a motor drawing 12 amperes at 240 volts could not be rated at more than 3.9 hp and that would be at 100% efficiency. It is rated to cool at 15 ampere continuality. Is this because the wrong motor is inside.2.
Page 5 states:"POWER CONNECTIONSA separate electrical circuit should be used for your machines. I asked that it would be fine if they just shipped me the proper motor and I would install the 5 hp motor myself. The 5 hp motor data plate clearly shows a current draw of 21 amperes. It will not cool itself at 100% run time.
I feel that most potential purchasers of either of these high end saws would conclude that the 5 hp Unisaw was a more rugged machine whereas the 3 hp Unisaw may actually be more appropriate for commercial shops.Two questions remain to be answered.1. The response from Amazon.com was to send a new saw which also had the wrong motor. In addition to the myriad of snafus, I would like to point out that the three 3 hp motors received all indicated continuous duty, while the 5 hp motor is rated for intermittent duty. I contacted Amazon.com and they are sending a replacement saw.
To add further to the confusion, the 3 hp motor may actually be a better choice for a commercial user. At this point, I felt that this was probably a factory issue for Delta to resolve. I sent an e-mail to Amazon.com that same day, informing them that once again, they had shipped out the wrong motor, despite the external markings on the box and saw cabinet. The next day, I received an e-mail from Amazon.com that the saw had been shipped. I went to the Delta web site and sent the following e-mail to them:"Message:I ordered a Delta 36-L51X 5 hp cabinet saw from Amazon.com and received same in good condition. This was discovered when I removed the external shroud over the motor. This circuit should not be less than #12 wire and should be protected with a 20 Amp time lag fuse."On the page 6, the following statement is made:"FIVE HORSEPOWER MOTORSThe motors supplied with single phase, 5 horsepower Unisaws are designed to be operated form a 220-240 volt power system.The 5 horsepower Unisaws are not supplied with a power cord."The 5 hp motor I received did have a cord and the plug was for a 20 ampere circuit. A real world 5 hp motor would draw 20 amperes or more and have an efficiency of perhaps 80%.
It is not expected that one would run the saw 100% of the time at 100% load.Should you need to contact us again in the future, please call 1-800-223-7278, or click on the following link: http://www.deltamachinery.com/index.asp.e=101 Upon contacting us, please refer to case number XXX.Regards,Customer Care Department"A motor listed as drawing 12 amperes is actually rated at 5 hp. She would contact Amazon.com to find out what was happening. The saw can operate at 5 hp for short periods of time. Although the new saw box and saw cabinet again showed a 5 hp motor, the actual motor mounted in the saw was a 3 hp motor. Two paragraphs are of interest from the Delta manual for this saw. Although the external carton and the saw cabinet indicated the saw was a 5 hp model, the saw actually had a 3 hp motor installed.
Another e-mail to Rebecca resulted in profuse apologies and finally, receipt of the correct 5 hp motor.There may be others who ordered and received what appeared externally to be the 5 hp model saw but actually received the 3 hp model instead. I don't think so. Is the 20 ampere plug provided on the 5 hp starter adequate, particularly when the motor data plate says the motor draws 21 amperes. Rebecca told me that a 5 hp motor was on order and should arrive soon. The saw arrived within a week, but I did not unpack the saw until later in November. How many owners have 3 hp motors in what they think is a 5 hp saw. This would be of particular interest to someone who was ordering the Unisaw for a commercial shop where a continuous duty saw would be necessary.
I indicated that I could easily replace the 3 hp motor with the proper 5 hp motor if it was sent to me.
She was concerned that the 5 hp motors might have been replaced somewhere along the line with 3 hp motors.
After checking records, Rebecca called back and said that Delta had inadvertently installed 3 hp motors in some 5 hp models.
In the e-mail, I indicated that it appeared that Delta made the mistake in putting the 3 hp motor in the 5 hp model.
Perhaps the intermittent duty rating of the 5 hp motor allows it to be used with a 20 ampere plug.Do not take my comments as being negative about Delta, the Unisaw, or Amazon.com.
A 5 hp motor would have to draw at least 3730 watts which would correspond to 15+ amperes, again at 100% efficiency.
She told me that the motor in the 36-L51X cabinet saw should indicate that it is a 5 hp motor, not 3 hp.
While checking out reviews of the 5 hp Delta Unisaw on this web site, some commented that the manual stated the 5 hp saws would come without a power cord, yet there was a power cord with their saw.
However, other consumers may have the wrong motor, or they may think they have a heavy duty 5 hp motor rated for continuous usage when if fact they do not.
Just unpacked the 5hp unisaw and very disappointed. The rear guide the steel trunion rides in/on was not in the groove. Looks like I need to go out and buy a 3/8" allen wrench and remove the table and rear trunion suppurt so I can fix it. How could this have made it past the quality controll, guess there isn't one.
I bought this table saw back in May, and I've enjoyed it every single day I've used it. You will definately need some help installing the extension wings and extension table board. I've been working with wood for the past 3 years, and decided it was time to upgrade to something that will last a long time. I'm very happy with the Biesemeyer Fence, as it is deadly accurate after you set it up. I did it myself, but it would have probably taken me about a third of the time if I would have had someone else help. In conclusion the cuts are smooth (with a Freud Rip, Crosscut, or Dado blade) and it cuts through the wood like a hot knife through butter, and for $2,300 it's worth it.
I bought a length of SOOW 10/3 with the same NEMA L6-30P plug and NEMA L6-30R receptacle that Richard recommended. The previous reviewer, Richard, stated that he used 18 AWG wire to replace the cord on his saw. I believe that is a typo and that Richard meant 10 AWG wire since 10 ga is the recommended wire size for a 30A circuit. Don't forget strain relief on your cord, especially if using an overhead outlet. I used the Hubbell 073041279 bus grip attached to a hook screwed into the ceiling.
Set up was a breeze and needed only minor adjustments.I do have a complaint but it is not about the quality of the saw but with the quality of organizational skills of the people in charge of sending out the $500 coupon book and free mobile base. I like this saw a lot. Over the years I have used many different table saws and very few will equal the quality of this machine, especially for the money. It's been 9 weeks since I purchased the saw and still no coupon book or mobile base. It would have been nice to have the mobile base with the table saw so that during the assembly process the saw could have been assembled on the base.If you want an accurate and powerful table saw this is it, but don't have the expectation that your freebies will arrive with it, shortly after or in the near future.
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