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Grizzly G1023SLW 10" Left-Tilt Cabinet Table Saw | Discount Price: $1,050.00
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Brand: Grizzly
Binding: Misc.
1023Z Review [Posted on 2005-08-29]
Note: This review is for the Grizzly 1023Z, which is pretty much the same saw as the 1023ZX, except it has a 3HP/220Volt instead of a 5HP/220Volt motor.
I recently sold my old Delta contractors saw, and looked to upgrade to a cabinet saw. Like anyone looking to upgrade, I did a lot of research. The main candidates I was considering were Powermatic 66, the General cabinet saw, and the Dewalt hybrid. All of these saws seemed to be quality tools. I eliminated the Dewalt for two reasons: I wanted cast iron wings (and didn't want to pay extra for them), and I wanted a saw with a little more horespower. The General and Powermatic had the horsepower, but were out of my budget. This led me to purchase the Grizzly 1023Z.
I ordered the saw on a Saturday, and it was delivered the following Wednesday. As noted in other reviews of Grizzly equipment, the packing did not seem sufficient. Basically the saw was on a pallet heavy cardboard box strapped around it. The box had a bash in the side, but luckily the saw was not damaged.
This saw was much easier to put together than my old Delta saw. Basically the saw is pretty much put together. The two cast iron wings need to be put on (get a friend to help if you're a wimp like me :), the power switch needs to be screwed on, and the dust port/motor cover needs to be screwed on. You'll also need to put a 220V plug on the cord, and put on the splitter/blade cover.
The biggest effort in getting the saw set up was the cleanup. Cosmoline coats all the cast iron pieces to prevent rust. I used mineral spirits and a bunch of paper towels to get the cosmoline removed. After removing that gunk, I'd recommend putting something else on to prevent rust. I use Johnson's paste wax, there are probably other good preventatives out there.
Most of the adjustments were pretty close, but needed to be tweaked. You'll need a good straight edge, and a solid square. The adjustments are fairly easy.
The only tough adjustment I had to figure out was on the fence. The fence as shipped would not lock down (it was set too tight). The manual describes what to do in that situation, and it was not difficult to loosen it up.
I've only been using the saw for a couple of weeks, but I must say it is a MASSIVE improvement over my old contractor saw. The fence locks down solid, and all lumber I've put through it has been cut with ease. The saw itself is heavy, and there is no danger of it inadvertently scooting around. The fit and finish of the saw is very good. I noticed that the fence had a couple of spots where the finish had flaked off, but no big deal.
A couple of notes: the manual provided with the saw is apparently an old version of the manual (and relates to an earlier revision of the saw). I was concerned when I was missing a couple of parts according to the manual. A quick call to Grizzly and it became apparent that I had an old manual. Downloading a new manual from their website solved this problem.
Also: the motor cover for the saw was shipped separately via UPS (and not in the freight delivery). Since the freight was delivered before the UPS, I thought they had forgotten it. But it was simply shipped separately.
About the only thing I would do differently would be to investigate a different mobile base. I bought the Shop Fox mobile base, and it is functional. However, I'm not a big fan of bending over to screw and unscrew the anchors everytime I have to move it.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the saw. Bang for buck, I don't think you can beat it.
This is a woodworking miracle [Posted on 2005-12-28]
This saw arrived from Santa two weeks early this year. I ordered it for myself with the shop fox extension rails. I was pleasantly suprised to find that the rails also came with nice support legs. I slipped the table saw off of it's mounting pallet right into my HTC 2000 mobile base. The extension tables went on with little hassle. I then took an old towel and soaked it in degreaser and let it sit on top of the table for about 3 hours. With 3 or 4 minutes of wiping, it was ready to wax.
The real thrill came after the adjustments were made to set up and calibrate the saw. After running virtually every different type of scrap material in my garage through the saw,I went out and found the hardest, material I could find. I had some 6 foot chunks of maple that I got from a neighbor whose tree blew over in the storms this past summer. Although it was not fully dried, Ok, it was not even close, I ran it through my bandsaw and jointer to create a 3.5 inch square by 4 foot post. I then cut it into 3/4 inch planks on the table saw. This finaly made my saw work. This 5 horsepower beast ate through the plank, leaving almost as smooth a finish as my jointer. I was using a brand new Freud 50 t combo blade. The Saw has a very precise mechanism with excellent tolerances. I have used many Powermatics, and Unisaws. There is no difference in performance. As far as longevity, well Grizzley has only been around for 22 years, This saw had better last 3 times that. Certainly properly maintained Powermatics, and Deltas do. Take notice though that Delta has created a lower line of saw to try to compete in the Grizzley price range. The problem is; without the middle-men, Grizzley is building a saw as good (or better) than the Unisaw and on par with the Powermatic 66. It is not a cheapened copy like the low end deltas. It is a full featured, robust saw. This was not the first, nor will it be my last Grizzley purchase. If only they could box things better. Hey, how about a crate.....
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