Bitgood.org

When we bought our house three years ago, I finally got the chance to do something I've been wanting to do for more than a decade; set up my own shop. In many a woodworker's opinion the table saw is the central piece of equipment in most shops, and I'm no different. My first task was to find a good one that wouldn't overly tax my funds at the time, but was a reliable and quality piece of machinery. I finally settled on the Grizzly G1023SL.

The first question some will ask is why a left tilt? I've used both many times, and at that time I felt it would be much more convenient to be able to leave the fence to the right of the blade the vast majority of the time. After a lot of use on this one, I can honestly say it really doesn't matter to me. The only drawback to left tilt is should I decide to add a slider down the road, I'm going to need to buy a new saw.

General Customer Experience

In the many times I've communicated with Grizzly, I've never had anything but good service. Their support staff know the machines, and can figure out what you're talking about even if you use the word "doohickie" in the description.

Packing and Shipping

They use a flat rate for shipping, which in my opinion is nice. You can immediately factor in the shipping costs as you browse. I've had to back away from a couple purchases from other vendors at the last minute because the shipping ended up being half the cost of the machine.

I was fortunate enough to get a shipping company that provided lift gate service, so I didn't have to rent a truck to pick it up at the depot. The packing I would describe as minimalistic. The saw arrived on a palette with a big cardboard box around it. When a shipper recommends you open and inspect something they're dropping off while they wait, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence. While mine arrived in pristine condition, this is one area on which Grizzly could improve.

There was a nice thick layer of cosmoline on all the necessary parts. Anyone who has experienced this substance has a love/hate relationship with it. It's wonderful at protecting your cast iron from rust, but it's a nightmare to clean it off. In the end, I'm glad it was there in abundance.

Fit and Trim

I was happy to see that all the parts that needed powder coating were done well. There were no thin, uncoated or flaky areas, and there wasn't any where there shouldn't have been. I've owned some equipment where I've had to re-drill holes that had been filled. It's a pain.

The saw came with the middle section of the top attached, and they either got really lucky or they took the time to set it up dead on. My guess is the latter. The wings were simple to attach, and with the exception of a little shimming needed on one side the entire top was completely flat.

This saw comes with the Shop Fox Classic fence. It's a clone of the Biesemeyer, which is a great setup. Extremely solid, glides well, and is easy to adjust. I'm very happy with it.

The splitter and blade guard are the typical flimsy setup you'll find on most saws in the USA. This is the only seriously weak point of the saw, and one that I wish all manufacturers would do something about.

The motor came prewired for 220V, but it can also be wired for 110 for those without a 220 circuit. I just had to attach a plug (that I provided) and it was off to the races. It gets up to speed within about a quarter second, and the saw passed the nickel test with flying colors. This is a nice solid machine.

Conclusion

For just over $1000 shipped, this is a great saw, and a purchase I wouldn't hesitate to make again. You'll want to immediately upgrade your splitter and blade guard, so plan to spend some extra money there.