Delta/Craftsman Connection?

[LarryG]

If this has been discussed before, I don't recall it.

Last night I was leafing through a back issue of FWW, looking for an article, when I noticed an ad for the then-just-announced Delta 36-717 hybrid cabinet saw. And as I studied it, it slowly dawned on me what a striking resemblance it bears to the Craftsman 22124.

First thing this morning, I hit the 'net and had a closer look:

Delta 36-717

Craftsman 22124

I know table saws of various types tend to look pretty similar, but in this case it's sure looking to me like the resemblance is more than superficial. Another point of evidence is that the Craftsman saw comes with a Biesmeyer fence ... Biesmeyer being a subsidiary of Delta (or under the same ownership, anyway).

Has anyone else noticed this? Heard of this? Confirmed/disproved this?

[onedash]

I think there were a few small differences based on other reviews. THe craftsman has cabinet mounted trunions. Not sure if the delta did or not.

[LCHIEN]

If this has been discussed before, I don't recall it.

Last night I was leafing through a back issue of FWW, looking for an article, when I noticed an ad for the then-just-announced Delta 36-717 hybrid cabinet saw. And as I studied it, it slowly dawned on me what a striking resemblance it bears to the Craftsman 22124.

First thing this morning, I hit the 'net and had a closer look:

Delta 36-717

Craftsman 22124

I know table saws of various types tend to look pretty similar, but in this case it's sure looking to me like the resemblance is more than superficial. Another point of evidence is that the Craftsman saw comes with a Biesmeyer fence ... Biesmeyer being a subsidiary of Delta (or under the same ownership, anyway).

Has anyone else noticed this? Heard of this? Confirmed/disproved this?

Its relatively easy to tell who made any Craftsman product. Look at an actual 22124 saw nameplate, get the full part no which will be xxx.221240
Look on the craftsman page at www.owwm.com and look up the prefix which will tell you the manufacturer of that saw.
Possibilities:
1) Delta made that for Craftsman
2) I have heard this rumor, that the zip code saws were made by a bunch of ex-Delta engineers/execs who founded Steel City, which would explain the close resemblance to a Delta design.

Here's a link to a review which states the 22124 and the Steel City are the same saw.
http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/artic...ticle&partID=1

The Craftsman took the longest to put together at about four hours; the relatively light cabinet stand needed to be squared up to get the trunnion into proper adjustment. The Craftsman's basic construction was virtually identical to the Steel City saw,

[Knottscott]

The Craftsman is made by Orion who was formed by a group of people who formerly worked for other major machinery companies... I'm certain Delta is one of them, and I think I've read some were from Powermatic too.

The 22124 and Delta 36-717 appear to share some parts but also have some significant differences. The trunnions are different as mentioned...the 22124's are cabinet mounted, the Delta's are table mounted. They appear to share the same motor, motor mount, on/off switch, fence, accessory brackets, and a few other things...not sure about the wings, which are 12" on the 22124. I think the bases are the same, but the Delta includes a kickplate. The motor covers are different too. The manuals even have several familiar aspects.

It's been rumored that Orion had a hand in the Delta hybrids, but nothing confirmed that I know of, and it's unclear to what extent they may have been involved.

Orion is associated with the new Steel City line. The SC 35601 and 22124 are very similar saws, sporting different accessories. Both feature the same motor and trunnion system. (To clarify any confusion about SC's lineup, Steel City offers a 3hp version with beefed up trunnions and a larger motor, but it's a compable design to these hybrids. Then they also offer a full blown 3hp cabinet saw that's built more like a Uni or Griz 1023.)

[LarryG]

The trunnions are different as mentioned...the 22124's are cabinet mounted, the Delta's are table mounted.

Which trunnion mounting system is better, and why? Or are they merely different, with the advantage going to whichever individual machine is engineered better?

[Knottscott]

Which trunnion mounting system is better, and why? Or are they merely different, with the advantage going to whichever individual machine is engineered better?

Like any design, there are pros and cons to each, but popular vote seems to give the nod to the cabinet mounted trunnions. They're much simpler to align, and they add a fair amount of extra mass for stability. Most full blown cabinet saws use cab mounted trunnions these days.

I don't have a great pic of a traditional table mounted trunnions like the Deltas, but you'll get the idea from the pics below. Just for comparison sake, the pic below shows trunnions from the 22124, Griz G0478 hybrid, Ridgid 3650, Griz 1023.