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Hey all, thanks for helping me along through my Uni saga. I received the arbor bracket assembly from Renovo. I'm more tempted to send it back than to keep it, but I'd like to hear more experienced voices.
What I'd missed is that Renovo sells reverse engineered parts along with actual Delta. This is clearly reverse engineered. The bracket has no P/N, for one. The general shape matches my old one, but even on casual inspection I found some differences. The ends of the curved, toothed rack look different (the main portion looks about the same, to my eye). The spacing of the belt pulley Vees is just a little wider. Maybe nothing catastrophic here, but it makes me wonder. The arbor is noticeably longer than Delta's (by a few mm), and uses an entirely different thread.
The assembly cost me $450 shipped. Return is 15% restock, plus shipping, so I'm in for let's say a hundred bucks to not keep it. Despite that, this thing makes me nervous. I have a line on a great, mid-80s PM66 that I bet won't dissolve on me in two months. Who can say about this thing? But I really don't know.
What would you do?
Thanks all.
Best,
Aram, always learning
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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I would call them and share my concerns with them to see if something slipped through or they confirm it will work. I would try to avoid the 15% fee if the product is not as described or serviceable as your CC will help with that if need be. There is a local company that makes fiberglass goose egg covers along with motor doors they used real parts to create the molds as opposed to getting close to what was there
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I imagine for $450.00 you could have the broken part cast and machined and have money left over.I'm assuming the part is cast iron. If the part is machined steel, probably cost even less. First I would contact a machine shop and find out if this is feasible. If so, send the part back and eat the return cost.
mike
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While I like the above suggestions, it would make me nervous as well. As Bob10 indicated a call to them might alleviate the concerns, but I think I'd just snag the PM66 and not look back.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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For 450 bucks it should darn well fit and work exactly like the original. I went to there site and tried to click on a few of the links and nothing seems to work. How were you even able to find the part? Makes me wonder what the seller is really up to. That's an awfully expensive replacement part, and 15% to restock? Do you have pix of the replacement part up against the original? I read some of the original threads. Unisaws are generally pretty bulletproof, but obviously you got one that wasn't.
A PM66 is a nice saw too, but hasn't been in production for quite a few years and parts may be hard to find as well. They didn't build nearly as many 66's as uni's, I think if you had a right tilt model, you would have found the parts a while ago for fairly cheap money.
While I'm not a big fan of Asian machinery, Griz has been building saws for years now and they stand behind their products with parts and service. They have 10" left tilt saws starting around 1300 that would work fine for most folks. If the new part doesn't work, I think I'd send it back, cut your losses on the Uni and move on. Parting it out is a pain, but you eventually would make most of your money back on it, though it would take some time and effort on your part. Good Luck.
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The arbor being longer and a different thread should not be an issue, unless it hits an obstruction. I don't see how they could put a Delta PN on their copy. The tooth rack and pulley Vees would bother me.
Al
I turn, therefore I am!
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This is the part we are talking about? Al
I turn, therefore I am!
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I'd be really surprised if anyone could cast or machine that part for $450. Then you still need an arbor, bearings, and pulley.
John
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I stood on the sideline to see just how this twist would play out I would call the cost of the return a lesson and go buy that PM66 an expensive lesson yes but think of all the people who will benefit from your experience Joe
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EvilTwin said:
For 450 bucks it should darn well fit and work exactly like the original.
This. I would definitely call them.
chris
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