firehawkmph

Hey gang,
I was in my local Woodcraft store today to pick up a few things. I was talking with the owner and he was giving me the skivvy on all the stationary power tools. This is the first time I have actually seen the Steel City machines up close and got the story behind them from him. He said that when B&D bought Delta, some of the Delta engineers left and formed the Steel City Co. They designed the tools with added features and updates that Delta should have done but didn't. I looked at their 14" bandsaw along side a jet and powermatic. I saw their industrial cabinet table saw with the granite top. Very nice fit and finish and priced vary fair, especially when you consider Jet's recent price increases. They also carry the Sawstop table saws. Nice saws also, I like the safety feature. They had a person in one of their recent classes set the sawstop off. He had cut a thin piece of wood where they had to remove the blade guard to do it. He went to grab the waste piece up against the sawblade and touched the blade while reaching for the wood. The blade stopped immediately and barely nicked his finger. He wasn't familiar with the saw and thought it jammed due to a piece of wood getting caught. He took a lot of harassment from the others especially when he found out he just lunched a $100.00 Forest blade and another $70.00 to replace the safety cartridge. He didn't have to pay for it. Could have been a lot worse on another saw. Anyway, I would seriously consider the Steel City equipment after looking at it and finding out how they came about.
Mike Hawkins

thekctermite

I compared the Steel City and Delta benchtop mortisers the other day, and was shocked at the similarity between the two machines. Same motor, same switch, same features on the frame (support and adjustment), same lever mechanism, same same same. It really looks like a lot of the parts came from the same factory! The Steel City had a couple extra features like outfeed support extensions and adjustable dogs to retain the workpiece. One turnoff was a clear flimsy plastic door that conceals the chuck, as opposed to the Delta's metal door. The price was $70'ish more for the Steel City, so I opted for the Delta.

I've looked at some of their other tools and have been very impressed.

Woodchuck1957

I've often wondered why Steel City doesn't make a Contractors saw. I think they are missing the boat there.

99flhr

I have a S/C table saw/ jointer/ mortiser. So far, very satisfied.