General International Cabinet Saw Review

by Paul in Ottawa, ON

My new GI 50-260 3 HP left tilt cabinet saw arrived very well packaged and shipped, with no damage or missing pieces. The usual oil coating seemed harder than ever to get off, but maybe I just couldn't wait to get the thing running. All rumors about GI manuals are true. They suck. It's a good thing a table saw comes with very few parts.

I'm probably pretty picky when it comes to assembly so it took me the better part of a day to do it. The GI mobile stand rated at 500 lbs is ok, but not great. The last time I saw so many parts was when I installed a garage door. The saw at just over 400 lbs seems to me about max for this stand. I have my rails supported so this helped a lot, and it's now rock solid. I would look for a more heavy duty base for this saw or just sit it on the floor and forget it.

The side extension wings are tough to install alone. Get some clamps and then get some more.

The right side was bang on level but I found the left dropped ever so slightly down along the far left side. I checked to see if there was still some gunk I forgot to clean preventing a clean mating surface but no. I guess that the two mating surfaces do not meet at 90 deg. (I'm talking less than 1/32" lower). I placed a folder post-it note under each bolt and it brought it up perfect flush. A minor annoyance.

The tables themselves are level, clean, and as close to a perfect grind as I would hope to get. I have a good straight edge and looked hard to find any real warp or dip with my feeler gauge. I was impressed. Weeks before, In another store, I was able to compare the General top with the GI top on the contractor saw. In all honesty I thought the quality of the grind looked the same even though the General is supposed to have a more "mirror" like finish, I didn't see it.

Squaring up the slots to the blade took way longer than I thought it would, Maybe I'm just picky but I put in a lot of rubber mallet time. A tap here, a tap there, here a tap, there a tap everywhere a tap, tap...

The arbor was factory set to a perfect 90 deg and a perfect 45 deg - WOW. I mean perfect dead on, no adjustment required.

The General fence is awesome. It weighs more than the bench top saw I use on site. An odd thing: although this fence is only made for the General version of the saw, the holes don't line up. You have to drill holes. No big deal, but I thought it strange. They give you a Masonite depth gauge to use and it's fine but you need two to make it easy. I used my 4" adjustable LV square (the most handy tool you will ever own - BUY ONE) and set it to the obscure measurement of 27/32" or something like that so I had one on each end of the table. Due to my garage area I was hoping to buy a 30" rail set but it's only available as 52". I cut mine down (sniff, sniff) to a 40" max. cut, not a bad compromise. The fence is so strong and accurate it's hard to imagine until you play with it.

I made an extension table out of 3/4" Baltic birch frames, 3/4" MDF with laminate top.

The table saw insert is ok nothing special. I found a couple of burrs on top at the screw holes and filed them flat. I found the insert had a slight warp in it and I had to put it in my vise to tap it back straight. I will be making zero clearance inserts so the factory unit will end up in a drawer as a template.

The General miter gauge is pretty good, very solid cast and very tight in the slots. Nothing special but very well made.

After tensioning the belts. it was time to rock and roll. I had been using an old blade to align things in case it got hit with a wrench or something. I released the stop button and pushed "ON", Nothing happened. Did it again – still nothing. Panic set in. I then realized that when my brother in law had put in a new panel in the shop for me, the main breaker was left "OFF". With the breaker on I hit the button again. The motor came on strong. With the old blade I cut a 2x4 in half. I could not believe the blade I had kicked around and abused could produce such a cut. I proceeded to cut some cherry, oak, maple, and oak ply - I was smiling like a kid in a toy store.

I now put in a new Forrest WW2 and cut the same pieces. All I can say is they are as close to perfect as I think I have ever seen. No visible scoring, no burning no splintering. Under EXTREME examination and looking very hard with a light at an angle some VERY faint scratches can be seen . The cuts are ready for a light sand and are good to go.

I cut some 2 1/4" oak and cherry with tons of power and perfect cuts. The quality of the cut is better than the dressed sides of bought stock. This saw won't bog under anything from what I can see. I cut some 4x4" soaking wet P.T. to full depth 3" cut. The difference between a contractor saw and this thing is huge. The saw does not even seem to know there is any wood being pushed through it.

I'm very happy with the saw.

For more money, the General version gives you a heavier gauge cabinet, heavier trunnions, steel rather than plastic blade guard, and includes an extension table. The General's motor is made in the USA, and everything else is made in Canada.

I'll rate the saw a 9.5/10, just because there is always room for improvement.