Review: Delta 36-6023 Portable Table Saw

The Delta 36-6023 portable table saw is designed to offer a large rip capacity and strong cutting power that can cut through hardwoods or treated lumber. This is a solid option for a table saw due to it’s capabilities but this saw does also have some drawbacks. Let’s take a closer look at this one.

Cutting Power & Motor

The cutting power is strong on this table saw and this saw is capable of cutting through harder materials. This saw has a 15 amp motor rated at 3 HP that runs at a max of 5000 RPM, which is pretty comparable to other saws in this price range. This combines with the cutting depth of 3.5″ to give you the ability to cut thicker or harder types or lumber, treated or not.

The cutting capability is more than good enough for most home users, and this will also be a serviceable saw on most job sites if you get a unit that doesn’t have any quality control issues.

Cutting Table

The cutting table is made from aluminum and has a powder coated surface. The table surface dimensions are 26.6 x 21 inches, which is pretty good when combined with the extending rip fence. Materials slide well over the surface and overall the table functions as you’d expect.

The surface has a tendency to wear out and start peeling or wearing off if you use this saw extensively or run a lot of rough materials through it. This doesn’t really affect it’s functionality but it will make it look used.

Some people have also had issues with the table being completely flat out of the box. You will want to check this right away when you are setting up the saw to verify yours has a flat table.

Others have pointed out that the throat plate isn’t all that great and some have issues with warping or flexing, which makes it feel like it’s getting in the way.

Rip Fence

This saw uses a rack and pinion design for the rip fence which is pretty common these days. The rack and pinion fence works great since you can make quick, accurate adjustments after it’s been calibrated.

Rip capacity on the right side is 32.5″ when the rip fence is fully extended, and that is a very nice rip capacity for a portable table saw.

The rip fence also has a flip down extension that can be used to make narrow cuts. This come in handy for sure.

Most people have good luck with the rip fence being properly aligned out of the box, but once again it’s not always the case. So just make sure to check alignment along with everything else during setup.

Blade Height & Bevel

This table saw allows adjustment of both blade height and bevel. The blade can tilt up to 45 degrees and there are stops for both 90 and 45 degrees for quick adjustments between those two points. The blade has a max height of 3.5″ at 90 degrees and 2.5″ at 45 degrees, which is pretty good and will allow you to rip thicker materials.

The bevel adjustment works well but is pretty basic for the price of this saw. The handles for adjusting blade height and bevel are made of plastic and some people have had issues with them breaking. I found some complaints about Delta support not being able to provide replacement parts, but those were from mid-2021, so… maybe that’s not much of an issue anymore.

Sawdust Collection

This saw has a standard 2.5″ dust collection port and dust collection is decent with this saw. The dust collection on this unit will work best if you hook up a vacuum to the collection port. People don’t really have any complaints about the dust collection on this saw.

Safety Features

This saw has all of the typical safety features you’d expect to find on a modern table saw. The blade is protected by a blade guard with anti-kickback pawls. There is a lock on the power switch for safe keeping when not in use. The blade employs a brake to slow down more quickly after stopping. There is also a flip-down support on the rip fence to add more support for materials you are cutting when fully extended.

This saw doesn’t come with a push stick, which is a pretty cheap, basic accessory so it’s not a huge deal. You’ll need to either make one or buy one separately.

The manual does a good job of explaining safe use for those that are newer to table saws or tools like this.

Overall, this is a safe saw to use, as long as you work with typical safety precautions.

Build Quality

Build quality of this saw is pretty good but there are some weak points. Most people who buy this saw have good luck with their unit and it comes out of the box in good condition and fairly well aligned already. However, this isn’t everybody’s experience and some have run into issues if the box was heavily damaged during shipping, for instance.

As with most modern table saws, this one used plastic in some key spots, such as switches and levers and handles. This can be annoying but it’s hard to find saws in the mid to lower price ranges that don’t use plastic like this. People have had issues with the handles for the blade height and bevel breaking, so it’s best to not be rough with those. The throat plate is another plastic part that has caused people problems if it’s warped.

The table for most people is flat out of the box, but some run into issues with warped tables. It’s something you’ll want to check. The table surface coating tends to wear too, so don’t be surprised if that starts to happen. It seems to be more of an issue with people who use the saw more frequently so it’s a wear-over-time type of issue.

Portability

This is a portable table saw but designed to have larger cutting capacity, so it relies more on the stand for it’s portability. It weighs in at 78 lbs, including the stand. The saw is much heavier than the stand and makes up for most of that weight. This saw is designed to be mounted on the stand but it can be removed and used on a bench top. It’s not the lightest saw but the stand helps keep it portable for most.

Stand

The stand is pretty good on this saw. It’s in the middle in terms of how it stacks up against other stands in this price range. It stays quite sturdy while the saw is in use. It can be folded for vertical storage and it’s also designed in a way to help a single able-bodied person lift this into the back of a truck.

The stand has smaller wheels, which can feel awkward on rougher surfaces, but for most they should work well for moving this one around.

The saw can be used on a bench top without the stand, but it’s designed to be permanently mounted on the stand as it’s standard configuration.

Dado Blades?

This saw can use dado blades and has a dado capacity of 13/16 inches. This saw fits 8 inch dado stacks. You will also need to get a dado insert or make your own as one does not come with this saw. The part number for Delta’s official dado insert for this saw is 36-508K.

Accessories

This saw comes with the typical accessories for a portable table saw. You will need to make your own push stick. The included miter gauge sucks like with most other saws. All of the accessories can be stored on board, which is great.

Here’s what included:

• Anti-Kickback Pawls
• Blade Guard System
• Riving Knife

Setup & Assembly

This saw should be expected to come out of the box fairly well aligned. Some will find though that things need to be adjusted to so it’s good to go through everything mentioned in the manual for proper setup.

Most people that have issues setting this up struggle with the stand. The manual has decent instructions, so it might seem cliche but make sure to read the manual before setup. One good recommendation for constructing the stand is to do it with the saw flipped upside down, still in the box, then flip the whole thing out of the box once the stand is done and complete the rest of the saw setup.

Warranty

Delta offers a 5 year warranty for this saw which is pretty great. It will cover defects in workmanship and materials. If you break parts during use you will probably have to pay to replace them, so keep that in mind and check for issues right away once it’s out of the box.