Finally - Harvey Alpha HW110LC-36 tablesaw arrived!

[efgee88]

After about 6 months of patiently waiting for my order to arrive, I finally received my table saw - the new Harvey Alpha.
All components were well boxed and all items arrived intact. I had to use an engine lift/crane to get it off my trailer as I had the unit delivered to my workplace.
The engine lift worked well and I could think of no other way of placing the saw onto the wheel base by myself, let alone getting it off the trailer.
Once assembled I wanted to test that the machine worked and went to plug it in then laughed because a 15 amp Aussie plug had been fitted to a fairly short cord, even though the machine is rated at 10amp. So I'm not sure if this machine requires a 15amp circuit or whether it is just a manufacturer's error in choice of plug ...... Just a heads up for potential buyers of this saw.
A quick trip to the appropriate shop and I had a 15amp extension cord that could reach my 15amp wall socket.

First impressions:
Tools supplied work well and instruction manual is good.
mitre gauge is excellent.... no brilliant!
Fence is excellent, runs very smoothly and accurate once calibrated, which is a doddle to do if you take your time.
The fence is European style high/low and calibration adjustment needs to be done for each position - easy to do.
Standard cast extension bed should have been designed to locate exactly to marry with the main bed, instead of having to line it up before tightening bolts - this took a while to get right.
It would have been really nice if the main bed and extension were machined together as a matching pair, but that is probably too much to ask for the price.
The extension bed on the fence side is made from some sort of polymer and is slightly bowed in the centre - not perfectly flat. I was concerned this would be the weakest part of this otherwise sturdy machine until I mounted the heavy steel front guide rail and rear rail. These prevent the polymer bed from sagging, although I have not been able to get the slight bow out of it so far.
I recommend the locking wheel set for this table saw which makes it easy to manoeuvre into the right place, or push it out of the way if you are challenged for space.
Dust exhaust works reasonably well if you use the blade cover assembly. Very solid overhead arm and all hoses fit as required.
Although blade cover assembly seems well designed and is made from clear acrylic, I cannot see the front of the blade, so I immediately drew a centre line on the table indicating the position of the blade.
The saw blade supplied (no brand name) is adequate, but someone on this forum could probably suggest a better one. Oddly, the clamping washer for the blade has two protruding locating pins that go through two holes in the saw blade. I have not seen that before and I hope that is standard on new blades....

Disclaimer:
I have upgraded from a tiny PaulCall cast table saw that I have used off and on for more than 30 years, so just about anything would be an improvement. Having said that, I did shortlist this machine from a Laguna F2 and Sawstop.
I am confident that this machine will outlast me and will provide me with a level of accuracy I have not had before.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has purchased this machine and has any comments regarding their experience with it.

Cheers,
FrankG

[barramonday]

Hi Frank, nice new saw.
Is the right side cast extension wing missing? or does the saw not come with one?
I had a similar carbatec saw ( made by Harvey) the black extension piece was not dead flat either, I found I needed to get it just tight enough to hold in place as more I tightened it down the more it would distort.

[efgee88]

This is the standard setup. There is a small cast extension that you can see on the left hand side of the picture mounted against the side of the main table. The table extends to the right by way of the black polymer top about half way along the length of the fence guide. This provides ample flat surface for most jobs that I would do.
I am tempted to drill a hole in the centre of the polymer extension table and mount a router underneath. I could then use both the mitre fence and rip fence with a router .... food for thought.
Total bed surface is 800 deep x 1120 wide and there is a max of 1000mm between saw blade and fence (in the vertical position) on the RHS of the blade. I tend to use adjustable roller stands if I need more support in front or behind the saw.

[Aussiephil]

Congrats and welcome to the Harvey club
My Harvey Ambassador C200-30 turned up before XMAS and i've now ripped a stack of old hardwood T&G flooring on it with the stock supplied blade.

I did find that the supplied blade is a thin kerf (2.66mm) cut however the supplied riving knife and splitter units are 2.54 nominal normal kerf units designed for 1/8" 3.22 kerf blades. now the supplied slitter works (just) as it constantly measures 2.44mm wide so we get 0.1mm each side but this does rely on a near perfect setup.

I'd be interested to know what the specs are on the supplied blade and knives supplied with the Alpha series.

Still working on the C200-30 general owners thread and my own unboxing setup thread

Cheers
Phil

[efgee88]

Hi Phil,
I measured the following with my calipers:
Blade body thickness 2.25mm
Carbide Tooth Width 3.11mm
Riving Knife Thickness 2.50mm

I've run a steel ruler along the blade on both sides and the riving knife is pretty well centered relative to the blade.

Cheers,
FrankG

[DrCarl]

Hi Frank,
Congratulations on your Alpha. I have one too. I received mine on 22nd Dec.
Like a lot of others, I have come from a Triton so this is a big step up for me but I love it.
So far I have made a dust collector cart, a spline jig and a picture frame.

But something that appeared yesterday was when I start the saw it makes a sound as if the belt is slipping. It’s intermittent but happening more regularly. I’ll have to check the manual to see if there is a fix for it. Probably just needs adjusting.
The other thing is the mobile base. I find it difficult to raise the base especially the right pedal - the metal on metal grinding as the pedal pivots is a little disturbing. Do you have any issues with your base?

All in all though I am really happy with it.

Next I want to make a table saw sled and some small boxes.

Cheers,
Carl.

[efgee88]

Hi Carl,

I too have been busy making stuff on my new saw.
I am currently working on a hall table and have cut tapered legs on the table saw after making a tapering jig first.
I have not had any weird noise coming from the saw - as yet.
I haven't actually checked the belt tension - I only removed the yellow support that holds the motor in place in transit.
I hope you reinserted one of the bolts that holds the motor on the bracket after removing the support. If not, that could be your problem.....
As for the the mobile base, lifting the first side will always be more difficult because of the weight. The opposite side will then be easier because the saw only has to rock onto the diagonally opposite corner.
The mechanism is pretty straight forward and I can't see it should cause any problem. I haven't actually bothered to lower the base after a few times because the weight of the unit stops it from rolling anyway.

I'll keep an ear out for any weird noises, though.

Cheers,

FrankG

[DrCarl]

Hi Frank,

The bloody bolt. Aargh. I must have missed putting it back when removing the support - thanks for the heads up.

I see your point with the mobile base and the weight of the saw. I will see how keeping it in the raised position goes for me and if there’s no movement I’ll keep it that way. Probably have to lower it with larger sheets of plywood to be safe but we’ll see.

Cheers,
Carl

[Aussiephil]

Hi Frank,

The bloody bolt. Aargh. I must have missed putting it back when removing the support - thanks for the heads up.

Cheers,
Carl

Yeah, that bolt :) i forgot to put it back in on the C200-30 as well. caught it before i cut anything though :)

Cheers
Phil

[elanjacobs]

The saw blade supplied (no brand name) is adequate, but someone on this forum could probably suggest a better one. Oddly, the clamping washer for the blade has two protruding locating pins that go through two holes in the saw blade. I have not seen that before and I hope that is standard on new blades....
Many (all?) industrial machines have the 2 pins, but it's really only necessary with quick-change blade locking systems; the standard left-hand nut is self-tightening and will not slip in use.

I never paid much attention to consumer blades, but Freud and CMT seem to get good reviews. A saw doctor will be able to put the holes in any blade you want, although you could probably do it yourself in a drill press.

I'm more bemused by the TiN coating on the table, love to know the justification behind it.

[Climber39]

I'm thinking about getting a Harvey Alpha series table saw. But now I'm seeing that people are having to wait months and months to receive their orders. Do you know why it took so long for you to get yours? Was the saw you ordered in stock, or Is that just typical for Harvey? The saw i am looking at is listed as "in stock" But then again, so is their Compass MG36 miter gauge, and people are still waiting several weeks with no real updates from Harvey, and no miter gauge. I'm a small one man shop. And I doubt I could survive being out the 5 grand for the saw and then having no table saw for 6 months. That doesn't seem reasonable. I currently have a Sawstop ICS, but have been tempted to switch to the Harvey. I was all for it a few days ago, but I'm getting discouraged by some of the things I'm reading about people experiencing ridiculously long wait times, and getting no updates or shipping information from Harvey. I realize that I'm reading that on the internet, and a such it must be taken with a grain of salt. But as you stated, you've waited 6 months to get your saw. Any details you could share would be great. Thanks.

[Aussiephil]

I'm thinking about getting a Harvey Alpha series table saw. But now I'm seeing that people are having to wait months and months to receive their orders. Do you know why it took so long for you to get yours? Was the saw you ordered in stock, or Is that just typical for Harvey? The saw i am looking at is listed as "in stock" But then again, so is their Compass MG36 miter gauge, and people are still waiting several weeks with no real updates from Harvey, and no miter gauge. I'm a small one man shop. And I doubt I could survive being out the 5 grand for the saw and then having no table saw for 6 months. That doesn't seem reasonable. I currently have a Sawstop ICS, but have been tempted to switch to the Harvey. I was all for it a few days ago, but I'm getting discouraged by some of the things I'm reading about people experiencing ridiculously long wait times, and getting no updates or shipping information from Harvey. I realize that I'm reading that on the internet, and a such it must be taken with a grain of salt. But as you stated, you've waited 6 months to get your saw. Any details you could share would be great. Thanks.

Hi Climber39,

I notice your in the US where Harvey have a direct marketing model vs in Aust where it is done via an authorised dealer and they themselves are reliant on Harvey shipping from China to Aust. There has been much (likely correct) speculation that along with the COVID situation that Harvey was concentrating in mainland USA as they shifted from OEM supplier to direct marketer and this significantly impacted timelines in other markets. I do remember reading this was said by Harvey USA but can't find the reference.

My Harvey Ambassador model was also extended delay here in AU.

On top of that for the AU market back in march/april the AU dollar took a nose dive about the same time as china was in lockdown which is about when a lot of the major gear would have been ordered by the dealers in AU.... I'm sure this caused a pause in the order process .... the shops had their post xmas sales, cleared stock and then couldn't or wouldn't order due to price and covid.

Bigger markets got priority on startup and stock was low regardless due to increased demand... you can see it across multiple industries/forums/countries.

So TLDR: demand was higher than expected - supply just wasn't there - guess you then get shortages and delays.

Cheers
Phil

[efgee88]

I was prepared to wait, and there was no real urgency to my projects-in-waiting.
I found communication with the importer here in Australia to be good and I got the impression they were also frustrated with the delays.
Now that they are here, there should be no delays for a while in Aus I would think.

I think the TiN coating is meant to prevent corrosion on the bed. I am also curious how long it will last.

Harvey blurb says:
"TiN Coated Table. The permanent PVD coating on the entire table top with Titanium Nitride (TiN) provides superb rust prevention and less friction."

Can't argue with that so far - I just thought it looked pretty:B.

[elanjacobs]

I just thought it looked pretty:B.
Lol i get that...I got gold plated Bondhus allen keys for the same reason (also it was cheaper to buy those from the States than to buy the standard ones locally :doh:)

[Oscar27]

Hi FrankG,

Enjoyed your comments on the Harvey table saw.
In December 2021 I purchased a Harvey Alpha 110S .
Looks like you have a cyclonic dust collector attached to your table saw.
Can you enlighten me about the benefits of such a device as I am looking for a good dust collector for the table saw.
I have a small workshop and can not fit a large dust collector in it.
Appreciate your comments.

Cheers
oscar27

[efgee88]

Hi Oscar,

I have used a cyclonic dust collector for many years now (I made it out of a compost bin at the time, although I woulds probably buy one of the fancy standalone ones that are now available). I thought the best way to set mine up was to have the filter and bag outside the shed under cover in a little outhouse (think old corri tall "box" with an access door). My dust extractor had a filter bag and a plastic bag underneath. This catches the fine dust that the cyclonic system rejects. Hence you end up with coarse shavings in the cyclonic catcher which can be put in the garden as mulch if desired. The cyclonic part is inside the shed; the motor for the extractor is also in the shed. I basically separated a standard average dust extraction unit with filter bag into its components and attached them with 100dia flexible hose.
It gave me more space in the shed as the cyclonic unit takes up only about 700x700mm of floor space and the motor assembly was able to be tucked away in a corner.

It makes me feel more comfortable knowing that the location of the filter does not allow the fine particles back into the shed and into my lungs.
As to the Alpha saw, its design, like most other tablesaws, will not capture all the dust through the split integrated extraction to the 100dia outlet on the side of the machine, even with the cowl fitted over the blade. As you will already have noticed, there is still a fair bit that gets ejected over the table, but is fairly coarse. For the fine airborne stuff that comes from this I have also fitted a suspended filtration unit that catches the fine airborne particles. This was only a fairly recent addition as I was sick of cleaning fine, settled dust off all the surfaces in the shed.

I hope some of this makes sense.....

Cheers,
FrankG