GMC Platinum 235 saw

[Daddles]

Yup, I got one and have installed it in my Orange Beastie :D

I've been using a small Hitachi for the last three years and while it was an excellent saw, it was ... small. Couldn't afford a Triton saw so when the new GMC saws came out at $89, I bought one.

The saw bolted into the Triton without any dramas ... except for me having to replace a bolt I broke on the Triton chassis:rolleyes: However, the big brute flexes on its base and this made adjustment a bit of a bear at first.

For some reason, my Triton places the blade to one side of the slot. This was never a problem with the little Hitachi, and in table saw mode with the GMC, it isn't a problem either. However, when I changed to cross cut mode, the unit flexed enough on its base to allow the blade to cut into the side of the aluminium slot :eek:

So I went out and bought the saw stablising bracket :(

This went on easily this morning, except for the first step - you have to align a pivot bolt with the vertical pivot on the saw chassis. Can't do it with the slots and holes provided in the kit (a good cm lack of movement in the fore and aft slot). I bolted it all together though and it doesn't seem to make much difference.

With the stablising bracket in place, the big GMC is now rock steady and doesn't contact the side of the slot when in cross cut mode.:D

So, if you're buying the GMC, I reckon you need to budget another $40 for the stablising bracket :(

The saw is smooth, feels really good and gives a nice clean cut. I tried it with the blade it comes with and with a 40 tooth blade - the change is, I think, worth the money depending on what you are doing, though the standard blade is good enough to try it first if you're short of money.

The height adjustment is crook. It's locked by a lever on the chassis. When the saw is upside down (in table saw mode), the saw drops nearly a cm. This appears to be a flaw in the design of the system as the movement comes from the adjusting brackets pivoting - the clamp itself is holding. Not good GMC :(

I've done a number of small cuts with the set up and on one of them, the height adjusting clamp let go and the saw dropped to its full depth:mad: I hope this isn't going to become a habit.

Question, does the Triton height winder lock the saw to its own chassis or does it rely on the saw's own height adjustment to hold the saw fixed? Is the height winder worth the money (it's pricey) seeing you can just reach under the table and flick a lever to change the height? Provided the bloody lever doesn't let go again :rolleyes:

The GMC Platinum comes with a dust extracting chute. I don't use the big dust bag (that 'money' word again) but do have a vacuum cleaner hooked up to a standard Triton Dust Bucket so I was interested to see how this went. It seems to work well. I haven't had a chance to test this out properly (as in starting a big job with a clean shop and clean Triton) but in the small test cuts, quite a bit of sawdust is thrown down the chute and there didn't seem to be much mess on top of the table - you do not want to be standing behind it without a vacuum attached;) It's impossible in my shop at the moment to see how much went on the floor:rolleyes: I think I'm going to like this bit.

A minor niggle is the trigger. Remember the little velcro strip you use to lock the trigger in the 'on' position? Well, on the Hitachi, you could just slide this strap forward and release the trigger. The GMC has an enclosed trigger so you have to undo the strap and velcro being velcro, I can see this annoying me in time.

Unfortunately, the problem with the height adjustment (the initial drop and the chance of it letting go again) means that I can't be overly excited about the GMC at this stage. If anyone can give me a fix for these, please say so. Having to buy the stablising bracket (and I think you have to) makes it more expensive than it might otherwise appear :( It's still half the price of the Triton Saw though so it's worth considering for the more ... um ... 'thrifty' among us (oh, alright, I mean 'ikey').

Richard

[bpj1968]

I have the same saw, having replaced an old 235. I haven't used it much since buying it.

I hadn't noticed the "drop" until now. On mine it is only slight, but is a bad design flaw in the rear pivot. Maybe replacing the pressed rivot bit with a nut and bolt might help.

As to the locking mechanism. Remove the circlip and move the levr around, as it is no more than a spanner. That willl give more movemnet to lock in max cut depth.

I have also been thinking about the height winder. I am sure that the saw is installed at max depth and the slide/chassis pivots. Whcih means you could lock the saw in rock solid. No doubt someone can confirm, Stuart?

[Two-Words]

Richard,

The height winder is definitely one of the best add-ons in the Triton range. It raises the whole chasis, not the saw alone, so it's suitable for the GMC or any other saw which is fitted. Once you have that set up, you'll wonder how you ever did without it.

The trigger strap on my Triton never got taken off. I had a dust bag under the table so doing that every time would have been too hard. Same with the height adjustment of the saw. If the dust bag is fitted (and it should be), forget it. That's why I had the height winder.

I never went to crosscut mode after I got the extension table. Then I didn't use that very much after I made a crosscut sled.
That should be your next project. ;)

[duckman]

<snip>

The height adjustment is crook. It's locked by a lever on the chassis. When the saw is upside down (in table saw mode), the saw drops nearly a cm. This appears to be a flaw in the design of the system as the movement comes from the adjusting brackets pivoting - the clamp itself is holding. Not good GMC :(

I've done a number of small cuts with the set up and on one of them, the height adjusting clamp let go and the saw dropped to its full depth:mad: I hope this isn't going to become a habit. <snip>

Richard

G'day Richard,

There's a post (#2) in this thread which describes a work around for the bolt problem.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=6724&highlight=GMC+Dewalt+bolt

As you'll see from the date of the post, this is NOT a new problem and imo, GMC have been very slack about fixing it, which they have yet to do.

HTH,

Mark.

[BobS]

Daddles,

I have the same setup Triton W2000 and GMC Platinum 235. Today I noticed that at max blade height the locking mech was not holding and the blade was slipping down so I removed the circlip in front of height adjustment lever. The lever will then slide off and you can ratchet up the pressure so that with the blade at full height there is enough tension to lock the height.

I hope this helps your problem

Bob S

[scooter]

Brian is on the money, replace the rivet in the pivot (:D) with a nut & bolt, I did this & it improves matters.

I have the height winder & reckon it's the ducks guts, definitely the go I reckon.

Agree with your comments re the saw stabiliser, makes a big difference doesn't it?


Cheers...................Sean

[Stuart]

Tis a bugger that you have to factor in the extra $40. That's like 50% of the saw price. May still be much cheaper than the Triton, but it sure closes the gap a little.

[toddles]

Daddles - hope you've working out your problems. I had similar issues with precisely the same setup but solved them fairly quickly & simply.
1 - Height drop - This is a very easy adjustment. Don't remove it and replace it with a bolt, do the circlip fix described in this thread. It's a very simple adjustment and it takes about two minutes - you'll get that height adjuster super tight which will help you in future if you ever use the saw as your hand held option.
2 - The saw stabilization bracket sounds like a good buy, and the $170 price difference is significant to me - you're more than half way to a sliding extension table, which seems to be the most acclaimed triton add-on (even for TS users). My dodgy fix?- I use a long pine wedge to raise the motor until the blade's centred in the slot for the infrequent times I use the cross cut mode.
3 - Trigger strap has a loop in it so it won't slide off when un tightened. Have you seen George's bearded 80's video? Thank goodness we're not given a plastic tie to use anymore!
4 - Buying a new CBT blade with as many teeth as possible is a good investment, save the chunky one supplied with the saw for the distance day you need to rip (very) hardwood.
The GMC Platinum is actually exactly the same as one of the Dewalt 235mm saws except the that the Dewalt is adjusted correctly (I'll track down the Dewalt tool # so you can have a look - EXACTLY the same saw but yellow plastic, right down to the specs)
I'm a big fan of the gutsy, clean & tight GMC Platinum, it has no arbour float, and it's $89.00! Big tick from me.

[Daddles]

The circlip trick had me foxed at first - I was misunderstanding what was happening:o

What you see, at the end where the height adjustment lever is, is one bolt with a hex section cut on it and a slot. The lever is a loose lever that slides over this hex section and held in place with a circlip in the slot. Tap out the circlip and the lever falls off. Easy.

For some reason, I was imagining that this hex section was a nut and would turn - I now understand why I couldn't see how it worked :rolleyes:

Anyway, the lever can be moved to any postion on that hex section - I just clamped the thing tight, placed the lever in a suitable position and clipped the circlip back on ... easy ... if you don't include the fifteen minutes looking for the flamin' circlip (never place a black circlip on a dark bench top that has been well soaked with oils and crap over the years).

And yes, that now means I now have a solid clamp on the height adjustment, but it also seems to almost remove that initial drop caused by the crappy design of the set up - it's still there but only a few mm now. Time will tell if this stays or not.

So, to use your GMC Platinum - install her, tighten the height clamp (the circlip fix) and fit the stablilising bracket (a 'must do' I'm afraid, the flex without it is frightening, with it, it's rock steady:D ).

Being a silly sod and not expecting all this to work, I bought the height winder kit yesterday. I was so tempted to take it back but in the end, decided to go with it. It went on easily and works a treat. If the height adjustment fix doesn't work, I'll just put a clamp over the handle to clamp the saw to its chassis - I never take it our or change its tilt angle anyway.

I'm happy. Poorer than I expected to be, but happy.

Now I have to dream up something to make;) ... only I can't afford to buy timber now:eek:

Richard

[Stuart]

You won't regret the height winder, even if you had the Triton with all its microadjustments etc, you would still get one.

It is a must have accessory, irrespective of the type of saw!

[doug the slug]

Tis a bugger that you have to factor in the extra $40. That's like 50% of the saw price. May still be much cheaper than the Triton, but it sure closes the gap a little.

Well, just a little. its still half the price of the triton saw. but theres also the extra difficulty of the setup of a non-triton saw initailly and the removal and replacement anytime you need to. i remember way back when i bought my wc2000 and triton saw, how happy i was that there were about 4 pages in the assembly instructions that i didnt have to follow cos i wasnt installing a "foreign" saw.

[Daddles]

Can't say there was anything odd in installing the GMC mate. It basically plugs straight in, as did the Hitachi.

Richard

[Stuart]

My Triton was the same - threw those stupid cams away, and set it up the same way as any other saw. Guess it was for cost reasons they didn't go for a decent way of calibrating the saw- like a threaded rod at either end, rather than an eccentric plastic cam.

[bpj1968]

I thnik the next purchase will be a hieght winder. I always wondered about the triton microadjusters. My saw pretty much stays in the table so depth is the only real concern and I am not that precise with my other work anyway.

Back in the dark distant days, when Bunnies were new GMC was a chevy truck and Triton was about all the DIY could afford I was eyeing off a $200 red bodied saw. Can't remeber the brand, but think it was American or Canadian name. (made in Asia though)

I thought it was a good buy. Lo and behold Triton came up with a saw, exactly the same except differnt colour and different chassis. It looked identical in every detail.

Toddles said that the GMC is identical to a Dewalt, but Probably a good copy. Some of the early GMC were Ryobi clones, with extra bumps or ridges on handles to make them appear different

[Stuart]

That's curious- wonder what it was?

[bpj1968]

I have been trying to remember, possibly "Ruckman" the motor was the same, red and black. The guard was a "normal" rounded one, different to Triton's squarer shape and the chassis again was "normal" pressed metal and basic.

It was only around for about 6 - 12 months. overlapping with the introduction of Triton's saw.

Triton appeared to be made by the same manufacturer, as the specs were the same, the same type and quality of plastic. Compared with some of the other "copy" brands where the plastic often has a different texture or amount of flex etc.

[Stuart]

Wonder if it was a test for the market? Guess only Triton would know that one. Gear up a small production run - test the manufacturer as well, then sell them to cover cost. Not saying this happened, or happens. Just a hypothesis.

[toddles]

Found the product number for the Dewalt saw that's pressed from the same mould as the GMC Platinum - it's DW389. I've actually seen these two saws side by side and the only differences are:
1 - Yellow plastic rather than blue (& different branding of course)
2 - Nothing else I could find.
If in doubt I found a pic at http://www.justtools.com.au/prod598.htm
A chippy friend reckons some Bunnies still have the DW389 but he thinks it's hilarous he paid something like $300 for a yellow version of my $99 saw (I bought it before the current clearance). I guess the bright colour makes it easier to find in the dark but hey my GMC's not getting lost hanging under my bright orange beast.
Brian - I'm pretty sure I've seen your red triton doppelganger at a Cashies - I think it was a Milwaulkee?? but I thought to myself at the time it looked exactly like a Triton.

[toddles]

Is the web address I included above an illicit outside link? Sorry if it is.

[Wood Butcher]

Not at all Toddles

[Stuart]

Here's a thing.

The two guys who are GMC were tool design engineers (I think) for Black & Decker, who own.....Dewalt.

[toddles]

Brian you were right - I found your Ruckman. Aussie made though - check out the pics. I'm told it's not uncommon for a larger company to avoid going through complete product development by aquiring another company with a product close to what they're looking for. Perhaps George liked the Ruckman and bought them out?
The essential difference beside it's redness seems to limited to be it's quite flimsy pressed steel baseplate (flexes noticeably) and the depth adjustment stability features - it wobbles all over the place in anything but it's deepest position (and still slighty even then) and while the lever is in exactly the same place it's only about 50mm long. Triton seem to have taken an OK local product with a innovative dust extraction feature on the guard and a whopping gusty motor and made it (what I think) is one of the world's best 235mm saw.
PS: That Dewalt is $399 at Bunnies! Stuart - I think those GMC guys ran off with the moulds - see if you can grab the GMC and compare it directly with the Dewalt at Bunnies (I'll stop obsessing over this now - time to move on).

[Stuart]

That sure looks like the Triton guard!