DeWALT DWS779 and Grizzly G0833P

[Kenton Keller]

First off, I am retired, I tell my wife, my woodwork is a buisiness, but honestly am happy if I sell for enough to pay for the wood and electriciy.
I have an old chopsaw, that works just well enough that I could never justify the cost of a nice new one. I just know not to try to cut anything to accurate with it, and that I have to flip a lot of lumber over to cut all the way thorugh. I also have a old Ryobi BT300 table saw that I have made a number of mods to, but it too is not as accurate as I would like. I made my own table surface and added tracks. There is no splitter or blade cover and I have never put a dial indicator on the blade, but I am pretty sure the slop is a fair amount.
So I first saw the Grizzly G0833P went on sale for $825, and the gears started working. I have enough in the bank to cover it and shipping. So the good guy bad guy battle started in my head. I don't really need it, .... it sure would be nice, I will probably never make enough extra to pay for it..... those safety features sure look nice. etc etc. Then this afternoon, I saw the Dewalt DWS779 went on sale for $349. I had been thinking about a new chop saw for a long time before I started thinking about the table saw, but dang, I can't decide. I can't afford both, but both have me drooling.
Not sure what I am looking for as a response, I am just frustrated and can't decide, buy one or the other or neither. I can't be the only one that does this?

[Matt Day]

Easy - new table saw and a shop made crosscut sled will allow you to make the accurate cuts you need. I'm not saying that's the exact TS I'd personally buy but I'm sure it's a good one (I'd buy an old Unisaw and fix it up). If you really need a better machine for crosscutting or at least have more capacity, pick up a <$100 RAS off Craigslist.

[Kenton Keller]

Thanks Matt. I think you are right, I can make sleds to do most things I would need the chop saw to be accurate for. I just found this
for $750. I have a feeling this is a dumb question, but would that be a better saw as long as it is in good as shape as it looks? The one thing is it is 3 phase so I would have to get a phase converter.


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[Kenton Keller]

I was all set to pull the trigger on the used Unisaw, then I got to thinking the main reason I want to upgrade is safety (and accuracy), and the unisaw doesn't have a riving knife or a blade guard. While not a huge factor it makes me wonder why the seller used a 10 year old picture. About 3/4 the way down the page. It might be the best picture he has, but still seems odd.

I found out the Grizzly G0833P riving knives are both .1 thick, and I use thin kerf blades pretty much exclusively. I couldn't find a thin replacement riving knife on their site, so I emailed them, but haven't heard back yet.

The max I could go right now is about $1,200 at my door, tax and shipping included, and that is pushing the budget.

Prior to retiring, the only wood working I ever did, was building a couple of shops. Now I am making cutting boards, both long grain and end grain, and doing segmented bowls etc. I am doing the woodwork, mainly to keep myself busy in retirement, but I do sell a enough things to allow me to buy more wood. If I had the money I would buy a saw stop in a heartbeat, but I just don't have that kind of money to invest for what is mostly a hobby business.

I am driving myself crazy trying to decide what to get. I have only dealt with contractor type of saws. The grizzly seems like a good price, but is there something out there that might be better in my budget? Am I wrong about deciding against the used Unisaw? I have to make a decision by Thursday or the grizzly goes off the sale. I have tried to read as many posts about saws as I can, but I haven't found any that seem to really help me decide what to get.

Appreciate any advice anyone has to give

[Jim Dwight]

If your Ryobi is a BT3000 or BT3100, I would check out what used to be the BT3Cental website - I think a google search on this name will get you there but the same has changed, I think to Sawdust something. I have a BT3100 that is well over 10 years old and has made half a dozen bedroom sets and other furniture. It has limitations but accuracy is not one of them. Yours might need cleaned up or something but instructions (or help) are at the other website. I also think about a different saw because it will not take a sled and I can&#39;t use (easily, I have) my Osborne gauge. Table is small. Power is low but with a clean and sharp blade of the right type, I have successfully ripped 3.5 inches in oak. I don&#39;t find that think kerf blades help much at all. Type, size, and cleanliness make a big difference. Kerf not so much.
Partially because of my table saw&#39;s limitations, I crosscut on either my Hitachi CMS (12 inch) or RAS (another Ryobi). Or I use my DeWalt track saw if the piece is big.
A good table saw is the heart of a wood working shop and wanting a better one is a reasonable thing. I do not think the BT3000/3100 saws have accuracy issues but they do have drawbacks. A Grizzly is not a deluxe brand but I think they are good servicable equipment and current models seem to have easy on/off splitters and blade guards that should be usable - a good thing. (My BT3100 splitter works well but is not easy on/off).
You can get a Shark Gaurd for many saws, including Ryobi, if you want to upgrade an older saw.

[Kenton Keller]

Thanks Jim. I have looked through that web site in the past, and gained some good information. I did find the thin kerf to be better when I cut 8/4 hard maple for cutting boards. I also decided having a sled was a must for the things I am cutting some times, so I pulled off some of the table and built my own with t tracks. The biggest issue with the saw is I am seeing some slop in the blade left to right. I honestly haven't looked into what it would take to fix, but it might have something to do with the shims. When I first got the saw it was hard to raise and lower and I found out about the shim issue. I tore it apart and fixed it best I could, but it feels like it is trying to pull out of place again, especially when lowering the blade.

[scott spencer]

I never use my CMS unless I'm cutting 14' molding. A good TS with a good miter gauge and/or crosscut sled is my tool of choice.

I can't speak for the brand new G0833, but I do like the mass of a full size cast iron saw, and the smooth torque of a belt drive induction motor. Have you check what's available on your local CL?