Steel City Cabinet table saw?

[Daniel Shnitka]

I am posting this question for my friend. We have Steel City products in our city of Victoria, BC. He is seriously looking at a Steel City cabinet saw.
Has anyone out there any experience with Steel City caninet saws; pros and cons and would you make any comparisons to General 350/650 or their offshore unit?

[Ed Sallee]

John "Sarge" Thompson will be able to fill you in on all you need to know about the Steel City equipment. Sarge has worked with them folks up there in TN quite extensively..... If he doesn't see this post, you may want to track him down on here.... He's easy to find here, within the creek.

[Chris Konikowski]

I am curious as well. Any info?

[scott spencer]

Steel City has a couple of versions of their "cabinet saw". Be sure you're comparing their "Deluxe" industrial cabinet saw if you want more of an apples to apples comparison to other industrial cabinet saws. I'm sure it's more comparable to the General International 50-250/260 than the Canadian made General 350/650.

[Rod Sheridan]

Daniel, I'd rank the 650 first, then the Steel City and GI saws.

I bought a 650 before the riving knife was added. I've never heard of an owner that was not happy with the saw.

Not to mention it's Canadian.............Rod.

[Andy Bardowell]

Personal opinion, the General.

[John Thompson]

I am posting this question for my friend. We have Steel City products in our city of Victoria, BC. He is seriously looking at a Steel City cabinet saw.
Has anyone out there any experience with Steel City caninet saws; pros and cons and would you make any comparisons to General 350/650 or their offshore unit?

Daniel.. Scott is right on in the fact you need to state the model number. You really can't make a comparison to another TS without it as price and components vary from saw to saw. With that said.. I will make a general comparison that might be of use without specifics.

The 35618 is the standard Industrial cast iron topped table with 3 HP..
The 35640 is the basic same with Titanium table and 3HP

Both of these saws rank in there with the Grizzly 1023 series with a splitter and not a riving knfe as far as trunnions.. tops (exception Titanium which is water resistant).. run-out etc. If they had a riving knife they would be comparable to the PM 2000.. Jet Exacta and newer Uni-saws in robust of cast components.. top grind and tolerances.

The 35626 is their 5 HP single phase TS. It is the saw I own even though I have used all their saws as I demonstrated them at IWF. This saw is not made by the Steel City factory in China but by a factory in Taiwan. It has much heavier trunnions.. casting.. perfectly gound cast iron top and the runout and tolerances hang in there with the best of the best but.... it also has a splitter and not a riving knife which is more or less irrelevant to me personally. I do use the splitter and my own home-made guard and dsut shield similar to the excellent Shark Guard by Lee Styrone.

This saw (without a riving knife would compare to the Sawstop without a RK.. older PM 66's.. the new Uni-saw.. General 650 in robustness.. tolerances.. top grind.. etc.

I won't go into the hybrid (not really a hybrid as the trunnions are cabinet mounted as any cabinet saw and not the top as a true hybrid) as you did not mention granite tops. The granite top has replaced all these in this class but there may be some out there with cast iron at a close out bargain. Not quite as robust over-all as the Industrial line but more than sufficient for most hobbyist/

So.. a model number and I can be more specfic as I have compared to about every saw on the market including the newer SS and new Uni-saw. I went over their proto-types last August at the IWF Show in Atlanta so I have done basically side to side comparisons.

Edit.. opps... missed something. The Industrial series 35168 & 35640 would compare to the General 350 series and IMO.. both are better than the General International. But.. the General 650 without a riving knife is a tank but.. so is the 35626 which I have. Neither of the SC Industrials 35618 or 35640 will compare in robust castings to those two saws as they're always ready to eat. Just bring on the beef. So.. depends on how much you are willing to pay.

Regards...

Sarge.. john t

[Daniel Shnitka]

Sarge,
Thanks for the info. Now it really comes down to my friend to make a decision, to either fish or cut bait.

[John Thompson]

Ha.. ha.. haven't heard that expression in quite a while and I do believe the last time I did hear it was about 10-12 years ago from one of my Canadian customers purchasing American Muscle Car parts. :)

Good luck to your friend...

Sarge..