Glenn Vaughn
03-27-2010, 2:58 AM
Rather than post this in the current Sawstop Review thread I am starting a new one.
In another thread we were asked whether or not we would have bought the SS if it did not have the brake. In my case the answer is probably not – my motivation was the safety feature because of the accident. I also would not have purchased a cabinet saw or any high-end contractor saw since the BT3000 did what was needed. Asking the question kind of misses the reality of SS – it would not exist if it was not for the brake and will never be available without it. After having the SS I doubt I could ever go back to a lesser saw.
The big benefit of having the SS is that I am now tackling projects I would never have considered before (have to justify the cost of the SS). The first real project was building a desk for the grand-daughter (no plans and so-so quality but she loves it). Now it is kitchen cabinets, a “bread” table and a Mormon pantry for the wife. The SS gives me the capability of doing more precise work.
Here is a little background about me and my tools.
I am not a “real” wood-worker, I have done a lot of wood butchering though. I got started about 12 years ago or so; we had a 100 year old Victorian house that needed lots of restoration work. The first project was replacing the front porch deck. Not knowing what I was doing, I bought wood that was unsuitable for the porch and had to replace it about 8 years later. To cut the lumber I purchased the Craftsman Pro Radial Arm Saw. The second project was replacing the beveled siding (it took almost 15000 linear feet of siding to finish – and 4 years of part-time work to do). As I got deeper into the siding the RAS did not seem sufficient to do what needed to be done (ripping particularly) so I bought the Ryobi BTY3000 – it was relatively inexpensive, easily moved around the yard and cut very well.
This started me down the path of buying tools. Over the years I acquired a drill press, CMS, band saw (small cheap craftsman), jig-saw, scroll-saw, 12” planer, brad nailer, scaffolding (cheaper than renting for a long project), 6X48 sander and several cordless drills. We have since sold the Victorian and are now living in a more suitable house for a couple of old duffers (I was one of the designers of dirt).
We have spent the last 4 years modifying the “new” house to our desires. We got smart this time and have hired a “handy-man” to do a lot of the work (we are on our second one). The handy man is impressed that almost every time he needs a tool we have it. I had a craftsman air compressor (small) and replaced it with a 30 gallon one from HF. When it blew up, I bought a 60 gallon Husky from HD – been excellent for what we do here. I replaced the Delta 12 ˝” planer with the Rigid 13” and bought the Rigid 6 ˝” jointer when it was on sale. I also have the Grizzly G1029Z DC.
I was fairly happy with the BT3000 since I was not doing much other than construction type projects – flooring etc. I had seen the demos of the Saw Stop and read the reviews but the price (about 5 times what I paid for the BT3000 made it something to consider out-of-reach. In October the handy man (who is also a family friend) had an accident with the BT3000 that luckily did not result in an amputation (thanks to a jammed board). Medical bills were $1800 and prompted my wife to tell me to get the SS.
I purchased the Contractors saw, mobile base, 36” rails (52” were out of stock) and the cast iron wings. I know that the saw is considered to be a “portable” saw and is in the contractor category but it is far above any contractor saw I have seen. The “fit and finish” of the saw is, in my opinion, excellent. Assembly was a dream. The out-of-box tolerances were better than any I was able to achieve with the BT3000. The saw has cut everything we have thrown at it with no problems. The worst is bamboo flooring that is prefinished with aluminum oxide – this stuff eats blades on the CMS in a hurry but has not phased the SS blade yet. I am currently 5/4 and 9/4 Kentucky Coffeetree which is almost as hard as sugar maple. The saw has not complained at all about cutting the wood.
I have built a 48”x68” out-feed table and mounted the BY3000 router table in it. The out-feed table gives me close to a 6’ x 8’ work surface. It may not be a cabinet saw but it sure acts like one.
In another thread we were asked whether or not we would have bought the SS if it did not have the brake. In my case the answer is probably not – my motivation was the safety feature because of the accident. I also would not have purchased a cabinet saw or any high-end contractor saw since the BT3000 did what was needed. Asking the question kind of misses the reality of SS – it would not exist if it was not for the brake and will never be available without it. After having the SS I doubt I could ever go back to a lesser saw.
The big benefit of having the SS is that I am now tackling projects I would never have considered before (have to justify the cost of the SS). The first real project was building a desk for the grand-daughter (no plans and so-so quality but she loves it). Now it is kitchen cabinets, a “bread” table and a Mormon pantry for the wife. The SS gives me the capability of doing more precise work.
Here is a little background about me and my tools.
I am not a “real” wood-worker, I have done a lot of wood butchering though. I got started about 12 years ago or so; we had a 100 year old Victorian house that needed lots of restoration work. The first project was replacing the front porch deck. Not knowing what I was doing, I bought wood that was unsuitable for the porch and had to replace it about 8 years later. To cut the lumber I purchased the Craftsman Pro Radial Arm Saw. The second project was replacing the beveled siding (it took almost 15000 linear feet of siding to finish – and 4 years of part-time work to do). As I got deeper into the siding the RAS did not seem sufficient to do what needed to be done (ripping particularly) so I bought the Ryobi BTY3000 – it was relatively inexpensive, easily moved around the yard and cut very well.
This started me down the path of buying tools. Over the years I acquired a drill press, CMS, band saw (small cheap craftsman), jig-saw, scroll-saw, 12” planer, brad nailer, scaffolding (cheaper than renting for a long project), 6X48 sander and several cordless drills. We have since sold the Victorian and are now living in a more suitable house for a couple of old duffers (I was one of the designers of dirt).
We have spent the last 4 years modifying the “new” house to our desires. We got smart this time and have hired a “handy-man” to do a lot of the work (we are on our second one). The handy man is impressed that almost every time he needs a tool we have it. I had a craftsman air compressor (small) and replaced it with a 30 gallon one from HF. When it blew up, I bought a 60 gallon Husky from HD – been excellent for what we do here. I replaced the Delta 12 ˝” planer with the Rigid 13” and bought the Rigid 6 ˝” jointer when it was on sale. I also have the Grizzly G1029Z DC.
I was fairly happy with the BT3000 since I was not doing much other than construction type projects – flooring etc. I had seen the demos of the Saw Stop and read the reviews but the price (about 5 times what I paid for the BT3000 made it something to consider out-of-reach. In October the handy man (who is also a family friend) had an accident with the BT3000 that luckily did not result in an amputation (thanks to a jammed board). Medical bills were $1800 and prompted my wife to tell me to get the SS.
I purchased the Contractors saw, mobile base, 36” rails (52” were out of stock) and the cast iron wings. I know that the saw is considered to be a “portable” saw and is in the contractor category but it is far above any contractor saw I have seen. The “fit and finish” of the saw is, in my opinion, excellent. Assembly was a dream. The out-of-box tolerances were better than any I was able to achieve with the BT3000. The saw has cut everything we have thrown at it with no problems. The worst is bamboo flooring that is prefinished with aluminum oxide – this stuff eats blades on the CMS in a hurry but has not phased the SS blade yet. I am currently 5/4 and 9/4 Kentucky Coffeetree which is almost as hard as sugar maple. The saw has not complained at all about cutting the wood.
I have built a 48”x68” out-feed table and mounted the BY3000 router table in it. The out-feed table gives me close to a 6’ x 8’ work surface. It may not be a cabinet saw but it sure acts like one.