Northfield #4RT saw versus Euro Sliders

[Tom Rossman]

I am remodeling my shop over the next several months and when I am finished I want to get a good table saw. I have read many threads on the pro's and cons of Euro Sliders, Saw Stops, etc. I recently noticed that there are used Northfield #4 Rolling Table saws at auction or used. I'd be interested in knowing how the rolling table saw compares with the Euro Sliders.

My interest in the Northfield is in its quality and used price. My shop remodel will allow me to use 3 phase equipment. I am also interested in safety. I will be cutting both wood and sheet goods.

Thanks!

[Jeff Duncan]

If your planning on a lot of panel cutting look into a used Altendorf or Martin, they're considered the top dogs for horizontal panel saws. Don't have any experience with Northfield, I'm sure it's a good saw. Is it a true panel slider with 5' or longer stroke? Or is it more like a solid wood slider (think Olivers) where it's just a rolling table with a few feet of capacity?

JeffD

[Tom Rossman]

I believe it is more like the Oliver.

[Mike Schuch]

I have come across a couple of those Euro sliding table saw/shaper combos on my local Craigslist for pretty reasonable. I wish I had the money for one!

[johnny means]

The North Amercan sliders generally are not what one would call a panel saw. They are great for joinery and are monsters when set up with a power feed, but lack the outrigger, sliding fence and crosscut capacity to process 8x4 sheets. A full size Euro slider will easily break down 10x5s and do all the rest of the tasks a table saw needs to do.

[Jeff Duncan]

Johnny has it right. Those saws are great machines....I used to work with an old Oliver twin arbor with sliding table. One of those machines that are a joy to use. However I'd have to say they're geared more towards solid wood, like furniture making, than for processing sheet stock.

Euro style sliders on the other hand usually have a much longer stroke, 5' would be on the small side, many go to 10'+ to rip a full sheet. They are also often equipped with scoring saws and stops for repeat cuts. They also command a large chunk of real estate so do your homework before jumping into one. I would have liked one for my shop, but the 8'+ machines take up more floor space than I can afford.

good luck,
JeffD

[Frank Drew]

I had a German sliding table saw that was more like the American models, though with a larger sliding table than, say, an Oliver 88-D, and it could easily support a sheet of ply crossways and crosscut up to about 54". It couldn't straight-line rip a full sheet of ply like a Martin or Altendorf sliding panel saw (I'd use the fence for that), but for furniture work, with the occasional panel to crosscut, it was the bomb.

[David Kumm]

For those of you thinking about a little slider for furniture work, check out the old hammond glider trim o saw. They were made to cut lead type for printers and are now used by woodworkers. They don't bevel but are dead on for crosscuts and have a capacity of about 18 inches. The blades need a custom bore that forrest or any machine shop can do. They typically sell for a few hundred bucks and don't take up much room. Sweet little saw. Dave

[Frank Drew]

David, FWW did a nice little article on the Hammond saw years ago.

Here's a really nice Oliver slider:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=3958

[David Kumm]

If you like old olivers check out hesswoodworks.com Dave

[Frank Drew]

If you like old olivers check out hesswoodworks.com Dave

Thanks for the link, Dave.

(And is there anyone who doesn't like old Olivers? :D)