36" or 52"

[tim walker]

So looking at the SawStop PCS series, 3 hp, 220V. The 52" is just $100 more than the 36". BUT I don't cut many sheet goods. Is it worthwhile to go for the extra 16"? My shop is somewhat limited in size but I could MAKE a 52" fit.

[Mike Henderson]

I have the short rails and occasionally would like the longer ones. If you can fit the longer rails (without having to do crazy things), I'd go longer.

Mike

[Bill Space]

Tim,

If you can make it fit, the I would go for the 52" and later, if I decided I did not like it, cut it shorter.

There is no way you will upgrade a 36" to a 52" later for $100. It is worth the gamble. I have a 52" fence on my saw, and I find it useful, not because I always use it with the table saw, but I do use it with the router table I added to the right side of the saw. I use the fence to hold a dust collector set up which I use when using the router table. The router table also functions as an extension to the table saw table...

I say if you are spending the money for the SawStop, spend the extra $100. The incremental increase in cost is almost nothing...from what I understand about prices...

Edit: my saw is not a SawStop... don't think that matters but thought I would mention it...

Bill

[Gordon Eyre]

I would definitely go with the longer rails. I have a relatively small shop but have never regretted getting the long rails.

[Ole Anderson]

As they say "Go Long". I did in a tight shop and never regretted it.

[glenn bradley]

I use sheet goods seldom enough to be called a non-user ;-) I did get the 52" rails as I had a previous saw with 30" rails that were almost always too short. I shifted the tube and made them 40" which was almost always long enough but, 38" would have taken me back to "almost always too short". It is surprising what a couple of inches will do either way. This will be specific to the type of work you do. Also, my saw is stationary so I don't have the bother of a long mobile items to move about.

[Jeff Monson]

Buy the long rails, I had the same dilemma with a PM2000 a few years ago. I ended up cutting about 10" off the rails for space issues, really glad I went that direction. BTW, cutting down the rails is very easy.

[Rick Potter]

Depends on your habits as well as space. In my case I just bought a PCS with the 36" fence. I picked up a DeWalt track saw for sheet goods, when they were on sale, and anything up to 16" I crosscut with a RAS. If you crosscut a lot of sheet goods, I would get the long rails.

Hope this helps,
Rick Potter

[Matt Meiser]

I'll go against the crowd. I use my Festool saw for almost all sheetgoods work. I bought the 36" rails with my PCS and have absolutely no regrets. Way easier to break down sheets stationary, and with a good purpose-made saw there's no need to break down then recut on the TS. During carcase construction for my last kitchen project, the TS had a dado blade the whole time.

[Jay Park]

I'll go against the crowd. I use my Festool saw for almost all sheetgoods work. I bought the 36" rails with my PCS and have absolutely no regrets. Way easier to break down sheets stationary, and with a good purpose-made saw there's no need to break down then recut on the TS. During carcase construction for my last kitchen project, the TS had a dado blade the whole time.

Matt, what do you use to square up the plywood? Just recently bought a TS 55 and had a hard time making my cuts 90* to the last cut. Had to go back to the table saw a lot for this.

[John Schweikert]

My method is to use a dead on 2 foot carpenters/framing square to set both ends of the rail square to the sheet. Accurate enough to where I can flip same size cut pieces and they are flush to finger tips. I use a TS75 and its standard rail.


..., what do you use to square up the plywood? Just recently bought a TS 55 and had a hard time making my cuts 90* to the last cut. Had to go back to the table saw a lot for this.

[scott spencer]

If you're not sure, you can always get the 36" and slide the front rail ~ 10" farther right. No drilling if you leave the angle bracket in place, and just slide the front tube over by the distance of one bolt whole. You need to relocate the tape, and fill the gap between the front and back rails....some support is never a bad idea either. Being a left tilt saw, you're not likely to ever need the capacity on the left side of the blade.

Before:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/760943ed-5fdf-41ed-9d36-e0820ae190fe_zpsdfdfd84a.jpg

After:
http://lumberjocks.com/assets/pictures/projects/205178-438x.jpg

[Matt Meiser]

My workflow:
1) rip one edge straight
2) Use parallel guides (Festool's do the job but the Seneca Woodworking ones are WAY better and cheaper to boot) to rip everything on that sheet to width per my cut list.
3) Crosscut at the MFT.
4) Dado/rabbet at the table saw.

Before I got the MFT I used to use a large square to square up the rail. That required care and allowed for more mistakes than I liked. A more accurate way would probably be to use a more precise square (I've since acquired an 18" blade for my combo square) and mark a line then put the rail on the line.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Go with the long rails if you can fit it. As mentioned, many reasons to have it. I also have my router in the extension. Since you said you have a small shop, as I do, I do a lot of layout work on the other side of the fence. I don't have a workbench.

[Larry Frank]

I went through this same thing a few years ago and went with the shorter rails. I can not handle a full sheet of plywood myself anymore and my space is limited. Yes, I could fit it in but it would be tight.

I use a Festool track saw for cutting plywood. I get accurate cuts with no splintering and my back thanks me.

If you have a lot of room for the saw and infeed and out feed tables, get the longer rails.

[Robert Chapman]

Go with the long rails - but since you have space limitations get the Industrial Mobile Base. It is a wonderful base that lets you easily maneuver the saw in all directions.

[tim walker]

Going with the SawStop PCS 3hp and the 52" rails. Will be delivered Wednesday by local supplier all set up and ready to go.

Thanks for all that responded.

[Pete Janke]

I have the longer rails on my G0691 and my router set in the extension. I really like it for the same reasons already mentioned. If you will need to be mobile, as I do, figure the cost of the mobile base and the base extension you will need to move that long saw around.

[Frederick Skelly]

My shops small, but I have a 52" fence. That saws a beast, but Ive never regretted it. And when I dont need the extra length, I use it for an extra assembly table or as a stand for another tool.

[Steve Keathley]

Just went through a similar decision. I went with the shorter rails because I have a smaller shop and don't break down a lot of sheet goods. When I do, I find my track saw works well for a one man operation. Like you the cost wasn't really an issue, but space was. It's only been 3 weeks, but so far I think I made the right choice. The longer rails would really have been in the way, and I haven't had a situation where I regretted not having the longer rails.

[Carroll Courtney]

Like my father-inlaw told me yrs ago "Better to have it than to want it" go for the 52"----Carroll