50 inch Biese vs 30 inch

[andre mallegol]

I am upgrading my table saw from a benchtop Makita. I've tenatively decided to buy a Powermatic 66 with 30" fence. The machine also comes with a 50" fence. The shop is 16 x 24. I think I have enough space for the 50 " fence if there was a need.

As I see it the extra width would be useful for cutting sheet goods. What are the other considerations? Since its an substantial purchase I don't want to buy the wrong size.

Amazon seems to be competitive on price and provides free shipping. Does anyone know a better source?

All advice and suggestions much appreciated.

Andre

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Even if you only 'amost have room' for the 50", I'd go big. We got the small for the mesquite outfit, and I can't tell you how many times we've regretted that. You can certainly get by with the smaller one...and be perfectly happy 98% of the time...but when the 2% rolls around you'll wish for the extra width.

KC

[Mark Hulette]

Andre-
I put the 30" Bies on my Craftsman TS about 2 yrs ago and have been completely satisfied. I looked at the 50" but I'm in about the same size space and couldn't justify the extra width. I use a circular saw with a good blade when cutting down 4x8 sheet goods anyway. With the PM66 you may wish to go with the 50". It's a solid fence and you win either way 30 or 50.

Got mine scratch & dent from General Industrial in Nashville- Here's the link http://www.generalindustrialsupp.com/ Other than the box being a bit beat up everything looked brand new.

Good people to deal with!

Good Luck

[Jim Becker]

Haa!! That extra table space will always come in handy for "this and that"...

Seriously, I agree with KC. Having the larger capacity will offer you a lot of advantages over time, not only for panel cutting and processing sheet goods, but also for crosscutting. For that latter operation, for example, I often find myself keeping my work pieces organized to the right of the blade where they are safely out of the way, but easily accessible as I move through them.

In my shop, I've carefully chosen the "normal" location for the saw, too. I wanted lots of room front and back for ripping full sheets of plywood or MDF as well as long lumber. Since I don't have a lot of space side to side, the saw is conveniently located parallel to the middle set of double doors in my shop. If I need to crosscut something "too wide" to the right, I can just open the doors for more space! (A rare operation, but it has happened)

Since the cost difference between a 30" saw and a 50" saw is almost negligible, go for the larger machine if you can have a safe and productive arrangement for it. (That may mean angling it as I did when my shop was originally 17' x 21')

[David LaRue]

I have the PM66 30" and if I had the room I would go with the larger capacity saw. I would also take a look at the model with the router built in the extention table. It is likely that you have more than one router and having another ready in the table saw outfeed for certain operations would be a nice extra. (my .02)

Don't forget to add an outfeed table. There are a few member sites you can check out for a couple of ideas. :) (see www below posts)

I purchased mine through Amazon (along with several other tools) I requested tailgate delivery, and it came on delivery truck with a lift gate. Then I just rolled it up to my garage from the street. (the drop off point for most deliveries) Local purchase is usually better, but I don't own a pickup truck. For me, the liftgate was the cat's meow.

Dave

[Von Bickley]

Andre,

I have the 30" Unifence and would prefer the 50".

[Jerry Krakauer]

Hi Andre,
I have the Beis. home 40" on my Craftsmen. I like it but if I were to get the PM66 I would get the 50"

[Steve Evans]

Andre

I have a 16 X 24 shop and a 50" fence. Never regretted it. I did put my table mount router on the one end, which moved one item out of the shop. Tablesaw's on wheel's too which helps out when I occasionaly need the extra room.

[Bruce Page]

Andre,
Mr. KC nailed it. I have the 50” Biese on my TS. While I don’t use the capacity every day, it is sure nice to have when I need it. If you can fit it in, go with the 50”.

The PM 66 is a great machine – congratulations!


In spite of the cost of living, it’s still popular. -- Laurence J. Peter

[Steven Wilson]

I had a Jet Contractor saw with 30" and there were a number of occasions when I wished I had the 50". I eventually upgraded to a Powermatic 66 with 50" fence. A typical tablesaw with a 30" fence has a 5' frontal area, the 50" fence makes that 7'; not much difference really. Go with the 50' fence

[andre mallegol]

I very much appreciate the good advice and comments. I've decided to go with the 50 " fence and get model with the router installed in the table. That gets rid of the router table and frees up space.

I went to Amazon to order, checked Google first for coupons. There was a deal for an Amazon credit card which gave a 1% rebate on all purchases and a 3% on Amazon purchases plus a $20 first time use coupon. So I applied for the card and have to wait until I get the credit limit increased to accomodate the PM66.

Thanks again for your help.

Andre

[Doyle Alley]

Andre, try this if you don't want to wait. See if the new Amazon card will allow you to prepay to temporarily increase your purchasing ability. If you had a $1,500 limit and you want to buy a PM66 that totals $2,400(??), maybe they would allow you to prepay $1,000 and then make the purchase.

If they won't do that, see if they will allow the discount if you purchase gift cards. If they do, you could purchase enough gift cards over a couple of months to cover the price of the saw.

Good luck.

[Steven J Corpstein]

I purchased a new Delta with a 30" Bies and have been happy with it but now I am wanting to build a router cabinet with a 33" panel on the back so it will not work. It's not enough to bum me out, but if you have the room, go with the 50", then you can use it if you need too.

[Anthony Yakonick]

Originally posted by Jim Becker
Haa!! That extra table space will always come in handy for "this and that"...


A true woodturner!

[Jim Becker]

Originally posted by Anthony Yakonick
A true woodturner!

Naa...just a realistic one. No matter how much space you have, you'll need more. It's a natural law or something like that...

Now that being said, this is NOT how my table saw normally looks! But, a "delivery" from Iowa just arrived at that time, so this is where things landed.

[Ted Shrader]

Originally posted by andre mallegol
I am upgrading my table saw from a benchtop Makita. I've tentatively decided to buy a Powermatic 66 with 30" fence. The machine also comes with a 50" fence. The shop is 16 x 24. I think I have enough space for the 50 " fence if there was a need.

As I see it the extra width would be useful for cutting sheet goods. What are the other considerations? Since its an substantial purchase I don't want to buy the wrong size.

Andre

Andre -

First - congratulations.

I have the PM66 w/ 50" PM Bies clone fence. Have not regretted getting the larger capacity fence even once. I have the saw on a mobile base and use the space under it for storage. No lost floor space.

I leave the cut off sled on the saw most of the time - except when ripping, obviously. The 50" fence allows me to slide the fence to the side and make most cuts w/o the need to remove the fence and stow it someplace.

Good luck,
Ted