New Table saw advice

[David Huston]

My dad and I just sold an old shopsmith that was given to him and we are going to buy a new/used table saw and then sell his old craftsman TS. Have been looking at a Grizzly hyrbid G0715 but just saw some nice saws on craiglist. One is a PM 64a with the router insert in the extension and a Grizzly 1023S. Any thoughts on those two saws? I think the 1023s is a right tilt which kinda concerns me a little and I am not sue about going to another contractor saw albeit a much better one. The price on the PM is around $900 and the 1023s is around $700 with the new Grizzly 715 right at $800. I like the idea of getting a brand new saw but the 3hp cabinet saw in the 1023 is tempting. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

[david brum]

I'd go for the Grizzly 1023 as long as you have 220v service. I don't think the right tilt is a big deal--might even be good if you ever set up a sliding table. At any rate, a cabinet saw is just more capable than a hybrid or contractor's saw.

[Mark Carlson]

The 1023 is a cabinet saw and would be my 1st choice. Right tilt wouldnt bother me.

~mark

[scott spencer]

As far as construction and duty ratings go, there's no contest....not even close. The G1023S is an industrial cabinet saw. The PM64a is an older style contractor saw with an outboard motor, and no riving knife.....$900 is darn high for that type of saw in today's market.

Maybe a look under the hood can shed some light on the differences:
G1023S cabinet saw:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/g1023s_trunnion.jpg

typical contractor saw (similar to the PM64):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/img3202d.jpg

typical hybrid saw:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/g0478_trunnions.jpg

[Robert Chapman]

Look very carefully at SawStop saws. The quality is extremely good and the safety feature can save you a great deal of money and pain. Even if you have to wait a while to save the extra money - consider a SawStop.

[David Huston]

Look very carefully at SawStop saws. The quality is extremely good and the safety feature can save you a great deal of money and pain. Even if you have to wait a while to save the extra money - consider a SawStop.


If I could find a Sawstop used I would definitely consider it, but at the budget I am at it is not an option.

[Myk Rian]

The picture above of a typical Hybrid saw is not accurate.
Look at Steel City Hybrids. I love mine. Craftsman sells the same saws, but the SC warranty is 5 years.

[glenn bradley]

The picture above of a typical Hybrid saw is not accurate.
Look at Steel City Hybrids. I love mine. Craftsman sells the same saws, but the SC warranty is 5 years.

Actually the Steel City cousins and the Craftsman 'zipdcode' saws were the exception. Maybe the current C-man saws are also table mounted trunnions(?). Scotts picture is correct for most hybrid saws that one might find used including DeWalt, Griz, Delta, Jet, etc.

[Aaron Berk]

My dad and I just sold an old shopsmith that was given to him and we are going to buy a new/used table saw and then sell his old craftsman TS. Have been looking at a Grizzly hyrbid G0715 but just saw some nice saws on craiglist. One is a PM 64a with the router insert in the extension and a Grizzly 1023S. Any thoughts on those two saws? I think the 1023s is a right tilt which kinda concerns me a little and I am not sue about going to another contractor saw albeit a much better one. The price on the PM is around $900 and the 1023s is around $700 with the new Grizzly 715 right at $800. I like the idea of getting a brand new saw but the 3hp cabinet saw in the 1023 is tempting. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

Get yourself a REAL cabinet saw and NEVER look back. Cut quality will be far superior than any other saw.

I have owned several plastic based saws, a shop smith, a craftsman contractor, and a Grizzly cabinet saw. The Cabinet saw takes the PRIZE every time.

[scott spencer]

Actually the Steel City cousins and the Craftsman 'zipdcode' saws were the exception. Maybe the current C-man saws are also table mounted trunnions(?). Scotts picture is correct for most hybrid saws that one might find used including DeWalt, Griz, Delta, Jet, etc.

The current Cman 22116 still has the yoke style cabinet mounted trunnions, as do the Steel City hybrids....Like Glenn, I'd consider these the exception, and not typical (still not as beefy as those on a cabinet saw). There are other hybrids going to cabinet mounted trunnions...while easier to align, they're no more robust than typical table mounted trunnions. Also as Glenn mentioned, the majority still have table mounted trunnions, similar to those shown above.

The 22116 and some of the SC hybrid trunnions look like this.:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/22116-1.jpg

Many of the newer hybrids with cabinet mounted trunnions look more like this:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/f3ed55ad-1c58-4435-90ef-c6440c84b23d_zps7726cab3.jpg

[Richard Coers]

"If I could find a Sawstop used I would definitely consider it, but at the budget I am at it is not an option."
How much will it cost for a cut finger? Mine was over $15,000 and two surgeries, and that was in 1983. I only lost one joint, so the finger is short but retains good feeling. The first few years it was so sensitive to cold, it hurt every time I went out in the winter. But very lucky compared to many. If you believe the report, there are 40,000 table saw accidents a year. I would consider no other than a Sawstop, even if I had to pay some interest on a loan. I only turn at home, but work on a Sawstop at my day job. Beautiful machine!

[Jason White]

Definitely get a used cabinet saw and not a contractor saw. The price won't be much different and you'll be much happier with the cabinet saw (more power, better dust collection, smaller footprint, etc.). Also, I'm with you -- find a left-tilt machine.

If you decide you want a "new" cabinet saw and don't want to spend $3500, you can't go wrong with the Grizzly 1023. I had one for years and loved it!

- Jason

[Greg Peterson]

Going from the Craftsman contractor saw to a PM contractor saw is a lateral move, not an upgrade. Certainly the PM contractor saw is higher quality, but you are still facing the same limitations (space, DC, accuracy, power).

$900 is too high considering the myriad of options on the market these days. Obscenely high actually.

[Mike Henderson]

"If I could find a Sawstop used I would definitely consider it, but at the budget I am at it is not an option."
How much will it cost for a cut finger? Mine was over $15,000 and two surgeries, and that was in 1983. I only lost one joint, so the finger is short but retains good feeling. The first few years it was so sensitive to cold, it hurt every time I went out in the winter. But very lucky compared to many. If you believe the report, there are 40,000 table saw accidents a year. I would consider no other than a Sawstop, even if I had to pay some interest on a loan. I only turn at home, but work on a Sawstop at my day job. Beautiful machine!
Agreed. If you buy a cabinet saw, it will likely be one you could use for the rest of your life. So if you buy one without the flesh sensing safety technology, you'll be exposed to injury for the rest of your life.

And as Richard says, any injury will cost a LOT more than the additional cost of the SawStop.

Mike

[Mike Leung]

David, I noticed a sawstop contractor that needs a little cleaning and rust removal but is priced at only 850.00. If you are within driving distance, it might be a good saw for you until you can upgrade to a sawstop cabinet. The SS contractor is pretty well made saw with beefy trunions. After a little elbow grease, I can't see you losing money on this when its time to upgrade.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221239217119?redirect=mobile

[Joseph Tarantino]

The picture above of a typical Hybrid saw is not accurate.
Look at Steel City Hybrids. I love mine. Craftsman sells the same saws, but the SC warranty is 5 years.

correction. they recently changed from five years to two years.

and the need for a cabinet saw is dependent upon the type of work that's anticipated. commercial work, definitely a cabinet saw. home hobbyist work, there's little that a 3 hp cabinet saw will do that a good 1.5hp contractor/hybrid TS won't handle. the 1023 noted above for $700 asking price would be my choice of the saws noted. right tilt also bothered me so i sold a 70s unisaw i refurbished and kept my two emerson electric built contractor saws. again, i'm a hobbyist who's not pushing 8 and 12/4 hardwoods through my saws all day long.

[Keith Hankins]

Ok first, I had a shopsmith model 510, and used a contractors saw. Don't get another one like it. If you have the power to give it 3hp and 220 and don't look back. If you have the budget then sawstop for the safety. I've had my griz 1023slx with 7' rail for almost 10 years now. IT's the center of my shop and never blinked whimpered or squealed. I paid 900 for it back then. Now if I had it to do again today, I'd find a good used old american piece of iron and use that. An old unisaw or yates american or others can be had for a song. go over to the old woodworking tool site associated with vintagemachinery and they have them all the time in the classifieds. Better than anything made today. But get the cabinet saw. they don't take up anymore space than the hybrids. Good luck.