New Arrival! Sawstop PCS

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

After I sold my Unisaw (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?228732-FS-Delta-Left-Tilt-Unisaw-(model-36-953)-Loaded!-Lancaster-MA) so quick I had to move fast. I was able to buy my new Sawstop PCS over the phone from Rockler in beautiful tax free Salem, NH. I saved on the big time $250 shipping charges by picking it up myself, too. They were over the top helpful, loading it in my pickup with a fancy pallet jack that is able to lift 4 ft. high.
The specs:

Sawstop PCS 3hp w/ 36" fence
Moblie Base
Sliding Crosscut Table (out of stock but in transit)
Dado brake cartridge
Dado zero clearance insert
Extra brake cartridge for regular blade
Bonus free Overarm Dust Collection system

Fit perfectly in the back of my Ridgeline with the fence rails, rest of the stuff fit in the back seat.
When I got home, I unpacked the main crate in the truck to lighten the load, then with 2 ea 8 ft ramps that I covered with 2 x 8 sheet of luan plywood, I laid it on it's back side and let it slide down the ramps with (limited) help from my wife, Gawd bless her.. Then at the bottom of the ramps with it upside down, I mounted the wheels and rolled it easily into the shop. I'll finish setting her up tonight!
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[Bruce Page]

Sweet! Congrats!!

[Jebediah Eckert]

You sure do move fast, unisaw out, SawStop in.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

You sure do move fast, unisaw out, SawStop in.

Yeah....my wife just shakes her head at me.

[Keith Hankins]

Cool! I think you will love it. Post more pic's when assembled. I really want to know what you think of the cross-cut.

[Izzy Camire]

Hay Jim, congratulations. I am getting anxious mine is due in later in the month.

[Prashun Patel]

Congratulations. You'll LOVE putting it together. Wonderful manuals. Have fun!

[Michael Peet]

Jim, congrats. You will enjoy the saw for many years.

Mike

[Peter Aeschliman]

Enjoy the unboxing and setup experience. As dumb as it sounds, I really enjoyed the process- they thought it through!

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Congratulations. You'll LOVE putting it together. Wonderful manuals. Have fun!

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I didn't get as far as I thought I would tonight. I was hoping to get the fence up but I have to wait until the sliding table arrives. I need to cut the fence tube and rails on the left side of the blade because you do not install the left extension table when you buy the sliding crosscut table. Also, the switch box can't be installed because it normally attaches to the left ext. table. Guess I'll have to wait. BTW, the sliding tables as of now are on national backorder. I got the last one in stock at CPO Tools.

What Prashun and Peter were saying about the great manuals and Sawstop getting it right are spot on. The manual is over 100 page spiral bound book in color!
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And no parts bags! All the hardware is sorted in this kind of advent calendar-card. Color coded in groups for each assembly task.
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Turn the card over to access the parts and it's color coded and labeled on that side too:
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And BTW, this one card are all the parts needed to assemble the saw. Very minimal. There are more for the fence assembly and mobile base, of course.

The table surfaces are covered with the usual oily grease except they use a very thin oil which as per the manual, I wiped off with an old tee shirt. I found the remaining residue cleaned up nicely with mineral spirits.
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Thoughts so far:

The mobile base is some very slick engineering. It was easy to assemble and they work flawlessly, Step on the big pedal and it raises up easily and with authority. Step on the smaller pedal to lower it and it comes down just as easily and makes a reassuring thunk when it hits the floor. I wouldn't recommend buying a PCS without them.
The table surfaces are milled nicely to almost a mirror finish. The hand wheels have a nice finish too.
They really do have the assembly down, the parts went together without any fuss. Although the extension tables are best put together with 2 people. It can be done with one but I had a heck of a time by myself.
Lastly, I had a nutty trying to find the owners manual. I went through the trash twice looking for it, turns out it's stored inside the plastic motor cover along with the miter gauge, blade wrenches and tool hanger

I'll post more pics when the slider and overhead dust arm arrives.

[Harvey Miller]

Congrats! If you're antsy, now's the time to check the blade to miter slot alignment & the 90 and 45 bevel stops. Both are easier to adjust with the extension tables off.

[Eric Anderson]

I've had mine with the exact configuration (minus the sliding table) for two years now. It is a really sweet saw, even without the safety aspects.

[Dan Rude]

I bought mine about a year ago, it is partially set up. It is a stright forward assembly. I still have to finish the 220 v hook-up. I have to cover up my foam walls before the inspector comes to check it out. My experience with it is very similar too yours, but hopefully u can power it up sooner than me. Dan

[Nick Stokes]

I have the PCS as well. I set it up and everything went very well. The most frustrating thing about the whole process was I had it completely setup but I was 6" too far from the wall outlet to plug it in... Scooted it over a bit and I was ready to go.

Checked the blade real quick with a square on the miter slot, then the fence, no adjustment needed, so I started cutting. I LOVE it.

[Dave Haughs]

Congrats. I've had mine for a little more than a year and grin every time I use it.

[David Delo]

For me, setting up a new toy (especially the ones you spend that much coin on) is a high point in the process surpassed only by the first couple of dead-nuts accurate cuts you make. Congrats on the new saw Jim.

[glenn bradley]

Congrats! If you're antsy, now's the time to check the blade to miter slot alignment & the 90 and 45 bevel stops. Both are easier to adjust with the extension tables off.
+1 on this. When I re-align a saw that has been moved the first thing I do is pull the wings and fence tubes. Makes the alignment very quick.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

+1 on this. When I re-align a saw that has been moved the first thing I do is pull the wings and fence tubes. Makes the alignment very quick.
Solid advice, thanks guys. Although I will wait until this weekend when I have some help to bolt on the extension table again. No matter, I'm going to the Festool Connect event in Providence tomorrow followed by JLC Live on Friday. I tracked the slider and it's due in tomorrow so I'm all set for the weekend. Oh, also, I filled out my rebate for the free overarm dust collection and they shipped it out same day. Due in next Tuesday. Great service!

[Chris Merriam]

Jim I've got the same new saw and am a day ahead of you. You can install the wings yourself. I have a Rigid smooth out feed support stand, I prop the outside edge of the wing on that to hold the weight. Then you just need to support the wing next to the saw. I got about a 3ft long board and propped it up diagonally against the saw, so the lip of the wing just rests on it (I braced the bottom of the board with my foot). That leaves two hands free to screw in the mounting bolts. I later used that same board in the same position to help level the wings, just kick the base of it to raise the wing a bit.

[Alan Lightstone]

What Prashun and Peter were saying about the great manuals and Sawstop getting it right are spot on. The manual is over 100 page spiral bound book in color!
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And no parts bags! All the hardware is sorted in this kind of advent calendar-card. Color coded in groups for each assembly task.
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Turn the card over to access the parts and it's color coded and labeled on that side too:
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And BTW, this one card are all the parts needed to assemble the saw. Very minimal. There are more for the fence assembly and mobile base, of course.



I've told a number of people over the years that the instructions and the way the parts are sent with my SawStop were the best I had ever seen with any device or equipment I have received in my life. Color coded, separated, clearly marked, truly magnificent.

[Chris Monroe]

I finally got started building mine last night after the mobile base arrived. At the point of installing the fence now. Really impressed with everything and I'm looking forward to cutting something with it.

The manuals are very nice. I laughed when I read the page about installing the dust port onto the cabinet. A bit too much detail on that page!

[Shawn Pixley]

I've had my SS since 2009. I love it still. The extension installations are a bit difficult solo, but it can be done. I recently moved the router table into the right extension, so I took the opportunity to true things up again. Even with moving it around for six years, it was largely in tune with very minor tweakings necessary. I predict you'll love yours.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Congrats! I'm sure you'll love the saw. I also grin every time I cut something with the saw.

Take some time with the saw's tape ruler and the magnifier. Match the blade and the ruler with some test cuts. After that, you won't need to measure with your tape rule! Dead nuts accurate. Oh, compare your tape rule to the tape ruler on the saw to make sure they match. One cheapo rule was off by a bit. Tossed it out.

[Michael M. Chandler]

Jim,

From the pictures it appears that you bought the ICS mobile base. Is that correct? Can I ask why you picked that one?

Mike

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Jim,

From the pictures it appears that you bought the ICS mobile base. Is that correct? Can I ask why you picked that one?

Mike

Mike, No, I bought the regular duty one. I will say I'm very impressed with it!

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

The manuals are very nice. I laughed when I read the page about installing the dust port onto the cabinet. A bit too much detail on that page!

Funny you mentioned that step Chris. I glanced at that step before I started. I'm the type with limited attention span that only looks at the pictures of a manual and only when I can't figure it out do I bother reading. So for the life of me, I couldn't find the dust port. I tore through the trash looking for it. Only then did I read the directions and in the very first line it read to "find the dust port attached to the vacuum hose inside the saw cabinet." Doh!

[Keith Hankins]

Ya, know that's the one thing that I was a little sad when my ICS showed up that the part's are not in the cool little color coded pouches like the PCS. It was more like bags, but not an issue as I've assembled so many machines over my life, and raising two boys, so It was not a big deal.

Me, I had heart failure when I finally got it hooked up and did the countdown in my head and turned the switch and nothing. I thought are you kidding me! pulled the cover on the power hookup and tested the voltage and it was fine going in. It was a week-end and thought did I get a DOA saw?

Well, it dawned on me that it had lockout switches. Sure enough it was flipped to "off". Flipped it to on, and Fired it up and she's been running fine since.

You will love that saw!

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

The beat goes on with the install. I was at JLC Live Thursday and Friday but during that time my Sliding Crosscut Table arrived from CPO Tools. As I said before, the unit is now under national backorder and I think I got the last one available online anywhere and it was certainly the last one from CPO. However, it arrived in bad shape. The box had been obviously opened before they shipped it and taped up. Just about every small box inside had been opened and resealed. No manual either. The table itself has several large scratches through the power coating on the aluminum. I'm guessing they shipped me a returned item or a demo unit. I have an email complaint in and am waiting to hear back. In my experience, CPO has great service so I'm not worried. Worst case is they have me return it and I play the waiting game until Sawstop starts sending new units after they arrive from Taiwan. SO...I decided to install the left hand extension table. My neighbor has a truck repair shop and was kind enough to cut my fence rails and tube down. You need to do this as the left hand extension table is not installed.
But before I did all this, without any extension tables installed, I checked the blade for parallel:
Using my A-Line-It alignment system, I checked the front of the blade and zeroed the gauge.
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I marked the tooth with a sharpie and rotated the blade 180 degrees and checked the same tooth in the rear position. I don't actually put the dial indicator on the tooth itself rather, just behind it.
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As you can see it was out my .0015. I followed the manual's directions, it was really quite easy and I was very easily to dial it perfectly.
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Tomorrow, I'll install the fence

[Mort Stevens]

As you can see it was out my .0015. I followed the manual's directions, it was really quite easy and I was very easily to dial it perfectly.

Just a note; I didn't see a brand name listed on your dial indicator.... I just went though this helping a friend who was having trouble with alignment....I have a Pratt & Whitney that reads full scale +/- 5/10,000 and after alignment with a cheap (<$50) dial indicator that indicated what should have been better than 1/1000 error, read off scale on the Pratt & Whitney, checking against a Starrett confirmed the error. We tried another 'no-name' (most likely from china) cheap dial indicator he had and it appears that you have to be very careful as some of these cheap dial indicators have extremely poor repeatability.... not much better than 1/1000 in my experience.... what this means is that they lie to you or you end up chasing a ghost.... adjusting things when in fact they don't need adjusting.... while you may think you have improved on the factory alignment, unless you double check it with another source/method you'll never know for sure whether you did any good or not.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Just a note; I didn't see a brand name listed on your dial indicator.... I just went though this helping a friend who was having trouble with alignment....I have a Pratt & Whitney that reads full scale +/- 5/10,000 and after alignment with a cheap (<$50) dial indicator that indicated what should have been better than 1/1000 error, read off scale on the Pratt & Whitney, checking against a Starrett confirmed the error. We tried another 'no-name' (most likely from china) cheap dial indicator he had and it appears that you have to be very careful as some of these cheap dial indicators have extremely poor repeatability.... not much better than 1/1000 in my experience.... what this means is that they lie to you or you end up chasing a ghost.... adjusting things when in fact they don't need adjusting.... while you may think you have improved on the factory alignment, unless you double check it with another source/method you'll never know for sure whether you did any good or not.
Mort, Good point. I have many years experience aligning table saws with huge, noticeable differences. I know I mentioned I was using the "A-Lign-it" alignment system but I neglected to post a link to it. Years ago, I bought it from In-Line Industries (http://in-lineindustries.com/products/a-line-it/)and like everything #Jerry Cole markets, it is high quality and accurate.
It is important, as Morty pointed out to have high quality dial indicators. A good way to tell if your saw is in alignment is look at the saw marks on the rip cut. You should see saw marks appear as an X pattern on your wood. In other words, the blade should be cutting on the front of the blade (down-stroke) as well as the rear of the blade (up-stroke).

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I've been up and running for a few days now. I decided to live with the scratches on the sliding table top. I just used a black sharpie to blend them in. I couldn't find another one anywhere in the country. It could be another 6-8 weeks and I couldn't bring myself to sending it back. Even though CPO tools was going to pick up the return shipping no problem. I'm told it's because of the dock strikes in San Diego. Anyhoo, the assembly went smoothly. It's easier to install than an extension wing, the bolts are accessed from the top of the table and the legs keep it relatively aligned while you're attaching it. I've made some cuts, I'm overall pleased with the way it handles for crosscutting and ripping. There are a couple of gripes I have so far:

The switch box is now mounted under the sliding table, it is set way too far back for my likes. I'd like to be able to bump the paddle switch with my knee if I needed to if I get into trouble.
The stops on the sliding table fence are junk and out of square with the fence. This is a common gripe and it is true. I need to modify but I shouldn't have to.

The slider works super smooth and has a smaller foot print than my Excalibur did and overall I'm happy and would buy it again. Oh, BTW, I mounted the sliding rail flush with the front of the saw table to reduce it's footprint and normally you need to drill holes for this alternate way of attaching. ... and redrill and tap new holes for the switch box on the underside. Even though the instructions show you how, when I went to drill them, they are already drilled from the factory and the new holes for the switch box are drilled and tapped too. They just haven't rewritten the manual. That's nice, the aluminum is a full 5/16" thick and I was nervous about drilling some accurate holes freehand. And BTW, speaking of manuals, as nice as the saw's manual were written and hardware packed and organized, the ones for the sliding table are written just like any other power tool I've bought, written poorly and with bags of nuts and bolts rather than the nice blister pack for the saw and fence.

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[Dave Haughs]

I'm really intrigued by this slider. Don't need one, but still intrigued by it.

[Chris Monroe]

I agree that the paddle switch seems a bit too far back, although I do see it mounted different with your sliding table.

How do you feel about the table height? I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it is about 2" lower than my old R4512. Maybe this is common with cabinet saws, I'm not sure and I haven't looked at specs.

Also, did your throat plate come pre-cut? Mine did, which is a bit frustrating because it can't be zero clearance for any blade any more, let alone the fact that I only have thin kerf blades (due to having the R4512 and also having the 1.75 HP now). I realize I'll probably have to get another for angled cuts, but I wish I had that option to decide how and when to cut the throat plate.

I'm excited to actually make some real cuts with the saw! Finishing up another project right now and the only thing I've cut so far is random pieces of 2x4's for my 5 year-old son's "train" that he's making.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I agree that the paddle switch seems a bit too far back, although I do see it mounted different with your sliding table.

How do you feel about the table height? I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it is about 2" lower than my old R4512. Maybe this is common with cabinet saws, I'm not sure and I haven't looked at specs.

Also, did your throat plate come pre-cut? Mine did, which is a bit frustrating because it can't be zero clearance for any blade any more, let alone the fact that I only have thin kerf blades (due to having the R4512 and also having the 1.75 HP now). I realize I'll probably have to get another for angled cuts, but I wish I had that option to decide how and when to cut the throat plate.

I'm excited to actually make some real cuts with the saw! Finishing up another project right now and the only thing I've cut so far is random pieces of 2x4's for my 5 year-old son's "train" that he's making.

I agree that it seems lower or smaller but it doesn't bother me at all. The switch position is going to be a problem though. The locking knob for the slider is located underneath where I think the switch box should be. That's why it's a problem. I have a machinist friend that I hope will help me out. Like anything, we're used to what we had and it will take some time to get comfortable. I am thoroughly impressed with the fit and finish of everything and the way it cuts wood like butter.

[glenn bradley]

Congrats Jim. Have you thought about mounting the switch box to the slider's leg? I'm just judging from the pics so this may not be viable.

Its too bad about the stops. I too have seen a lot of negative press on these from this otherwise outstanding company. If I was Saw Stop I would issue a recall and supply improved stops as soon as they could be made available. This could take a while but, the formal notice of intent would calm a lot of internet grumblings. Surely there is room to cover this in the $1000 price tag.

[John Sanford]

Congrats Jim. Have you thought about mounting the switch box to the slider's leg? I'm just judging from the pics so this may not be viable.

Its too bad about the stops. I too have seen a lot of negative press on these from this otherwise outstanding company. If I was Saw Stop I would issue a recall and supply improved stops as soon as they could be made available. This could take a while but, the formal notice of intent would calm a lot of internet grumblings. Surely there is room to cover this in the $1000 price tag.

The $1,000 Made In China price tag. Unlike the saw itself, which is Made In Taiwan, the slider is Made In China.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I've started another thread on how to tuneup the flip stops here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?229331-Sawstop-Sliding-Crosscut-Table-(Flip-Up-Stop-Fix)&p=2397309#post2397309