Sawgear self-positioning stop

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I put together a new shop in 2010/11, where we are currently working. After getting all the main equipment etc bought and setup, and getting back to working, I have been adding bit by bit over the past several years of what I'd call "niceties" vs necessities.

4 years ago, I bought and installed a Tigerstop Tigerfence to my Griggio C45 10' panel saw. I have loved that fence and it's controls ever since. At the time, I was also eyeing up a Tiger fence stop, for our radial arm saw (which is set up to cut precise 90 degree cuts only). I had a bent steel fence with manually positioned stop blocks, which served their purpose... but was always thinking of replacing it with a digital fence.

Over the past few years, I had always had something else more important to spend any $$ we had on, but the time finally came. At the IWF show this past August, I was looking at the Tigerfence and the cheaper priced Sawgear unit. Although the Sawgear unit is less capable on paper, for what I need it to do it made more sense. The salesman I spoke to agreed - a Tigerfence would have been overkill in my shop.

We just installed it recently, and I think it will be worth the cost. The unit looks pretty substantial in terms of heft, and the controls as easy to use as the one on my table saw. Nice big buttons and a decently sized LCD screen. Plus thes top flips up out of the way when not in use/not needed.

I dont know anyone first hand that has one, but based on their reputation I felt pretty good plunking down the $$.

No more walking back and forth setting and re setting stop blocks! Since we use the Omga RAS for pretty much all our solid wood processing to lengths, it gets used every day, multiple times a day and often for hundreds of cuts/pieces.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/ajcoholic/ajcoholic001/a574421a-94b0-4572-802e-8aac1bf6a828_zpsvq0tfuib.jpg (http://s83.photobucket.com/user/ajcoholic/media/ajcoholic001/a574421a-94b0-4572-802e-8aac1bf6a828_zpsvq0tfuib.jpg.html)

[Jim Dwight]

Looks nice.

[Andrew Hughes]

The shelf with all the cut offs looks like books.:)

[John Lankers]

Even though it is a pricey setup, I can see it paying for it self within a year in a pro shop and it shouldn't be to hard to train workers to take very accurate measurements to use it to its full potential.
Just out of curiosity, do you use metric or imperial?

[Martin Wasner]

I'm curious about the longevity of it versus the standard Tigerstop. I've got the regular model on my pop up saw, but I've been eyeing up doing the Sawgear one for bench saws for a while.

It will pay for itself in no time. Rest assured of that. It probably takes and quarters the amount of time it takes to set the stop on average. Plus there's no misinterpretation of what 30-3/4 looks like. 30.75 is 30.75.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

The shelf with all the cut offs looks like books.:)

Sadly, I pile pieces there until I get frustrated with the mess then it goes into someones wood stove... my neighbour has a key to the shop, and comes weekly to empty the dozen large waste bins around the shop. He has a large wood burner boiler on his farm and takes all my sawdust too. Its a shame how much good wood gets tossed out, but I just cant use it all. And not enough hobby guys come buy to take it for project wood. A real shame..

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Even though it is a pricey setup, I can see it paying for it self within a year in a pro shop and it shouldn't be to hard to train workers to take very accurate measurements to use it to its full potential.
Just out of curiosity, do you use metric or imperial?


Imperial. Funny thing - my father (who was trained in Europe in the
Metric system) came to Canada around 1960, and started working in Imperial. I grew up in school doing all Metric (we started learing it in the early 70's when Canada adopted it) but worked for my dad in Imperial, and continue to do so. All my machinery is calibrated in Metric, even my European made stuff. Except my boring machine, where it wasnt an option.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I'm curious about the longevity of it versus the standard Tigerstop. I've got the regular model on my pop up saw, but I've been eyeing up doing the Sawgear one for bench saws for a while.

It will pay for itself in no time. Rest assured of that. It probably takes and quarters the amount of time it takes to set the stop on average. Plus there's no misinterpretation of what 30-3/4 looks like. 30.75 is 30.75.

Im pretty sure it uses the same toothed belt and drive, and just the computer part, and the main extrusion is different. At least that was my understanding.

The Tigerstop is designed for "pushing" material, while the Sawgear is not, it is just a positionable stop. The computer is also less capable, without the ability to remember all the presets. I do use that function on my table saw, where you cut several widths of the same size when doing cabinets. But since were a custom shop and I dont often have a lot of repetative lengths, I figured that wasnt going to be an limitation.

Time will tell... but me and my two employees and helper are all "easy" on the tools. Its not going to get stuff banged up against it all day, like in a factory.

The Tigerstop was more than double the price, and our dollar is weak right now. I got a quote for an 8' Tigerstop before the IWF show... just shy of $10K Canadian, shipped to me. The Sawgear was $4200. Huge difference.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

... Plus there's no misinterpretation of what 30-3/4 looks like. 30.75 is 30.75.

I have a bad habit of setting quarters and halves off by an even inch some days. I find the fence on the saw eliminated that. Im hoping it will also make miss measured cuts a thing of the past. Easier to double check whats on the screen in front of your face, then walking back to the stop and looking, walking back and making your cut. When doing a batch of door stock for 40 or 50 doors, I might be cutting for an hour. Lots of cuts. Easy to make a few mistakes. I know.. I make more than my employees do.

[Martin Wasner]

Easy to make a few mistakes. I know.. I make more than my employees do.

Same here. It's because you woke up at 3am worry about whatever. Or while you're working you're also keeping an eye on what everyone else is doing, plus thinking about that bid you need to finish up, and why the hell isn't the finisher called, or a tight time line, or, or, or, or.

Presets are nice, but I don't use them much except on the widebelt. I'm custom too, but there's plenty of numbers that repeat on the regular in face frames and doors for me. 30-3/4" for instance is my standard stile length with a toekick. 9-1/2" tall drawer openings with mid-stiles, or 20-7/8" for mid stiles on door openings. I really should go through and set that up, just haven't felt it all that necessary as well.

I'd like to hear back after a year or so. I'm building the new shop which will have two more benches in it, might be a nice addition, but I don't expect much actual cut out to be taking place on the benches like it once was.

[John Lankers]

Imperial. Funny thing - my father (who was trained in Europe in the
Metric system) came to Canada around 1960, and started working in Imperial. I grew up in school doing all Metric (we started learing it in the early 70's when Canada adopted it) but worked for my dad in Imperial, and continue to do so. All my machinery is calibrated in Metric, even my European made stuff. Except my boring machine, where it wasnt an option.

This is what separates us from the Americans, our brain must function equally well in both worlds :D - no pun intended.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

This is what separates us from the Americans, our brain must function equally well in both worlds :D - no pun intended.

Sorry I meant all my machinery is calibrated in Imperial scales... not Metric. In our old shop, all the scales were Metric which was a PITA, converting back and forth although you get good at it after many years.. lol.

My new equipment has Imperial scales, and anything electronic (wide belt sander, planer, shaper, TS fence etc) can do either.

I dont often work in Metric doing lay outs. My brain works much better in inches.

I remember starting the Metric system in grade 2, in 1976.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I'd like to hear back after a year or so.

For sure...

[Max Neu]

Does that stop have the ability to read from a cut list?I use KCDW software,and load the cut list (with a flash drive) into my Omga stop,that really makes those stops fast and easy to use.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

[QUOTE=Max Neu;2614506]Does that stop have the ability to read from a cut list?I use KCDW software,and load the cut list (with a flash drive) into my Omga stop,that really makes those stops fast and easy to use.[/QUOTE


No it doesnt. You need the more costly Tigerstop unit for that.