New table saw, which one?

[Steve Nix]

I'm looking to replace my older Dewalt contractor table saw and would like some feed back on what's available.. I hear a lot about the Stop Saw with all the safety feathers, but don't know anyone locally that own one except the local school shop. Looking for recommendations.

[Cary Falk]

If you don't go with a SawStop then save some money and go with a Grizzly G1023RL or G0690. Many happy owners of both saws. I have the G1023RL, which replaced a Unisaw, and I couldn't be happier.

[Nick Decker]

Steve, you didn't say whether you would stay in the jobsite saw category or move up to a cabinet saw. I have space issues, and went from the Dewalt to the SawStop jobsite saw. It's not a cabinet saw, but compared to the Dewalt the SawStop jobsite is, IMO, a much better saw, safety features aside.

[Scott A Bernstein]

Steve,

I am relatively new to woodworking and started off about 4 years ago with lots of ideas, a two-car garage and no tools. I had to wait until we owned a house instead of an apartment and until the kids were a bit older. I did not want to be caught in cycles of upgrading, so I tried to buy the best equipment I could limited by the size of my budget and space. I ended up with the SawStop Pro Cabinet Saw (PCS) with extension table, industrial mobile base and 120V 1 3/4 HP motor (did not have 220 at the time). I have been extremely pleased with the saw - it is excellent quality and works beautifully. I use mine with full-kerf blades and the 120V motor is plenty strong for my needs. It is just absolute pleasure to use and the safety mechanism provides some peace of mind. If it's in your budget I have no reservations in recommending this saw. Putting it together is a breeze and the instructions are fantastic. It was absolutely dead-accurate on the first cut...and has stayed that way. I may upgrade to the bigger 220V motor someday, but as said I have been impressed with what the 1 3/4HP motor can do.

Scott B

[glenn bradley]

What's your budget? IMHO for a solid entry level cabinet saw the Saw Stop PCS, Powermatic 2000, Grizzly G1023 or G0690 all pretty much fit the bill in the $1500 to $3000 tier. Make a short list of what is important to you and compare the differences. Some folks just love Powermatic, Saw Stops get impressive reviews safety feature or not, some folks want to save a buck and will pass on the brand or the safety feature. In the end the fundamental machine is the same, it is your personal preferences for certain things that will tip the scales.

[Adam Merritt]

I bought a Sawstop 3hp PCS a few months ago. I was back and forth between it and a Grizzly, until someone explained it in a way that clicked. The SawStop is an insurance policy, you just pay the premium once. I don't know why, but that line has stuck with me ever since. I work in IT, so my hands/fingers are critical to my day job. Anything I can do to protect that in a hobby is money well spent in my opinion. Also, as mentioned, the saw is very well built, so I wasn't trading safety for quality, which made the decision easier.

[scott spencer]

Do you have 220v? What's your budget?

[Steve Nix]

Shop size and budget are not an issue. Shops 30x50,220 outlets. I'm doing more segment cutting for

363332
Bowls and HF's. if I had to justify cost with the woodworking I do I'd be ----- out of luck. It's going in my play house and keeps me out of the Out House.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you want a new saw, and budget is not an issue, Sawstop. If budget is an issue, and you want a solid cabinet saw, look for a used Unisaw or PM66. Good used ones are less than a grand.

[Michael Alu]

Shop size and budget are not an issue. Shops 30x50,220 outlets. I'm doing more segment cutting for

363332
Bowls and HF's. if I had to justify cost with the woodworking I do I'd be ----- out of luck. It's going in my play house and keeps me out of the Out House.

I love the shop size Steve. I would have to say SawStop 3HP PCS with the mobile base. You will never regret that purchase. Funny that I saw your Craigslist post and then saw this thread.

[Ole Anderson]

If not Sawstop, go with a Grizzly. Had a friend cut off two fingers on his TS this summer.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Budget and space not an issue? Hands down a SawStop with an Incra LS positioner. That's the combo I have and don't think I can live without it today. Tracksaw for breaking down sheet goods to workable size, TS for final cuts.

[Mac McQuinn]

Steve,
If it was my money, I would look for a well taken of USA made Delta Unisaw with a quality fence.

Mac

[Patrick Lesher]

Budget and space not an issue? Hands down a SawStop with an Incra LS positioner. That's the combo I have and don't think I can live without it today. Tracksaw for breaking down sheet goods to workable size, TS for final cuts.

+1

I have the same setup and love it.

[Earl Rumans]

If you have the budget and are not interested in a sliding saw, then the Saw Stop is about the best choice. It's a very nice saw, without even considering the safety factor. If you can afford it, go for the ICS over the PCS, I think it's a much better saw and well worth the price difference.

[Nick Decker]

Budget and space not an issue? Sounds like science fiction to me! :eek:

[James Zhu]

Wow, 30x50, I wish my shop was like that!

SawStop with Incra LS positioner is definitely the best configuration for traditional cabinet saw.

However, if you think you want to make fine furniture and cabinet down the road, since you do not have space and budget problems, I would suggest to look into the euro sliding table saw from Felder or MiniMax. There are lots of thread talking about that before.

James

[andy bessette]

Look for a used Unisaw or Powermatic in excellent condition. Best bang for the buck.

[scott spencer]

Shop size and budget are not an issue. Shops 30x50,220 outlets. I'm doing more segment cutting for



The Grizzly G1023RL and the Saw Stop PCS 3hp with the T-Glide fence are the two "sweet spots" IMO. The G1023RL is about the most saw $1500 can buy. For about the twice the price, the SS PCS 3hp is a really nice setup that won't bite the hand that feeds it.

[Ben Zara]

Either a sawstop ICS with the new sliding table they are going to release soon or a nice Euro slider which is also very safe.

[Harold Balzonia]

There will be no end to the fawning over sawstops.... that's fine. It's a good saw. But I urge you to consider the powermatic 2000 series. I was in your same boat and could buy any saw I wanted under $4k. I got the powermatic. It's absolutely perfect.

i looked closely at the saw stop but im primarily a woodturner and I cut wet wood quite often. That makes the saw stop a no go for me. A buddy of mine has even triggered his saw stop mechanism while cutting super oily woods like cocobolo. He's done it twice. That gets expensive.

in order to turn off the sawstop wet detection technology you have to hit different buttons and when you turn the saw off between cuts, it defaults back to safety mode so you better not forget to hit those buttons again. For every single cut. It just seemed like a huge pain in the rear, to me.

Im 25+ years into using table saws on a regular basis and only had one incident of "kickback" and never had my fingers near a blade. (The "kickback" happened because a piece of wood slipped out of my hand after finishing a cut and as I was lifting it back over the blade it fell on the spinning blade and flew back at me. No harm no foul.)

If you plan on doing all flatwork with plywood, melamine, and kiln dried lumber, I'm sure the sawstop is great. But for me, even head-to-head foregoing the pluses and minuses of the wet detection option, the powermatic is a better saw overall. If I were running a community shop where different folks were constantly using the saw, I'd go for the sawstop. But I'm a one man shop and I have a healthy respect and understanding of industrial machinery so I'm ok living on the edge...

I also drink water right out of the hose on occasion... and I often drive my quad around my property doing chores without a helmet so I'm a risk taker by nature....

Climbing off soap box now....

[John Lankers]

Wow, 30x50, I wish my shop was like that!

SawStop with Incra LS positioner is definitely the best configuration for traditional cabinet saw.

However, if you think you want to make fine furniture and cabinet down the road, since you do not have space and budget problems, I would suggest to look into the euro sliding table saw from Felder or MiniMax. There are lots of thread talking about that before.

James

This is exactly what I would suggest.

[Randy Heinemann]

I own a Sawstop Jobsite saw and, for me, that is all I need. It allows me to fold it up and move it out of the way when I need other tools to move into the center of my shop. Since you don't seem to have any space worries, a Sawstop PCS would be a great saw. I know there are a lot of different opinions about Sawstop, but based on my experience with the Jobsite saw, I'd say they are high quality saws. The PCS is a top notch saw. Since the cost and quality of a Sawstop is really about the same as other similar saws, why not go for the safety aspect. While it shouldn't replace good saw use habits, it sure is nice to know that, if some day you do make a mistake, you won't lose a finger. So, everything else being equal, Sawstop seems like a great choice to me.

[Simon MacGowen]

I'm looking to replace my older Dewalt contractor table saw and would like some feed back on what's available.. I hear a lot about the Stop Saw with all the safety feathers, but don't know anyone locally that own one except the local school shop. Looking for recommendations.

SawStop (PCS or Ind.), of course, since money and space are not an issue to you. I know a couple guys who had some space issues but no money concerns ended up getting the SawStop, by getting space smart with their shops, including one parking his car permanently on the drive way.

No one who buys an insurance policy wants to cash in early. The SS as an insurance policy is too good to pass, because the policy can be renwed for about $50 every time you cash it (actually, if you triggered the safety feature with a body part, you'd get a free "renewal" if you sent in the blade with the cartridge in it).

Soon, SawStop is part of the TTS/Festool family, meaning even if the SS patents expire (no one seems to know the exact year(s)), you won't have to worry it will get crushed by its technology followers.

Simon

[richard b miller]

My question is, what power source do you have? You didn't say if its a dedicated shop or garage or what. With my Grizzly, i had to run a dedicated 20a line into my basement.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Wow, 30x50, I wish my shop was like that!

SawStop with Incra LS positioner is definitely the best configuration for traditional cabinet saw.

However, if you think you want to make fine furniture and cabinet down the road, since you do not have space and budget problems, I would suggest to look into the euro sliding table saw from Felder or MiniMax. There are lots of thread talking about that before.

James

The basement shop I'm building is a lot smaller than that at 5m x 4.75m (about 16.5 x 15.5 feet). I wanted a Hammer K3 Basic, but didn't want to wait over three months for it to be made and then arrange for delivery. Instead, I bought a MiniMax SC2 Classic slider from a local distributor and had it delivered the following week. If I had a shop as large as 30x50, I would be tempted by the larger sliders, but think I would still buy the SC2.

[William Chain]

Is there anyone that regrets going with the 110V 1.75 hp SS instead of the 220V 3 hp? I'm debating just going whole hog but if a hobbyist does just fine on the 1.75....

[andy bessette]

Get the 220-volt.

[scott spencer]

Is there anyone that regrets going with the 110V 1.75 hp SS instead of the 220V 3 hp? I'm debating just going whole hog but if a hobbyist does just fine on the 1.75....

At that price point, I'd want more than "just fine", when "all you'll ever need" is within reach. 1.75hp is indeed sufficient with good setup and proper attention the correct blade, but it's not difficult to bog a 1.75hp motor, and you're forced to go at the pace the motor will handle. 3hp is considerably more powerful, is much harder to bog down, and will generally allow you to dictate the pace with just about any blade that's on the saw. It also won't work as hard. If you've got 220v, and the budget, why settle? I'd guess you'll be far more likely to regret not getting the more powerful motor vs regretting having it. Do you ever wish your car had a smaller motor? ;-)

[Simon MacGowen]

Is there anyone that regrets going with the 110V 1.75 hp SS instead of the 220V 3 hp? I'm debating just going whole hog but if a hobbyist does just fine on the 1.75....

220V is better, if you can have it. You can also upgrade the saw from 110v to 220v, if your present circumstances don't allow you to use 220v.

With 110V, if you use the saw with a dust collector, draw power from two different panel breakers instead of from two sockets from the same source.

Simon

[Larry Copas]

My first job 50 years ago was cutting cabinet parts all day long on a Unisaw. Still use one today. I've also spent a fair amount of time on the Saw Stop 3 HP cabinet saw. Not much difference that I can see. I may buy one in the future as age creeps up on me.

You mentioned cutting segments for turning. A cabinet saw is not the answer no matter what kind of sled or miter jig you use. A real slider is the way to go, short stroke would be fine. I use a converted printers saw for all of my segmented turnings.