Table saws.. hp vs rip capacity

[Brandon Hanley]

I am in the process of moving my woodworking Hobby from the basement to a newly built 2 Car 2 story garage and think it is time to upgrade my junk table saw. The problem is I can't decide what features are more important for me and it is driving me insane. At first thought for what I want to do more horsepower seems like a no-brainer but in all honesty just in trying to set up the garage the way I want it, having a table saw around with the larger rip capacity would have been a godsend.

The two choices are a 1.5-2 horsepower saw with 50-plus inch Rip capacity or a 3 + horsepower saw with a 30 inch or so rip capacity

If I was more experienced and had been doing this longer it would be easier to choose but with being new to woodworking I don't really know which would be best for me because for all I know my interest will change in a few months after I start getting comfortable with things. At the moment my main interests would be trying to build guitars and trinket boxes which is why the smaller rip capacity made more sense to me

I've been going insane thinking about it for a few weeks now with the money burning a hole in my pocket but I'm so sick of thinking about it I'm tempted to just buy a three to four hundred dollar table saw that has a 30 inch Rip capacity to hold me over until my hobby dictates the tool i need

[Erik Christensen]

everybody will have a different answer depending on what they typically build and what other tools they have. to me - ripping anything > 30" usually means sheet goods and doing that safely & accurately single-handed is a challenge unless you have a very expensive euro slider.

I do a lot of cabinet case work & have a 55" rip capacity TS but find it rarely used that big as I have a track saw that is almost as accurate, cuts with less splintering & lot safer/easier on big sheets

i'd go with smaller 3hp saw - easier to get out the way when using garage for cars & paired with track saw gives you even more capability

advice worth what you paid for it :)

[Frankie Hunt]

Why are those your only 2 choices? Have you got 2 used saws that you are looking at?

My priorities on a saw would be:
1: Get a cabinet saw if you can. The heft and quality will be long appreciated.
2: Make sure you get a good fence. Most cabinets saws do come with a nice fence. (The Delta Unifence is my favorite)
3: Get 3hp if you can. You can do with less however the extra hp will be nice a lot of times.
4: Either fence size will work fine. If you do a lot of sheet goods the wide is nice, but you can be just as well off, perhaps even better off, adding a track saw to a table saw with the smaller rip capacity. (The smaller size is more manageable in a smaller garage and I find the track saw easier to use on sheet goods)

Having said all that. My brother-in-law builds guitars. His most used tools are a nice heavy duty 18 inch band saw and a drum sander. A close 3rd machine is a smaller band saw for curves.

[Rick Potter]

You talkin' new or used?

If used, any 3 HP cabinet saw (Delta, Powermatic, Grizzly, etc) would last you a lifetime. One factor to consider is a riving knife, which older saws do not have, which you should insist on. I mentioned those three brands because you can get parts for them if needed. Maybe not new on the Delta, but there are always a lot of parts for them on e-bay.

If new, depending on your pocketbook, I would be looking at a Grizzly 3HP cabinet saw with a 30" rip capacity. Moving up in price, would be a PM 1500, or 2000, followed by a Sawstop PCS, all the same size capacity.

Whichever way you go, everyone will recommend getting one with a riving knife, or at least an aftermarket splitter. The riving knife is a substantial step up from the splitter. Capacity wise, the 30" will not take up extra space, and you can always make a quick skilsaw guide to cut full sheets of ply down to table saw size. 3HP is enough to cut anything you will need to cut, with the proper blade. Not so much with 1 1/2 HP.

[Joshua Bass]

I bought a 52" Sawstop. I have never needed more than 30" capacity. Anything larger becomes difficult to deal with. Ripping a 4x8 sheet of plywood is difficult even with a friend helping. I ended up buying a tracksaw to break down sheet goods. Now I want to cut my sawstop down to a smaller size to save space :(

[Robert Engel]

To each his own, but when I stepped up from a 70's model cheap ("Crapsman";-) to a 3HP cabinet saw (Jet Xacta), my ww'ing improved and so did my confidence. A lot is going to depend on what you're doing and the kind of wood you're working with.

A lot of guys get by with a 1 1/2HP saw (keep a sharp blade on it) but the problem is the consumer saws like this are inferior quality. Personally I think the 2HP Grizzly hybrid as a first (and maybe last) table saw maybe a very good choice for you.

My cabinet saw has the wide 50" fence and to be honest I rarely use anything past 36. Most of the time it is tasked at a table holding wood, tools, etc. If you're cutting a lot of sheet goods, you may consider the 30" fence in combination with a track saw.

My philosophy is how serious you are about your ww'ing determines the quality of tools you buy -- not your skill level. I made this mistake when I started out and believe me, I went for years thinking I had low level skills when all the time my crappy tools were the problem.

Regardless of where you're at in your wwing, please don't buy poor quality tools. The inaccuracy and lack of power will become very frustrating.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I always buy saws with approximately 30 inch rip capacity as furniture rarely is larger than that.

2 to 3 HP is a good size.

As others have indicated get one with a good guard riving knife/splitter, overhead dust collection makes all the difference in the world for a safer shop, better health......Regards, Rod.

[Brandon Hanley]

Why are those your only 2 choices?.
Everything that has caught my eye and been even remotely in the budget has fit one of those two categories. .

$1300 or so is the max end of my budget but if one of the 2hp 30" saws would be enough to not hold me back for a few years that would be great and only cost a fraction of that.

The saws I've considered are
Grizzly g0771z
Grizzly g1023 variants
Delta Model # 36-725
Delta Model # 36-5152
JET JPS-10TS 52"

And worst case if I can't make up my mind a kobalt Model # KT1015 for $279 since it would do what I need for now unroll my hobby dictates the saw I actually need.

[Brandon Hanley]

1. My cabinet saw has the wide 50" fence and to be honest I rarely use anything past 36. Most of the time it is tasked at a table holding wood, tools, etc.

2. If you're cutting a lot of sheet goods, you may consider the 30" fence in combination with a track saw.

3. My philosophy is how serious you are about your ww'ing determines the quality of tools you buy -- not your skill level. I made this mistake when I started out and believe me, I went for years thinking I had low level skills when all the time my crappy tools were the problem.


1. This is one of the reasons I'm not worried about getting one that is to big. It seems like a little extra flat space around the shop is never a bad thing I just don't want to sacrifice the extra power if I need it just to use it as a regular old table

2. I need to look into this track saw thing I am almost embarrassed to admit I have never heard of one or had any idea what they were until looking into this table saw now I keep hearing it over and over again but still have no idea what it is

3. When I buy a cheap tool that usually isn't because I'm worried about my skill level it is usually because I am worried about investing in something high quality then losing interest and losing more money than I would have spent on a cheaper tool that would have held me over but wouldn't have been as nice or convenient. At this point though I would really hope that I don't lose interest because I have dedicated the whole downstairs of this two-story 24 foot by 24 foot 2 car garage to woodworking and small other tasks like working on the lawn mower or something like that if need be and had it built just for that purpose

None of my tools are top name or super expensive but I like to think that I didn't buy total trash either some of my main tools are

Grizzly 14" bandsaw w/ riser block
Jet floor model drill press
Ridgid osc. Spindle sander
Triton tra001router
Grizzly router table
Steel city 13" planer

I'm also planning to upgrade the router setup to an incra combo #3 with the ls positioner and all the bells and whistles

[Frankie Hunt]

Grizzly g1023 variants

And worst case if I can't make up my mind a kobalt Model # KT1015 for $279 since it would do what I need for now unroll my hobby dictates the saw I actually need.

The Grizzly G1023 is the best choice here. Its a true cabinet saw and is a step above the others.

I would skip the Kobalt saw. A much better option would be a Makita track saw as a stop gap measure.

[Tim M Tuttle]

Everything that has caught my eye and been even remotely in the budget has fit one of those two categories. .

$1300 or so is the max end of my budget but if one of the 2hp 30" saws would be enough to not hold me back for a few years that would be great and only cost a fraction of that.

The saws I've considered are
Grizzly g0771z
Grizzly g1023 variants
Delta Model # 36-725
Delta Model # 36-5152
JET JPS-10TS 52"

And worst case if I can't make up my mind a kobalt Model # KT1015 for $279 since it would do what I need for now unroll my hobby dictates the saw I actually need.

I am pretty inexperienced as well and just got into wwing the past few months. Like you, I agonized over the table saw purchase and most power tool purchases in general. I started out looking at job site saws so it wouldnt take up much space in the garage (I still like to park my car in there, especially when it's stormy). In the beginning of my search I didnt really understand the quality difference in saws. I would go to Lowes, HD, etc and they all seemed the same. Then I went to a Woodcraft and looked at their selection of SawStop's. My initial budget was around $300-500 so the SawStops were way out of my price range. After more and more research into not only quality but safety I convinced myself that I was going to get a SawStop. At first I was leaning towards the jobsite saw at $1300 but the contractor saw is only $200 more so I went ahead and made the plunge and got the contactor saw.

At the store I was talked into the premium fence (thankfully). I was also talked out of the 52 inch capacity. Thrilled for the former, second guessing the latter every now and then. I dont have a track saw and my circular saw is pretty crappy so there have been many time's I've wanted to make some wider cuts on my TS and regretted not getting the 52. Day to day I am probably better off with the 36.

Overall though, I am so glad I went with a better saw. Now when I go to Lowes and Home Depot and mess around with their selection of jobsite and contractor saws I can see all of the deficiencies compared to the better saws. So, stretch that budget absolutely as far as possible. I would even recommend sacrificing on other tools for a better table saw. I ended up going pretty cheap on my drill press, bandsaw, and two sanders. The only one I regret there is the cheap bandsaw. Ready to upgrade that sucker right away. The other stuff, I probably saved $400-600 total and am pretty happy.

TL;DR Run away from that Kobalt.

[Brandon Hanley]

It took a whole one video and I'm pretty much sold on a track saw of some sort I also got to wondering if most of these saws have the ability 4 bolt on upgrades to go from 30 to 50 or so inches later on if needed without breaking the bank

[Tim M Tuttle]

It took a whole one video and I'm pretty much sold on a track saw of some sort I also got to wondering if most of these saws have the ability 4 bolt on upgrades to go from 30 to 50 or so inches later on if needed without breaking the bank

Most of the track saws out there will come with a 50ish" track and you can buy additional track that easily attaches.

[Matt Day]

Track saws are great, but I've been dealing without one for 15 years and have survived. I suggest you invest as much as possible into a good table saw and use a guided circ saw for breaking down sheet goods for now. Further down the line consider a track saw.

[Brandon Hanley]

Most of the track saws out there will come with a 50ish" track and you can buy additional track that easily attaches.
Sorry the wording of that was misleading. What I meant was I was wondering if any of the table saws with a 30 inch Rip capacity can easily be upgraded to the larger 50-plus inch capacity with just bolt ons stuff without breaking the bank if needed

[Craig Hoehn]

I bought a 52" Sawstop. I have never needed more than 30" capacity. Anything larger becomes difficult to deal with. Ripping a 4x8 sheet of plywood is difficult even with a friend helping. I ended up buying a tracksaw to break down sheet goods. Now I want to cut my sawstop down to a smaller size to save space :(

Came here to say exactly the same thing!

[Frankie Hunt]

Sorry the wording of that was misleading. What I meant was I was wondering if any of the table saws with a 30 inch Rip capacity can easily be upgraded to the larger 50-plus inch capacity with just bolt ons stuff without breaking the bank if needed

Most can be upgraded by replacing the front guide rail of the fence with a longer one. You would then fabricate the table portion.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a 3HP saw with a 30+ (more than 30 but not 40) fence capacity. I do have a track saw for breaking down sheet goods, but before I got the track saw, I'd make the first sheet goods cut oversize and then make a second cut to size.

I've been very satisfied with that setup. Never needed a wider fence setup.

Mike

[Cary Falk]

I have had everything from a 26" capacity to a 52" capacity. The 52" fence tended to accumulate stuff on the table. I now have about 36" I have the G1023RL and shifted the fence over o the left so I could put on a Jessem slider. I am happy with this but I also have a track saw. My saw is on wheels and I have to move it every time I want to use it. Definitely get the 3hp if you have 240V to run it. If you are not sure what you want then get the longer fence and then cut it down if it is too long. It is cheaper/easier to go that route than the other

[Von Bickley]

I would go with the 3 HP.
The ideal saw for me would be a 3HP saw with a 36" rip capacity.

[Brandon Hanley]

I'm starting to wish I would have bought the router setup I have been saving for before starting to research table saws. This escalated quickly two weeks ago I was trying to decide between a $600 Delta and a $750 grizzly to go along with the $800 router setup now it just kind of looks like I'm going to end up with a $1,700 table saw setup lol

[johnny means]

I've owned and worked in multiple cabinet shops over the past 20 years or so. I've built everything from mall fit outs to custom furniture. Never once have I thought a 50"rip capacity would be useful.

[Terry Therneau]

Don't ignore used. A good quality cabinet saw will be as useful at 20 years of age as it was when new. There will be several on a local craigslist: many junk but often 1 -3 gems.

[lowell holmes]

I have a series 2000, 1 1/2 hp Delta running on 220V. It has plenty of power and has never given me any problems. It is a 10" saw.
I switched the wiring on the motor to run on 220 and it made a big difference in power.

[Mike Henderson]

I put a bigger motor on my first saw - I don't remember if I put a 1.5HP or a 2HP motor on it. Ran it on 240V. I did a lot of work with that saw. But when I got my 3HP cabinet saw I was surprised at the difference. It was just much easier to rip, especially thick lumber.'

You can get by with less than 3HP - people have done it for years - but 3HP (or more) really makes a difference.

Mike

[scott spencer]

Get both. It's really easy to slide the front rail of a left tilt saw farther to the right to gain more rip capacity. Most will allow you to move the rails by at least one bolt hole, gaining around 10" without drilling. Will 40" rip do the trick? You'll need to relocate or replace the measuring tape, and fill the gap between the rails with an extension or router table. Pretty easy to do.

I will say that I enjoy my 3hp motor for every single cut on my TS. I rarely use more than the 30" rip capacity, but do have some extra when needed.

[Rich Engelhardt]

This escalated quickly two weeks ago I was trying to decide between a $600 Delta and a $750 grizzly to go along with the $800 router setup now it just kind of looks like I'm going to end up with a $1,700 table saw setup lolLOL! That's the way it always seems to go!
Anyhow - - I have around $1300 - give or take - invested in my "saw system". I bit the bullet and bought a Festool TS55EQ track saw. I also bought a Home Depot Ridgid TS 3650 cast iron top table saw.
I used one of the Home Depot cash back reward credit cards for a year, paying off the balance each month, and we bought all the materials on it to rehab a rental house.
I ended up with a few hundred dollars of rewards, plus I waited until Home Depot had one of their $100 off sales. IIRC, my final cost was a little over $200.

There's always some creative way to buy the stuff we want ;).
I paid full boogie for the Festool though.

Either way though, I would suggest not trying to pinch pennies on either the track saw or the table saw.

Used is a decent option - -provided you know what you're getting into.

I know so little about what to look for in used tools, I have 'Sucker" written all over my forehead.

[Brandon Hanley]

1.
LOL! That's the way it always seems to go!

2. I know so little about what to look for in used tools, I have 'Sucker" written all over my forehead.

1. Yea that's for sure. Up unroll 2 weeks ago I was saving to get the incra combo #3 router table with ls positioner. After listening to a buddy bitch about my crappy table saw while we were trying to cut sheets of under laminate flooring and plywood for two weeks suddenly a table saw crept into the equation. That meant budgeting the $800 router table and a $600 saw but I needed to wait for another paycheck and by the time that can we're here.

2. I know exactly what you mean there that is exactly how I feel and between that and my crazy work schedule buying used stuff just isn't very feasible for me most of the time because I end up having to schedule a time that I can take a friend with me and fit the trip into a 70 Hour Work Week

[Brandon Hanley]

Thanks to the new Facebook marketplace of all things the search is over. An ad showed up in my newsfeed for a grizzly not 2 miles from my house. 20 mins later I negotiated to get to a price that I thought was fair but not a steal. The convenience of how close it was added to the value for me. I ended up putting a deposit on a like new grizzly g0691 with Mobil base and new delta dato stack. The final price ended up being $1300. As long as my buddy shows up to help tomorrow I should have it home by 4pm.

[Charles Lent]

If you or your buddy own a pickup truck, cabinet saws move easily. Put a thick blanket or moving pad in the truck with the back edge of it covering the lowered tailgate. Remove the fence and side extension table and blade insert. Crank the blade to it's fully down position and remove the blade if it does not go fully below the table top, and then roll the saw to the back of the pickup with the back of the saw against the pickup tailgate. get the back edge of the saw table on the tailgate and then you and your buddy can tilt the saw and lift it, rotating the saw cabinet using the back edge of the saw table as a hinge point. Rotate the saw into the pickup so that it is sitting upside down on the blanket/moving pad. Then slide the saw on the blanket until it is between the wheel wells. Now tie it in and then place the fence dolly, and everything else in the pickup around the saw. When you arrive home, just reverse the process to unload the saw. By doing this, you and your buddy will never have to handle the full weight of the saw and it will be much easier than trying to pick the saw up high enough to get it into the pickup and then back out when home. It will be much easier on both of you. Cabinet saws are top heavy so they travel much better upside down. I have moved 5 cabinet saws, including a 7.5 hp saw this way and I never had to exert more than about 70 lbs of lifting myself, nor did my helper.

Charley

[Brandon Hanley]

Even though it's listed as over 500lb? If so that will be awesome because I am dreading trying to get a trailer down into this guy's driveway and get it up and unloaded

[Mike Cutler]

Brandon

Congrats on your new saw. That saw is better than the initial list you made and should serve you well for decades as long as it is taken care of and not abused.

500lbs. is not a lot of weight for two full grown men,and if you do as Charles suggested, you should be fine. Bring tools and definitely do as Charles stated, take it apart.
I would probably rent a furniture dolly, and loading ramps, but that's me. Charles' method will work.
I moved an 850lb. commercial washer I bought on Craigslist last fall with my wife. Into, and out of, a GMC Sierra 1500. You'll be fine.

[Brandon Hanley]

I will have to measure my tailgate heightht I drive a Silverado 1500 that is lifted 2 and 1/2 inches

[Cary Falk]

I will have to measure my tailgate heightht I drive a Silverado 1500 that is lifted 2 and 1/2 inches

No problem. Take 2 short 4x4s. Rock one side up and slide the 4x4. Rock the other side up and put the other 4x4 under it. It ii now sitting 3-1/2" higher.:D

[Ray Newman]

Way Back-In-The-Day, I bought a Uni-saw and was worried about moving it safely. Went to the local rental shop and rented a pick up with a lift. Dealer's fork lift put it on the truck, then backed it into the garage shop and a friend and I moved it onto the lift and placed it about 6" from where I wanted it. Have no idea what rental fee for such a pick up would be today, but it sure made the job easier and safer.

[Mike Henderson]

Way Back-In-The-Day, I bought a Uni-saw and was worried about moving it safely. Went to the local rental shop and rented a pick up with a lift. Dealer's fork lift put it on the truck, then backed it into the garage shop and a friend and I moved it onto the lift and placed it about 6" from where I wanted it. Have no idea what rental fee for such a pick up would be today, but it sure made the job easier and safer.

I'm with you. When I had to pick up large stationary tools, I rented a truck with a lift gate. Made it so much easier to get the tools into and out of the truck. Safer, too, both for the tool and for me.

Did cost me close to $100, however (if I remember correctly).

Mike

[Mike Cutler]

Home Depot, at least here, rents trucks with Tommy gates. $100.00 sounds about right.
Great suggestion!

[Brandon Hanley]

I got it home. All seems well but blade is toast and riving knife is missing. Seller is going to look for it but thinks he might have thrown it away with the Box I'm really hoping he finds it because to order it from Grizzly is almost 40 bucks.

Everything seems to be in good shape but needs completely taken apart cleaned and set up again. Cabinet head a few inches of sawdust and it and it is cake on the motor kind of looks like there wasn't really dust control used most of the time.

Besides the normal set up I also need to take the whole Mobile base apart the way it is set up now with the current combination of casters that swivel and ones that stay pointing One Direction it can only be pushed sideways and the leveling feet are all on one side. I'm hoping I can get most of it squared away on my next day off and be ready to rock once the blade and new knife gets here

[Phillip Gregory]

500lbs. is not a lot of weight for two full grown men,and if you do as Charles suggested, you should be fine. Bring tools and definitely do as Charles stated, take it apart.
I would probably rent a furniture dolly, and loading ramps, but that's me. Charles' method will work.
I moved an 850lb. commercial washer I bought on Craigslist last fall with my wife. Into, and out of, a GMC Sierra 1500. You'll be fine.

Cabinet saws disassemble into many pieces of a manageable size. A set of ramps and a hand truck will easily let you manage a 10" cabinet saw after you take the top and wings off and take the motor out.

I have a 3 hp 10" saw with a 52" rails. In retrospect I would have gotten a 12/14" saw and a ~30" rails. 3 hp is plenty for a 10" saw with the correct blade, but sometimes the 3" depth of cut from a 10" saw isn't quite enough. I tried to rip a piece of plywood in half once, and it was so difficult to handle that I don't think I have ever had the fence set beyond about 30" since. I use a circular saw and a straightedge to break down sheet goods to just oversize and the cabinet saw to get them to final size.

[Rich Engelhardt]

ready to rock once the bladeThe blade...ha ha ha! :D
Best get ready to really start spending money. :D

I just blew $72.00 on a feather board of all things, for crying out loud. The saw part is cheap compared to all the stuff you end up buying to hang on the thing.

Anyhow, nice score on the saw. The 690 & 691 are two of the most popular saws the members here use, so, there's no shortage of help if you need a question answered....


Now, about that router :D

[Curt Harms]

Don't ignore used. A good quality cabinet saw will be as useful at 20 years of age as it was when new. There will be several on a local craigslist: many junk but often 1 -3 gems.

That was my thought while reading this thread. Cabinets saws not used in production environments where they run 40 hours a week can last a very long time. About the only things that wear are bearings on the arbor and motor. Both are fairly easy to replace. My biggest concern with buying used would be cracked castings. A cracked trunnion or something like that could make a bargain no longer a bargain. I personally would have second - and third thoughts about buying new Delta machines. Delta is no longer the Delta of 20 or 40 years ago, it's now owned by a Taiwanese company and parts for 'classic' Delta machines are not available from Delta. Having said that there are enough Unisaws around that there that used Unisaw parts are readily available via 3rd parties.

[Brandon Hanley]

Can anyone recommend a link or video 2 set this thing up right? I've searched Google and YouTube but the only thing I am finding is how to level the table top.

Also if I were to want to switch to the short rail setup of the g0690 later on is there a kit or a list of the exact parts needed to go back to the 30 inch Rip version rather than 50 inch? I don't really want to cut anything but if I don't end up using much of the rip capacity in the near future I want to go to the shorter version this thing takes up a ton of space and is hard to move

[Phillip Gregory]

The list of parts for both the G0690 and G0691 are in back of the one manual Grizzly publishes that included both saws. You would need a new front and rear rail, and a new table board (part numbers P0690604, P0690611, and P0690614) to switch from 50" rails to 30" ones.

[Brandon Hanley]

While trying to set things up today I noticed that the fixed casters on the shop Fox mobile base have a flat spot Warn into them. Can the shop Fox Model super heavy duty mobile base also be used with this saw if we just trim the tubing to make it fit? Apparently everybody has problems with the rubber wheels and this model has the steel wheels d2058a

[Phillip Gregory]

Yes, I put that base on my Shop Fox W1820 (aka Grizzly G0691.) You have to cut about 3 inches off of the rails running left to right along the front and back of the cabinet and it will work. You will also need the "long rip fence" kit to put wheels under the legs on the far end of the saw table.

[Brandon Hanley]

Awesome. It sucks I have to buy a new base because I've already got the d2057a and the extension for the legs but there are multiple flat spots Worn into the casters and when I looked for new ones I found horror stories everywhere on the net about the crappy plastic Wheels so I would rather spend the money replacing the base now then the time trying to replace the casters again later and setting up the saw all over again

[Curt Harms]

Awesome. It sucks I have to buy a new base because I've already got the d2057a and the extension for the legs but there are multiple flat spots Worn into the casters and when I looked for new ones I found horror stories everywhere on the net about the crappy plastic Wheels so I would rather spend the money replacing the base now then the time trying to replace the casters again later and setting up the saw all over again

I don't know if this would work for you but I've purchased good quality casters just for the wheels. The O.D. and bore would have to match of course. Just for grins here's pics of my mobile base. It works very well and I have a fence cut down to around 28". It's seldom limiting though probably having a little over 30" would be worthwhile.

[Phillip Gregory]

Awesome. It sucks I have to buy a new base because I've already got the d2057a and the extension for the legs but there are multiple flat spots Worn into the casters and when I looked for new ones I found horror stories everywhere on the net about the crappy plastic Wheels so I would rather spend the money replacing the base now then the time trying to replace the casters again later and setting up the saw all over again

The standard and heavy duty mobile bases are the exact same except for the casters. I have the heavy duty one with the metal casters underneath my cabinet saw and the regular duty one with the rubbery wheels underneath a G0513 bandsaw. The long rip fence extension kit will work on either unit.

I haven't noticed any issues with the wheels on the regular duty unit but the bandsaw weighs a lot less than a typical 10" cabinet saw at 325 lbs (vs. about 550 or so) and is well underneath the 600 pound weight limit of the rubbery wheels, while a cabinet saw is pretty much at full rated load.

One thing you could do if you want would be to make your own mobile base. I did that for two tools that would not fit on commercially available mobile bases. My first one was for a 900 lb DeWalt GE radial arm saw that has a 36" x 48" footprint that was too large to fit inside a heavy duty base and too heavy for the "bring your own plywood" mobile base kit. I half-lapped a couple of 2x8s into a rectangle and used inexpensive 5" casters rated for about 350 pounds apiece, it works great. The second base I made was for a shaper setup weighing a little over 2200 pounds that was way too heavy for any commercially available mobile base. I got four super-duty 5" casters rated for 660 lbs each and made a base out of 2x6s, and I bolted the crossmembers to the rails with 3/8" bolts. That works reasonably well, although a machine weighing well over a ton has quite a bit of inertia and is notably more difficult to move than a 500-600 pound machine.

365994
RAS on mobile base

365998
Shaper on mobile base

[Brandon Hanley]

The standard and heavy duty mobile bases are the exact same except for the casters. I wish I had known that. When I was searching for other casters online everything I found said that only those rubber ones fit unless I wanted to just replace Wheels for cut away part of the metal around where the caster swiveled. I already ordered a new super duty version and a new set of wheels to fix the old one for use with a lighter tool.

[Johanna Johanson]

I have a 5hp Delta that is about 20 years old and is excellent - plenty of rip capacity, folding outfeed table, Bies overarm guard. If, however, I was in the market for a new one, I'd buy a SawStop. The Bies guard is very good protection, and I never, ever use that saw when I cannot fully concentrate on the job at hand.

I have never even considered a track saw. I don't see how one could substitute for a cabinet saw. I break down sheet goods with a guided circular saw.

[Brandon Hanley]

Few unrelated questions quick.
1. Since I now have a saw should I make a thread specific to that model for questions about it, or keep asking here since I have a helpfull audience here already and it's still semi related to the original topic?

2 I am new to Woodworking and starting late in life and have tons of questions since I am currently setting up my first Shop. I have been waiting to ask tons of questions about everything from shop setup to router tables and workbench design since they are all basically me asking about the last few things I need to get up and running I am not sure if I should post them all in a single thread and keep asking questions there or to start a thread for each single question every Forum I am a member of seems to view things like this differently.

[Rick Potter]

start new thread