Anyone trim down their Sawstop PCS to reduce the width?

[Bill Dindner]

Currently running a Sawstop Jobsite Saw, and I fold it up and lean it against the wall when not in use. I'd really like to have a cabinet Saw from Sawstop, but I'm very tight for space.

I have a narrow single car garage to work out of. It's just too cramped even for the 30" PCS.

I was was thinking about removing/trimming the MDF extension wing and trimming the rails as well so I can have a little more room to walk around.

I rarely rip anything wider than 18", and I have a Tracksaw (Festool TS 75) for wider rips.

Anyone tried this? Or any thought on doing this?

[Chuck Saunders]

No reason you couldn't
Chuck

[Bill Dindner]

Also,

would a Jigsaw with a metal cutting blade be sufficient for the task of cutting the rails?

[Harvey Miller]

I have the PCS with 36 inch fence;


You really need a mobile base with four swivelling casters, but the PCS base has two fixed, two swivel casters. You could use the ICS base, or do what I did and make your own mobile base.
The cast iron table gives you a 15 inch cut. If you really want 18” I’d make a three inch filler rather than cutting the extension wing. You need 28" of rail to the right of the blade to clamp the 'premium' fence.


Sawstop doesn’t list the 30” fence rails separately (they do list the 36” rails), so if you hack the rails there’s no going back but VerySuperTools has plans and videos on making your own rails on their website.


Good Luck with your decision!


Edit: I would take the rails to a machine/welding shop to cut. Might cost you $5-$10, they'll do a decent job & you'll have them around when you need them again.

[Matthew Hills]

I try to keep my power tools in a compact configuration, but haven't cut the rails.

My JET tablesaw fence has a 30" capacity.
My current setup allows for my most common rip widths (~12" or less), but require rolling the saw out to use the full width. I do find the full width useful for when I'm trimming down glued-up panels (e.g., tops).
I would also say that it is nice to be able to slide the fence over and out of the way when I'm doing crosscuts with a sled.

To keep things compact, my bandsaw backs onto the tablesaw, with outfeed going over the tablesaw's right extension wing. The tablesaw rails extend a bit past the wing. These fit around my dust collector fittings.

Matt

[Bill Dindner]

I am going to go for it. I just placed the order for the Industrial mobile base, I need to wait until next month to order the Saw, let the wallet recover and give me a chance to sell my Jobsite saw. I will see how it works in the shop before cutting it down, but I am pretty sure I will need to do it.

[Nick Decker]

Bill,

Just to clarify, are you talking about the SawStop Jobsite saw or their Contractor saw? I have the Jobsite saw and there is no MDF on it anywhere, hence no trimming is possible.

(Like you, my garage has no room for a cabinet saw.)

Edit: Never mind, I was confused about what you were wanting to do.)

[Rick Potter]

I cut down my Unisaw from 50 to 32" or so. It has a Unifence with aluminum rail, so I just cut it with my chop saw with no problem. For the steel Beisemeyer type fence rail, I would take it to any place that has a steel cutting saw to have it cut neatly. Should take very little time to do.

[Joshua Bass]

You should explore using a bandsaw instead. I know of several people that have moved away from table saws in favorite of the bandsaw. It really depends on your workflow, but a Festool MFT and tracksaw + bandsaw could take you pretty far.

[Dick Brown]

Several years ago on this forum or maybe another one?? a fellow said he hinged his rails and right table extension so if he needed the extra width cut he could just move his saw out from the wall. raise the hinged part, lock it in place and all would be good to go. Sounded like a good plan if the hinge pins were lined up for the front and rear rails and all solidly tied together.

[Bill Dindner]

You should explore using a bandsaw instead. I know of several people that have moved away from table saws in favorite of the bandsaw. It really depends on your workflow, but a Festool MFT and tracksaw + bandsaw could take you pretty far.

That must be a seriously well tuned bandsaw. I cant get mine anywhere near the cut quality of my table saw. I have a Laguna 1412 btw.


Several years ago on this forum or maybe another one?? a fellow said he hinged his rails and right table extension so if he needed the extra width cut he could just move his saw out from the wall. raise the hinged part, lock it in place and all would be good to go. Sounded like a good plan if the hinge pins were lined up for the front and rear rails and all solidly tied together.


That would be just perfect, I doubt I could make one that easily, but if some company came out with that, I would certainly buy one.

[Frankie Hunt]

would a Jigsaw with a metal cutting blade be sufficient for the task of cutting the rails?

Yes, but a much better solution is a good high tension hack saw with a new 24 or 32 tooth blade.
(Both can be had for less than $30 and is a worthwhile investment.)

A jig saw doesn't do so well on tube stuff IMHO.

[Bill Dindner]

Yes, but a much better solution is a good high tension hack saw with a new 24 or 32 tooth blade.
(Both can be had for less than $30 and is a worthwhile investment.)

A jig saw doesn't do so well on tube stuff IMHO.


That does seem seem like a better tool for the job. I have an old hacksaw somewhere, but I just ordered a few fresh blades.

[Frankie Hunt]

A "High-Tension" hack saw makes a difference too!

This is a good one:
https://www.amazon.com/Tools-High-Tension-Hacksaw-12-inch-12132HT50/dp/B000LGBZDE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504044521&sr=8-2&keywords=high+tension+hacksaw

[Bill Dindner]

A "High-Tension" hack saw makes a difference too!

This is a good one:
https://www.amazon.com/Tools-High-Tension-Hacksaw-12-inch-12132HT50/dp/B000LGBZDE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504044521&sr=8-2&keywords=high+tension+hacksaw


Not too familiar with that, for some reason I just forgot I even owned a hacksaw. Will look into that one. I like Lenox as well, have a set of their hole Saws, and am very impressed.

[Derek Cohen]

Currently running a Sawstop Jobsite Saw, and I fold it up and lean it against the wall when not in use. I'd really like to have a cabinet Saw from Sawstop, but I'm very tight for space.

I have a narrow single car garage to work out of. It's just too cramped even for the 30" PCS.

I was was thinking about removing/trimming the MDF extension wing and trimming the rails as well so I can have a little more room to walk around.

I rarely rip anything wider than 18", and I have a Tracksaw (Festool TS 75) for wider rips.

Anyone tried this? Or any thought on doing this?

Hi Bill

I recently looked at the Sawstop Professional 36" - because the fence was better than the 30". I also wanted the slider accessory. The problem was that the rails needed to be cut to get the slider closer to the blade (after removing the cast iron panel to the left). And then the rails needed to be cut to shorten it to the right. Crazy! SS do not make provision for a reduced width for those wanting the features and quality in a small overall footprint.

I was also looking at the Hammer K3 at the time and, although I think that the quality of the SS is actually better, the K3 began to make more sense: the right footprint and all the features I needed for a similar price. The K3 Winner (48" x 31") I ended up with was more expensive, but there is a 31"x31" K3 Basic which is the same price as the SS Pro 36" (here in Oz).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Sam Murdoch]

On a related question I have been wondering if the stand of the SAWSTOP JobSite saw can be turned from the orientation usually seen in the photos, i.e. can the wheels go to the left and the outrigger sit under the fence/table side to the right of the blade?

I'm one of those guys who has diminished my table saw needs to a minimum with a track saw and a decent bandsaw BUT I still find that a table saw (a small one, at least) is indispensable. Trouble is, like the OP, I hardly have room for any machine that cannot be rolled or folded to put away. The SS job site job has great appeal but that outrigger stand, as it seems to come, will cause me more harm than convenience. The contractor saw on wheels ends up being more realistic but then I would need to keep my Bosch job site saw (set up on a really great compact Rousseau Mobile Max 2500 stand) for install work and so, one more tool to keep in storage until needed.

[Bill Dindner]

Hi Bill

I recently looked at the Sawstop Professional 36" - because the fence was better than the 30". I also wanted the slider accessory. The problem was that the rails needed to be cut to get the slider closer to the blade (after removing the cast iron panel to the left). And then the rails needed to be cut to shorten it to the right. Crazy! SS do not make provision for a reduced width for those wanting the features and quality in a small overall footprint.

I was also looking at the Hammer K3 at the time and, although I think that the quality of the SS is actually better, the K3 began to make more sense: the right footprint and all the features I needed for a similar price. The K3 Winner (48" x 31") I ended up with was more expensive, but there is a 31"x31" K3 Basic which is the same price as the SS Pro 36" (here in Oz).

Regards from Perth

Derek

the euro style machines confuse me, I don't have any experience with them, so it's hard for me to get a frame of reference if I'd like working with them. At the same token, I've been intrigued by the Mafell Erika series, but again, I know how to use and am comfortable with a Standard table saw, and I like the piece of mind that I have a Sawstop.


On a related question I have been wondering if the stand of the SAWSTOP JobSite saw can be turned from the orientation usually seen in the photos, i.e. can the wheels go to the left and the outrigger sit under the fence/table side to the right of the blade?

I'm one of those guys who has diminished my table saw needs to a minimum with a track saw and a decent bandsaw BUT I still find that a table saw (a small one, at least) is indispensable. Trouble is, like the OP, I hardly have room for any machine that cannot be rolled or folded to put away. The SS job site job has great appeal but that outrigger stand, as it seems to come, will cause me more harm than convenience. The contractor saw on wheels ends up being more realistic but then I would need to keep my Bosch job site saw (set up on a really great compact Rousseau Mobile Max 2500 stand) for install work and so, one more tool to keep in storage until needed.

good question, my Sawstop Jobsite came fully assembled in the box, the orientation you mention would work better for me as well, although mine will shortly be on Craigslist.

[Nick Decker]

Bill, curious to know how this turned out for you. Update?

I might be going this route myself.

[Bill Dindner]

Still happy with the Saw, one issue I have found is support for long cross cuts, I put my Miter Saw in storage so I do most of my cross cuts on the table saw. Other than that it’s worked out great.

[Jim Becker]

Still happy with the Saw, one issue I have found is support for long cross cuts, I put my Miter Saw in storage so I do most of my cross cuts on the table saw.
This is somewhat of a normal challenge for a North American cabinet saw type design...they are more optimal for rips than for (long) crosscuts. Nature of the beast. Sleds can sometimes help and folks who do a lot of longer cross-cuts can add an outboard sliding table to provide better support. It's not quite as effective as a native sliding saw with an outrigger, but does help with good material support for longer stock. The downside, of course, is the increased footprint, and these add-on units are generally harder to remove when not needed than an outrigger on a slider. And that flies in the face of reducing your machine footprint as per the original purpose of this thread! :) 'Glad the saw is working out for you!

[Nick Decker]

Good to hear, Bill. What did you end up using to cut the rails?

It's rare for me to crosscut boards longer than four or five feet. When necessary I just rough cut with a circular saw, then use the Jobsite for final trimming.

[Bill Dindner]

Good to hear, Bill. What did you end up using to cut the rails?

It's rare for me to crosscut boards longer than four or five feet. When necessary I just rough cut with a circular saw, then use the Jobsite for final trimming.


I used an an angle grinder. Tried a hacksaw but it was taking forever

[Nick Decker]

Thanks, Bill.