Sawstop Purchase: need help picking fence and router setups

[Tony Roun]

Hi all- I’ve been given the green light to purchase a Sawstop table saw and intend to pull the trigger before she changes her mind. I’m excited, and want to make sure I evaluate my options as this will be a ‘buy once, cry once’ investment. Im looking at the PCS 3hp model. Im seeking advice on fences and router wing options.

Would you buy it with the T-glide upgrade ($170), or would you consider buying the basic level fence and put that money toward an aftermarket fence. I’ve always been drawn to the Incra fence setups but have never used one.

I’d also like to put a cast iron router extension wing on the saw. I am looking at the sawstop version, or other commercially available options like the Bench Dog router wing. Just curious if anyone has either of these on the their PCS and has feedback.

Lastly, I see they have their annual promotion where you get a free mobile base or the overarm dust collection guard. My initial reaction was that if the overarm guard was sturdy and worked well, that would be my preference since I think I could reuse my HTC mobile base from my existing table saw. Looking for feedback on the overarm guard from Sawstop users.


Thanks in advance!

[Larry Frank]

I have the PCS with the 36" T Glide and very happy with it.

I so have the industrial base and it is the best base made.

I have the over arm dust collection and it works OK.

[Patrick Walsh]

I say the industrial base. It’s very very nice even if the saw just sits in the same place.

The fence on the sawstop is very very nice. I can’t see any need for a Inca fence unless you do something very specialized and even then it seems a bit gimmicky or over the top and unessisary to me.

As far as over table dust collection just hang some fleet duct from the ceiling with a zipp tie or something. You can get a adapter for the blade guard to transition to 4” at Home Depot on the plumbing department. You’ll get better dust collection with a 4” hose.

I’d spring for the 5hp industrial saw also. I know I can stall mine out when I’m really working and trying to get things done.

[Tony Roun]

I think the mobile base that is included in their promotion is the integrated base, not the industrial mobile base. Sorry about the confusion.

[hugh lonner]

I have and quite like the industrial mobile base on my pcs. My garage isn't very flat so the better base makes a difference relative to bases I've used in the past.

I have the higher end fence SS and it is good, but I can't say if it is really better than the other SS one or the Incra since this is the only one if the three I've used. It is slightly nicer than the fence on my (hybrid) old saw, but not dramatically better. I have no complaints about it.

I also have the router table extension with the dust collection box (and an incra Mast-R-lift). I really, really like the router table set up. I can't get over how little dust there is or how great the maste-r-lift (non SS brand) is. I had a router table in my old saw that I'd built myself and it would do the job, but the lack of dust in the SS set up and the easy control of the lift makes the new set up amazing.

I still can't 100% decide on the saw itself if I should have held out for the Hammer slider, but the SS is really great and I think I made the right choice (in part based on space). If I don't move to a bigger shop then I expect I'll never buy another saw and I don't foresee moving.

[Tony Roun]

Thanks for the response. I’ve thought about a slider but my shop is 440 sq ft and it’s not practical to get a slider with that space constraint. I’m glad to hear so far that many of you have the T-glide fence from sawstop and you enjoy it.

[Charlie Hinton]

I bought the 36" 3hp PCS at the end of January.
The T-Glide fence works very well, it's a good heavy duty t-square fence.
Since I was already spending the big bucks on the saw I got the ICS mobile base.
I really like the saw, I have no regrets about the purchase.
If I were planning to get a cast iron router table wing I would probably get the SawStop wing. It mounting holes will match the saw and rails.

[Simon MacGowen]

As far as over table dust collection just hang some fleet duct from the ceiling with a zipp tie or something. You can get a adapter for the blade guard to transition to 4” at Home Depot on the plumbing department. You’ll get better dust collection with a 4” hose.

.

This may not work if the saw needs to be moved far away from the usual spot where the saw is placed

To truly "buy once," get the PCS with the full dust collection blade guard and overarm tube as well as the upgraded mobile base. When used with a large dust collector or a separate dust collector for the overarm/ blade guard, you get the best tablesaw dust collection not matched by other cabinet saws.

Simon

[Tony Roun]

Another proponent of the industrial mobile base, wow! I suppose I need to consider just taking the promotional integrated mobile base and flip it on ebay so I can put those funds toward the industrial base. I imagine that I only want to horse this thing into a base once, so I want the right base in the saw to begin with whereas I can always upgrade the overarm floating guard if my funding runs out before I get to that. My priority list for "getting it right" with the initial purchase was 1.) fence 2.) base 3.) router setup and eventually 4.) floating guard with 4" dust hose.

I really appreciate the insights so far.

[jay czaja]

Another new SS 3HP PCS owner here.. Got mine at the end of 2018. The T Glide fence works great, never used the Incra but i'm sure it's excellent as well. The Industrial mobile base is a must have if you have a small shop like mine! Works awesome..

[Nick Decker]

I don't recall any posts about the Industrial base that were negative, other than maybe someone who thought it was too expensive. I use it, and re-like it every time I move the saw (which is every time I use the saw).

You haven't mentioned what you'll be using for dust collection. Trust me, you'll want to do something about dust collection at the table. I started out by ignoring that and soon added the overarm collector. You might as well go for that with the free promotion, especially since the 3 hp saw includes the (needed) dust collecting blade guard.

[James Cheever]

I have the 5HP ICS. Get the Industrial Mobile Base. It is the best!

[Jack Frederick]

I have the 3hp PCS 52"on the mobil base. I do not have the overarm. I don't move the saw a lot, but with the factory base it drives like it has rack and pinion steering. That is a great feature on a great saw. As a hobbyist I have no trouble setting up the saw for over blade dust collection so I don't see the need for the overarm set-up SS offers.

[Mick Simon]

I have the PCS 3HP with 36" fence and Sawstop cast iron router table with a Woodpeckers 420 V2 lift. Love it all. On newer models, the SS router table bolts to the table and rails w/o modifications.
I posted a review of it on another forum - https://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/29090-sawstop-inline-router-table/

[David Hawxhurst]

my shop is 20 x 20 and I manage to fit a slider with 9' foot table in. I did get the combo shaper/slider because my old saw had a router table in the wing. The shaper has regular spindle but also has the faster router spindle option to so I can use up my router bits while learning and setting up shaper tooling.

[Jon Nuckles]

I have the PCS with a 52" fence, integrated mobile base and overarm dust collection. The mobile base you can get for free with your purchase works very well if you only need to move the saw side to side or have the room to pivot it to move front to back. I am certain that the industrial base is better because everyone who has one raves about it. If you don't need the versatility, though, you might be very happy with the "free" base. See if you can find a place to try them both out before purchasing. The overarm dust collection works well as long as your cut is not right on the edge of the board you are cutting. I assume that dealers don't have the ability to offer you the $199 credit (oops, $249 now) against the cost of the more expensive industrial base, but it might be worth asking.

Edit to add: You mentioned a concern with the difficulty of putting the saw up on the base and not wanting to have to do it twice. I know that your comment was mostly in jest, but it is worth noting that with the integrated base, you don't have to lift the saw up onto the base. You assemble the base as part of assembling the saw. Taking it off after assembly would likely be a pain. I don't have experience with the industrial base, so can't comment on that.

[Jay Kepley]

I have the 3hp PCS with an Incra fence. My prior table saw (a Jet contractor's saw) also had an Incra fence. This fence isn't a gimmick. When set up correctly, it works flawlessly with repeatable cuts every time. There is no "tap tap tap," hoping to move the fence five thou. It's five clicks, and you know the fence has moved five thou. The Sawstop fences are obviously very nice, because most Sawstop owners use them. My PCS has the standard mobile base. It works just fine. If you are interested in seeing the Incra fence in action, take a look at Guy's Woodshop on Youtube. He has a good video about it.