SawStop Contractor saw for furniture making? (+ New to forum introduction)

[John Strong]

Hi Everyone,

Introduction of myself/ current tools:
I am a novice hobby woodworker. I live at home with my parents, and our shop is set up in a small garage. I am currently working on producing several sets of furniture for a new apartment that I plan to move into in about a year. I'm a young engineer and work full time doing mechanical design and grew up always building things. I am just now getting into fine woodworking. (Most of what I have done before would most likely be considered carpentry.) My shop mostly consists of tools my father inherited passed down from the two generations above him. In addition I have added some modern tools to the mix in the form of a Makita 18V circular saw, drill, and orbital sander + dewalt plunge router. I also picked up a festool domino 500 from a very generous neighbor.


My current "table saw" is a Shopsmith multi tool from the late 40's. (the shop smith also has a 4 inch magna jointer attachment, as well as a bandsaw.) While it cuts hardwood without bogging down, its missing all of its safety hardware, has a small cutting surface and is a huge pain to set for each cut. (additionally angled cuts are unrealistic with anything but skinny boards since the table tilts instead of the blade.) Since I myself am using the table saw, getting my father back into the shop, and have been doing work with both my girlfriend and younger brother, safety is incredibly important to me. I would not like this to turn into a debate discussing the "false sense of security" a sawstop can provide. I intend to treat this exactly as I would any other table saw. I am personally relatively risk averse to begin with, and the sound and sight of a carbide tipped blade spinning at 4,000 rpm is more than enough to keep me respectful of the potential danger.


Question:
I am trying to decide between the Sawstop contractors saw, and the 1.75 hp professional cabinet saw. I would like to understand if the contractors saw with the upgraded fence would be sufficient for making hardwood furniture, or if the upgrade to the PCS is worth the extra ~$900. Both saws would have the 36" T-slide Sawstop Biesemeyer clone fence. Important factors for my personal situation are:


1) Quality of cuts for hardwood furniture making.
2) Small size of the shop
3) Portability down the road. I am just at the beginning of my career and far from settled in terms of housing. The saw will most likely spend the initial part of its life in my parents' garage along with the other tools. But at some point will need it to come with me if I leave the greater area.
4) Cost: pretty self explanatory. While I do feel in a pretty solid financial situation to make this purchase, its alot of money to spend, especially as a relatively new woodworker.
5) Any other major factor that you guys point out!


Thank you to everyone for your input!


Best wishes,
John

[Erik Loza]

Welcome to the Creek. Not to mess with your mind but since you mentioned "furniture making" and "safety", have you considered investing in a better bandsaw rather than a table saw?

Erik

[John Strong]

Hi Erik,

Thanks for the thought. I somewhat just through the fact that I had that badsaw attachment in there. I actually haven’t used a bandsaw since a machining class I took in college. The current set of furniture I am building has very straight lines, and wasn’t planning on even setting the band saw up.

That being said. Upgrading the bandsaw could potentially be a smart call down the road.

Thanks,
John

[Lee Schierer]

Welcome to the Creek, we look forward to seeing your work. I started my furniture making with a sabre saw and a router. It go the job done, but having a decent table saw really makes a difference. I can't speak to the Sawstop products as I've never had the opportunity to use them The one bit of advice I would give is buy the best that you can afford and learn to use it well. In my furniture making and I've made quite a few pieces, mostly made on a Craftsman contractor table saw. I've had little use for a band saw. I do own a 14" Delta that sees some use for resawing and cutting occasional curves.

[mike stenson]

Welcome to the Creek. Not to mess with your mind but since you mentioned "furniture making" and "safety", have you considered investing in a better bandsaw rather than a table saw?

Erik

I've already seen the answer the OP had to this (and welcome to the creek btw), but wanted to state that as I moved more towards using hand tools I came to the conclusion that this would have been a far better initial path. Now I have a cabinet saw that I rarely use. I'd have been better off with a 20" bandsaw.

[Malcolm McLeod]

... a smart call down the road.


Welcome!

If I could be in your shoes with your objectives, but know what I know now, I'd get a decent band saw (probably 18"+..??), then 12" J/P combo, and a sliding table saw when circumstances allow. Only you can decide if you are serious enough to make that commitment of cash, time, and space. Space requirements will be a deciding factor in every house you (AND the spouse) will ever rent or buy - - don't think it insignificant.

I 'fought' my father's ShopSmith when I was near your age and building furniture. He had built all the furniture he wanted and then down-sized. I wanted to build big case pieces. When my dad realized I was serious, he sold the ShopSmith and bought new separates (Thanks, Dad!!). I have been slowly selling those and upgrading, and he still works alongside me in the shop. The slider is next (shhh, don't tell him).

[John Strong]

Hi everyone,

Looks like there’s a lot of love for the bandsaw here. Could one of you guys elaborate slightly more on that.

As admitted earlier, I’m quite the novice. So far in my two completed projects (night table and entry way bench,) most of the work was joinery and panel creation. And the dresser, table, bed frame and shelves I have planned are pretty straight with some tapper, Which I had planned to do on the table saw.

Also still would love to hear from any sawstop owners and their thoughts, if any come across this thread.
John

[Andrew Hughes]

I also use my bandsaw more then my tablesaw.
But then again I’m a advanced amateur woodworker.
Jointer, planer, bandsaw then tablesaw all work together to process lumber in my shop.
Then there’s dust collector clamps work surface handplanes chisels. That play a part.
Are you sure ready for this craft? What’s seen on the internet and reality are pretty far apart.

[John Strong]

Hi Andrew, luckily for me, I actually have access to (and have used) many of those accessory tools (clamps, hand planes, chisels, various different jigs, two workbenches, etc). While I describe myself as a novice, I’ve put a little more work in the shop than watching a YouTube video of two 😉.

Best,
John

[Malcolm McLeod]

..bandsaw ... elaborate slightly...

I can rip & re-saw very large timbers on the 18" BS (I've sawed 10x10 timbers and re-sawed 9/4 x 11.5" oak). Both would have been impossible to do safely on my 10" cabinet TS. It will easily cut 1/16" veneers, a great way to 'stretch' a board - and a budget; possible on a TS, but only in relatively narrow widths. Curves are only a blade change away. BS = no kickback. And BS can do all that in a smaller footprint than most tools; it can be very important on a cold night, when the LOML wants her car to be warm and ice free for her commute. (Quit snickering! We had ice here...once.)

The TS will cut sheet goods wider than a BS, but a track/circ saw can do the rough processing if no TS.

[mike stenson]

What Malcom said is true. Also, since I'm not doing any production work I find it's generally faster and easier to cut joinery by hand. Since I'm doing that, and the bandsaw does the major grunt work of ripping generally, I don't need to setup the table saw often. Especially since I haven't used a dado set in well over a decade now (if I'm working with plywood, which isn't often, I'll use a router and a jig instead as it's just more accurate IME and I have a track saw anyway). Plus, being able to resaw allows for a lot more than just veneering. Oh, it's also a lot quieter in my shop these days...

[Scott Bernstein]

I have been woodworking long enough to have some experience, but not long enough to not consider myself still a novice. My workshop is my garage, and we still like to have space for one car in there. I started with a small benchtop table saw, which was OK - sort of - for small projects. I then acquired a 6" jointer, benchtop "lunchbox" planer and eventually a SawStop PCS (1 3/4 hp). I toyed with the idea of the smaller contractor saw, and also a European sliding table saw. Ended up with the sawstop PCS, and have been very very happy with it. The industrial mobile base allows me to move around. Eventually a obtained a Laguna bandsaw with a 3hp motor, and that was the inspiration for me to have some 220V outlets installed. A few months after that, I purchased a 3HP motor from SawStop, and a new contactor switch. So now I have a 3HP PCS. It would have been a little cheaper to just purchase the 3HP version first...but I just wasn't ready for that yet. Since then I have upgraded my dust collection from a Rigid shop vac to a 5HP cyclone, and my 6" jointer & 13" planer have also been upgraded.

As far the bandsaw vs. tablesaw issue, I can only express my opinion and experience. Some folks can tune a bandsaw to make very fine cuts, indeed, but I can't. My bandsaw cuts extremely well, and straight when needed, but the quality of the cut is not the same as the table saw. Even with a carbide blade and lots of tension. From table saw I can go right to edge glue up. From the band saw, I have to joint the edges first to clean them up before glue. With an appropriate blade, my sawstop leaves a surface like glass.

I think even with a small shop if you can fit a contractor-type saw, you can probably fit a PCS, especially with a mobile base to move it around.

Portability is obviously better with the contractor saw, but this is relative - both are going to be big and heavy....you can always take the PCS apart. For example, you can take off the cast iron tops, which really helps reduce the weight and size of the saw for moving.

Cost, well, that's up to you. I think most would recommend getting the best saw you can within your budget. A little bit of a stretch now will probably pay off later when you don't need to upgrade.

Other differences are the steel extension wings on the contractor vs cast iron on the PCS - makes a difference. More mass usually means less vibration and better cuts, plus more real estate for the work. Dust collector will be better on the PCS due to the enclosed cabinet. Also the PCS comes with a better (T-Glide) fence. You can upgrade the contractor saw's fence to the T-Glide fence, but then the cost differential is a bit less. Lastly, I don't think you can upgrade the motor in the contractor saw to the 3HP later, although I could be wrong about that.

There are definitely less expensive saws out there than the sawstop line, but the safety feature is import and there is probably no american-style table saw that cuts better (although certainly some that can cut equally as good). I need my fingers in my actual job, so I am willing to pay a premium price and replace a ruined blade sometimes. Still cheaper than a single ER visit, and being unable to work. The Euro-style sliders are also quite safe, when used properly, but I just felt more comfortable and familiar with an american-style saw.

Good luck!

[Myles Moran]

I've got the sawstop (PCS 3hp 36"), and having used a lower cost saw and now this, I'm very glad I spent the money I did on it. It's a very nice tool.

As for the bandsaw vs tablesaw debate, I love my bandsaw, I use it a ton, but personally while some use it to substitute their tablesaw, I'll agree with the issue of I can't get mine set up that nicely. Maybe that'll change when I get a better one, but for now I stick to my tablesaw and using a grr-ripper or two for those difficult cuts.

Personally, I'm in the buy once cry once camp. You could buy a cheaper saw, but if you do you'll still drool over the sawstop and want to upgrade at some point. Plus it pays for itself with one save.

That said, if you're worried about having to move it, yea it's a big heavy saw. If you get the mobile base, getting it into a trailer to move isn't too crazy. If you're not looking to move around a ton something like that is easily doable a couple times, but if you might see yourself moving a ton that might not be the easiest thing to move it every time.

Personally I'd recommend the 3hp over the smaller motor, but if you don't have 220 available now, you can upgrade that later buying the new motor and switch assembly from sawstop.

[Charles Taylor]

EDIT: 400th post! A round of milk for everyone.

I agree with all of the praise for bandsaws, but with respect to the specific question on table saws:

Lots of woodworkers, myself included, started out with a contractor saw and have done fine work with it. I upgraded to a cabinet saw when a good deal on a used one came along.

I think in the cabinet saw category you should set your sights on a 3 to 5 HP model when you can find, afford, make space for, and supply power to one that's to your liking. That may sway your decision in the short term toward the contractor saw. As you say, the price tag for a new cabinet saw is a big bite for a new(ish) woodworker to consider, but if the love of the hobby stays with you, you'll really enjoy the difference later.

Scott Bernstein briefly mentioned sliders above. That's a whole different rabbit hole, and a whole different pricing level for new models, but everyone I've heard who owns one is quite happy with it. I've packed my workshop too full to consider one, plus it might be a tough sell to household management.

[Tim M Tuttle]

Go for the PCS. I have the contractor saw and, while it's a nice saw, I really regret not going for the PCS. I really don't like the stamped steel wings on the CNS and it's a pain to tune because it's not a cabinet saw. While it does have a mobile base, two of the wheels are fixed so it's not super easy to move around. If you keep the CNS in the base configuration you can save some money but if you want cast iron wings you're really not saving a lot. Here is a price comparison of the two.

424725

[Mike Kees]

I recently was at Lee Valley in Calgary and had a staff person trying to talk me into a Sawstop,even though I am not in the market for a TS. I did notice one thing ,price. For what they wanted for the pro model ($5000+) you can get into a Minimax SC2 short stroke slider for maybe 4-500 more. That is a no brainer for me,it would be the Minimax. I would also take a serious look at the Grizzly 1023 saws. One of my ex employees purchased a Grizzly 1023 and it is a very well built and capable saw,every bit as good as my Unisaw. If you want the Sawstop technology there is only one saw that has it. If you are going to drop that much cash on a new saw at least check out a slider. Good luck ,I hope you are happy with whatever you end up with.

[Ron Selzer]

I started out with a 10" table saw from JCPenney, non metallic top, the blade would move sideways in a bind, the fence had to measure both ends, etc. Made furniture with it for myself and for sale. Upgraded to a Delta contractors saw which i did less with do to work demanding more hours. finally with a small inheritance from grandparents my mother withheld for 25 yrs bought an SawStop ICS with all options available at that time, 5hp single phase, mobile base, overarm dust collection, 36" fence due to space constraints, extra brake cartridges, etc. A Forrest dado blade, rip blade, etc. Each saw was an improvement over where I was at. I build way more furniture now than with the contractors saw almost as much as with the JCPenny saw. My new wife likes the fact she knows where I am at and she, kids and grandkids get new furniture from time to time. I do have a band saw which rarely gets used. Have two radial arm saws and two panel saws also.
If you make it this far I recommend the PCS over the contractors saw and the ICS over the PCS. The PCS takes up less actual room than the contractors due to motor placement, is easier to move due to removable top, more accurate and very important to me it collects saw dust a lot better.
Good luck, enjoy a long time of making saw dust.
Ron

[Tim M Tuttle]

I started out with a 10" table saw from JCPenney, non metallic top, the blade would move sideways in a bind, the fence had to measure both ends, etc. Made furniture with it for myself and for sale. Upgraded to a Delta contractors saw which i did less with do to work demanding more hours. finally with a small inheritance from grandparents my mother withheld for 25 yrs bought an SawStop ICS with all options available at that time, 5hp single phase, mobile base, overarm dust collection, 36" fence due to space constraints, extra brake cartridges, etc. A Forrest dado blade, rip blade, etc. Each saw was an improvement over where I was at. I build way more furniture now than with the contractors saw almost as much as with the JCPenny saw. My new wife likes the fact she knows where I am at and she, kids and grandkids get new furniture from time to time. I do have a band saw which rarely gets used. Have two radial arm saws and two panel saws also.
If you make it this far I recommend the PCS over the contractors saw and the ICS over the PCS. The PCS takes up less actual room than the contractors due to motor placement, is easier to move due to removable top, more accurate and very important to me it collects saw dust a lot better.
Good luck, enjoy a long time of making saw dust.
Ron

Geez, I forgot to mention the motor issue. Yeah, massive PITA. That alone would be worth the extra cost.

[Charles P. Wright]

Different people work differently. A Sawstop PCS 3HP is the center of my shop, I have a good bandsaw (MM16); but the table saw came first and if I had to give one up, it would be the bandsaw. I upgraded from a RIDGID TS3650 contractor saw to the saw stop, primarily for the safety, but the bigger table and more power didn't hurt either. The contractor vs. cabinet saw does not change much in the way of portability in my mind, neither of them are things you really want to move except on your mobile base.

The 120V vs. 220V can matter if you are going to move and aren't sure what you'll be renting. A job site saw is much more portable, but will not have the same mass as a contractor or cabinet saw; and having a lot of mass is useful.

[Jim Dwight]

It depends on what you make (or will make) but in general a table saw is used a lot more than a bandsaw. I've been making sawdust for 50+ years. I recently upgraded to a 1.75hp PCS. I made a lot of furniture for me and my kids on cheaper, less capable saws. Immediately before the PCS I was using a Ryobi BT3100, for instance. I agree with the comment that a Grizzly would be about equal to the SawStop except for the protection device.

I just completed two nightstands out of cherry after making my third bed based upon Woodsmith's Classic Cherry design. My two kids have the other two. It is all straight cuts. I could probably have made it with a bandsaw and my track saw but it was a lot easier using my table saw.

On the other hand, I plan to make a dining table next with curved legs. I do not currently have a bandsaw but plan to get one for this project and will then use it for other stuff involving really thick cuts or curved cuts.

Between the PCS and the contractor version I don't know. I really like my PCS. It would likely be your one and only table saw purchase. If you buy the contractor saw, the odds go up you will upgrade later. I don't think there is much functional difference but I think the dust collection will be better with the PCS and I wonder if you wouldn't need to square the blade to the rip fence more often. The PCS has the mechanism attached to the base, not the table top, like Industrial table saws are made. I think the contractors saw has the mechanism hanging off the table top which isn't as robust.

I do not believe a 1.75hp saw will be an issue. I have used but never owned a 220V table saw. I cut 2-3 inches deep in hardwood fairly often. I did it in softwood yesterday. I used a 1/8, full kerf, combination blade. For hardwood I would switch to a ripping blade. The only time I have had difficulty with the PCS is when the kerf closed up behind the cut and pinched the blade. The riving knife should have prevented it but SawStop gives you a relatively thin one so it works with thinner kerf blades. I flipped the board over and finished the cut from the opposite direction. I'm sure a 3hp saw is nice but the 1.75hp will do everything I want it to do.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I came from a Shopsmith, bought in 1983 and sold in 2019.

I went with the SawStop PCS 1.75 36". The SawStop was initially used in my wife's bay of the garage and so had to be put away each night. The ICS mobile base was wonderful for this. I made a fold down outfeed table.

I moved from TX to TN. Moving the saw, which I did by myself, was very easy as no vertical steps were involved.

In my new garage, I had 220V so I changed the motor out to the 220v 3HP.

The saw is now the only tool that I no longer move to use it. I love this saw. The dust collection is good, the blade angle setting stops. i.e. 90 and 45 were spot on from the factory. Blade changes, even with the cartridge swap, are simple.

I think between the Contractor version and the PCS, I would go with the PCS.

I did change the fence system to the Incra LS-TS positioner, mainly because I wanted to add a router table in the end of the table. I really like this fence system for the simple setup and repeatability.

I made myself a cheap cross cut sled, which is bang on accurate and use this 99% of the time when making cross cuts.

If was a big deal, to me, when I bought the SawStop. At the time, that was the most I've ever spent on a dedicated tool. But after using it for the past 5 years, I had no regrets spending that kind of money. It also makes the hobby much more fun when the tool perform so perfectly and produces the desired results every time you use it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi everyone,

Looks like there’s a lot of love for the bandsaw here. Could one of you guys elaborate slightly more on that.

As admitted earlier, I’m quite the novice. So far in my two completed projects (night table and entry way bench,) most of the work was joinery and panel creation. And the dresser, table, bed frame and shelves I have planned are pretty straight with some tapper, Which I had planned to do on the table saw.

Also still would love to hear from any sawstop owners and their thoughts, if any come across this thread.
John

Hi, I normally teach the band saw, jointer and planer as a one day seminar.

We take rough material, break it down into usable pieces on the band saw then joint and plane to dimension.

After that you have the components you need to make furniture in a traditional manner. (solid wood, raised panel doors, gables, legs, aprons etc.).

If you're breaking down timbers to length, a handsaw would be as accurate as you need.

I normally only use the sliding table saw for sheet goods.

I could do without a table saw, I couldn't do without a band saw, J/P and shaper.

As for a SS or any other cabinet saw, you could never convince me to go back to one after buying a Euro slider.

Get a good 18" or larger band saw, get a good jointer/planer.......Build a pile of furniture then buy a sliding saw..............Regards, Rod.

[kent wardecke]

I work on a delta contractor saw. The main downside is the open cabinet it makes collecting dust a challenge. At the time I didn't think would need the bigger fence. Now I see it would be useful.
buy the most saw you can afford, you'll grow into it.

[Alex Zeller]

Don't let people here fool you. You need everything, lol. Just kidding, sort of. Try to decide what you want to accomplish first and more importantly how you plan on building it. Cabinets usually mean plywood and to me a slider would be #1 on the list but they aren't cheap and can take up a fair bit of room. A cabinet saw would be my second choice. Maybe look around for a used one. Then get plenty of time learning how to use it. They are easy to set up and simple to use but you would be surprised at what it takes to master one. If you get one that has the extended rails for the fence it makes for a nice place to mount a router.

For me (other than cutting bowl blanks) my band saw means using my jointer and possibly planer. That's 3 pieces of equipment to master at the same time. When everything works right you'll feel like a god but the band saw, jointer, and planer require more work when things aren't right than a table saw. Don't get me wrong, you will need them and will need to learn how to correct any problems. I've never used a shop smith so I don't know how well it'll prepare you.

A track saw might work for you but I find that narrow pieces are hard (if not impossible). Everything you can buy will have limitations and often saws will have overlap between different styles. One saw may not be the best choice for the project but with skill can still get it done. Sooner or later you'll wish you purchased something different so the key is to try to do as little of that as possible. I would opt not to get the contractor's saw because I think you will outgrow it sooner than you think. I also like the weight of a cabinet saw.

[glenn bradley]

20-odd responses so far. Hope you're not getting buried. I'll touch on a few things and try to stay focused on your original post. I will state that I ran a 1.75HP hybrid saw with great results for some time. I got a chance to upgrade to a 3HP saw. The hybrid did everything I asked of it. The 3HP saw does the same with greater ease and confidence. If a twist of fate had not come along I would probably still be happily using the 1.75HP hybrid. That being said . . .



The smaller footprint of a cabinet saw versus a contractor saw can be nice.
The dust collection of a cabinet saw versus a contractor saw can be better. I am not sure how good the SS contractor dust collection is so that may be moot.
The driving factor for me would not be contractor saw versus cabinet saw format as much as it would be table mounted versus cabinet mounted trunnions; cabinet mounted being the way to go.


Given that you are focused on Saw Stop offerings I will not wander from that. I have a Saw Stop 3HP PCS but, consider the safety feature a freebie considering that the operational quality of the saw competes directly with other $3k saws. You are right on track with the fence selection. Saw Stop's "Premium" fence isn't really. The T-Glide is fine; I ran a Biesemeyer "Commercial" for years and so have a good comparison. Whichever model you choose, the safety feature has an override for any cuts you may need to make in aluminum, wet or otherwise conductive material, etc.

If you were simply asking about a contractor saw versus a cabinet saw I would recommend a used contractor saw for someone just starting out. It gives you a chance to learn what is really important to you in a tablesaw with a minimum of investment and little pain when you sell it to the next newbie who takes it to its new home. Since it is Saw Stop A, B, C or D I will echo the recommendation of buying the best you can afford. If you stick with it you will have the saw for life. If you decide this is not for you, the better saw will command a better resale cost recoup. JMHO.

[John Strong]

Thank you to everyone for all the input! I did managed to read all your posts as they streamed in at light speed.

I just got a tip off on somoneone selling the 3hp Sawstop PCS with 36inch Tslide fence and integrated mobile base for $2500, within driving distance. Seems like a pretty decent price? ~9 months old. Maybe it’s fate.

Plan is to pick it up this Saturday. Very excited.

[Myles Moran]

That's a great deal, especially if it's the industrial mobile base. FYI when you go to get it, sawstop has a guide how to brace the internals for the drive. Go to their website and contact tech support and they'll email it to you. That setup with no mobile base retails at $3050 plus tax.

[Rod Wolfy]

Thank you to everyone for all the input! I did managed to read all your posts as they streamed in at light speed.

I just got a tip off on somoneone selling the 3hp Sawstop PCS with 36inch Tslide fence and integrated mobile base for $2500, within driving distance. Seems like a pretty decent price? ~9 months old. Maybe it’s fate.

Plan is to pick it up this Saturday. Very excited.

John,
Sounds like an excellent choice. I haven't posted on here in years, but your question pulled me in. I started playing in woodworking with my first house and eventually got a Jet 3hp saw with a 52" fence. I used it for a few years and got a 6" jointer and lunchbox planer and 14" band saw. The band saw is nice for all sorts of projects and is a lot safer (relative) than a table saw, as the blade is going straight down into the table (no kickback). I would suggest getting a used one to start with, as they are 10x better than a jig saw for any kind of curved cuts.

I had the opportunity to purchase a Felder in 2003 and went to California to pack it onto a pallet and send it north. I did two kitchens on it and the sliding table is amazing! It runs right up to the blade. It had a 12" jointer and planer, along with a shaper. I moved after 20 years and had to sell the Felder, due to space (also my 20" Agazzani) band saw!). But, one of the things I learned is that it's way more convenient to cut down sheet goods prior to trying to use a table saw - even with a slider. I used a track saw 90% of the time on the initial cut.

When I moved, I still needed a saw to rip stuff and a track saw or circular saw doesn't do this well. It's also relatively hard to rip a 2x6 or whatever on a band saw that is 8' long. I got a portable Bosch table saw for ripping lumber. It worked for a couple of years; however, the motor bogged down on a lot of the cuts, stalling out on 8/4 walnut.

I was against a SawStop for years, due to how it was initially put forth to the market. The tipping point for me was how much would a finger cost? I had a cyst removed from the top of my finger and the doctor's bill was over $1,500.

I watched Craigslist for two years solid before I found a SawStop being sold used that would work for me. I specifically got the SawStop with the 3hp motor and the 36" fence for space reasons. It was as nice a saw as a $3k cabinet saw (3hp). To me, it was worth double what a Jet had cost. I would purchase the SawStop cabinet saw again in a minute. It's on a mobile base and I got Jessem Saw Guides on the fence, using a MagSwitch jig.

As far as the loss of the jointer and planer, I got a Jet 12" combo, which is parked on a wall and takes up less space than the old 6" jointer and planer. It gets as much use as the table saw and band saw, especially for furniture making. I have a 14" Jet band saw.

If I did have an extra $7k given to me, I'd use it to get a 16" Euro jointer/planer, before I got another slider.

[John Strong]

FYI when you go to get it, sawstop has a guide how to brace the internals for the drive. Go to their website and contact tech support and they'll email it to you.

Thanks for the tip Myles, I'll definitely try to get my hands on that guide.

[Thomas Wilson]

Fifty years ago I too used a Shop Smith. It is a terrible table saw. With your new Sawstop, you will love having a fence that stays parallel to the blade. The safety factor of the saw will become the icing on the cake to having a large table and an accurate fence.

[Alan Kalker]

I'm not a novice and I have both a Laguna SUV 14 bs and a Shopsmith ts. I use both. A lot. I like that the bandsaw wastes less wood. But, once a blade is a bit used or even a little bit out of tune, the cuts are not nearly as smooth as they are with a good sharp blade on the ts. Unfortunately, you usually find this out the hard way. Also, to get a good cut on the bs, the wood has to be moved through it much more slowly than on the ts.

As to which model Sawstop I'd get I'd always follow the rule to buy the highest quality tool you can afford. Your work will look better and you'll cuss less. Good woodworkers don't blame their tools because good workers don't use crappy tools.

[Tom Bender]

First priority for me would be to get rid of that tilting table table saw. Don't sell it, scrap it. Your conscience will be clear. A cabinet saw can have a smaller footprint than a contractor's saw.

A 14" band saw is a good place to start, go bigger later if you find it necessary.

Get a couple of hand planes.

[Ron Citerone]

It depends on what you make (or will make) but in general a table saw is used a lot more than a bandsaw.

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I agree. I was surprised how many people pushed the band saw.

[Randy Heinemann]

John, I hope you have many years of satisfying woodworking. It's an excellent hobby and should provide you with a way to relax, challenge yourself, and build things you need (and those you don't need but build because you want to). As for saws, I personally would start with a table saw before a bandsaw. I have both and use them both, the bandsaw now more than I used to. However, I tried being without a tablesaw for awhile, replacing it with a combination of bandsaw and track saw use. There is just enough work that only a tablesaw can do easily and well that I ended up with another tablesaw. I personally would never be without a tablesaw for the convenience, accuracy, and ease of setup even if it is only for ripping to width. Maybe this is because that is what I developed my skills with, but it seems that there are a lot of other woodworkers who agree that a tablesaw is an essential part of the shop; bandsaw or not.

As for which Sawstop you should buy, that's kind of personal preference I think. At this point in time, I actually only have the Sawstop Jobsite saw. It's safe and, despite online forum comments, I find the saw to be extremely accurate and, of course, safe. I never regretted buying it as a replacement for my old larger, but underpowered saw. Plus, it's easy to fold up and move out of the way to gain central floor space when I'm not using it. The new, upgraded model of this saw, has greater table space in front of the saw blade, which is probably the only thing about mine I find a little challenging. You also would have to upgrade the miter gauge as that is kind of a toy compared to what you need. So, for maybe not that much more, a contractor's model would probably also be a good choice. There is nothing better than a cabinet saw so, for the long-haul, that would always be a great choice, assuming you have the space and are going to stay involved in woodworking for many years.

There are many other hybrid and cabinet type saws on the market that are less expensive but, of course, not yet with Sawstop's safety feature (which, for me, was important).

I envy you starting out now as there are so many choices of great tools. Just buy what you need as your projects dictate. I have bought tools for other reasons over the years and, while some have been invaluable purchases, there are a number which I have sold because I just don't use them. Don'r forget about hand tools like planes and chisels.

One final note, the tools I use the most are the table saw, track saw, jointer, planer, router, and dust collector. I also own a Festool Domino and, while that is probably the most versatile, easy to use and setup tool I own for joinery, I spent the vast majority of my woodworking life without it. There are so many tools that make woodworking a little more satisfying for me, but I also realize that I could do without them.