Finally ordered a saw stop

[Justin Rapp]

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a saw stop, 3hp PCS with the 36" fence and ICS base. I might add the folding outfeed table at some point, or just make one. I also ordered a dado break and insert I am sure it will be a nice upgrade over my contractor saw. i am not trying to bash my existing saw, it's been great, still works fine and hopefully will be an upgrade for someone else when I sell it. I also hope / expect to have better dust collection over my contractor saw.

[Jim Becker]

That's a good saw, Justin. I'm using one that's a few years old in my temporary shop and can appreciate why folks like them relative to quality, etc. Enjoy!

[Rick Potter]

Congrats Justin,

I am glad I bought mine also. I have been very happy with it, and so is the wife.

[Justin Rapp]

Congrats Justin,

I am glad I bought mine also. I have been very happy with it, and so is the wife.

Yup - I like my fingers attached. My son, almost 15 is getting into WW also, so now it's even double important for any safety feature I can add to my shop.

[glenn bradley]

I run a 3HP PCS as my main saw now. Quality was superior to other saws in that price range, safety feature or not, when I was buying. It's been a trooper, totally happy with it

[jack duren]

Quality to me was about the same...

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Congratulations!
I have an ICS, I've had it for years. I un intentionally just tripped my brake for the first time. Good to know the saw works.
Awesome saw. Make sure if the saw doesn't come with an extra brake, get one, and have a spare handy. Mine did come with a spare. I can't locally get another spare right now, the local toy store is out. So I would have been out of luck if I didn't have the spare.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the saw.

[Jim Dwight]

Congratulations!
I have a 1.75hp PCS with the 36 inch fence and I like it a lot. I built my own mobile base because I wanted the saw higher. I think you will be happy with it. I put mine together myself including getting it off the trailer I brought it home in. But another set of hands would definitely be useful.

Jim

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I got mine this summer. As projects go, mine was fun - and an extra set of hands are DEFINITELY a bonus. And yes, putting it together WAS a project.
I didn't get the hydraulic base, I bought the Grizzly Bear Crawl and saved a few bucks. I also bought the dado cartridge.
Something I bought and will be replacing, is the over blade dust collector hose and attachment.
It works fine if you're doing plain rips, but it's useless with a sled. The big overhead collector from the ICS with a 4" hose and the different configuration blade guard loks like it would be more versatile.

[David Gutierrez]

good choice it is a great machine. i purchased the same one about 7 years ago and still love that saw.

[Mike Henderson]

I've had my PCS over ten years (wow, times really flies). I've been very happy with it. Tripped the brake twice with a finger. Each time destroyed a blade but SawStop will send you a new brake free if you sent the tripped one to them (if it tripped on flesh, not some metal).

Mike

[Alan Lightstone]

I could go on and on about the safety of the saw, but I've done that ad nauseum. For fun you should look up the video on Youtube of Steve Gass putting his finger against the running blade captured with high speed cameras, so amazing slow motion. Everyone I show that too is stunned and amazed. I'm on my second Sawstop now (an ICS) and I love it.

You will really love the build quality, and the installation instructions are the best I've ever seen on any device. Enjoy using it for years and years.

[jack duren]

It should work perfect in a hobby enviroment. Make sure you don't forget to run the DC on the saw. Male sure you order a spare brake and blade..

[Rick Potter]

Egad Mike,

You have tripped yours TWICE with a finger?? You must be in the SS Hall of Fame!!

Glad you're OK.

[Justin Rapp]

I've had my PCS over ten years (wow, times really flies). I've been very happy with it. Tripped the brake twice with a finger. Each time destroyed a blade but SawStop will send you a new brake free if you sent the tripped one to them (if it tripped on flesh, not some metal).

Mike

Well the goal is to never have it trip on flesh. That means I made a mistake / accident and made contact with the blade. My wife did ask me if I will do the hot dog test and I told her if she wants me to spend money on a new break and blade :)

[Justin Rapp]

It should work perfect in a hobby enviroment. Make sure you don't forget to run the DC on the saw. Male sure you order a spare brake and blade..

I am huge on dust collection and have gone to some lengths to get better dust collection from my contractor saw. I have a 3hp cyclone now (new last year) that has greatly improved dust collection in my shop.

[Mike Henderson]

Egad Mike,

You have tripped yours TWICE with a finger?? You must be in the SS Hall of Fame!!

Glad you're OK.

Yeah, I qualify for the dumb-a** award. But I'm glad I had the SawStop. One time I got my thumb and all I had was a small gouge in my thumb. Almost no blood - just put a band-aid on it.

The second time is too complex to describe but even without the SawStop I wouldn't have gotten seriously injured.

Mike

[Ray Newman]

"Egad Mike,

"You have tripped yours TWICE with a finger?? You must be in the SS Hall of Fame!!"
--Rick Potter

Not even close. I run a SawStop ICS and look on the SawStop FaceBook page 2-3 times a week. There are some SawStop users there who have tripped the brake 5-6+ times and really think it is no big deal. And not all of those are caused by the miter gauge touching the blade. I do believe that for some saw users, the SawStop brake gives a false sense of security.

[Jack Frederick]

I had re-built my Unisaw with new motor, arbor, assembly, DC and electrics and was very happy with it. A great saw for my needs. When I built the shop in ‘15 my daughter arrived one day with a PCS/54” for me. I gave the Unisaw to a friend in need. I miss that saw, but have to say that I was just so impressed with the SS. Everything was easily at hand, laid out well and was a substantial upgrade imo. I hope that you are as happy with yours as I am with mine. Oh, and that daughter has kept me busy with it.

[Justin Rapp]

"Egad Mike,

"You have tripped yours TWICE with a finger?? You must be in the SS Hall of Fame!!"
--Rick Potter

Not even close. I run a SawStop ICS and look on the SawStop FaceBook page 2-3 times a week. There are some SawStop users there who have tripped the brake 5-6+ times and really think it is no big deal. And not all of those are caused by the miter gauge touching the blade. I do believe that for some saw users, the SawStop brake gives a false sense of security.

Yup, I agree but you need to treat the saw as if the safety mechanism isn't there.

[Eric Cothern]

I have had mine since mid May, love it. Smooth operating and is fairly quiet compared to the saw I had before.

[Anuj Prateek]

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a saw stop, 3hp PCS with the 36" fence and ICS base. I might add the folding outfeed table at some point, or just make one. I also ordered a dado break and insert I am sure it will be a nice upgrade over my contractor saw. i am not trying to bash my existing saw, it's been great, still works fine and hopefully will be an upgrade for someone else when I sell it. I also hope / expect to have better dust collection over my contractor saw.

Have the same setup and I upgraded from a contractor saw as well. Based on limited use so far it's awesome. Very silent, effortless cuts, very low amount of dust and safe. ICS base is very nice as well. Makes it super simple to move, if need be.

I am sure you will love you saw. Good purchase!

[Jim Becker]

With the PCS in my temporary shop, I'm constantly focused on not setting off the brake accidentally while using it.... :o

[fritz eng]

Rapp, just curious as to delivery time for your SAWSTOP. Unless the components are entirely in stock and truckers are available, I was wondering what the delivery time is from the date of order. Enjoy your SS nevertheless....................

[Frank Pratt]

With the PCS in my temporary shop, I'm constantly focused on not setting off the brake accidentally while using it.... :o

Somewhat perversely, after getting a SawStop, I found myself exercising extra safety practices just to keep from firing the brake. But that's okay I guess because now I'm a much safer table saw user.

[Bernie Kopfer]

With the PCS in my temporary shop, I'm constantly focused on not setting off the brake accidentally while using it.... :o
To me being focused on not setting off the brake has made me more careful using the saw.
I recently replaced my PM66 with a SS PCS and am happy I did so. The 66 was built more robust and was slightly bigger overall and much heavier and I sold it for nearly what I paid for it 18 years ago. It never gave me the slightest trouble. Besides the safety feature the one thing I really like about the SS is that the blade goes straight up and down, not on a pivot like the 66. Other than that they both cut wood.

[Jim Becker]

Somewhat perversely, after getting a SawStop, I found myself exercising extra safety practices just to keep from firing the brake. But that's okay I guess because now I'm a much safer table saw user.

Yea...I'm just not sure if that focus is too much. There are things other than human body parts that can set it off, so it's harder to be spontaneous, which can be both good and bad. Sometimes I take "comfort" in it; sometimes I find it distracting and that's beyond having to revert to a cabinet saw and do things differently than I have been for a decade and a half with a slider. But no matter, it actually is comforting that if I happen to come into physical contact with the blade either because of that change in orientation or because of my own stupidity, I'll likely still have whatever part of my flesh happened to do the deed.

[glenn bradley]

With the PCS in my temporary shop, I'm constantly focused on not setting off the brake accidentally while using it.... :o


Yep. That's true. My misfire was due to me cutting conductive UHMW. As soon as it fired I knew what I had done. I have always been a safety advocate but as stated, I approach the tablesaw cuts with an extra awareness of what I am about to do.

[Dan Chouinard]

You wont regret it. Great saw period.

[Scott Clausen]

I buy insurance for everything else so I don't see saw stop as being any different, enjoy!

[Rick Potter]

Glenn,

UHMW is conductive??

I bought a couple nice cutting boards at a garage sale to cut into miter bars. Haven't done it yet. I guess I should use a different saw to cut it.

Was the stuff you were cutting special, or is it all conductive?

[Justin Rapp]

Maybe UHMW builds up static and the static charge triggered the saw to brake. Doesn't the saw stop have a method to shut off the safety for cutting conductive or wet material?

[Justin Rapp]

The saw shipped and made it to the local (10 miles from me) FedEx freight depot at 12:30am in 31 hours. But apparently it's still on a trailer that will be unloaded today and put on a local freight truck tomorrow for afternoon delivery. So about 36-42 hours to go 10 miles. So close but so far away!

[Bryan Hall]

Fritz, I ended up having to order one last minute when I expected to be shopping for a slider. (Current saw crapped out). My local store had a ton of PCS models in stock and I went with a 5hp ICS which came in a weeks time. SS told me anything that is out of stock, is about a 10 week build to delivery time.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I didn't think UHMV conducts. Interesting. Thank you.

To answer your question Justin, yes you can bypass it, but I choose not to. Accidents happen. And when they happen you can't control so, Murphy says, if I were to turn the brake off......... Guess what.

If you have a piece of UHMV, and touch it to the saw blade with the saw on but not running, if the red LED goes on, it means it will trip the saw. Now if you did that with a piece of wood, and the red LED stays off, that does NOT mean the wood is not going to trip the saw. That tells you the OUTSIDE of the wood is dry enough to not trip the saw. As I was rudely interrupted by a clunk and no blade visible in my saw.

[Justin Rapp]

I didn't think UHMV conducts. Interesting. Thank you.

To answer your question Justin, yes you can bypass it, but I choose not to. Accidents happen. And when they happen you can't control so, Murphy says, if I were to turn the brake off......... Guess what.

If you have a piece of UHMV, and touch it to the saw blade with the saw on but not running, if the red LED goes on, it means it will trip the saw. Now if you did that with a piece of wood, and the red LED stays off, that does NOT mean the wood is not going to trip the saw. That tells you the OUTSIDE of the wood is dry enough to not trip the saw. As I was rudely interrupted by a clunk and no blade visible in my saw.

I tend to to cut pretty dry wood, but it's good to know that it might trigger if the inside is wet, and I somewhat expect that.

[Robert Engel]

I sold 2 Jet saws when I got my SS.

Both guys were total newbies I spent 20 minutes giving them a “safety seminar”.

I know we’re all responsible but watching them drive off I felt a bit guilty thinking what if they get hurt?

[Malcolm McLeod]

... conductive UHMW. ...

Sorry, I got sucked in by the 'conductive' plastic :: precision in all things.:o UHMW is not conductive, just like human hair is not conductive, but both will store electricity via capacitance. Touch a PVC duct on you dust collector (flowing air), or rub a balloon on your hair. Maybe the physics gurus will chime in, but I recall this is a point charge that can migrate over the surface of the object - but not 'thru' it.

As I understand the SS 'trigger', it is dependent on the contacting object's capacitive discharge. I also believe the 'touch on/off' faucets use the same principle. My finger will turn it on, but a fork or towel (wet or dry) will not. I am not sure why a metal strike reportedly will trigger the SS, but not the faucet...??

[jack duren]

We made legs for restaurant seats from oak. 3x3x4 or 6". They cut the parts so they would end up 3 1/4×3 1/4x6". Guy took them to a sawstop and was cutting them down to 3x3. I just walked away. He was the Forman for his area. I said something to the plant manager and I think it stopped.

Thanks for Sawstop.

[Justin Rapp]

I sold 2 Jet saws when I got my SS.

Both guys were total newbies I spent 20 minutes giving them a “safety seminar”.

I know we’re all responsible but watching them drive off I felt a bit guilty thinking what if they get hurt?

I was thinking the same thing this morning when I cleaned my soon to be for sale Jet saw today, aka vacuumed any saw dust remnants and swapped out my Forrest blade for a new plane steel rip blade that I won't mind seeing go.

[Justin Rapp]

Saw arrived and it's all down in the basement. Wasn't so bad to move the base of the saw using an appliance dolly. I used some of the packing to protect the saw from the appliance dolly. There are 3 steps from the garage into the house, and 14 steps down down to the basement with 1 L turn. Waiting for some extra hands to help lift it onto the mobile base and then I will continue to assemble it.

467604 467605 467606

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Justin!

[Jim Dwight]

Have fun. My understanding of the brake tripping risk is that if you touch anything conductive that also touches the blade, like a nail in the wood you are cutting, it will trip the blade. The conductor completes the circuit. Apparently wet wood can too? You can put it in bypass but you have to do it for each cut. If you turn the saw off you have to set bypass mode again.

Injury from contact depends on the speed of your body part when it touches the blade. Kickback threw my hand into a 3/4 dado stack pretty fast and I got a broken bone and several stitches. But I still have the finger (with a little nerve damage). I was not overly confident due to the brake, I was trying to catch up after spending a bunch of time switching the blade cartridge for the dado cartridge. Seldom helps to get in a hurry. But comparitively it is a safe saw. And a nice saw. I still do not like all the work to switch over from a blade to a dado stack so I do dados with a router. I've never liked setting up a dado stack and adding a cartridge change to it just seems like too much.

I keep the manual in a drawer on the saw. When the lights start flashing I need the manual to see what the saw is saying. But it seldom happens any more.

[Justin Rapp]

I was able to complete assembly of the saw tonight. I didn't put the blade in yet, make any required adjustments or get acquainted with it yet. I still need to get power cord run around a few things to keep it safe (no trrip hazard) to get to my 220v circuit. there is no where near the saw that would work for a dedicated receptacle. I was going to replace the saw's cord with a longer one and the tech support at saw stop guided me to the requirement in the owners manual about using an extension cord. I would have never thought of a 220v extension cord, but it allows for it and saw stop tech said it was fine. I needed to go 22 feet over the existing 9 foot cord, and while the requirement says 14g, i went to 12g anyway

.


Looking forward to getting it up and running tomorrow AM.

[Rick Potter]

Your 12G extension cord, the same gauge as the wire in the wall for a 20A 240V plug, will be golden. I ran mine across the ceiling and dropped it down.

[Justin Rapp]

Your 12G extension cord, the same gauge as the wire in the wall for a 20A 240V plug, will be golden. I ran mine across the ceiling and dropped it down.

Yup - that is why I need 22 feet. I need to go up / over / down. I don't want a trip hazard laying on the floor.

[Jim Becker]

Extension cord that's "right sized" isn't going to be a problem. Just buy a value priced 12 gage extension cord from the 'borg and put new terminations on it. That's exactly how I've handed the PCS and my MM-16 in my temporary shop. Home Depot had 25' yellow HD cords on an end-cap and they were perfect for the job. Snipping off the 120v connectors and reterminating was easy. The PCS cord isn't long enough to reach all the way to the wall and only has a 15 amp plug on it. The extension I made solves both the distance and plug issue without changing anything on the actual saw. My MM-16 has a pigtail and was configured from the beginning to use an "extension cord" of the appropriate length in my shop. I think that the warning against extension cords is more of a sound thing for folks who would use a typical 50-100' undersize cord "because they have it" and that really could be insufficient and a safety issue.

[Justin Rapp]

Extension cord that's "right sized" isn't going to be a problem. Just buy a value priced 12 gage extension cord from the 'borg and put new terminations on it. That's exactly how I've handed the PCS and my MM-16 in my temporary shop. Home Depot had 25' yellow HD cords on an end-cap and they were perfect for the job. Snipping off the 120v connectors and reterminating was easy. The PCS cord isn't long enough to reach all the way to the wall and only has a 15 amp plug on it. The extension I made solves both the distance and plug issue without changing anything on the actual saw. My MM-16 has a pigtail and was configured from the beginning to use an "extension cord" of the appropriate length in my shop. I think that the warning against extension cords is more of a sound thing for folks who would use a typical 50-100' undersize cord "because they have it" and that really could be insufficient and a safety issue.

I grabbed a 25 foot 12G cord that had P6-15 plug/receptacle already installed. It worked out perfect.

[Jim Becker]

I grabbed a 25 foot 12G cord that had P6-15 plug/receptacle already installed. It worked out perfect.
Very good! There were none of those available in any of my local stores, but I'm also standard on twist locks, so modifying at least one end would have been necessary, anyway.

[Justin Rapp]

Very good! There were none of those available in any of my local stores, but I'm also standard on twist locks, so modifying at least one end would have been necessary, anyway.

That is what ship-to-home is good for :) Local store didn't have it either but I ordered it when I ordered the saw, so the cord was here before the saw!

[Jim Becker]

That is what ship-to-home is good for :) Local store didn't have it either but I ordered it when I ordered the saw, so the cord was here before the saw!
Good point...we just had to do that, albeit ship to store for free freight, for a new timer/power strip for our birds as nothing like that was an "in store" product. The Local HD has an Amazon-like locker system for small item order now in addition to counter and parking lot pickup options.

[Jack Frederick]

Now that you have things about set-up, Justin a couple cautions on triggering the brake unexpectedly. I had two early on. One, I have a JDS Accumiter and it has an aluminum bar. I set it close to the blade, but the bar did clear it. In discussion with tech at SS they figured the AL bar was to close and boom. They sent me a complimentary cartridge. My next was ripping a 2x6x8’ board. I looked it over and it appeared dry. It was dry except the 6” at the end of it that had gotten rained on which I missed. Boom. That was on me. I like my SS very much, but you have to come to terms with it and while it will save you it is some ways very unforgiving.

[Justin Rapp]

Now that you have things about set-up, Justin a couple cautions on triggering the brake unexpectedly. I had two early on. One, I have a JDS Accumiter and it has an aluminum bar. I set it close to the blade, but the bar did clear it. In discussion with tech at SS they figured the AL bar was to close and boom. They sent me a complimentary cartridge. My next was ripping a 2x6x8’ board. I looked it over and it appeared dry. It was dry except the 6” at the end of it that had gotten rained on which I missed. Boom. That was on me. I like my SS very much, but you have to come to terms with it and while it will save you it is some ways very unforgiving.

Thanks for the heads up. I will be really careful when cutting any type of construction lumber or something that has not been kiln dried or stored in-doors for a long time. A brake and forrest blade will set me back a bit if the brake is triggered.

[Rod Wolfy]

Justin,

I'm not sure if you're in the market for a mobile base or not, but if you go down that road, my $.02. I got the PCS mobile base and used it for a couple of years. It worked just OK. The issue that I had was that it only moved along the long edge of the saw. That is to say, if I needed it moved a few inches towards the outfeed table or towards the operator, I had to move it back and forth on the floor (which meant getting all the accumulated junk out from under the right table end) to get it there. I bit the bullet and bought the Industrial Base (another episode of cry twice) and it works so much better for me. I just push the pneumatic jack pedal a few times and I can pull it directly towards me or turn it 'on a dime', so that my infeed side isn't blocked from the bandsaw that stationed behind me (small shop).

Now I'm just trying to sell the PCS mobile base on Craigslist, but it's hard to find someone that wants one...

[Justin Rapp]

Justin,

I'm not sure if you're in the market for a mobile base or not, but if you go down that road, my $.02. I got the PCS mobile base and used it for a couple of years. It worked just OK. The issue that I had was that it only moved along the long edge of the saw. That is to say, if I needed it moved a few inches towards the outfeed table or towards the operator, I had to move it back and forth on the floor (which meant getting all the accumulated junk out from under the right table end) to get it there. I bit the bullet and bought the Industrial Base (another episode of cry twice) and it works so much better for me. I just push the pneumatic jack pedal a few times and I can pull it directly towards me or turn it 'on a dime', so that my infeed side isn't blocked from the bandsaw that stationed behind me (small shop).

Now I'm just trying to sell the PCS mobile base on Craigslist, but it's hard to find someone that wants one...

Rod - thanks ICS mobile base was an absolute requirement. I think the difference in price between the two bases is $140. It's literally the cost of a few tanks of gas to upgrade to the ics base. I want the folding table also, but can add that later. Putting the mobile base under the saw before the wings, rails, extension table are installed is a no brainer.

[Jim Becker]

Good choice on the base. The PCS I have in my temporary shop has the internal PCS mobility kit. It's functional but not ideal and since I had to block the saw up so outfeed cleared the CNC machine bed, the mobility is off the floor anyway. With a "more normal" mobile base, the blocking could have been inside the base so movement was retained while accommodating the height I needed.

[Justin Rapp]

My old saw also went to it's new home last night. A newer woodworker who is upgrading his portable table saw to my Jet contractor saw bought it, so it's a nice upgrade for him. I sent it home with a basic 24t rip blade I had and suggested he upgrade to the blade of his choice. And of course we had a bit of a safety discussion since my saw stop was sitting right next to it.

[Geoff Barry]

467974

Looks like we're having a party! Mine just arrived this week - will assemble this weekend. I went with the 36" PCS 3hp, too. I bought it through Woodcraft, and they called me a few days later to confirm that I had actually ordered it. It shipped the next day, and arrived three days later. I have the saw body on a Grizzly bear crawl base with four swiveling casters. In my one-car garage, space is tight, so the extra mobility is a plus. And the grizzly base was $110, plus $44 for an extension - the PCS base was $275, and the ICS around $400. It's just a base . . .. I also am planning on seeing if my Peachtree router wing will fit on the Sawstop without too much drilling (it's already on its second saw - note to self: in the future, drill the saws, not the router wing . ..). The SawStop router wing is very nice, but it's also $575. I'm moving up from a Craftsman 22124 saw, which has been great, but it's a 120v 1.5hp saw. I wanted a little more oomph when running full kerf blades, and I wanted the sawstop part. In my experience, you can lift up the saw body solo just fine - unless you're trying to also slide it on to a mobile base. There was much hilarity until I had a friend stop by and just put their foot against the mobile base to prevent the bottom of the saw from sliding out . .. I

I saw where you mentioned you were planing on getting the outfeed table. On the interwebs, that seems to be the one accessory making people unhappy. It apparently conflicts with other common accessories, so you might do a little research to ensure it will work for you. I saw someone else mention they wanted to get the 4" dust-collecting overhead guard - I'd be interested in hearing how that works out.

[Robert Engel]

Hey guys, a couple things I discovered that might be of use.

When you install the fence, they say leave a gap between pads and rail. I closed mine up to pretty much a slide fit, not what fence has no racking and is a dream to use.

Blades. The other thing I found, and maybe you guys can chime in, I haven’t t talked to SS about this. I found with several of my blades that have been sharpened multiple times, the brake gap is more than the spec even when closed all the way up.

I’m guessing this would cause a delay, but would it be significant enough to warrant buying new blades?

Also, I forgot about blades with anti kickback shoulders you’re not supposed to use them.

Apparently there is also some inherent backlash in the height adjustment? I’ve talked to SS about this. I never experienced it in either of my Jet saws. Getting used to it but have any of you adjusted the gear lash? I’m always afraid of screwing with a factory setting.

[Justin Rapp]

467974

Looks like we're having a party! Mine just arrived this week - will assemble this weekend. I went with the 36" PCS 3hp, too. I bought it through Woodcraft, and they called me a few days later to confirm that I had actually ordered it. It shipped the next day, and arrived three days later. I have the saw body on a Grizzly bear crawl base with four swiveling casters. In my one-car garage, space is tight, so the extra mobility is a plus. And the grizzly base was $110, plus $44 for an extension - the PCS base was $275, and the ICS around $400. It's just a base . . .. I also am planning on seeing if my Peachtree router wing will fit on the Sawstop without too much drilling (it's already on its second saw - note to self: in the future, drill the saws, not the router wing . ..). The SawStop router wing is very nice, but it's also $575. I'm moving up from a Craftsman 22124 saw, which has been great, but it's a 120v 1.5hp saw. I wanted a little more oomph when running full kerf blades, and I wanted the sawstop part. In my experience, you can lift up the saw body solo just fine - unless you're trying to also slide it on to a mobile base. There was much hilarity until I had a friend stop by and just put their foot against the mobile base to prevent the bottom of the saw from sliding out . .. I

I saw where you mentioned you were planing on getting the outfeed table. On the interwebs, that seems to be the one accessory making people unhappy. It apparently conflicts with other common accessories, so you might do a little research to ensure it will work for you. I saw someone else mention they wanted to get the 4" dust-collecting overhead guard - I'd be interested in hearing how that works out.

Congratulations on your upgrade as well. I was 1 step away from ordering mine from Woodcraft also. The Delaware store is about 75 miles from me and I'd save on delivery, and Delaware has no sales tax if I picked it up. Picking it up would have caused it's own set of issues, aka, getting it out of the back of an SUV. If it was delivered from the store, they charge $2.00 per mile each way, so that would be a wash. I ended up ordering it from WoodWerks in Ohio, as they had it in their warehouse. They also didn't hit me for sales tax and the $250 delivery fee was well worth it. It shipped the next morning and was in my garage in a few days. They even sent me a picture of my order so I knew exactly what I was getting and to show me there was no damage to the boxes.

Assembly took some time, but mostly done in 1 evening. Have a lot of rags/paper towels available as there is a lot of coatings on the parts to prevent rust in shipping/storage. It does help to have a second set of hands when building it also, especially when adding the wings and putting the saw on your base.

I believe the outfeed table does not work if you get the sliding table upgrade. I have no need for the sliding table so this shouldn't be an issue.

It is ironic where we put our money. I 100% wanted the 4 caster ics base. The psc base and the base you have from grizzly work with 2 casters and 2 fixed wheels, so you do have a steering limitation that I have on some of all of my other mobile bases. However, instead of buying the $275 dust collection hoses, I picked up a few vac hoses from home depot. The one that works the best is the hose that comes with the Ridgid Car Cleaning Kit ($25.00), along with some dust collection parts I already had (or about $12 in parts) and some scrap wood to built a small frame to hold it up from the table, I've got the same functionality for $250 less. Does it look as fancy, no, can I make it fancy if I want, sure.

I was thinking of getting the router table also because my old Rockler table is not so great and the fence bolts don't really hold well. I can maybe fix it up but I've never been happy with it and hate not having a lift. I decided to stay with a stand-alone router setup and will be assembling my new woodpecker router table today.

[Justin Rapp]

Hey guys, a couple things I discovered that might be of use.

When you install the fence, they say leave a gap between pads and rail. I closed mine up to pretty much a slide fit, not what fence has no racking and is a dream to use.

Blades. The other thing I found, and maybe you guys can chime in, I haven’t t talked to SS about this. I found with several of my blades that have been sharpened multiple times, the brake gap is more than the spec even when closed all the way up.

I’m guessing this would cause a delay, but would it be significant enough to warrant buying new blades?

Also, I forgot about blades with anti kickback shoulders you’re not supposed to use them.

Apparently there is also some inherent backlash in the height adjustment? I’ve talked to SS about this. I never experienced it in either of my Jet saws. Getting used to it but have any of you adjusted the gear lash? I’m always afraid of screwing with a factory setting.

I believe I read about ensuring adjustment of the blade brake every time you put on a different blade as sharpening can take the blade diameter down a hair or two each time. I supposed if the blade has been sharpened enough times that the brake can't be adjusted properly for the required clearance, it's just time for a new blade. I know Forrest tells me I should get 8-10 sharpening from a blade before the teeth are too worn down. Forrest can replace broken teeth but it's not cost effective to do the entire blade.

I also saw not to sue a blade with anti-kickback shoulders as it adds weight to the blade that will slow down the braking process.

[Ron Selzer]

However, instead of buying the $275 dust collection hoses, I picked up a few vac hoses from home depot. The one that works the best is the hose that comes with the Ridgid Car Cleaning Kit ($25.00), along with some dust collection parts I already had (or about $12 in parts) and some scrap wood to built a small frame to hold it up from the table, I've got the same functionality for $250 less. Does it look as fancy, no, can I make it fancy if I want, sure.



pictures please of this
thank you
Ron

[Rick Potter]

Robert,

There is a whole thread on blade sizing for SawStop.

In short...some 10" blades were manufactured to metric sizes and actually measure out at roughly 9 3/4" instead of 10. In my case they were Freud blades. I understand new ones now are full 10".

This didn't matter until SS became popular, and they are made for 10" blades, although should adjust to the metric sizes also. Again, in my case, I did not want to adjust with each blade change, and only use full 10" on my SS, using the old ones on another saw.

Hope this helps.

[Justin Rapp]

pictures please of this
thank you
Ron

I will - it's not done yet - i need to tie in the other end of the hose - hopefully tomorrow.

[Geoff Barry]

I think the advantage of the 4" dust collection mentioned by another poster is that it's a floating guard, so there are no obstructions on the table (no pulling the guard for non-thru cuts, for example, or for using a sled or jig). Of course, it's also $500, so not really an impulse purchase. But getting the hose out of the way in general is always useful, so I look forward to seeing your pics!

Also, just for anyone else getting a sawstop, the Grizzly bear crawl base I got has 4 swiveling castors, will hold 900 lbs, and is almost $300 cheaper than the ICS base and adapter for the PCS. I'm sure the ICS base is very nice - the sawstop stuff seems very well made - but there ARE alternatives that offer the same maneuverability :)

[Justin Rapp]

I think the advantage of the 4" dust collection mentioned by another poster is that it's a floating guard, so there are no obstructions on the table (no pulling the guard for non-thru cuts, for example, or for using a sled or jig). Of course, it's also $500, so not really an impulse purchase. But getting the hose out of the way in general is always useful, so I look forward to seeing your pics!

Also, just for anyone else getting a sawstop, the Grizzly bear crawl base I got has 4 swiveling castors, will hold 900 lbs, and is almost $300 cheaper than the ICS base and adapter for the PCS. I'm sure the ICS base is very nice - the sawstop stuff seems very well made - but there ARE alternatives that offer the same maneuverability :)

When I looked up the mobile base (bear crawl) I didn't see the 4 caster model but i just found it. You must have gotten something like Grizzly T31566 - Bear Crawl All Swivel HD Mobile Base. I didn't really think of looking for an alternative but had I seen this for 300 less I might have gone with it.

[Jim Becker]

I think the advantage of the 4" dust collection mentioned by another poster is that it's a floating guard, so there are no obstructions on the table (no pulling the guard for non-thru cuts, for example, or for using a sled or jig). Of course, it's also $500, so not really an impulse purchase. But getting the hose out of the way in general is always useful, so I look forward to seeing your pics!

I want to get back to having over head collection available once I have a shop building up and it will most likely be the free standing overarm solution from Grizzly or similar. Good overarm collection really does need the air flow possible from a larger hose connection. Riving knife attached guards/collection are a show-stopper for me because constantly switching back and forth between through and non-through cuts is maddening to me.

[Justin Rapp]

It doesn't have a ton of suction but I did test it and it got most of the dust. I tried it on mdf which is usually the most dust I get 468050

[Justin Rapp]

It doesn't have a ton of suction but I did test it and it got most of the dust. I tried it on mdf which is usually the most dust I get 468050

Thinking about it more, I might switch the connections on the wye and see if i get a bit more suction on the over-table hose if it's connected to the strait part of the Wye.

[glenn bradley]

I have the factory Saw Stop overarm. The reduction at the guard really does make getting more airflow a decision point for you (and me). Like you I find the collection to be surprisingly good considering the poor pathway. The opening in the guard where the hose attaches is so small an alternate opening will be required. I have a 2-1/2" hose in my current setup but, have not yet altered the opening on the guard so behavior is the same as with the smaller hose. I do see a jump in performance if I hook up a shop vac to the stock guard. There are some things that vacs work better on and small apertures is one of them. I don't want to fool with a shop vac for this but, I am also not sure if I can "field modify" the current guard for a larger hose. A Shark Guard may be the best answer. The jury is still out.

[Ron Selzer]

thank you
hooking up dust collection to one at work and was trying to figure out how to support the hose, in the old shop dropped down from overhead piping, had a nice sized dust collector. New shop has a 25?hp, AAF with flap valve, still hooking all machines up to it. Sized for 12 6" drops open at same time.
at home I have my shop vac piped to the overarm as the factory setup just didn't work for me, not enough suction out of my dust collector
Ron

[Justin Rapp]

If I find that it's not enough suction, I have a spare shop vac that would fit under the extension table just fine and I can use that. I do have a main branch duct going right over the table saw and could easily do a drop down, but it doesn't seem like something i'd need with the amount of wood I cut.

[Robert Engel]

Now having one, I didn’t realize how obstructive over arms are especially for rips under 2” wide.

I find I don’t use it near as often as I anticipated other than MDF and plywood.

[Jim Becker]

Now having one, I didn’t realize how obstructive over arms are especially for rips under 2” wide.

I find I don’t use it near as often as I anticipated other than MDF and plywood.
Yes, especially those fixed to the riving knife. A true overarm/overhead guard setup is a little more flexible because you can have some lateral adjustment, but with very narrow rips, it's going to be a challenge for sure. Nature of the beast. At least with an overarm/overhead mount setup, you can get it out of the way faster and easier for those cuts that it's not compatible with.

[Warren Lake]

Whats a saw stop?

If a saw is well built with attention to that for the most part tons of the dust ends up going into the saw. I was really surprised at the difference and even one time forgot the mickey mouse dust collector I have made my cuts and then realized I had not hooked up the dust collector hosee and sawdust had shot up to six feet at least behind the saw, there is some sort of turbulence in the way the thing is designed inside. My cabinet saws were useless compared to that and I had mctivered something up inside. Still not close to this.

[Christopher Charles]

A bit late to the party-Justin, congrats on the new saw.

I've had mine for a couple months now and it came with the dust guard. I took some 2" hose and the guard to the hardware store and here's my hillbilly solution for less than $5 (and yep, right now my overarm support is paracord...). Like others have said, I'm using just the riving knife for most operations but am glad to have the dust guard for ply and mdf. Doesn't pull much air, but does a good job of capturing dust with my 2HP SSD. I suspect the blade itself provides a substantial assist.

468071468072

[glenn bradley]

Glenn,

UHMW is conductive??

I bought a couple nice cutting boards at a garage sale to cut into miter bars. Haven't done it yet. I guess I should use a different saw to cut it.

Was the stuff you were cutting special, or is it all conductive?
Conductive UMHW was used in some of the shipping assemblies for electronics where I worked. I cut regular UHMW and just didn’t have my thinking cap on when I started cutting the conductive material. All I had to do was put it in bypass mode and everything would’ve been fine.

[Rick Potter]

Thanks Glenn,

Just to be safe I will try to remember to test it before turning the saw on.

[Myles Moran]

Just be warned, the saw is less sensitive off than on. You might have something against the blade borderline off that would trip when off. This is a well noted "issue". My use has been if in doubt, cut in bypass (and then later find it would not have tripped)

[Justin Rapp]

A bit late to the party-Justin, congrats on the new saw.

I've had mine for a couple months now and it came with the dust guard. I took some 2" hose and the guard to the hardware store and here's my hillbilly solution for less than $5 (and yep, right now my overarm support is paracord...). Like others have said, I'm using just the riving knife for most operations but am glad to have the dust guard for ply and mdf. Doesn't pull much air, but does a good job of capturing dust with my 2HP SSD. I suspect the blade itself provides a substantial assist.

468071468072

thanks - this looks like it will work well also. As long as it gets the dust, that is what counts. It's much better for our lungs to have the dust in the dust collector than in the air or all over the shop.

[Tim Andrews]

No one has commented about an outfeed table, so here’s what I did for my new SS. Details here:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?294329-Folding-outfeed-table-and-adjustable-legs-for-my-new-Sawstop

[Justin Rapp]

No one has commented about an outfeed table, so here’s what I did for my new SS. Details here:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?294329-Folding-outfeed-table-and-adjustable-legs-for-my-new-Sawstop

This is on my to due list if I don't just bite the bullet and get the SS outfeed table. I been looking black melamine for a while and it's either $$$$$ or not available.

[Jonathan Jung]

Congratulations. Good saw. Best upgrade I made to mine - other than blades and a good outfeed - was the Zero Clearance Insert from Infinity.

[Roger Feeley]

Maybe UHMW builds up static and the static charge triggered the saw to brake. Doesn't the saw stop have a method to shut off the safety for cutting conductive or wet material?

SS has a bypass mode but you really, really have to want it. After it’s powered up, you turn the key until the lights change. Then you turn on the big paddle switch while holding the switch. A couple seconds after it’s up to speed you can release the key.

[Justin Rapp]

SS has a bypass mode but you really, really have to want it. After it’s powered up, you turn the key until the lights change. Then you turn on the big paddle switch while holding the switch. A couple seconds after it’s up to speed you can release the key.

thanks Roger - now that I have the saw here, i've gone through the owners manual and tested out bypass.