Grizzly, Powermatic Sawstop

[William Nimmo]

Well I took a pole out of my basement and put up a triple microlam header to make room for a cabinet saw. Great reviews on a grizzly so thats what I am going with. But a powermatic is better, and double the money but I have never regretted buying the best in the past. So on that note and since I have a 10 year old that loves to work wtih me in the shop, Sawstop is the obvious choice as far as buying the best and safest. Now I am at triple the price of a grizzly.
I don't do woodworking for a living (I own a seperate business) but I did just sell about $9,000 worth of custom woodworking that I just got a deposit on.
Like the guy at the sawstop dealer asked, How long do you plan on using the saw? I figured at 47 I might use it for 30 years.
Will I ever regret spending 3 times as much as I planned on spending?
How much are my fingers and my sons fingers worth?
I have been using a ts for 20 years and never came close, but It only takes a milisecond.
o.k. talk me out of it.

[Tim Lynch]

Get your ten reasons busy and write the check! :D

[Dennis Meek]

The first time you power the Sawstop up you will know that you bought the right saw for both you and your son.

Congratulations!

[John Bailey]

Get your ten reasons busy and write the check! :D

Good one Tim!!:D:D

[Rod Sheridan]

I don't own one, however I did look at a Sawstop at the woodworking show, including witnessing the hot dog demo.

I'm now thinking that I should replace my General 650 with a sawstop. I don't if the General or the Sawstop are better machines, however the Sawstop wins hands down on safety.

If one of your children or grandchildren ever had an accident with the tablesaw, how would you ever justify saving the money by not buying a Sawstop?

I think it's probably the most significant improvement in safety to date.

Regards, Rod.

[Justin Henry]

I don't own one, however I did look at a Sawstop at the woodworking show, including witnessing the hot dog demo.

I'm now thinking that I should replace my General 650 with a sawstop. I don't if the General or the Sawstop are better machines, however the Sawstop wins hands down on safety.

If one of your children or grandchildren ever had an accident with the tablesaw, how would you ever justify saving the money by not buying a Sawstop?

I think it's probably the most significant improvement in safety to date.

Regards, Rod.


If you do Rod I want first crack at the General

[William Nimmo]

exactly what I wanted to hear

[Steve Roxberg]

The Sawstop is the way to go. The 10 year old could do serious damage, and it could happen to you.

I have a good working saw now, but someday I'll end up with a Sawstop.

[Greg Robbins]

A year of two from now, you won't even remember the price of it. Go with the best you can afford.

[Tom Jones III]

I've got a PM 66 and am happy with it, there is nothing much to report on that TS it simply works every time and stays calibrated over the years.

I have started letting one neighbor kid (12 yrs old and very careful and obedient) use power tools in my shop under 100% supervision. I noticed that there were simply some TS cuts that he could not safely execute b/c his arms were too short. Be sure to give that aspect some thought before buying a saw.

[Roy Wall]

William,

Sounds like the $9k job will more than cover the price of a new Sawstop.

Any table saw with a riving knife is MUCH SAFER than one without for sure - besides good safety habits - this is the first line of defense (IMHO)

The sawstop was the first cabinet saw I've ever purchased (5/2005), and I have been pleased with the saw. I will add that if you have problems with the saw - I believe SS CS will be of great assistance to you.

[John Schreiber]

If you CAN afford the SawStop and have the space for it, I'd find it very hard to make another choice. (Except possibly a large format Euro slider.)

[Vic Damone]

The only moment you'll regret the extra outlay for a SawStop is when your on your death bed and the break never needed to fire. By then you want the last check you write to bounce.

Vic

[Mark Engel]

I am very happy with my Griz, and with the $2,000.00 worth of additional tools.

I don't have any 10 year olds to worry about, only my ten fingers. They are still here, and I count them again before and after every cut I very carefully make.

[Bob Michaels]

Bill, check this out :

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=53084

[Don Bullock]

William,
You will love the SawStop. I've had mine for a few weeks. See:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=55934

My only regret is that I didn't do this ten years ago, but,of course, they didn't have SawStop ten years ago.

If you're talking about seeing the demonstration today at the Pomona, Calif. Woodworking Show, it was demonstrated by the owner, Jesse, of Eagle Tools in LA. They are a first class act and will do a super job of preparing and delivering your saw. I talked some about their service in the thread listed above. I highly recommend them.

[William Nimmo]

Bob
Thanks I just read through that thread.
I can't tell you how many times I opted to save some money , and then spent it twice again buying the better item later.
I will be ordering my sawstop on Monday.
If I didn't know about this technology and my son got hurt on my table saw, I would be devastated.
If I knew about it, and decided I could save some money and he got hurt, well I can't even imagine that.

[William Nimmo]

I think the decision might have been made for me. I looked at the demensions on their site and I am not sure I can get it in my door. I have a 32 inch door at the bottom of the outside concrete steps coming into the basement (straight run). The site says 34 inches deep,before the fence is attached. But the tables is supposed to be 30 inches deep. I have an e-mail into them to see if it can be dissassembled or if there is any way to get it into a 31.5 opening.
Anyone?

[Ken Milhinch]

Sounds like those 3.5 inches just saved you some money;)

[Adam Grills]

I have two young boys in my house too. Have you considered putting a second braker pannel in and have all the shop equipment run off that pannel? That way when you leave the basement you can throw the equipement off and still have power to all the lights etc. The table saw is not the only piece of equipment in the shop that will hurt your child. Just a thought.
Adam

[Art Mulder]

I have a 32 inch door at the bottom of the outside concrete steps coming into the basement (straight run). The site says 34 inches deep,before the fence is attached. But the tables is supposed to be 30 inches deep. I have an e-mail into them to see if it can be dissassembled or if there is any way to get it into a 31.5 opening.
Anyone?

I would think that what matters is the size of the cabinet base. The table does come off, and the wings do also. Besides that, is the problem any different for the other saws?

(Note to self: when building dream home, put 36" doors into the shop.:rolleyes: )

[William Nimmo]

The cabinet is 25 inches, on the ss.
The grizzly tabel is only 27 inches deep. I have to go see it today with a tape measure or wait for my email.

[Don Bullock]

I think the decision might have been made for me. I looked at the demensions on their site and I am not sure I can get it in my door. I have a 32 inch door at the bottom of the outside concrete steps coming into the basement (straight run). The site says 34 inches deep,before the fence is attached. But the tables is supposed to be 30 inches deep. I have an e-mail into them to see if it can be dissassembled or if there is any way to get it into a 31.5 opening.
Anyone?

Yes, you can get the saw in the door. The table is exactly 30" front to rear. The power switch box stucks out in front of the saw. That's where they get the 35". The box can be removed from the saw with just four bolts and can be taped to the side of the saw, woth the cords still attached to it. to get it in the door with the top still on it.:D

[William Nimmo]

Thank you, Don

Funny, since I have been considering this, I have been a little more nervous/cautious than usual, using my current saw.
Plus I am hating it more and more.

[Don Bullock]

Thank you, Don

Funny, since I have been considering this, I have been a little more nervous/cautious than usual, using my current saw.
Plus I am hating it more and more.

William, I must admit that I had the same feelings, but I was working with a Craftsman contractors saw that I bought in 1979. The fence on to was almost impossible to use and it had a lot of vibration.

I have found that I'm even more careful using the SawStop than I was with my Cman. The guard is much easier to use and it has a riving knife, not just a splitter, attached to it. For the rare times that I'm not using the guard, I use the riving knife. On my old saw I rarely used the guard/splitter and I didn't have a splitter that wasn't attached to the guard. I took a refresher seminar at a woodworking show before the SawStop came that included a section on saw safety. I'm also going to take a class from Woodcraft on furniture making that includes some instruction on safety. My goal is to never need the brake.

BTW -- I discovered that where I bought me saw made a big difference in the service I received. You may even find a dealer that will actually help you get it in your shop for a small fee. It's certainly worth checking out if you have more than one retailer in your area.

If you want a new table saw, I can definately say that you will love the SawStop. :D

[William Nimmo]

There is only one dealer on Long Island. Woodcraft does not exist in my state.(NY)
The Dealer is about 1/2 hour away , and after talking to him he seems real good.
$3776.
3 hp with 36 inch rails
extra brake, delivered and I think he said put in shop.
I didn't tell him about the stairs.

[Don Bullock]

Great!!! It sounds like you'll be making sawdust with your new SawStop very soon. Congratulations.:D

[Gary Tenney]

I read the older post too and was wondering if anyone has ever seen a Sawstop for sale second hand? The reason I ask is that it was implied that folks who actually owned the machine only spoke highly of it because they just spent that much money on it and did not want to look foolish. I have one on lay-away and will pay the second half of the cash next month and have it delivered to my house. I would think that if anyone were unhappy with their purchase, they would have the machine up for sale, but I have not seen one anywhere second hand. Granted they have not been around long, but every store I checked say they are the best selling machine they stock. Anyhow I am looking forward to recieving my baby and appreciate all the information gleaned from this forum concerning it. Thanks guys!
Gary Tenney

[Don Bullock]

Gary, congratulations on your pre-gloat. You're going to love your SawStop.