What is a hybrid saw?

[Eric Gustafson]

I just do not know. When I look at pics, they look like cabinet saws to me.

[glenn bradley]

Generally under 2HP, do not require but can be run on 220v power, 'sealed' enclosure, motor mounted in the cabinet, sometimes a smaller footprint, usually the same table size. It gets harder to tell with the Craftsman and the Steel City as they run cabinet mounted trunnions like cab-saws.

Delta and others run table mounted trunnions like contractor saws. The motor's are still inside; its just a different approach. Cab mounted trunnions adjust easier but I've owned both and once properly adjusted, I never touched them again.

[David Weaver]

I have the delta version - it just has a heavy duty version of the trunnions in a contractor's saw with a small cabinet. No idea why it's as popular as it is, other than that it's cheap, and that's including coming with a biesemeyer commercial fence.

I like it OK, but if I had to buy again, I'd get a 220v full-blown cabinet saw in case I ever rip 2" stock. It can be done with a 1.75 hp hybrid saw (like hard maple, or whatever), but you can't ram the stock through like you can with, say, a 5HP Powermatic 66.

Cuts everything else fine, though, and a lot of other things I'd do with it (resawing) if it had more power probably aren't safe to do on a TS, anyway.

I understand the motor life in some of the hybrid saws is markedly less than in a good cabinet saw, or at least that's what I gather from reading reviews.

[Steve Mellott]

I have an older 2 HP Delta hybrid saw. As I understand it, it is a contractor saw shrouded with a cabinet. The trunnions are mounted on the top instead of the cabinet. (If you buy the PALs unit, the trunnions are very easy to adjust.) The trunnions are also not as heavy as the trunnions on a cabinet saw. The saw that I have has met all of my hobbiest needs. The heaviest lumber that I have sawn was 8/4 hard maple - no problems.

[scott spencer]

There's really no standard definition of a "true cabinet saw" or a "hybrid". Some consider any saw with a full cabinet to be a cabinet saw. Some consider and saw with cabinet mounted trunnions to be a cabinet saw. Others consider cabinet saws to be those in the traditional industrial style, usually with 3-5hp motors and massive parts beneath the table.

My interpretation is that a hybrid is a home duty saw with a standard full size table, an internal belt driven induction motor that has similar horsepower, electrical requirements, and duty rating as a contractor saw. It has some of the same advantages as an industrial cabinet saw, (smaller footprint, improved DC, shorter drive belt, internal motor) but without the power and rugged duty rating of an industrial saw.

IMHO, the hybrids are not a comparable substitute for an industrial 3hp cabinet saw like a PM66, General 650, or even a Griz 1023, but they are an excellent choice where 220v isn't available, or where need or budget constraints can't justify the additional cost of a cabinet saw. The hybrids start at ~ $400 and go upwards of $1200, with many of the popular models running in the $800 range. Sale prices can put some of the upper end hybrids well within the same range as many of the higher end contractor saws.

From the top, cabinet saws with standard rails, hybrids, and contractor saws tend to look very similar and have about the same size surface areas. It'd likely be difficult to tell what wood was cut on which saw too, though the cabinet saws with bigger motors will have an easier time of thick wood. They have very different underpinnings though.

Table mounted trunnions with one-piece blade shroud of the Ridgid 3650 (without the motor):
72687
Typical contractor saw motor location:
72688
Cabinet mounted trunnions and motor of the Craftsman 22124 and Steel City 35601 hybrids:
72690
Table mounted trunnions and motor of hybrids with a one piece blade shroud (Griz G0478, DW746, Jet 708100, GI 50-220, Sunhill):
72689
Typical trunnions of an industrial cabinet saw:
http://images.grizzly.com/grizzlycom/pics/jpeg500/g/g1023sl_det1.jpg