Table saw purchase question

[Kevin Gagne]

I am new to this forum and I am working on picking out the tools that I want to put in my new workshop. I recently finished a big addition that we put on our house and now I am finishing an area in the basement that was set aside for my workshop. The area is 20x20 but I think that may expand a little :). I figured the best place to start is with the table saw. I have a Delta contractor table saw that my Dad gave me for working on the addition but I am looking to get a cabinet saw now. After doing a lot of research I am leaning towards the Grizzly 1023S. It has a lot of good reviews and people on the message boards seem happy with it and other Grizzly tools and you can't beat the price. I am wondering if people would recommend getting the 7' rails with it or just getting the base unit. I would also like to know what you think of the saw I am getting. I picked this because I want to purchase a lot of woodworking tools and don't want to spend all my money on one tool.

I am planning on getting Grizzly for the jointer, band saw, drill press and sander. I think I will go with Dewalt for the planer. Looking forward to hearing everyones comments. -Kevin

[Ben Cadotte]

I would not think twice about getting the griz saw. If you have the space I would get the 7' rails. As for the planer I would ditch the Dewalt choice and get the 15" Griz. Dewalt blades are $50 a pair and that seems way over priced for what you get. The Dewalt has a good following, but the same people also lament about blade cost. Since you don't already have a planer might as well grab a decent one right off the bat.

[Cary Falk]

I think Grizzly is a great place for the table saw(1023), jointer and bandsaw. I would definitely get the 7' rail if you have the room. I think the dewalt planar is just too expensive for what it is. If you want to go with a lunchbox planar I would do the Ridgid or the Delta 22-580(what I have). I would look elsewhere for a drill press. I never liked their lineup. I have the Steel City 17" DP and love it. I think it is the best bang for your buck. I can't comment on the sander because I don't know what tyoe you are after.

[James Suzda]

I agree with the other posters when they say to get the 7' rails if you have the room. I wish I had the longer rails on my Grizzly saw, but I don't.
However, my Son does have the longer rails and the long Griz extension wing. I don't know if he just got a lemon, but his wing has a definite "dip" in the middle of the table. Without checking the Grizzly website I don't know if this extension wing is an extra with the 7' rails or if it is part of the package.
If it is an extra I think I'd build my own torsion table to fill out the expanse to the right. (Then put a router base about 3' in from the end.)

[Vic Damone]

That 1023 saw is a right tilt, many prefer left tilt.

I own a DeWalt 735 Planer and while it's a decent tool their blade design and cost prevents me from a personal recommendation. I would suggest searching for a heavier used floor model with traditional blades or a spiral cutter.

Vic

[Tim Marks]

Quit agonizing about the TS decision and buy the 1023. Buy the longer rails ONLY if you have alot of room and don't forsee having to move stuff around to use the TS.


As for the planer I would ditch the Dewalt choice and get the 15" Griz.
I agree. I have the DW735. By the time you buy a base, and infeed/outfeed tables (which are optional for some unknown reason, but are you can't get a good cut without them) you are within shouting distance of a 15" stationary, which is 10x the machine.

Go for the Grizzly 15". Or buy my DW735 so can i get the Grizzly 15"....:D

You have anymore money you need help spending? For $400 more then the 1023SLX, you could buy the new G0651 with riving knife, outfeed table, and long rails....

[Tim Morton]

why not keep the delta saw for now and add some pieces you DON"T have first. There really isn't a single thing the grizz saw will do that the delta saw won't...but I bet you can't plane a board on the grizz:cool:

[Randal Cobb]

Not to rock the boat, but you may also want to check out Steel City tools for your equipment as well. They are both excellent choices, but, you get a bit more value with the Steel City products IMHO. I recently just purchased a new cabinet saw myself and opted for the Steel City because I could get a bit more for the same price and still have (at least) the same quality product. For example, the 1023 I priced out was about $300 more than the comparable Steel City unit; I basically used the $300 difference to get the upgraded top (titanium, not the granite one) and wings, and mobile base. Also, with the Grizzly I would have had to add in shipping; with the Steel City, I could pick it up from a local dealer and save more.

On the planer... I got the Ridgid for $150 less than the Dewalt and don't regret is one bit. I've run all sorts of "hard to work" lumber through it and have been more than pleased with the results. With the Ridgid, you get a stand, not a great stand, but a stand. That was basically the thing that did it for me... Not that the DeWalt is a bad tool, don't get me wrong, I approx 70% of my motorized hand tools are DeWalt (biscuit joiner, ROS, Palm Sander, etc.)... I just opted for the Ridgid for the value and on the recommendations of other woodworkers.

Sorry if this adds to your dilemma.

[Carroll Courtney]

Kelvin,welcome to SMC!I think that you will fine that there is lots of opinions here and all are good.I fell that part of the fun is the research for machinery.SMCer's here will agree to purchase the best you can afford.As the saying go's "purchase quality and cry once"---"purchase cheap, and cry everytime you use it".I do have a couple of giz products(drum, spindle sander)and love them.So,I feel that they also make a good table saw,and I would also vote for the 7'rails.Hope that your not in a hurry,cause what I have heard that there is about 2-4mos waiting period.I will also vote for the giz planer and not the dewalt.Price, I think is the driving force here and the quality is also good.For me,I shop for the older american made tools and pick up some bargins,again money was the driving force.Used tools was in my budget,new was not.You may shop around for used machiney and save a bundle.But!Nothing is better than opening up a new crate with a table saw in it.Enjoy!!!

[Jamie Buxton]

What do you guys use 7' rails for?! Are you buying plywood which is 14' wide?

As I see it, there's argument for ripping a sheet of plywood about 3 feet wide. On the rare occasion you want to rip 3 1/2 feet wide, you can generally flip the sheet around and rip 1/2 foot off. Depending on how the manufacturer measures the rails, this might give you rails which are 4 1/2 or 5 feet long. But 7 feet is just going to get in the way.

[Lee Koepke]

What do you guys use 7' rails for?! Are you buying plywood which is 14' wide?

As I see it, there's argument for ripping a sheet of plywood about 3 feet wide. On the rare occasion you want to rip 3 1/2 feet wide, you can generally flip the sheet around and rip 1/2 foot off. Depending on how the manufacturer measures the rails, this might give you rails which are 4 1/2 or 5 feet long. But 7 feet is just going to get in the way.
i kinda agree with this.
I have a 50" bies fence and what I did to get a little extra space was slide the tube one set of holes down the rails. Now I have more than the 50" capacity to the right. I measure the cuts anyway and dont use the tape on the tube. As others said, if it fits, do it ... but I have yet to try and cut something wider than my setup allows.

[Cary Falk]

What do you guys use 7' rails for?! Are you buying plywood which is 14' wide?

As I see it, there's argument for ripping a sheet of plywood about 3 feet wide. On the rare occasion you want to rip 3 1/2 feet wide, you can generally flip the sheet around and rip 1/2 foot off. Depending on how the manufacturer measures the rails, this might give you rails which are 4 1/2 or 5 feet long. But 7 feet is just going to get in the way.

I didn't need the 50" rip but I felt the 26" of theShop Fox Classic was too short. My plan was to cut the 50" down to about 42" My old contractor saw has 30" and there were several times that I needed something in the range of 36" and 42". Once I got the fence I didn't have the heart to cut it so I shifted it to the left(I have it on a RT Unisaw) and now I have 42" on the right and 24" on the right. I made a bedroom set and used the length for the plywood backs. I use the length because on big sheets/doors/raised panels it is easy to square one edge then put that end against the table and rip to length/width. It is more work to square both sides and then cut off the smaller end instead of squaring one end and ripping to length. I also yse the extra length on the right as a workbench/staging area. YMMV

[Tim Marks]

What do you guys use 7' rails for?! Are you buying plywood which is 14' wide?
Remember that the rails extend to the left side of the sawblade, and the t-square arrangement of the fence means the fence cant get closer then about 6" to the end of the rails.

7' rails will give you a cut capacity of 50-54" to the right of the sawblade, which is useful for cutting a 8' piece of plywood. Having at least 48" capacity would be pretty handy in my book.... except that it wouldn't fit in my shop.

7' rails are more commonly called "52 inch rails", but are much longer then 52".

[Doug Shepard]

I've got to toss my vote into the Less-Is-More category. I think for most home workshop use, the full length fences and extensions are overkill unless you've got a very big space. Very handy to have for cutting full 4x8 sheets, but then you're going to want a big outfeed table to handle it, plus enough space on the front to feed it, and next thing you know your 20x20 workshop is pretty much your table saw room. I've got a PM66 with the short fence rails and it's not that often that I feel hindered by it. When that happens, out comes the straight-edge guide and circular saw until I can get sheets broken down to more managable size for my TS. Save the space. You're going to want it for other tools.

[Kevin Gagne]

Thanks for all the replies. This information give me a lot to think about. I was planning on the left tilt version since that seems to be the more common one. As far as the rails I figured that since it was not a lot extra for them it would be good to get. After reading the replies I am concerned that it may be a little tight in the shop if I get them. Since there is going to be workbenches and tools on all sides of the shop I may not have enough room to move around easily so I think I will wait on the rails and just get the saw for now. I am going to come up with a layout for my shop and post that for comments before I make any purchases though.

I will have to call them and find out on the lead time. I hope it is not that long for this saw. I have some projects that I need to start.

I want to start with a new saw first because the one that I have just isn't that great for finish work. The motor is getting tired, the fence leaves a lot to be desired and the dust collection is non existant. I know I could fix these issues but I feel that I would be better off putting the money towarda new saw instead. I don't' have anything invested in the one I have now so I figure this is a good time.

I will look into the Grizzly planer a little more also. I figured the Dewalt was the best based on some reviews and posts that I read but it doesn't sound like that from the comments that have been posted. I think I could get a 15" Grizzly for around the same price of the Dewalt.