For you folks who want a SawStop but...

[Brian Penning]

...find it too $$$

http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/PermaLink,guid,9860895a-7bb2-41a5-9cae-d8f841621a61.aspx

[Maurice Ungaro]

Oh, well....guess I'll just have to be happy with last year's purchase of a reconditioned American made Uni - which I bought for $1050.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

less cast iron on the trunions, and a smaller table.....I guess I could do without the gas-piston assist on the blade height....but with the smaller table, I'd have to size it up against the competition to see if it would be worth it...

[alex grams]

But that saw is only about $300 cheaper than the current industrial Sawstop ($600 cheaper than as of October 31st). A little cheaper, but not earthshatteringly cheaper than the current SS.

Thanks for the info though. My Sawstop thread seems to have taken on a life of its own with lots of good advice from people.

Glad to also know when they plan on increasing prices on the current unit so that I can order before then.

[Robert Strebler]

I'm interested in a riving knife saw, but would love to have the hot dog stopper in case of a serious brain fart. The price might just make it affordable enough.

My Unisaw will outlast me, but I do like modern safety features...

Cheers!

[Brent Smith]

Hey Bri,

I think this new SS may give the new Uni a run for the dollar. I know if I was buying a cabinet saw today I'd be seriously looking at the SS just for the safety features involved. But, having an American made Uni already.....well someone else will have to buy the SS with my name on it LOL.

Are you having your woodworkers BBQ this year??

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

HA HA HA It's good to see some one putting pressure on the old guard since they have been cutting back on the quality and weight for some years now. Maybe now they will try to build better tools instead of trying to build 'em cheaper.

[Greg Cole]

For the price break, I'd go for the industrial one too. Granted you can add on table extensions and all, but if you're committing that amount of $ to a TS, the additional isn't going to be noticeable to the bottom line over the life of the tool IMO.

Glad to also know when they plan on increasing prices on the current unit so that I can order before then.
Does that mean the dice are cast & your mind is made up? Congrats if so. You will not be disapointed.
Any post with SS in it seems to be a can o worms.... alot like the mention I made about buying a new LV or LN plane versus a flea market special in your post in The Cave...;)

Greg

[alex grams]

Yeah Greg, the dice have been cast, and am going to order the Sawstop. Probably in the next couple of weeks.

I think the most convincing observation someone made on that monster of a thread was if i didn't get the Sawstop and DID hurt myself on another saw, my wife would never let me live it down.

My wife even made the comment that if I needed to buy it sooner rather than later to go ahead and get it...

I think my wife is scheming and is up to something, I just haven't figured out what yet...

[Ben Rafael]

I think my wife is scheming and is up to something, I just haven't figured out what yet...

Whatever it is I'm sure it's going to cost more than a sawstop.

[chris dub]

Greg, I wouldn't be surprised if there werent a shimmery wish list in your future shortly after the arival of yuor new saw, no matter what saw it is.

[Tim Marks]

"Should be available in Spring 2009"?

I wonder if this will be the kind of moving target seen with the contractor saw?

Looks like SS recognizes that the inevitable price increases are going to scare away some potential customers (existing SS prices going up by $300 on Oct 1); with this new saw, they might just have a winner with it almost in the same price range as a PM2000 cabinet saw.

[Jacob Mac]

At this point in my WW hobby, I just don't think I am ready to plunk down a huge amount of money on any saw, but when I decide to get my last table saw, SS will definitely be on the list.

And long term, advancemet in safety technology benefits all of us.

[Don Bullock]

Yeah Greg, the dice have been cast, and am going to order the Sawstop. Probably in the next couple of weeks.

I think the most convincing observation someone made on that monster of a thread was if i didn't get the Sawstop and DID hurt myself on another saw, my wife would never let me live it down.

My wife even made the comment that if I needed to buy it sooner rather than later to go ahead and get it...

I think my wife is scheming and is up to something, I just haven't figured out what yet...

Congratulations Alex on the pending SS order.

As for the OP -- It looks like SS is trying harder to be competitive which is something I welcome even though I've already bought one. This new addition to the SS line will make their technology available for far more people which is very good.

[Tom Godley]

They have to think about future markups and price increases expanding the price differences with other products. When I was looking for saws last year the SawStop was one that I looked at -- It is a very nice saw. The final price to my house for the saw and fence was just under $4500.00 - I ended up getting the PM2000 with some discounted extras and the 50" table through Amazon for around $2200.00. Not a minor difference!

The PM2000 is more saw than I need - but it provides me with the proper capacity to make the larger cuts that I occasionally need to make vs the 30 year old Sears cabinet saw that I got when I was in high school.

If I had a child starting new to woodworking I would have looked at the Sawstop differently - my dad bought me the Sears based on the way the guard was designed vs the other products available at that time.

I think it will be fantastic when the costs are reduced to a point that it can be included in the direct drive saws that all the contractors and new wood workers have. Just having an addition finished and watching them work I can tell you -- it is needed!

I have always been a little afraid of table saws and shapers - thats a good thing!

[Cory Fletcher]

Just a note, there is one listed on ebay in Lakewood, CO. Search under saw stop not sawstop.

[John Thompson]

I checked the saw out last Saturday morning and was told it would be around $2900. So.. with a riving knife that competes with the PM 2000 and new Uni-saw. The gears were smooth on all three saws.. all 3 HP.. all have a riving knife. Fences vary slightly and all adequate...

The Saw-stop is made by Gee-tech who makes Sunhill.. new name Oliver.. etc. as I was lucky enough to meet the owner of Gee-tech. I see it as a good saw in the just under $3000 range I suppose. I took home a 5 HP saw with a better fence than those and some very tight tolerances with a large one-piece trunnion for $1900. It doesn't have a riving knife which is not a big deal to me as I basically rip on a TS and have my splitters made to tolerance by Lee Styrone at Shark guard.

The riving knife doesn't relate to the extra $1000 I would have to spend at the moment to get one. I had a riving knife on a previous saw. So... I nailed the best deal that fit my requirements with a saw that will most likely never be replaced at this point.

Good luck to all as the prices will rise soon.. very soon is the scuttle-butt that was mentioned by manufacturers at IWF.. Used machinery may be the business to be in with the economy and the rising price of cast iron and shipping.

Sarge..