General 50-560 Sliding Tablesaw- Impressions?

[Gary Curtis]

Anyone out there seen, own or used the new Sliding Tablesaw from General International?

The size and capacity seem close to the Hammer line from Felder. I just sold my sliding tablesaw and will be in the market for a new, smaller-scale unit in about 18 months.

Gary Curtis:)

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Gary, I looked at one at the beginning of the year while I was at the Toronto wood show.

I didn't find the fit and finish as good as the Mini Max, Felder or Hammer units, and the sliding table wasn't as smooth either.

The cost was about $5K if I remember correctly, for close to which you could purchase a Hammer, as opposed to a Chinese machine.

The GI unit was capable of a 50" crosscut, or straight line rip which may well be adequate for your needs, I think when I buy a sliding saw I'll get a longer stroke on the table, although of course, it requires more space.

Having purchased a Hammer A3-31, I don't think I'd be happy with a GI slider, I'll probably buy a Hammer or Felder slider.

Regards, Rod.

P.S.

The GI 50-560 isn't a General product, it's a General International product, a very important distinction. I replaced two General machines with my Hammer A3-31, and it is superior to the General machines. The General International machines are a lower quality/lower price machine compared to the General, made off shore to compete with Delta/Powermatic.

[Gary Curtis]

Thanks for your observations. Your comments are meaningful because you obviously have experience with sliders --- a rare quality among woodworkers.

I have a nearly new General 350 with their old sliding table. The saw was made in Quebec (great quality) while the slider is from Taiwan. I sold it last week because we have to move and I won't have my new shop set up for about 18 months. It did an acceptable job, but the slider capacity is limited.

I'm very familiar with Hammer/Felder, after visiting 5 shops of people who own them, and taking a WWing class with Mark Duginske at the Felder showroom in Sacramento, California.

From what I can distinguish in General photos, the rip fence on the 50-560 is that dorky tubular affair. Bad. And because of the exchange rate, the price here south of the border over $5000. Since you looked at the General 50-560, would you think you could crosscut a 4x8 sheet of ply on the slider? One could get a Hammer for about the same.

And how long a piece could you rip using the slider? How close to the blade does the table lie?

As far as quality, the Canadian General is superb. The guy who bought mine made some test cuts and after ripping a few boards felt that he could glue up the two pieces again without running them on a jointer first. (I have an Everlast blade, which makes an absolute 'killer' clean cut.

Gary Curtis
Northern California

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Gary, the GI saw had a 50 inch crosscut capacity, however the devil is always in the details.

I've only used a large slider which was capable of fully supporting a sheet of ply with the entire sheet on the slider.

First cut was to square the sheet so only a feww mm were removed, then you could flip the sheet and crosscut to say 95" long.

The GI saw doesn't have that sort of outrigger capacity, however you may not need it for your applications.

I find that most large cabinets I make are bookcases for example, and the back needs crosscutting at 92".

I don't have enough room in my shop for that kind of capacity, so I crosscut it with a straight edge and a circular saw.

As for ripping on the slider, I mostly make solid wood furniture with very limited use of sheet goods. Being able to straight line rip a 7 foot piece would be very useful to me.

I think a Felder or Hammer are in my future........Rod.

[Gary Curtis]

Since I am relatively new to woodworking, my eyes tend to be bigger than my pocketbook -- or my abilities. So 4x8 capacity isn't realistic for me.

And, like you suggest, I do have my Festool plungesaw and rail to break down sheet goods. But a person sure does get spoiled using a slider with a crosscut fence to mill out 50 or 60 rails and stiles in a matter of minutes. With new measuring or marking on the wood because of the flip-stops. That is something which must be seen to be believed.

Smaller Felder used macines come up for sale from time to time. I am put off by the prospect of wrestling with the 3-phase power conversion, though. If you can believe this, my local plywood dealer operated an Altendorff sliding tablesaw until the employees complained enough about the hassle calibrating the darn thing. They traded it for a 14" General tablesaw. I used to go there and spend a half hour to watch and learn how sliding saws operate.

My needs are modest, so I might just find what I want easily.

Cheers,

Gary

[Gary Curtis]

Make that "with NO measuring or marking out because of the flip-stops"

[Mike Wilkins]

I finally got General to respond to an email request for information. Got some vague info on the closest dealer location, which was in South Carolina. The price was in the $5K range. All I have seen in photos in Woodshop News and the info on their site. Seems General is fading into the fog other than minimal offerings from Woodcraft. Seems like a good machine concept, along the lines of the Laguna TSS and smaller offerings from Europe, Italy and now Taiwan.

[Gary Curtis]

General sells only through designated dealers, so you won't find them scattered around. Though WoodCraft might carry them.

General is the only North American manufacturer with its own source of iron. Magnetite, which is the best steel ore. Comes from Canada. Baldor motors on their Canadian-made machines. Truly industrial strength equipment. The specifications and build on my saw are impressive. With the slider, it weighs 700lbs.

Gary

[Gary Curtis]

The stroke on the sliding table is 52" in front of the blade. So ripping that length or crosscutting a full 4x8 ply sheet are both possible.

I just found out from my dealer, Eagle Tools in Los Angeles. That is some serious capacity. Of course, for many folks the scaled-down ability of the Jessem is adequate.

Gary Curtis:o

[Rick Fisher]

I played around with one at House of tools in Vancouver. They wanted $5K for it. I was impressed, but not blown away.

I would suggest spending a bit more to get a Hammer or the Felder 500.

I plan on getting a slider when I move and get a bigger space, I will look for a used one, they seem like good value to me.

At the auction where I got my bandsaw, an SCMI full sized saw went for $3,500.00. It was well used, but what a great saw.

[Don Eddard]

As far as quality, the Canadian General is superb. The guy who bought mine made some test cuts and after ripping a few boards felt that he could glue up the two pieces again without running them on a jointer first. (I have an Everlast blade, which makes an absolute 'killer' clean cut.

No doubt the General is a fine piece of equipment, but a lot of folks get glue-up ready rip cuts from a decent contractor saw and <$100 blade. Ridgid 3560 and Freud, in my case.