cabinet saw candidates: round 2 (long)

[David Dixson]

Gentlemen,

I want to thank you for the comments, both in this thread and the earlier one. You have answered most all my questions and helped me focus on what was and was not important in purchasing a cabinet saw.

As usual in our lives, money available for purchases dictates what we can and cannot purchase. Sometimes we have to budget what we spend on one item vs. another. With that in mind, between these cabinet saw posts and your earlier posts on planers and jointers, I've been able to sort through the pile of offerings out there (Isn't being an American grand?) to find what I feel may be the best compromise of cost vs. function vs. quality.

To that end, I have identified an Oasis 15" Planer MB380L (Same thing as Yorkcraft YC-15P, right on down to the in cabinet wheels.) and an a Oasis 8" Jointer MB203H (Same thing as Delta DJ-20, except it has wheels in the cabinet the Delta doesn't have.) as possibly the best value around in a planer and jointer. I wanted the Yorkcraft planer, but wasn't happy with their jointer (Same thing as a Delta 37-380 Professional jointer.) fence, so when the opportunity to purchase the planer I really wanted with the jointer I really wanted, I went with it. Maybe I'm cheap, but I see no reason for paying Delta premium "Made in USA" prices for tools made in Taiwan or China (A Delta dealer told me the Unisaw was the last USA made tool they had in their line.). I'd rather buy an off brand equivalent and save my hard earned dollars. But then, I'm not the richest guy on the planet. PM66's and Unisaws are just plain out of my price range. I need those few extra dollars to buy wood, Nicholsen rasps, scrapers, sandpaper, etc.

The company that offers the two Oasis machines for sale also offers the Shopfox W1677EXT1 Cabinet saw at a competitive rate. I was able to purchase all three tools for $3147.00 delivered to my door. Based on price comparisons, that's three major tools for about what two of many of the high end tools cost. Since it boiled down to cost, features and quality, with a dash of "I really want that one." satisfaction factor thrown in.

The bottom line on my choice of a Shop Fox was I felt I could afford (after compromises to pay for all three tools) either the Grizzly, the Shop Fox or the Woodtek. After talking to multiple representatives of several companies, then running down to the local Shop Fox dealer (wow, was he expensive), I felt satisfied I'd be more than pleased with the Shop Fox (I also looked at a Jet, General and Unisaw at the same time.), though I feel the Woodtek is likely a quite good saw also, but I just didn't see myself living well with the "Green Bay Packer and John Deere Tractor" look. (Btw, I'm getting one of the new shipment of the Oasis equipment they have coming in, which is not going to be "High lime green" but instead is going to be a "cream" white color. Apparently there was a mixup on the paint color chart and the paint selected by the purchaser was NOT the paint put on by the manufacturer in the first batch. Instead, it was the color below the one they wanted. OOPS

Thanks again for all your comments, they helped a great deal. I really like this board, it's much more polite and the comments/suggestions are significantly more helpful than on another board I read.

Dave

[Dave Wright #2]

I think that mention is SawStop is appropriate in some "what cabinet saw should I buy" threads, but probably not this one. The saws being considered are fairly inexpensive - the priciest being something like half the cost of a SawStop. Also, the SawStop misses a couple of the specs. Safety, or the ability to accept aftermarket safety equipment, isn't listed as a criteria.

I have mentioned SawStop when people say that safety is an issue, it's a professional or school shop, or they indicate that they are looking beyond the typical Jet/Delta/General/PM choices.

That being said, I still really like my SawStop. I have come across posts by several independent SawStop owners on the woodworking forums. Their reports are all pretty glowing. Innovative design, well made, smooth running, just an all around impressive and pleasant saw.

[JayStPeter]

Dave,

Not to hijack this thread, but how does the SS do in the area of DC. It seems like it should be excellent given the well thought out design. But, in the real world does it still spit dust like most table saws?

Thanks,

Jay

[Bart Leetch]

But, in the real world it still spits dust like most table saws? Jay by leaving out one word you could have answered you own question.
Its the same design it spits the same. Just like a cat spits & hisses so shall the kitten.