Looking to solicit some feedback on the following:
I will be moving into a new house in a few months and finally will have dedicated shop space in the basement that will not have to double as the laundry room. The new space is rather small, approx. 12 x 20 with really nice ceiling hight.
I current setup is:
a harbor freight bench top TS which is woefully inaccurate and underpowered
and dewalt RAS which is good at cross cutting but I am afraid to use for ripping
a nice old grizzly bench top drill press
a small bench top bandsaw
i currently break down sheet goods on the floor with circular saw (not really happy with the quality of the cut)
I am am going to sell the RAS when I move and replace with a new sliding compound mitre saw.
The initial main projects will be kitchen cabinets and finishing the basement which will include large built-ins. When the honey do list is completed, I would like to try making furniture for the house.
My wonderful wife has given me permission to outfit the new shop as I see fit so I can work accurately and safely. I am stuck on if I should buy the sawstop pcs (1.75 or 3hp?) outfitted with the incra TS-LS fence and router table combo or the mini max c26 genius small combo machine. If I went with the SS I would purchase a mini max j/p combo machine once I start building furniture.
As I see it, the benefits/concerns of the SS/incra combo would be:
the safety system
the ease of cutting dove tails on the incra system
but it would have a larger footprint once I buy a j/p combo down the road
the mini max combo:
4 quality machines in one small footprint
the sliding table for the saw and shaper
probably easier to cut sheet goods accurately
the shaper would be easier for raised panel doors and milling moulding.
I also will be buying a new bandsaw and portable cyclone dust collector to go into the shop.
Which would you choose? All opinions welcomed.