Best Quality 10" Cabinet Saw

[Peter Kuhlman]

Of the current new cabinet saws I have seen the SS has the nicest fit and finish - very shiny and pretty. Very well made internals with heavy castings of the trunnions. Concern is long term with the electronic stuff. Next would be the Powermatic or General if still sold. Thought I read that General was no longer available.
Mine is a 15 year old or more Bridgewood left tilt that I love. At the time it had the beefiest trunnion of any 10" cabinet saw made and was a fairly close clone of the PM.
Safety wise I am most concerned with kickback having been on receiving end of that with a Crapsman contractor saw. Kickback can cause severe internal injuries, far worse than loosing a finger. The fence quality, repeatability and accuaracy of fence setup is critical to stopping kickback. I use an Incra fence now as like the really accurate and repeatable fence with 3 point lockdown. Never felt safe with the traditional Beisemayer (sp) style fences. I also use feather boards, special push blocks, overhead guard, etc for safety and control.
Safety and injuries are common topics here. All machines are dangerous if used unsafely. The most serious injury I have seen was my boss about 20 years ago who shaved off half the thickness of the meat and bone of his right hand on a jointer. Took a couple years to get most of his hand usage back. Everyone talks about table saw injuries but please realize you can have more serious injuries with other machinery in your shop if not careful.

[Roy Turbett]

I wonder if SawStop will swap unused older brakes for newer ones with possibly newer firmware.

Not a chance. That would entail a recall of a part that retails for $70. I had a brake trip for no apparent reason on my older ICS that I suspect was original to the machine. I sent it in to SawStop and they it was my fault for not adjusting it properly when I changed blades. But the blade was one I had been using for months without a problem. Bottom line is I was out $70 for the cartridge plus $55 for the blade.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Not a chance. That would entail a recall of a part that retails for $70. I had a brake trip for no apparent reason on my older ICS that I suspect was original to the machine. I sent it in to SawStop and they it was my fault for not adjusting it properly when I changed blades. But the blade was one I had been using for months without a problem. Bottom line is I was out $70 for the cartridge plus $55 for the blade.

My first trip was 4 or so years ago, when there was several bad power fluctuations in my shop feed in quick succession, when they were working close by on the feed lines to my shop. I just sent the cartridge to SS to inspect, and they told me it was something to do with the power spiking.

They sent me a new cartridge and a blade, absolutely for free. I like that customer service.

As for all the people concerned with electronics failing... the saw can always be re wired with a standard mag starter. Nothing says you cant bypass the electronics if you either cannot or will not get replacement parts.

[John Gulick]

Sawstop 10" cabinet saw. best 4k I ever spent

[Mitch Bray]

Laguna has the nicest looking 10" cabinet saw I've seen with the "dovetail saw". It is a throwback to the way tablesaws used to be made before the beancounters took charge. I was looking at purchasing that or their t5s (which is not a 10") when I ran across a newer Moak is pristine condition for half the price.

[rudy de haas]

An interesting discussion - all the way through I kept hoping for a clear definition of quality but didn't see one. However, no one seems to quoted the definitive answer provided in the woodworker's anti-faq ( see http://www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/antifaq.html ). In part..:
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No question: Sears. Bennett accurately described how great Sears table saws are and about all their special features. They're even better than the Inca, General, Powermatic or Delta cabinet saws. After all, he wrote the table saw FAQ, so he should know. Not only do Sears table saws sort of cut wood and body parts, but they also can be used to achieve special colouring (coloring, Unisaw) and dye effects that would otherwise require hours of painstaking finishing work. Among the special features discovered by Bennett, which Sears does not advertise, is the "pulse temperature alteration" process which turn maple into walnut and instantly ages cherry to a patina that normally takes decades to achieve. It also enhances the grain pattern of dull woods by having the aluminium (aluminum, Keeter) top add attractive black streaks to your wood, turning it into zebrawood without the aggravating unworkability or price of the real thing.


The new Ridgid saws at the Borg apparently have the same features.
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the anti-faq is funny in places...

[Bill Dufour]

I looked, Rolls Royce made a lathe but not a tablesaw.
Bill