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Thread: Hammer slider vs. Minimax

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Center Valley, PA USA
    Posts
    141
    Jim, Brian, I very much appreciate your insights and feedback. Every bit of your learning (both now and any future insight you may have) will help me and absolutely be put to good use. Your info on the blades is very helpful. I was wondering if I should transition to the 12”blades or run with my 10” Forrest blades for the time being.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    NE Connecticut
    Posts
    695
    James,

    My SC4 came standard with the smaller miter gauge accessory that Jim mentioned. Also, 1 cam clamp, the dado blade insert, blade guard/dust collection piece that attaches to the riving knife.

    I leave my outrigger on all of the time because I have room and because I find it a pain to take it off, store it, and put it back on when I need it. You can easily use the miter gauge accessory with the outrigger still attached so, if you have the space, you might prefer to leave the outrigger on all the time.


  3. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    Brian, it's nice you got the dado insert...it seems they started including those after I bought my machine. To get the OEM piece now would cost me $350 plus shipping. (so I'll be making my own since I've decided to go back to using a dado blade for some opertations)

    James, on the blade question, I think it comes down to money. I ran the 10" Forrest blades from when I bought the saw in the mid-late 2000s until recently. They had plenty of life in them (still do, actually) and sometimes I take a more frugal approach to things. In December, I decided to buy a 12" 48T since the "price was right" from Silvers Mill and I had the money. I'm very pleased with the blade, including the extra depth that comes in handy for stopped cuts, etc. I plan on buying another soon since I prefer to always have a spare, and will likely sell the 10" versions for "a very attractive price" to some other woodworker with a 10" saw. I'll still have the 20T ripping blade for when it's appropriate, but otherwise, being standard on 12" blades makes sense. Oh, and to use the riving knife for non-through cuts, you do need a 12" blade. I originally had to buy a second riving knife and grind off the top of it to use with the 10" blades since I always needed the ability to do non-through cuts. That trade-off was less money than buying new blades...at the time.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Central WI
    Posts
    5,666
    Although pricey, take a look at Mac's clamps at airtightclamps.com. I have several sets for saws and shapers and they are similar in quality to Aigner accessories. When buying blades for sliding saws it is always nice when the plate and tooth width is the same on all blades ( excepting rip since you don't use scoring when ripping ). Your fence settings stay exact and you don't need to adjust the scoring blade. Scorers are great but a pain to adjust. I'm assuming a split scorer if the saw doesn't have a lever with stops to raise the scoring blade. When choosing a blade, measure the thickness of the riving knife. A larger blade may need a separate knife as the riving knife should be slightly thicker than the plate of the blade but less than the tooth width. Often the riving knife that works with a 10" blade is too thin to be much use with a heavier plate 12". I like a heavy plate blade so several knives are usually necessary in my world. Dave

  5. #35
    I recall pricing out the overarm saw guard for an SC4 owner once and it was something like $1K, excluding shipping... Unless things have changed, the OEM accessory kit for the US SC4E's should be:

    -Short mitre fence
    -Slider push handle ("butt bar")
    -(1) eccentric clamp
    -100mm conical scoring blade
    -Edging shoe (if 8.5'; optional on 5.5')

    To echo what the other guys are saying, "if" you switch back and forth between solid wood and finished panels a lot, it might be worth investing in a paired scoring blade.

    James Cheever, you're talking to Sam Blasco, right?

    Erik

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Center Valley, PA USA
    Posts
    141
    Guys, I love all this information. I have been reading a lot and watching all the YouTube videos I can find but this “hands on knowledge and experience” is exactly what I wanted and hoped for when I posted. I’ve been cabinet saw guy for so long, I didn’t want to miss something obvious because I didn’t know what to ask or I made the wrong assumption. Based on all your feedback, I started a SC4 options list. Sawmill Creek is the best!!!

    Yes, Erik, I am. I reached out to Sam last week (based on my reading in an earlier 2015 Creek thread). He replied back in just a couple of hours; super responsive. I’m hoping to setup a phone call with him soon to really lock down the size of slider that will fit in my basement space. I want the largest that will fit; but clearly, fitting is key. I’m thinking the 8.5’ slider may push the envelope a bit too tight.

    I plan to continue to be a knowledge sponge and soak everything in I can. Thanks again, Guys.

  7. #37
    James....

    http://galootcentral.com/membersites.../BS%20S315.jpg
    http://galootcentral.com/membersites...BS%20enter.jpg
    http://galootcentral.com/membersites...lectorpipe.jpg
    http://galootcentral.com/membersites...5%20ripjig.jpg

    Notice that he essentially eliminated the rip table. Where there's a will, there's a way. FYI that I am no longer in the machinery industry and have been stuck using a regular cabinet saw last year and a half. Going back sucks! Find a way to make it work; you won't regret it.

    Erik

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Erik, I know a really good sales dude that can fix that lack of slider problem you have...and he's not too far from you, either. LOL
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #39
    LOL, Jim!

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,248
    Quote Originally Posted by James Cheever View Post
    . I want the largest that will fit; but clearly, fitting is key. I’m thinking the 8.5’ slider may push the envelope a bit too tight. Guys.
    Hi James, don't get a bigger saw that you'll be sorry about later.

    Have a good look at what you do, then decide on the slider length. I went with the smaller slider that will cross cut a sheet of plywood for my basement shop.

    Most furniture components are small enough that I can straight line them on the slider, if longer I have a piece of ply with a "T" track from the saw manufacturer that gives me 8 foot capability. In seven years I've used it once.

    That's as large as I require as I primarily build solid wood furniture. The smaller sliders have better ergonomics as you don't have the sliding table support sticking out where you stand.

    I normally don't have the outrigger on the saw unless I'm using it to support long or heavy objects, it takes less than a minute to put it on the saw.

    Consider how much space the larger slider takes, and the less optimum ergonomics, and evaluate your actual requirements. You can actually buy too much machine, which you have to live with afterwards.

    regards, Rod.
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 02-12-2018 at 9:38 AM. Reason: fixed quote tagging

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Center Valley, PA USA
    Posts
    141
    Great advise, Rod. Thanks. Your caution is my worry.

    I mainly deal with solid wood for furniture. Ply is just for backs (sometimes) and various cabinet builds. Like you, the most I see myself cutting in ply is 4 feet. My current thinking is the SC4 Elite with 5.5' slider will work just fine.

    Thanks, again.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    James, while I enjoy having the longer 8'6" wagon, I really could work quite happily with the shorter one if I needed to in the future, especially since "there are ways" to accomodate longer rips if it's really necessary as Rod mentioned. Aside from eliminating edge jointing for me, the slider has really kicked things up a big notch for accurate and repeatable cross cutting. I could never go back to a cabinet saw and be happy, for sure.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Center Valley, PA USA
    Posts
    141
    Thanks, Rod and Jim. A basic and likely dumb question; asking since the footprint drawings I see on line are not clear (at least not to a beginner wannabe slider owner). If a saw has a 8.5’ or 5.5’ slider, can it edge rip to 8.5’ or 5.5’ or is the max rip something shorter? I rarely rip beyond 5’, but I do make beds and sometimes the bedposts and rails get that long (especially in a queen or king). Space is a limitation in my basement but I dont want to “lock” myself out if I can avoid it, so I want to better understand the max lengths possible with a certain slider length.

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    Practically, you need a few inches on either end of the wagon to properly secure the material if you're going to use the wagon to move the wood through the cut. So for my 8'6" slider, I can do 8' lumber if I remove the outrigger and only use hold-downs. I'm guessing it would be simmer for the shorter stroke machine. For my S315WS with the 8'6" wagon, the end-to-end stroke requires a total of 19' unobstructed for a full length cut.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Center Valley, PA USA
    Posts
    141
    Excellent, Jim. Thank you.

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