sold the unisaw and bought the sawstop

[Dave Lehnert]

Always fun to get a new tool.

What was the reason you got rid of the Unisaw, The added safety of the Sawstop?

[Brett Luna]

Brett...i understand that getting stuff like this up in Alaska can be a challenge. Glad you have one in your possession.

It's not so bad where I am. There are two Sawstop dealers in the Anchorage area: a local hardware chain and my wood monger. I ordered from the latter on a Monday and was notified on Thursday of the next week that it had arrived. Had to pay freight, though.

[Bob Cooper]

Always fun to get a new tool.

What was the reason you got rid of the Unisaw, The added safety of the Sawstop?

almost entirely safety. I wanted a riving knife and the flesh detection. The catalyst was my sister moving to my town and she’ll likely use the saw and I figured a single event would more than offset the cost.

What im really glad about is that I don’t have to choose between ‘well built machine’ and ‘safety feature I really want’. So I’m glad Sawstop chose to build a really nice machine vs trying to save a few bucks.

[Joe Mioux]

you will love it. I have one for 10 years and it is still a magnificent machine.

[Bob Cooper]

Thanks. It’s hard for me to believe these have been available that long. I still think of them as being “that new saw on the market”

[Johnny Barr]

Bob, have you checked blade to slight alignment? If so what was it out of the box? Mine was 0.01" which according to Sawstop is "just" OK but following their video and reading the manual I had it to under 0.001" in under 30 minutes. It is easily the most elegant way of aligning a table saw. You use adjusting screws instead of hitting it with a soft blow hammer.

[Bob Cooper]

Johnny

no I haven’t done that yet but it’s on the list. Nor have I checked runout but I will once I get back home

[Brad Adams]

I'm thinking of selling my Unisaw and getting a Sawstop also, mainly for the riving knife, but my son is taking an interest in woodworking and I would feel better with the sensing technology when I teach him to use it. I'm still torn though on buying a small slider instead.

[Joe Jensen]

Congratulations, IMHO the Sawstop ICS is a clear step above the Unisaw even without the brake technology. Clear choice

[Joe Jensen]

Thanks. It’s hard for me to believe these have been available that long. I still think of them as being “that new saw on the market”

I bought an ICS in 2005...joe

[Johnny Barr]

Johnny

no I haven’t done that yet but it’s on the list. Nor have I checked runout but I will once I get back home

Keep us posted

[Bob Cooper]

Will keep folks posted
Brad...I too thought about a slider but I really had no way to try one out to determine if I liked working with one. I’ve been pretty happen with a traditional tablesaw and I figured I’d i ever wanted to sell the ICS I’d have no problems doing so.

[Roy Turbett]

...... When i checked the fence's alignment with the miter slot, the far end of the fence is just slightly out (away from the blade)...maybe 1/64th. I've read that some guys like to have the fence slightly out in that direction. Should i leave it?

A slight toe in the fence is different than a slight toe from the miter slot. You want to get the miter slot as close to dead on as you can because you will be using it in conjunction with a miter gauge for cross-cut operations and want to make your cuts square.

Some prefer a slight toe in the fence for ripping operations on the theory that it helps prevent kickbacks and burning. This can be done by adjusting the fence. I prefer not to do this so I can rip from both sides of the blade.

I traded my Unisaw for a Sawstop ICS and the only thing I really don't like on the Sawstop is the fence is too long for ripping dimensional lumber. I liked being able to shorten the Unifence so it extended just beyond the blade when ripping dimensional lumber.

[Simon MacGowen]

the only thing I really don't like on the Sawstop is the fence is too long for ripping dimensional lumber. I liked being able to shorten the Unifence so it extended just beyond the blade when ripping dimensional lumber.

I have had not any issue with ripping d.l. (on the PCS or ICS), including the notorious 2x4s and 2x6s. I set the riving knife in line with the blade (teeth) on the fence side.

Another solution which I have seen used on a Sawstop is to add a shorter subfence to the main fence. I have never tried that however.

Simon

[Von Bickley]

Congratulations on the new shop. Hope you got a good deal at Mann Tools. Is Ronnie Mann still working or has he retired? You do know that the Columbia Woodworking Club meets at Mann Tools.