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Thread: Not impressed with new SawStop ICS

  1. #1

    Not impressed with new SawStop ICS

    The new finger saving technology aside I'm not impressed with my new SawStop ICS with a 5hp motor. The saw is definitely quieter than my previous Unisaw and Jet cabinet saw but the overall build quality was less than what I expected in an industrial tool. I was also disappointed with the included 52" extension table, which is much flimsier than my previous tables framed using hardwood. The SawStop frame was all made out of softwood. My opinion is that the ICS makes for a good hobbyist saw but not worthy of it being called an industrial cabinet saw.

  2. #2
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    In the end, it is just a name, a model designation. You can't really consider any 10" saw as "industrial", most 12/14" saws are "just" commercial level. The ICS fairs well compared to its actual competition (new Uni and PM2000).

    This is the type of saw I think of when I think of an industrial cabinet saw.

    DSC_0166.jpg
    Last edited by Van Huskey; 08-01-2018 at 4:52 PM.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    In the end, it is just a name, a model designation. You can't really consider any 10" saw as "industrial", most 12/14" saws are "just" commercial level. The ICS fairs well compared to its actual competition (new Uni and PM2000).

    This is the type of saw I think of when I think of an industrial cabinet saw.

    DSC_0166.jpg
    Ha, should have cropped out the non-industrial bench top planer .

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Goetzke View Post
    Ha, should have cropped out the non-industrial bench top planer .
    It is the Norfield's afternoon snack, gotta keep the strength up I suppose. It is an odd juxtaposition though, I just grabbed the first big saw pic I found.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  5. #5
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    Northfield was considered on the lighter end of " Industrial" back then so you know how far the marketing hype has stretched. Dave

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    I agree that comparing a saw costing under $5k to actual industrial woodworking equipment is falling for the marketing term bit hard. It fares well against the competition at the tier it resides in.

    That being said, the extension is all for looks and the weakest part of Saw Stops design. I will replace the 'Chinese Balsa Wood' frame with some white oak scraps the next time I do routine maintenance to that part of the shop.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 08-01-2018 at 5:32 PM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  7. #7
    Was the extension table your only issue?

  8. #8
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    I somewhat agree as I made the same trade. The overall build quality of the SawStop is comparable but not superior to my old Unisaw and the fence is inferior to the Unifence. However, the riving knife and dust collection on the SawStop is superior.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    My opinion is that the ICS makes for a good hobbyist saw but not worthy of it being called an industrial cabinet saw.
    Your opinion caused me to Google (Industrial Cabinet Saw) to see what other industrial cabinet saws were out there to compete or compare with SawStop ICS. To my surprise, almost everything on the first 7 or 8 pages of search was about SAWSTOP ICS. So is it possible that there indeed are no industrial cabinet saws as such, other than a label SawStop uses? Of course, there are huge tablesaws used in the woodworking industry, but SawStop is actually cleverly (or cunningly, depending on your perspective) presenting its ICS in a way that attracts the attention of small shops looking for more heavy duty saws.

    Simon

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    So is it possible that there indeed are no industrial cabinet saws as such, other than a label SawStop uses? Of course, there are huge tablesaws used in the woodworking industry,

    Simon
    Probably the only (historically) industrial cabinet saw still made is the Northfield #4 but as Dave mentioned that was considered light industrial. There are very few cabinet saws still used in the woodworking industry, just like bandsaws they are a dying breed, they are even disappearing in light commercial applications. The other thing is you rarely see the word industrial used in the model or even the promotion of true industrial machines. The next step up, in weight and capacity, from the ICS in currently available cabinet saws would be saws like the 14" PM 3000 and the 16" one Oliver makes. In the end words like "professional", "commercial" and "industrial" are often used in the pro-sumer range of goods it is just a tried and true part of marketing wank or puffery. One argument for the industrial moniker on the ICS is it is indeed available in 480v and 600v configurations which would only be available in industrial areas.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  11. #11
    "Industrial cabinet saw" is a bit of an oxymoron. That being said, I do remember when I bought the original ICS it was, except for blade size, comparable to other 12 inch machines in mass and size.

  12. #12
    While I do like the riving knife on mine I find the overhead dust collection lacking, and have found sawdust in the cabinet. Right now I am using only a 1hp DC but will soon have a 5hp DC hooked up and we'll see if there is any improvement.

  13. #13
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    Hi Jerome, dust collection should improve once you have enough airflow with the larger collector...........Regards, Rod.

  14. #14
    For what it's worth, the table on the PM2000 is junk, too. It's made out of particleboard and the legs are held on by tiny little screws in said particleboard. Mine wasn't even close to flat, either.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Bouis View Post
    For what it's worth, the table on the PM2000 is junk, too. It's made out of particleboard and the legs are held on by tiny little screws in said particleboard. Mine wasn't even close to flat, either.
    Some people replace the extension table so they could install a router table in its place. We are woodworkers and with a new saw as good as the SS or PM, replacing the ext. table with a better one, say, made of birch plywood should be a piece of cake.

    Simon

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