About that Sawstop

[Simon MacGowen]

I have used a contractor saw for 32 yrs. I make the vast majority of my living from woodworking. I make furniture, smaller type stuff, and turnings. Would I like a 3hsp saw..sure. but I cannot say that the 1986 delta has ever let me down. The 2hsp rating is ridiculous for your dewalt 120v saw. It cannot really be that ..so the contractor may be more power as it will have more "torque" behind it ... If you have the cash, sure, why not? But if you are a weekend warrior that contractor SS would be a terrific new tool,, keep having fun in your shop.

I can bet the majority of us hobby woodworkers started our hobby with a tablesaw that was not a cabinet saw. When I tried to sell my contractor saw after assembling my PCS, I could not believe the number of responses received on the first day of putting up my ad. Of course, I listed it real cheap as my purpose was get it out of the door so I could park my car. It does show that most hobby woodworkers make stuff with a contractor saw, not a cabinet saw.

That said, if budget allows, there is no reason to get a SS contractor saw and then later upgrade it to a PCS. That's money wasted in between, and the jigs made for the contractor saw may no longer work in the new saw.

So, if you are serious about being a serious weekend warrior (and about planning to become a week-long warrior, say, upon retiring, etc.), you should seriously consider a PCS purchase NOW, not later, if money is toy money in this consideration.

Simon

[Jim Dwight]

My table saw is a Ryobi BT3100. It has a universal motor rated to pull 15A at full load and drives the blade through a short belt. Before it, I used a home made table saw with a true 1hp induction motor (13 or 14A draw, Baldor if I remember right). I don't see much difference in power. Matching the blade to the use clearly makes much more difference. If I do not use a rip blade, I could not cut 3 inches deep in hardwood with either saw. Either saw will do it if I do (and the blade is clean and sharp). The induction motor should be slightly more powerful because the effiency is higher. Induction motors are 90% or more efficient. Universal motors can be as low as 30% but I suspect ones the size in our table saws are near the maximum 75%. So we lose 3.75A equivalent in a 15A universal motor but only 1.4 amp equivalent in a 14A induction motor. So power to the blade is 11.25 for the induction motor and 12.6 for the induction motor (the 1.75hp SawStop is 14A). So the SawStop is delivering 1.35A power equivalent more to the blade. I don't think you will be able to tell it. But it definitely is not less powerful.

[Warren Wilson]

Well, having pondered the wisdom proffered by the folks who took the time to respond, I bought a contractor’s sawstop yesterday and assembled it today.

I have to say that the upgrade from a DeWalt jobsite saw is very significant: I suddenly feel as if I have acres of table top to work on and a stable, heavy saw to support the work. The difference between a jobsite saw and this is very significant — it is a whole new world of stability and smoothness.

I will doubtlessly encounter shortcomings before long, but right now it is the size of the big step up in quality that I am enjoying. Thank you for the insights you have shared that helped me to indulge the tool acquisition syndrome on a nice scale.

[Ben Rivel]

Well, having pondered the wisdom proffered by the folks who took the time to respond, I bought a contractor’s sawstop yesterday and assembled it today.

I have to say that the upgrade from a DeWalt jobsite saw is very significant: I suddenly feel as if I have acres of table top to work on and a stable, heavy saw to support the work. The difference between a jobsite saw and this is very significant — it is a whole new world of stability and smoothness.

I will doubtlessly encounter shortcomings before long, but right now it is the size of the big step up in quality that I am enjoying. Thank you for the insights you have shared that helped me to indulge the tool acquisition syndrome on a nice scale.

Enjoy man! You will love the upgrade!

[Tim M Tuttle]

Well, having pondered the wisdom proffered by the folks who took the time to respond, I bought a contractor’s sawstop yesterday and assembled it today.

I have to say that the upgrade from a DeWalt jobsite saw is very significant: I suddenly feel as if I have acres of table top to work on and a stable, heavy saw to support the work. The difference between a jobsite saw and this is very significant — it is a whole new world of stability and smoothness.

I will doubtlessly encounter shortcomings before long, but right now it is the size of the big step up in quality that I am enjoying. Thank you for the insights you have shared that helped me to indulge the tool acquisition syndrome on a nice scale.

I have the same saw and I do like it. But as a previous poster mentioned, once you add on a lot of the accessories you get pretty close to a PCS. About $300 more had I gone the PCS route and I regret it. I went in wanting to buy the jobsite saw and got upsold to the contractor so I didn't realize the PCS was that close in price till months later.

That motor just takes up so much damn space and made building an outfeed table much more troublesome.

[liam c murphy]

An additional advantage of the 1.75 HP PCS is that you can upgrade the motor to a 3 HP 220V motor after you’ve purchased the saw. I believe the motor upgrade costs around $500. I upgraded mine about a month ago, and it was relatively easy. I’m unsure if you can upgrade the motor on the contractor saw.

[Charlie Hinton]

Congratulations on getting your new saw.
I know the recommendations (including mine) were to squeeze a PCS out of the budget, but don't look back.
Its easy to spend other people's money.
Enjoy your new machine, it should serve you well for a very long time.

[Simon MacGowen]

An additional advantage of the 1.75 HP PCS is that you can upgrade the motor to a 3 HP 220V motor after you’ve purchased the saw. I believe the motor upgrade costs around $500. I upgraded mine about a month ago, and it was relatively easy. I’m unsure if you can upgrade the motor on the contractor saw.

No, the contractor can't be upgraded to a 3HP motor unless SawStop has changed its upgrade supplies. I am also planning to upgrade mine to 3HP and the hang up is just to run a 220V circuit outlet to the shop first. Another reason for the delay is that I have access to a 5 HP SawStop, and I seldom need to rip anything over 3-1/2" thick.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

Its easy to spend other people's money.

True. Money aside, one needs to consider the sawing needs. If everything is plywood or mostly 3/4" material or thinner, and the main use is weekend activity, a contractor saw is good enough (though some will argue that paying the extra money for the safety feature is unnecessary (not their fingers after all)). On the other hand, I would also argue that if someone has not really used a cabinet saw for a reasonable amount of time, they do not realize what they are missing. I know a woodworker who has worked more than 35 years without ever touching a cabinet saw, and he is always wondering why people would want to spend more money for a cabinet saw.

Simon

[Roger Marty]

Congrats! You made a good choice.