Contributor
If you have the room and the budget I would get a slider. A few months ago I purchased a Hammer K3. I was concerned if it would be a good choice. After using it and getting used to the differences from a cabinet saw I feel I made a good choice. Fritz and Franz is your friend. I was able to keep my cabinet saw for other things which I do not know what that is yet. I do have a dado blade for the cabinet saw. Felders is very expensive. I am also a hobbyist.
Mark
Contributor
LOL! That sounds exactly like me - - with regards to the .357 Magnum!If you can afford the cost and space for a slider, get a slider.
I don't care for sliders, but if I could only have one saw, I would have a slider
As far as the OP ---- a lot of what you want the slider for is very possible & easy to do with a good track saw. well - other than the router stuff.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon
Member
I used a Hammer K3 once, and I liked it. As Chris stated, buy what can be supported in your area. For me, the SC2 was the best choice because the stocking distributor is 25 kilometers away, most parts are readily available, and those that must be ordered are available within two days. Also, the SCM commissioning technician lives 10 km away and drives past my house every day on his way to and from work.Originally Posted by Jesse Brown
When I was involved in photography, I was frequently asked for recommendations between Nikon and Canon (I used Nikon). My answer was always the same: Both are good, they have their differences, and you can't go wrong with either choice. Buy what your friends are using, so you will have a relevant knowledge base and a larger pool of lenses and accessories to share and test before buying.
Member
I can empathize, Jesse. I overcame breaking down sheet good problems with a track saw. Then I take the smaller pieces to the TS for a cleaner edge. I have also used the track saw for bevel rips. I can't remember the last time I tilted the blade on my TS. It's primarily a 90 degree ripping tool with crosscuts most often done using the attached sliding table.
Bequeath me with the space and money to replace my TS and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute in making that decision - a slider for sure. I have adopted the strange habit of dealing with frustration toward my power tools by going online and watching videos of real woodworking machines. And I've seen a lot of them. The slider looks like one of those machines that make you want to say, "What took you so long?"
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain
Contributor
There is a Felder Owners Group forum that is pretty active. You may be able to post there and find someone nearby who would let you try their saw to see. I started when I was in Junior high on my dad's ancient Sears 10" contractors saw. When I graduated from college I bought myself a 1970s Unisaw with a Biesemeyer fence. In 1990 I upgraded to a PM66. In 2005 I upgraded again to a SawStop ICS. in 2009 I upgraded to a Felder KF700SP. There is a learning curve, it's really learning how to rely on clamping the part to the slider instead of relying on the fence. I still use the fence to rip some but mostly I use jigs that enable me to use the slider for ripping too. The quality of cut when you clamp a part to the slider is really hard to believe.
Contributor
My exact words after having mine for a month.
My new theory on expensive purchases, is that the sooner I purchase them, the less expensive they become over my lifetime. Not to mention I get to use them more, reducing the "per project" cost..............Rod.
Contributor
There is a nice looking MM SC3W on Woodweb. 5.5' slider with scoring. Dave
Contributor
Wish I were setup and ready for it. Would be all over that. Unfortunately for me I’ll have to sell my PM66 setup one day first or nowhere to put the slider until it’s gone. That looks like a nice saw at about half price.
Member
Joe, when is this group going to join the 1st century? The format is so clunky I have given up on it twice and I can't see there being a third time.
Chris
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening
Contributor
+1 for the happy slider converts.
I have an 8 footer. It took a few days to get the slider set up well, but now I can just drop an 8'*4' sheetgood onto the slider and in a few seconds be cutting to within a fraction of a mm. My plywood storage rack is conveniently at the end of the slider's stroke, so I just slide out a sheet, rotate it down onto the outrigger, and cut.
The long slider is also awesome for cutting a straight glue-able edge joint on solid stock. I just wish I had a 10 footer because most of my solid stock comes in at 10' (which is also the dimension of my lumber storage). I have to cross cut 10' solid stock before I can 'edge joint' it on the slider. Determining where to cross cut is a PITA when dealing with multiple parts of different lengths. So I wish I bought a 10 footer.
It is much faster to edge joint rough lumber on a slider compared to a jointer. Just clamp it down and run it through the slider once.
- As others have mentioned, build a good Fritz and Franz jig.
- Clamps are your friend, so clamp to the slider to ensure amazingly smooth and straight cuts. One clamp at each end for long boards.
- It may take some time to determine your strategy for different kinds of cuts (as with any saw), but once you figure out a cut strategy its in your pocket forever.
Regarding space requirements, I've found the limiting factor to be the size of wood I want to cut, not the format of the saw. If you want to rip 8' sheet goods you need 8 feet in front of and behind the blade, regardless of whether you have a slider or a cabinet saw.
Also, although a slider with an outrigger uses more space to the left of the blade than a cabinet saw, it typically doesn't need as much space to the right of the blade. You normally have most of your wood to the left of the blade on a slider, which is why you sometime see people put the right side of their slider against a wall. So width-wise, sliders and cabinet saws are similar, just the working space is to the left of the blade on a left-sided slider. Again, the real limit depends on the size of wood you want to process without moving equipment around.
FWIW, my Minimax outrigger can be removed in about 1 minute, and it takes about 2 minutes to reinstall it. I have only removed it once since I purchased it a year ago, but it can be done if one is space constrained on the left side of the saw.
Last edited by mark mcfarlane; 09-01-2018 at 11:35 AM.
Mark McFarlane
Member
I have a plywood sled that rides in the right side groove on my 10" Delta table saw. It works as a slider and does a great
job. Make one and try it out. You will be pleased.
Moderator
Lowell, a sled arrangement like that is great for certain tasks, but honestly, it's not the same thing as a machine built as a slider from the ground up nor can it duplicate all of the things that true sliders do well.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
Buy it now and I am sure you could find someone here who would store it for you for a couple of years.
Chris
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening
Contributor
I bet. LOL.
Member
my thinking exactly... Before I bought my Felder AD951, I had these panel glue ups which I have to use my 1100mm wide belt sander to sand, it would take a lot of passes and need a lot of time. but after I bought the Felder. I make the glue ups to about 500mm, run them through the Felder and then just domino and glue them on my panel press. I only need 1 pass through the sander.
Should have bought the AD951 years ago. the 510mm jointing capacity is a bliss when you need it... and I always need it.
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