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Thread: First Table Saw- Delta 36-725 vs SawStop

  1. #16
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    MA
    Posts
    2,255
    I am not one to always advise the most expensive tool there is.

    I also have had a tablesaw injury that required an emergency room surgery. A SawStop would not have prevented it in my case (poor practice on my part was the underlying issue, thankfully no flesh hit the blade).

    I started out on relatively inexpensive contractor saw for many years. Just didnt want (or have) the $$ to shell out on something I wasnt sure how long I would use it for.

    Having said all of that, in your case, I would recommend the SawStop. Yes partly due to safety. And partly due to resale value. If you stay with the hobby you have a saw that will last you essentially forever (unless you switch some day to a slider). If you do not stay with it and decide to sell the saw, you will be able to recover the difference in cost from a lower grade saw. Used SawStop rarely come up for sale in my area and when they do they sell instantly at pretty high (used) prices.

    $.02

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    The Little Tennessee River near Knoxville.
    Posts
    1,227
    If you had a quality tool, like the Saw Stop, you will enjoy using it and will probably use it more than you think.
    If you buy an inferior tool, it will not perform to your expectations and you wont be happy with it and will probably give up woodworking as a hobby. On the other hand, if the tool performs well, your projectx will be fun and you will probably want to do more.

    As for an older second hand tool.......... if you are new to woodworking, your new hobby will become tool restoration and not woodworking. You don't know enough to make a good purchase.

    I was always a big fan of Delta. I thought their tools were really worth the money. Over the last 5 to 7 years, they are turning out pure junk. Look at the Star Ratings on them - barely 3 stars besides the fact that they look stupid.

    Anyway, best of luck in whatever you decide..
    Retired, living and cruising full-time on my boat.
    Currently on the Little Tennessee River near Knoxville

  3. 15 years ago I bought a pretty nice hybrid tablesaw (new) which was well used and well loved, having a saw that worked really well made it a very difficult decision to replace it with a "better" saw.
    If it had a riving knife I most likely would have kept it.
    I eventually decided to just do it and at the end of January I bought a PCS.
    My saw is the 3hp with the 36" fence and I opted for the ICS base.
    While I bought the SawStop only for the safety feature I have to say it's just better and more pleasurable to use in every possible way.
    If you buy the Delta and it doesn't have issues you will "never" find a reason to replace it, unless you touch the blade.
    At that point it's really too late.
    I don't see how nyone that can economically list SawStop as an option can choose anything else.
    Build quality and customer service matches / exceeds any comparable machine and the stinking thing won't cut your fingers off.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,248
    If I was going to buy a cabinet saw, it would definitely be a SawStop.

    The safety is a no brainer.

    That said I would never buy another cabinet saw, I would buy a Hammer K3 or a Minmax, both of which are sliders.

    A short stroke slider will do so much more, far more accurately....Regards, Rod

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Posts
    2,005
    My first table saw of any type was a SawStop PCS 3HP. I say buy the last tool youre likely to ever need. And if you buy good quality, name brand stuff itll hold it resale better than other options should you decide to bail on the hobby.
    If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Hi Jacob
    Where are you? Maybe visiting a shop or two will help you decide. The Sawstop does indeed include a valuable safety feature but a much more valuable one is between the ears in the form of experience.

  7. #22
    I’m from Tn. My lack of experience is one of the things steering me towards a sawstop. I’m not new to power tools, just to table saws. I know that I have loads to learn about safely using a table saw. I have learned experience and always having your head in the game are the most important things for safety.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Posts
    968
    The SawStop's a great saw, but I feel like we're recommending a Bugatti to somebody who's never driven before. While it's true the SawStop's safety feature will prevent you from cutting your fingers off, it will not prevent you from having issues with kickback, which is almost as dangerous. For that any modern table saw with a riving knife will be as safe, including a Harbor Freight contractor special.

    If you're really trying to get a feel for this hobby, the less ventured, the less you'll feel "trapped" by all the money you've put into your tools. It will also allow you to spend your money in other areas, and since you're just starting, I'm going to guess there are a LOT of other areas you could be spending money.

    One of the biggest things to look for when picking up a table saw that will not be frustrating is a good fence. Basically you want a T-style fence, often called a Biesemeyer fence.

    The Delta has this style fence, a nice cast iron top, and a mobile base. It's going to run on 110V, so you won't need to add a 220V circuit to the garage. It's also available at Lowe's, so if there's a problem you can return it.

    While it's true that SawStop won't lose much money if you decide to resell it, the Delta's going to have some decent resale as well. If you buy the SawStop you're guaranteed to spend $250 just getting it shipped to your home, which is half the price of the Delta. Add on a little haggling, and a discount because the SawStop no longer has a warranty, and you're probably going to be out the entire purchase price of the Delta if you sell the SawStop.

    Once you've got the Delta, or the Rigid, and you've used it for a bit you'll have a MUCH better idea of how you use a saw, what features you want on it, what you want to avoid, and if you even want to continue with the hobby or not. Just look at some of the options on the SawStop, are you will to try to guess about whether or not you want 1 HP, or 3 HP, which is $430, or almost the entire cost of the Delta? Maybe you really want a sliding table saw?

    Plus if you do decide to get the SawStop you'll appreciate it that much more having used another saw, and you'll be more confident that you've spent your money wisely.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Lebanon, TN
    Posts
    1,719
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob Atwell View Post
    I’m from Tn. .
    If you are anywhere near Nashville, you are more than welcome to come over and run some wood through my SawStop, change blades etc.. and see how easy it is to use.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,950
    Diverting from the pack here but if I were to go back in time and tell my just-starting-out-self what I know now, here is the list of items I would buy and the order I would buy them in:

    1.) Jointer/Planer machine
    2.) Solid, Basic workbench with good vises
    3.) A few Basic hand tools (see Lie Nielson core tools for example list)
    4.) Festool sander with dust extractor
    5.) Tracksaw with multi function table
    6.) Good quality bandsaw


    i know here in the US we always think table saw is the first purchase and center of a shop and I did too. My first purchase was a fully restored 1972 Powermatic 66 table saw. That got me head over heals into the hobby and now I have a full shop even though the Powermatic was replaced with a Felder sliding saw.

    However, I really wish I had put the jointer/planer combo machine first on my list. With it and a general purpose handsaw you are set to build about anything. A table saw alone won’t do it unless you can buy perfectly processed wood for every project. Anyway, good luck whatever route you choose.
    Last edited by Greg Parrish; 05-22-2019 at 9:25 AM.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,248
    Interesting Greg, when I teach seminars I put the jointer/planer and the band saw in the first seminar as I feel that they will allow the participant to maximize the construction of solid wood furniture.

    The table saw is highly over rated in my opinion for solid wood fabrication.

    Next on the list for machinery is the shaper..............You're absolutely correct about the bench and some basic hand tools as well the Festool sander and extractor.

    Of course machinery also requires dust extraction.

    The last machine for me is the format saw........Rod.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,950
    Good point. For that jointer planer machine you will need dust extraction but you could throw a harbor freight dust collector cheaply on just that one machine to get by until you one day did a full shop dust collector setup.

    But you pointed out why it’s first on my list. If you can’t mill your lumber your limited in what you can do. And if you buy milled lumber you can’t change it or correct it later without the machine yourself. To me it’s the heart of the shop. Especially when combined with a bandsaw. (Unless you want to do everything with hand tools)



    Quote Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan View Post
    Interesting Greg, when I teach seminars I put the jointer/planer and the band saw in the first seminar as I feel that they will allow the participant to maximize the construction of solid wood furniture.

    The table saw is highly over rated in my opinion for solid wood fabrication.

    Next on the list for machinery is the shaper..............You're absolutely correct about the bench and some basic hand tools as well the Festool sander and extractor.

    Of course machinery also requires dust extraction.

    The last machine for me is the format saw........Rod.
    Last edited by Greg Parrish; 05-22-2019 at 9:37 AM.

  13. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Parrish View Post
    Diverting from the pack here but if I were to go back in time and tell my just-starting-out-self what I know now, here is the list of items I would buy and the order I would buy them in:

    1.) Jointer/Planer machine
    2.) Solid, Basic workbench with good vises
    3.) A few Basic hand tools (see Lie Nielson core tools for example list)
    4.) Festool sander with dust extractor
    5.) Tracksaw with multi function table
    6.) Good quality bandsaw


    i know here in the US we always think table saw is the first purchase and center of a shop and I did too. My first purchase was a fully restored 1972 Powermatic 66 table saw. That got me head over heals into the hobby and now I have a full shop even though the Powermatic was replaced with a Felder sliding saw.

    However, I really wish I had put the jointer/planer combo machine first on my list. With it and a general purpose handsaw you are set to build about anything. A table saw alone won’t do it unless you can buy perfectly processed wood for every project. Anyway, good luck whatever route you choose.
    I worked for many years without a jointer, processing my stock by hand with hand planes and winding sticks. I agree that having a jointer is really nice and speeds up the process, but I'd be lost without my table saw. For power tools, it was - and still is - first on my list.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    East Virginia
    Posts
    830
    If you go the non-SawStop route, I'd recommend finding a used contractor's saw (Delta, Powermatic, Jet, etc) with belt drive and a decent fence. Cast iron wings are also nice to dampen vibration.

    As for "table saw first, last or never," in my view, it's the backbone of my wood shop...and often ends up being an assembly surface simply because it MUST be cleaned off frequently in order to keep the wheels of progress rolling!
    Last edited by Jacob Reverb; 05-22-2019 at 11:08 AM.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Kapolei Hawaii
    Posts
    3,236
    I have a Sawstop ICS and smile every time I flip that switch on. Great saw, NOT considering the brake, which I have managed to not activate yet. If you jump into the SS, I would imagine that you would also be happy with your purchase and continue to use it and learn about making things.
    Get the Bies fence, if it's not "standard". It took a bit to dial in, but I use the saw's tape, I don't measure when I cut wood. If I set the saw's fence to 12", I get a 12" inch wide board. Every time. Just one of the many good things about that saw. Good luck in your decision.

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