Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 26

Thread: YASST - Yet another table saw/sawstop thread

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Oakland, CA
    Posts
    255

    YASST - Yet another table saw/sawstop thread

    Apologies in advance for another table saw question.

    We're renovating our house which includes enlarging my workshop. This means it will finally fit something larger than my trusty old dewalt contractor saw. It will also involve a kitchen remodel with me making all the cabinets. For sheet goods, I typically use a track saw for general breakdown then final cutting on the table saw as needed. I'm a hobbyist and do most of my work hybrid - breaking down stock with power tools and shape/finish with hand tools. Other than the kitchen, typical work is one off furniture out of hardwood and sometimes sheet goods (midcentury furniture).

    My plan for the saw replacement is:

    sawstop professional 36" 3HP - for my purposes 1.75HP is probably fine, but I'm planning on adding 240 anyway.
    ICS base - for ease of movement in my still small shop
    folding outfeed table

    Any other options/additions I should consider?

    Questions/options:
    1. router table:I'd like to mount my router on the right end of the table (sawstop table, router lift and box) and ditch my small bosch router table
    2. Dust collection: what's the practical difference between the two dust collection systems? I know the floating dust collection guard is not compatible with the router table on the right. I think this is the biggest question mark for me.
    3. Also, until now, I've pretty much never used a riving knife or table top dust collection, instead using sleds and splitters on zero clearance inserts. Given this, I'm open to optimal dust collection/safety options.
    4. I already have an icra 1000se and express. I'd be happy to keep using them unless there's another better option. How would these play with various dust collection mechanisms?


    All feedback appreciated!
    Last edited by Aaron Liebling; 02-21-2021 at 5:39 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,494
    Blog Entries
    1
    First, second and third of all; dust collection, dust collection, dust collection.

    What you are talking about sounds fine and so much of the small detail is personal preference. I like a longer rip capability even though I rarely work with sheet goods; others don't. I like the router table on the left so my jigs and so forth can be used on both functions with a common feed direction and clearance concerns; others don't. I find making my tablesaw one of the anchor points in the shop allows me to align it more precisely and keep those adjustments; we can't all dedicate the space.

    I'm not sure what the price difference is between the 1.75 and 3HP saws. My 1.75HP hybrid did everything I asked of it but WOW, does the power, smoothness and confidence of a 3HP platform sure feel good. If that feeling is $1000 you may want to spend that money on something else. If the difference is $500, it could be the difference between a 'next step' saw and the saw you will use from here on out.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Lebanon, TN
    Posts
    1,719
    I bought the 1.75HP 110V 36" Sawstop and the ICS mobile base. I used to roll it out for use and put it away when the wife came home, so she could park in the garage.

    I made a folding out feed table for this purpose.

    This worked well and when I moved, my saw found a permanent location, so although it sits on the ICS mobile base, it doesn't go anywhere.

    I did upgrade my Sawstop to 220v 3HP which I'm very pleased with.

    I have a standalone router table and also a router in the right end of my Sawstop. For convenience, the standalone router table gets used the most.

    I like to use a cross cut sled, so although I have the Sawstop Riving Knife Dust Guard collector, the cheaper version, I haven't used it in 4 years.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,248
    Hi Aaron, in the cost bracket you're looking at I wouldn't buy a cabinet saw, I would buy a short stroke Hammer or MiniMax sliding tablesaw.

    - scoring saw for chip free cuts on sheet goods

    - ability to crosscut a sheet of plywood

    - greater depth of cut

    - more capacity and versatility

    - good overhead and under blade dust collection

    - ability to straight line rough lumber

    - space saving

    You could never convince me to go back to a cabinet saw..........Regards, Rod.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Oakland, CA
    Posts
    255
    Rod, when you say "space saving", I was under the impression that even small sliders require more footprint than a cabinet saw. My new workshop is still on the small side. Also aside from one kitchen coming up, I don't really do much sheet work, which I thought of as the main strength of the slider.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Lebanon, TN
    Posts
    1,719
    Although, I gave you my info about my Sawstop purchase and experience, if I was buying again, and had the 240V, I most likely would buy a slider if my budget and space allowed.

  7. #7
    If the Sawstop safety feature is not a must have I'd consider this BEAST https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...ble-saw/g0696x I owned one of these about 6 years ago and just ordered another this weekend. Fit and finish is very good. Quality made a Powermatic PM2000 I had look like a joke. Note the much larger table size and additional inches in front of the blade. The table is also thicker than the PM2000 and Sawstop. It's a 12 inch so it will cut 4 inch thick stock and has a beefy 1 inch arbor.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  8. #8
    I just picked up a 3 horse 36" PCS with the industrial base last week. It is the first saw I have purchased, my original 1987 Craftsman was a wedding gift from my parents. I talked to several people about the integrated router table and ended up purchasing a Jessem ULTIMATE EXCEL II PACKAGE which is on backorder for a few months. The majority told me to go with a dedicated table unless I was limited on space. I will say that over a period of about a month while I was finalizing my choices, our local Sawstop vendors went from usually having four or five in stock to none in stock. Fortunately they found one in stock at another of their stores that they had shipped.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Posts
    968
    I've got the 3 HP SawStop PCS with the ICS mobile base, and built in Router Table. I went with the 52" rails, since I had the room, and previous experience taught me that longer rails were a very nice thing to have with the addition of a router table. This is mainly because you need a bit of space between the table saw portion and the router table to push things into to get them out of the way. For example I often have the router table fence on the middle portion when I need it out of the way. However this is just a nice to have, not a requirement.

    For dust collection I've had both a DIY floating collector and the built in collector on the guard. The guard is the better of the two options, particularly when paired with a dedicated shop vac with HEPA filters. The floating arm guard works decently, but you'll need a DC with a 6" duct to properly feed both it and the 4" port in the cabinet of the saw. Even with this, I found the guard collected slightly more material.

    While it's true the piping for the guard or the floating arm potentially gets in the way of the router table, my suggestion is to diy the piping for the guard or floating arm collector, which will avoid these issues.

    PXL_20201213_211428017.jpgIMG_20200507_171856.jpg

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Posts
    58
    I have the 3HP SS and think its a great saw, compares very well to my Unisaw that I purchased new in 1979 and used until I replaced it with the SS last year, the Unisaw had 52" fence and I needed to downsize now that making sawdust is not longer my business.
    On the Unisaw, I had mounted a router on the table and it worked very well but it always seemed in the way. Rarely could I cut something and rout it, it always seemed the board was too long so I had to lower the router bit down, cut and re-raise the bit, sometimes I got lucky and could do it. My point is I think a router buit into the table saw is a great idea but not a very functional one, I went back to a separate router table and I really wish I had not let go of my shaper.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Oakland, CA
    Posts
    255
    I'll have to do the layout to figure out if I can keep the standalone router table.

    I am interested in learning more about minimum usable square footage for a slider. It's either that or a sawstop.

    Thanks for the great dust collection info, Andrew. i use a dedicated shop vac so will look at the overarm (I don't have 6" ducts).

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    75
    One caution. If you get the Sawstop outfeed table (which I have and really like in my small garage shop), I have read it won't work in the full down position with the ICS mobile base, meaning you must keep it fully extended all the time. I don't have the ICS base but the PCS base and it works great with that base. I'm sure the ICS base is much superior, but I have not had issues with the PCS base, you just got to jocky it a little more.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,248
    Quote Originally Posted by Aaron Liebling View Post
    Rod, when you say "space saving", I was under the impression that even small sliders require more footprint than a cabinet saw. My new workshop is still on the small side. Also aside from one kitchen coming up, I don't really do much sheet work, which I thought of as the main strength of the slider.
    Hi Aaron, my small slider is a bit smaller than my cabinet saw and doesn't need outfeed support.

    Here are a couple of drawings. Note that mine is a bit deeper than just a saw as it has a shaper as well.

    I normally don't have the outrigger on, it takes a couple of minutes to put on, no tools required......Rod.B3 007.jpgB3 Winner Drawing-2.jpgB3 Winner Drawing-1.jpgCrosscut Fence Mounted.jpg

  14. #14
    I'm sorry but the notion that a slider takes up the same space as a conventional table saw is nonsense. You need the length of the slider in front of the saw and the length of the slider after the saw. This is dedicated space, nothing else can go there or you cannot use the saw. I need nothing in front of my PCS and behind it is my outfeed table which is also my assembly table and also my track saw cutting station. It has to do all these things because my shop is 14x24. I do not use infeed support on my PCS because I cut up large pieces, solid or sheet, on my track saw. My outfeed support does other things that need done and there is no other space to do.

    IF your setup has single use infeed and outfeed support on the conventional saw, then and only then is the space required comparable. But that is not my case and I suspect it is also not the case for many others.

    I am not down on sliders, I just don't think they will work for me or others with small shops. I use a conventional table saw with a big sliding table built in some when I volunteer at church and I like the sliding attachment. I know this is not the European slider concept since the slider is a foot or so from the blade but it is still handy. It's better for crosscuts than any sled. But I cannot give up 8 feet by 3 feet of space or more for only my table saw. I need multi use space as much as possible or I cannot get things done.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Central WI
    Posts
    5,666
    A short stroke slider doesn't need much extra room because the slider length is 48" or less. My normal saws are either 40 or 44" deep. No real difference there. I have several old sliders with a 40-44" sliding table and a stroke of 36-39". Those machines will handle 90% of most cabinet cuts on the crosscut and rip just like a traditional saw. If you use a track saw for the full panel cuts, there is no downside to a short stroke slider but crosscutting a 24x36" panel is much easier. When you go to an 80" slider, you lose space it becomes a machine that is either too short or too long. I have sliders from 18"-120" and the 40" and 120" are by far the favorites. My 80" is a great Knapp but is the last one I choose. Dave

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •