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Thread: Sliding saw options

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
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    Allentown, PA
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    Sliding saw options

    I've decided to buy a KF700 and would appreciate opinions on a couple points:

    - Has anyone bought a 110" slider and wish they wish they had 126"?

    - Is there some reason the overhead guard is worth $600 more than the Grizzly alternative?

    - I'm thinking I could quit using my miter saw all the time if I move the Felder to a place in the shop that would crowd out the miter saw. Right now, I can only use the sliding saw with shorter boards. This led me to thinking a 49" rip fence would be good, so I can easily move the fence out of the way for most work, without removing it from the table. (Maybe I'll be glad to have it on rare occasions, too.) Has anyone felt the need for their miter saw when they have plenty of room for crosscuts on the outrigger? Is anyone glad to have 49" rip capacity available for other reasons?

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    I have a Felder CF741, the reason it doesn't take over all the crosscutting functions in my shop is that a good crosscut blade will sometimes do a much better job that the combo blade that's usually in my slider. Example, I usually use a Forrest WW2 blade in the Felder, which is good for 90% of what I do, but it hates crosscutting hard maple. No need to even force the issue when there is a set up scms with a better blade for that job right there ready to go. Saves a blade change, which is something I don't like doing as it is such a time drain.

  3. #3
    When bucking up lumber a chop saw with plenty of room on both sides can be more efficient because you don't have to end-for-end the boards. The slider will give you better quality cross and miter cuts than any but high end miter saws like an Omga but with slightly less convenience, especially with long pieces that need outboard support. In my shop I sometimes need to cut over 10' lengths which I find handier using my sliding miter saw.

    With a 49" rip capacity you can cut an 8' sheet in half, a difficult task with a narrower rip fence.

    My rip fence rail abuts the wall and my miter saw is on the infeed side of that, so wide sheets are supported by the miter saw's left side table and long crosscuts are supported by the slider's right side extension table.

    If you have the room and the budget for the longer stroke saw you won't regret getting it.

    The Grizzly looks a lot like the Excalibur guard which works well, maybe a good place to save some $.
    Last edited by Kevin Jenness; 04-17-2021 at 8:55 PM.

  4. #4
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    I forgot to answer the stroke length question, yes I have 110, I do wish it was a 10' model.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
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    Thanks for the comments. You convinced me the 126" slider is worth $30/inch more. Width is an issue if I keep the miter set-up as is, so I'll spend my six-months waiting for the saw redesigning the space and go with the 49" fence.

  6. I would never want to give up the miter saw just for that reason. I use it 99% just to cut rough lumber dow, It's a lot easier to slide an 8/4 piece of mahogany 12 feet long onto the miter saw than cross cut it on the slider. I have the Mimimax 4e and have yet wished I had longer stroke.

  7. #7
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    Mar 2003
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    I also use my miter saw for rough cutting lumber to length when it's over about 6' long...but that's about it.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    My thoughts:

    -Get as long a sliding table as you physically have room for. I have never had a customer complain about having too long of a slider but have had several who regretted not finding a way to fit a longer stroke machine in there. More so pro shops than hobbyists.

    -Most of my home guys go for the 2800mm (9’) slider and seem happy with that.

    -“Yes”, to the chopsaw being replaced by the slider but I still wouldn’t get rid of it. Ideally, I would put it on a portable stand and store it. What if you need to do cut some lumber out on the Back-40? Just like I would not get rid of the router table even thought the KF can do that.

    -Even if you don’t need the full 49” rip capacity, it’s a handy place to store stuff. If a pro shop, I would say 49” a must but could make the argument either way in a home shop. Your call.

    -If you are going to spring for the overhead guard, get the big swing-away one, not the cheaper tubular one. Yes, it really is worth the extra $$$.

    Congrats on the KF. That is an awesome machine. Every one of my owners 100% loves theirs.

    Erik.
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  9. #9
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    Regarding the overhead guard, I was leaning towards the Grizzly for price and the 4" hose capacity. The description says "the top rotates 90° out of the way for complete versatility". I assumed this meant the entire arm swings out of the way; rereading, it could mean that the hood swings up. Can someone confirm whether or not the Grizzly arm can swing out of the way, across the table?

    Everyone's miter-saw comments led me to a comfortable conclusion: My shop is in the basement of a bank barn and I store lumber longer than 6' up on the first floor. I'll put my miter saw upstairs. That gives me room to build a nice table around the saw, keep my 3 Hp Delta shaper, and two router tables. I expect the shaper will end up with a semi-permanent setup, as I've done on one router table. This will keep me from grumbling about a changeover from saw to shaper on the KF700 for common tasks, or for making small trim (e.g. 1/4 round), which requires a shaper/saw/shaper/saw sequence. The downside is I'll need to buy another power feeder, and they're so expensive (from any manufacturer) I'll be waiting for something used.

  10. #10
    Used a radial to cross cut rough solid. When I got fed up with it as it was a cheap one used a skill saw.

    At times used a sliding table to cross cut rough solid, its a poor choice. Rough is often not straight on an edge so may not seat well to the fence and changes as you go. It was usually okay but have had it kick back from pinching.

    Radial best choice for cross cutting rough solid, second choice mitre saw as I think the one i have would get more wear and tear and rather keep it for more finished work. At times I had to work long solid the slider would have been close to useless. Once its broken down then the slider will work well.
    Last edited by Warren Lake; 04-18-2021 at 11:38 AM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    Cedar Park, TX - Boulder Creek, CA
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    I got mine with the 49" rip setup. Not having room for it, I sawed the fence bar off flush with the main extension table. That gives me 25" of capacity. I remember the look on one of the Felder rep's when I told him ... 'you could have just ordered the shorter bar'. "I have a plan ..." Many years later I machined the ends of the 2 pieces so I could thread them back together if I ever need to add the extra short extension table. I've put it on a couple times, without the table, just so I can pull the fence over farther without the housing falling off. I can squeak out about 34" that way. Thinking about somehow making the table a drop-on setup. No doubt will take many more years.

  12. #12
    spent time staring at mine thinking about the same. Tool and die maker id have had done that retired. Few other things on this saw id would have had him do, flip and remachine mounting holes so the bottom of the bar could be used, fresh and new. How did you drill and thread it and what size and length of threaded rod. I set up so the radial arm saw table will be part support if the full width is ever used for now.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Stelts View Post
    Everyone's miter-saw comments led me to a comfortable conclusion: My shop is in the basement of a bank barn and I store lumber longer than 6' up on the first floor. I'll put my miter saw upstairs. That gives me room to build a nice table around the saw, keep my 3 Hp Delta shaper, and two router tables.
    That's exactly what I did here in my current shop, Mike...the miter saw is upstairs where the lumber lives. I forget if I took you up there or not when you were here awhile back.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Lake View Post
    spent time staring at mine thinking about the same. Tool and die maker id have had done that retired. Few other things on this saw id would have had him do, flip and remachine mounting holes so the bottom of the bar could be used, fresh and new. How did you drill and thread it and what size and length of threaded rod. I set up so the radial arm saw table will be part support if the full width is ever used for now.

    I used a 3/4 socket head for the coupler. Not shown here, forgot to bring the model of that home from my shop. It was threaded in from the back side of the insert on the 'ext_rail_rip' picture. Permanent Loctite, and then the head was cut down to the bottom of the socket so I didn't have to set it back as far in the bar. That assy held in by an M8 socket screw, so it can be rotated to 'clock' the mounting screw holes when it's installed. Many tries to get it to align no matter how hard I thought out which way it needed to be moved. Whatever I was using for 'logic' at the time failed me completely, but I got it done eventually. The flats for the mounting screws line up nearly dead on by the level in my combination square.

    The main rail was bored for the coupler, 1/4" deep or so. 3/4 thread beyond that, and an M8 way down in there to retain a cap I made to protect the end of the bar when it's used alone. Yeah, I get carried away ...

    The coupler is a close fit in either piece. Maybe a thou' clearance. Bars dialed in, or run in a steady rest. They align well enough the fence casting slides right over the joint.

    Sawing it in half, and then truing the ends took a bit out of the length. But there appears to be enough clearance in the mounting tab on the extension table to accommodate that. I made a point of scribing a line across for a future alignment reference first.

    Mine arrived with the threaded studs bent, even though the rail was on the pallet under the machine. ??? So I made these standoffs that pilot in the c'bores in the table. I got some shims from McMaster, 1 and/or 2 or 4 thou (?) thick to tweak the rail in for blade alignment. I've taken it off since, to machine it for the extension, and it went back dead on.

    I could make a wild guess and hack up a model of the 3/4" screw that's in there if you need it. Or pull it apart, and see if I can get it back together aligned again ;-)


    rail_rip_mod.JPGext_rail_rip.JPGstandoff_rail_rip.JPG

  15. #15
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    Mar 2021
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    Sothern Coastal Maine
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Stelts View Post
    Regarding the overhead guard, I was leaning towards the Grizzly for price and the 4" hose capacity. The description says "the top rotates 90° out of the way for complete versatility". I assumed this meant the entire arm swings out of the way; rereading, it could mean that the hood swings up. Can someone confirm whether or not the Grizzly arm can swing out of the way, across the table?
    I have the Grizzly universal guard on my SawStop & it does swing out of the way. You loosen a kip lever which allows it to swing toward the back of the saw.

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