Griggio SC1500 sliding table saw

[Stephen Bandirola]

Does anyone know about this saw? Are they good quality and reliable?
I searched and found that Griggio went out of business.

What might the value be?

Steve

[Bobby Robbinett]

Yes they are excellent European made saws. Griggio is no longer in business though and sourcing parts are difficult and expensive. I have a Griggio sc3200b and am trying to find a curved rack for the tilt mechanism plus a new arbor and maybe a work gear for both the tilt and elevation controls. These parts are very expensive and hard to find. For example the curved rack is $460 and the raw stripped arbor is $330. Many of the Griggio saws were also made by Holtzher

[Patrick Kane]

Hard to tell from a few google image results for that model, but does it have a cast iron sliding table? Looks like its maybe from the early 80s. Similar brands and of similar vintages are listed routinely in the $3,000+/- range, in my experience.

Finding parts for any machine that is 30-40 years old is going to be a challenge, even if the company is still in business. Typically they only stock parts and service machines that are 20 years or younger. I have an early 2000s Felder, but ive looked at a bunch of larger sliders like you are, and i think you are better off stretching the budget a smidge to get into the early 90s or newer designs. One, they are likely to be in better shape. Two, it seems like the sliding table designs and general design took a bit of a leap forward from 1985-1990. Most of the euro makers switched to hardened steel ways from phenolic in that period. This gives you a significantly better chance of getting into a machine that doesnt have a worn out sliding table carriage. Finally, i hate to say it but the new sliders are better than the old sliders. Its not like comparing a tannewitz cabinet saw to a contemporary imported cabinet saw. Its easy to compare and say they both have the same features, the tannewitz is less expensive, better quality, heavier, and on and on. An altendorf/martin/whatever company's saw from 1978 compared to 2021 is night and day. Interested in others' opinions on the subject. Id like to upgrade my saw/shaper to dedicated machines one day, and id really like the slider to be a euro 10-12' machine from the big names. However, clinging to a $5-6,000 budget looks like it will limit me to a machine from 1990+/-

[Kevin Jenness]

We had an SC 3200 from the early 80's for a few years back around 2005, bought it for $2000 to replace an SCMI SI12 that we sold for $2500. The Griggio was an improvement in that it was a full size format saw but it had a steel table with a slight hump in it so less than ideal for bevel cuts. It was replaced with a Martin T71 of the same vintage which was a great improvement.

Given that parts are hard to find and depending on condition I would be hard pressed to give as much as $2k for a short stroke Griggio saw.

Patrick, if you can find a T71 or T72 in good shape it would serve you well- aside from the electronics and the left side rip lock on the newer saws they function just as well. Their weak point may be the hydraulic saw tilt/lift pump, which I was told are hard to get parts for. The older T75's are cool saws but limited in stroke length and naturally tend to be more worn.

[Stephen Bandirola]

It sounds like it all depends on condition (no replacement parts available), unfortunately I can't spend the money required for a newer slider. I assume (correctly I hope) that wear items such as belts and bearings are standard size?
This forum and online videos have convinced me that I want a sliding table saw.

Steve

[Kevin Jenness]

Sure, belts and bearings are easily sourced. If the saw you are looking at is in good shape and fully equipped it will probably never need any proprietary parts. Still, it's a potential concern.

I would have a hard time giving up my 2.6m slider unless I could shoehorn a longer one into my shop. A 1.5m stroke saw would be a real upgrade from a cabinet saw but you can do so much more with a full size unit. It really depends on the scale of your projects.