Need a new table saw sawstop vs harvey

[Mark Wedel]

RE if sawstop goes out of business: There are lots of what ifs in that situation - chances are they would not completely disappear, but some company would be the IP and whatever assets of sawstop if it got to that point. Also, once all the patents and what not expire, other companies could make the safety cartridges, and there are probably enough sawstop saws out there that it would be worthwhile for someone to do so.
But presuming the cartridges could not longer be obtained, I suspect there is some way to wire the sawstops so they still work - I know there is a bypass mode on them which will make it so the cartridge will not activate even if it detects contact (good for wet wood) - I can't remember if you can run them without a cartridge at all. But at a basic level, you just need to get power to the motor, which does not seem like a hard problem to solve if it gets to that point.

[George Yetka]

Im not sure it would matter where it were shipped as far as shipping damage the sawstop comes apart in boxes.

I like my sawstop

[Pat Germain]

RE if sawstop goes out of business: There are lots of what ifs in that situation - chances are they would not completely disappear, but some company would be the IP and whatever assets of sawstop if it got to that point. Also, once all the patents and what not expire, other companies could make the safety cartridges, and there are probably enough sawstop saws out there that it would be worthwhile for someone to do so.
But presuming the cartridges could not longer be obtained, I suspect there is some way to wire the sawstops so they still work - I know there is a bypass mode on them which will make it so the cartridge will not activate even if it detects contact (good for wet wood) - I can't remember if you can run them without a cartridge at all. But at a basic level, you just need to get power to the motor, which does not seem like a hard problem to solve if it gets to that point.

Running a SawStop without the braking technology would be very easy.

[Bill Dufour]

Heard on the radio this morning that BMW is recalling cars with takata air bags. The chemical in some of them ages and gets more powerful. Too powerful of an explosion and it throws stuff into the peoples faces.
So explosive cartridges can have a shelf life, who knew.
Who really replaces their smoke alarms every ten years like you are supposed to?
BilL D

[Brian Runau]

Think I am going to break down and buy the sawstop 1.75hp 36" fence model( I have single phase wired and don't want to rewire) just a hobbyist. I assume I need a spare cartridge? Big expense, but upgrade from my old Sears cabinet base model. My conundrum is at 67 how long will I use it vs what I am spending. Oh well, I can always have them put it in the ground with me. Thanks. Brian

[Cameron Wood]

Think I am going to break down and buy the sawstop 1.75hp 36" fence model( I have single phase wired and don't want to rewire) just a hobbyist. I assume I need a spare cartridge? Big expense, but upgrade from my old Sears cabinet base model. My conundrum is at 67 how long will I use it vs what I am spending. Oh well, I can always have them put it in the ground with me. Thanks. Brian

I'm guessing you mean that you have 120v wiring and don't want to change to 240v.
It seems pretty standard for new SS owners to have an oops event and cartridge & blade replacement as part of the learning curve.
A buddy got one, even 'tho he's run table saws for decades and was partner in a commercial cabinet shop. The wife input, I think.
It seemed to me that the saw is designed for a dust collection hook up, and would barely work without it.

[Pat Germain]

Think I am going to break down and buy the sawstop 1.75hp 36" fence model( I have single phase wired and don't want to rewire) just a hobbyist. I assume I need a spare cartridge? Big expense, but upgrade from my old Sears cabinet base model. My conundrum is at 67 how long will I use it vs what I am spending. Oh well, I can always have them put it in the ground with me. Thanks. Brian

You will require a separate cartridge for dado blades.

[Pat Germain]

Heard on the radio this morning that BMW is recalling cars with takata air bags. The chemical in some of them ages and gets more powerful. Too powerful of an explosion and it throws stuff into the peoples faces.
So explosive cartridges can have a shelf life, who knew.
Who really replaces their smoke alarms every ten years like you are supposed to?
BilL D

I'm not sure I understand your post correctly, but a SawStop cartridge does not use an explosive. It uses a spring; a very stiff spring. The cartridges do not have a shelf life.

[Patty Hann]

I'm not sure I understand your post correctly, but a SawStop cartridge does not use an explosive. It uses a spring; a very stiff spring. The cartridges do not have a shelf life.

But springs DO have a "Shelf life" (so to speak).
A spring under constant compression will, over time, experience material fatigue.
How long it takes for that to happen to the spring in a SS cartridge I have no idea.

https://www.tevema.com/do-springs-get-softer-over-time/

[Michael Burnside]

Think I am going to break down and buy the sawstop 1.75hp 36" fence model( I have single phase wired and don't want to rewire) just a hobbyist. I assume I need a spare cartridge? Big expense, but upgrade from my old Sears cabinet base model. My conundrum is at 67 how long will I use it vs what I am spending. Oh well, I can always have them put it in the ground with me. Thanks. Brian

Congrats. I think you'll love the saw. Lots of good choices, but I think you'll be happy. One thing I found after having built/tuned a lot of machines is that the SawStop was one of the easiest. Especially for miter slot to blade adjustment. It's dead simple with 4 set screws. The instructions are pretty good and easy to follow.

As far as cartridge replacements go, if you live near a Woodcraft/Rocker/other distributor and you wouldn't want a replacement right now, then I wouldn't buy an extra. I bought one when I got my saw, and in the 5 years I've owned it (knock on wood) I've not had a single incident, real flesh or otherwise.

[Jay Norton]

Congrats. I think you'll love the saw. Lots of good choices, but I think you'll be happy. One thing I found after having built/tuned a lot of machines is that the SawStop was one of the easiest. Especially for miter slot to blade adjustment. It's dead simple with 4 set screws. The instructions are pretty good and easy to follow.

Well said. Agree 100%

[Jim Becker]

RE if sawstop goes out of business: There are lots of what ifs in that situation - chances are they would not completely disappear, but some company would be the IP and whatever assets of sawstop if it got to that point. Also, once all the patents and what not expire, other companies could make the safety cartridges, and there are probably enough sawstop saws out there that it would be worthwhile for someone to do so.
But presuming the cartridges could not longer be obtained, I suspect there is some way to wire the sawstops so they still work - I know there is a bypass mode on them which will make it so the cartridge will not activate even if it detects contact (good for wet wood) - I can't remember if you can run them without a cartridge at all. But at a basic level, you just need to get power to the motor, which does not seem like a hard problem to solve if it gets to that point.

SS is owned by the parent company that also owns Festool, Tanos and some other names, including the IP. The risk of them "going out of business" isn't zero, but it's less likely given the strong ownership.

[Christopher Charles]

Congrats on the new saw! I have the same one and have been tempted to upgrade to 3hp (which is doable and not vastly more expensive than the price difference) but haven’t been able to justify. Does slow down in 8/4 hard maple, but work gets done fine. You did not say if you upgraded to the nicer fence, which I do recommend.

[Cameron Wood]

From the Sawstop website:

"We recommend a minimum of 350 CFM (PCS/CNS) or 400 CFM (ICS) to the 4” port. Even the largest wet/dry vacuums or portable dust extractors will not supply the CFM needed for proper dust extraction from our cast iron table saws, so we recommend one of the many types of stationary solutions."

[Pat Germain]

But springs DO have a "Shelf life" (so to speak).
A spring under constant compression will, over time, experience material fatigue.
How long it takes for that to happen to the spring in a SS cartridge I have no idea.

https://www.tevema.com/do-springs-get-softer-over-time/

Apparently it's not enough of an issue to give the SawStop cartridges a shelf life.