So, I'm thinking about upgrading to a slider. I love my SawStop, but breaking down 4x8 and 5x5 sheets is a PITA. I have a Festool track saw and that helps, but I'm looking for a better way to do things. Right now, I'm taking a serious look at the Minimax SC 4e. I'll probably take a look at Felder as well. I think the K500 is roughly equivalent to the SC 4e.
Some of the features I know I want include:
- 8.5' stroke
- Single phase main motor
- Scoring blade
Now some questions:
- For saws with a separate motor for the scoring blade, is that a separate electrical connection, or does the saw split the incoming connection between the two motors.
- I see the MiniMax has an option of running the scoring blade off of the main motor. Is there any reason for going with this option?
- In general, do sliders have leveling feet? The floor in my shop is sloped for a drain right were the saw would sit (not my design). I'm thinking metal plates to level it if there aren't built-in leveling feet.
- How do you get the thing off of the pallet? Can you put forks under the machine itself? Lucky me, my neighbor has a forklift
- If you are dimensioning lumber, how do you rip the width after jointing / planing? Do you use the fence to the right of the blade like you would with a cabinet saw?
- I've seen discussions of not using the scoring blade when cutting non-sheet lumber. This seems to make sense if you are ripping. Wouldn't you want to use it for crosscut?
Do any of y'all have the SC 4e? If so, how much space in width do I need for the saw? I'm not too worried about length since my shop is 30' across in that direction. Any advice on this would be appreciated.