Planning to buy a new table saw

[John Totten]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm 78 and have been using a Craftsman 10 inch 113.298051 for the last 39 years to build furniture for my house and various projects. I never upgraded until now because the craftsman could do what I needed and I didn't want to spend the money. Last week the fence wouldn't tighten anymore. I think that the threaded rod is stripped. So I've finally decided to buy a new saw. After reading a bunch of posts here and watching youtube videos, I think that a Grizzly G0771Z is enough for the kinds of things that I make and the Grizzly G0583Z canister dust collector will replace my dust deputy cyclone and shopvac. I expect to replace the wheels on the dust collector since everyone hates them. I'll also get a better combination saw blade ( any recommendations?) and wheels for the table saw. I've verified that I have a separate 20 amp line for the TS and DC each. I'm a little anxious about moving the saw parts from my garage, where it will be dropped off, to the shop in my basement. It's about 40 feet of gravel from the garage to the shop and my back doesn't like to lift over 20 pounds. I have a movers dolly and a DIY 3x3 platform on wheels and I could use plywood to make a smooth path over the ground. Any comments are appreciated. - John

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John, I went and looked at the specs on the saw. That saw matches specs on the specs on my Ridgid and mine has met my expectations. I think you will like it. Grizzly service has always been good for me in the rare occasions I have had to contact them. When it delivers, it wouldn't surprise me if you couldn't ask the driver to put it in the shop if you had a couple of sheets of plywood to move for a base for his pallet jack. Every large piece of equipment I have had delivered, the delivery guys were willing to do it for me and one even turned down the tip I tried to give him. The other drivers gladly took my $20 for a beer after work.

That being said, if you haven't ordered it yet, call Grizzly and see if it's shipped as 1 assembled package or disassembled on one pallet or several. If it's several, you could probably move it in pieces easier.

Good luck!

[Phil Gaudio]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm 78 and have been using a Craftsman 10 inch 113.298051 for the last 39 years to build furniture for my house and various projects. I never upgraded until now because the craftsman could do what I needed and I didn't want to spend the money. Last week the fence wouldn't tighten anymore. I think that the threaded rod is stripped. So I've finally decided to buy a new saw. After reading a bunch of posts here and watching youtube videos, I think that a Grizzly G0771Z is enough for the kinds of things that I make and the Grizzly G0583Z canister dust collector will replace my dust deputy cyclone and shopvac. I expect to replace the wheels on the dust collector since everyone hates them. I'll also get a better combination saw blade ( any recommendations?) and wheels for the table saw. I've verified that I have a separate 20 amp line for the TS and DC each. I'm a little anxious about moving the saw parts from my garage, where it will be dropped off, to the shop in my basement. It's about 40 feet of gravel from the garage to the shop and my back doesn't like to lift over 20 pounds. I have a movers dolly and a DIY 3x3 platform on wheels and I could use plywood to make a smooth path over the ground. Any comments are appreciated. - John

After I got to the "I'm 78" part I made up my mind: just get a SawStop.

[Richard Coers]

Buy a good used Delta Unisaw. At 78 you don't need a new saw. I'm 71. I met an 82 year old gentlemen to buy a machine. The poor guy still has a strong spirit, but he had trouble plugging the cord into the outlet. No more good working years for him.

[Kevin Jenness]

You could put a new fence on your old saw.

[Steven Cooper2]

You could get a used Unisaw or something like that at auction. I see them go for $300 or less quite often, also in the woodworkers club classifieds.

You can find a lot of decent shape table saws surplus as places that have to cover workers cutting body parts off like saw stops. I just talked management into replacing our old Unisaw in one of the tech shops for this reason. I think it went for $50 at auction.

[Rob Sack]

I wouldn't fool around with a used saw. I highly recommend a Sawstop. I have had mine for over 10 years and even without the safety features, it is one heck of a saw. The safety features make it even more attractive. And as has been mentioned numerous times before, their customer service is outstanding. If moving the saw into your shop is a problem, what about hiring a couple of professional movers to do it for you. The added cost may make up for the additional effort and aggravation of doing it yourself.

[Bill Dufour]

U haul has a service where you hire some of their guys to show up and help load or unload. Ask the high school football or wrestling coach. Pay them in Piazza nd soda and a donation to the team.
Bill D

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Welcome John Totten! Two sheets of plywood are a big help for moving heavy items over gravel and grass. If you have a slope or hill it gets tricky. I almost always buy used machinery and do a lot of disassembly before moving anything. I gave a Sears saw the gentleman I bought my Unisaw from. He put a Grizzly clone of the Biesemeyre fence on it and still uses it. A new fence is an excellent upgrade for a Sears saw. I found an image on the web of what your delivery will look like. It looks like an excellent saw and assembly will be required.
Shipping weight 324 pounds.
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[Jerry Kitzhoffer]

Good combination blade- 40 tooth from Ridge Carbide. Have fun!

Jerry

[Mike Henderson]

I started with one of those Sears saws and put a Biesemeyer fence on it. Of course, that was fairly expensive by itself. I eventually got a SawStop without a fence and put the Biesemeyer fence on it.

Mike

[Curt Harms]

After I got to the "I'm 78" part I made up my mind: just get a SawStop.

That was kind of my thought as well. A saw stop isn't the be-all end-all, kick back can still be an issue for instance but it helps. A second issue with "I'm 78" is being able to move machines around. John, do you have someone to help with this?

[John Totten]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Even though I'm 78, I am very fit (except for the partially herniated disk). I play competitive tennis (3.5-4.0) several times a week and my parents lived into their 90's. I have a very positive outlook on being able to do woodworking for at least another 10 years. Given that I was content with the ability of my Craftsman for so long, I think that the expense of a SawStop is not worth the satisfaction that I would get. There are other things to spend money on. I plan to move the Grizzly in pieces into my shop and assemble there. If the pieces are too heavy, I'll get some help.
It's funny to see the advice go from get a new fence to a SawShop. Thanks again.

[Michael Burnside]

John, you don’t list your location, but if you’re in the Northern Colorado area, I’d be happy to help you move the saw and set it up. Getting a new tool is always exciting, even at 78!

[John Totten]

Thanks for the offer, but I'm in Massachusetts. I'll update my profile.