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Thread: Upgrade table saw worth it?

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Rector View Post
    This is exactly why I bought a car without seat belts, air bags, antilock brakes with a one star crash rating. None of that safety stuff will ever help. I mean if the car is going to kill me nothing I do to mitigate injury will help.



    This is exactly what I tell my friends who refuse to skydive without parachutes. Pansies.
    I actually prefer my old trucks with out air bags, anti lock brakes and all the other BS that tries to tell me how to drive.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
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    859
    Quote Originally Posted by Darcy Warner View Post
    I actually prefer my old trucks with out air bags, anti lock brakes and all the other BS that tries to tell me how to drive.
    I am okay with airbags and anti-lock brakes. But I'm not sure I want the car stopping itself etc. But I'm okay with SawStop.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Camas, Wa
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    3,853
    I use my table saw on every project. A move to a cabinet saw from a contractor saw is always a worthy upgrade. No matter the brand, I would buy on with a riving knife at the minimum.

  4. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by Marshall K Harrison View Post
    I am okay with airbags and anti-lock brakes. But I'm not sure I want the car stopping itself etc. But I'm okay with SawStop.
    I shared this real story in another thread: A friend of mine hit the back of a truck parked on the shoulder lane when his car was traveling at over 90 miles per hour. He fell asleep behind the wheel after long hours of driving on the highway and after a full lunch(!). He survived but not one of the passengers in the car.

    He was driving his two year old Toyota Camry which had the option of the auto-braking system, but he didn't want to pay the extra money. Every day since the accident (last November), he wishes he had either got that option or driven his wife's car (a new Honda Accord which does have the auto-braking feature) that day.

    I also know guys who wished they were using a SawStop or not using a tablesaw at all when their saw accidents happened. SawStop is expensive when it is compared to many other saws. So can be woodworking as a hobby. Is it worth spending money on a SawStop, or on a woodworking hobby? It depends on the decision-maker himself or herself. As for myself, I will never ever operate a tablesaw that does not have the finger-saving feature. So if anyone wants to buy a SawStop, it is wonderful.

    When I buy my next car, the auto-braking feature plus blind spot warning, lane departure warning, side air bags etc. will be mandatory...even though I have had an incident-free driving record for over 35 years.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 02-21-2018 at 10:23 AM.

  5. #35
    I have nothing against SawStop except the price and I know you owners can make mincemeat of that argument if you care to. But I am a woodworker of nearly 60 years. My first saw was a Craftsman and once I got it tuned it was a dandy saw. The fence was lousy and that is what made me upgrade to a Delta hybrid cabinet saw. I liked it very much but a couple of years ago after easing back on my woodworking hobby I sold it. That was too much for me--I needed a table saw--so I bought a Rigid job site model and for the little I do it is more than adequate.

    But after all these years of using a table saw, I've had no injuries, a couple of kickback issues which were definitely my fault startled me, but no bad experiences. I am of the school that if you're safety concious you don't need a SS. On the other hand, if I were young and flush I would probably get one.

    As others have pointed out, I also wear seat belts.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
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    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
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  6. #36
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Ames, IA
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    Clayton,

    To all those who claim they've never had an accident in "xx" years, my hat off to them. I never had one in like 40+ years, until I ACCIDENTLY moved my right hand too close to the blade when ripping narrow stock - I was using a push stick with my right hand, but was using my left hand to guide/catch the ripped trim. Fortunately, I the blade only glazed my left thumb. However, still a trip to the ER, a few stitches; it was deep enough to sever a tendon so I lost a little feeling in the thumb. But, accidents are called accidents for a reason. Let everyone brag they never had one, if they want - that's not a good reason to resist buying the SawStop. As a result, I bought the 5 HP cabinet SawStop and now enjoying both the safety and performance features.

  7. #37
    Join Date
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    Nothin' like a good kickback to learn ya right

    kickback victim.JPG

    No, its not me.

    P.s. Reaching around a spinning blade to steady material that has already past the blade is a very bad practice. God made featherboards or board-buddies for such things.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Dominik Dudkiewicz View Post
    In Australia the premium paid for a sawstop over similar cabinet saws would pay for ambulance cover for the entire family for life , just saying.

    I often hear the argument; is your finger or hand worth more than the price of a sawstop? This of course completely ignores statistics, where the cost of the sawstop must be multiplied by the chance/probability of hurting yourself in order for this question to have relevance. So if I estimate that my chance of hurting myself is 1/5000, then my finger would need to be worth $3500 (cost to "upgrade") x 5000 = $17,500,000. Not sure I'd sell it for that but don't think i'd pay that to keep it.

    By all accounts they are a good saw and I don't think anyone is wrong to buy one. But they are not for me as I'd rather put my money elsewhere.

    Cheers, Dom
    Well said. Having a singular safety feature designed just to protect me from being an idiot isn't what I'm shopping for in a saw. It seems to be a fine saw in other respects, but I just don't see the added value of the stop. The number of people cutting off a digit is pretty tiny, and the saw doesn't protect from the more common issues of kickback and such. Which also is nearly always user error. I'm far from perfect, but have a healthy fear of the TS that makes me think through and envision every cut, every time, including where my hands will go.

  9. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    I shared this real story in another thread: A friend of mine hit the back of a truck parked on the shoulder lane when his car was traveling at over 90 miles per hour. He fell asleep behind the wheel after long hours of driving on the highway and after a full lunch(!). He survived but not one of the passengers in the car.

    He was driving his two year old Toyota Camry which had the option of the auto-braking system, but he didn't want to pay the extra money. Every day since the accident (last November), he wishes he had either got that option or driven his wife's car (a new Honda Accord which does have the auto-braking feature) that day.

    I also know guys who wished they were using a SawStop or not using a tablesaw at all when their saw accidents happened. SawStop is expensive when it is compared to many other saws. So can be woodworking as a hobby. Is it worth spending money on a SawStop, or on a woodworking hobby? It depends on the decision-maker himself or herself. As for myself, I will never ever operate a tablesaw that does not have the finger-saving feature. So if anyone wants to buy a SawStop, it is wonderful.

    When I buy my next car, the auto-braking feature plus blind spot warning, lane departure warning, side air bags etc. will be mandatory...even though I have had an incident-free driving record for over 35 years.

    Simon
    So, it was basically his own fault for not practicing safe driving habits. How is this any different from not following safe operating practices on an piece of machinery?

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
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    Marietta, GA
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    Yeah, I should get a sawstop so I can work in the shop while I'm drowsy.

  11. #41
    I've owned my SS for about 4 years (upgraded from a 20 year old Delta contractors saw). I always get a chuckle when I see these threads about the "worth" in purchasing a SS over another brand. The SS premium over another brand of similar quality is about $1,200usd give or take. With the added safety feature you get for that premium, it's almost negligent not to get the SS. (and yes $1,200 is a lot of money, I get that).

  12. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Sapper View Post
    I've owned my SS for about 4 years (upgraded from a 20 year old Delta contractors saw). I always get a chuckle when I see these threads about the "worth" in purchasing a SS over another brand. The SS premium over another brand of similar quality is about $1,200usd give or take. With the added safety feature you get for that premium, it's almost negligent not to get the SS. (and yes $1,200 is a lot of money, I get that).
    Wow, I had no idea it was that much. I thought the extra was more like $500. At that price, it's pretty ridiculous to even consider the Saw Stop. There are so many other safety items you could get/do for that much money that are actually more likely to hurt you. Such as better dust control.

  13. #43
    Join Date
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    If I ever get around to upgrading my TS it will likely be a saw stop. I have not done detailed analysis comparing features and cost, but from high level observation I think it would be worth it for me. Others may prioritize other features or other uses for that money differently and reach a different conclusion.

  14. #44
    Quote Originally Posted by John LoDico View Post
    I have the same set up as you -- 3650 with a Benchdog insert. Great little saw, isn't it? But, yes, I'd recommend the upgrade if you can swing it because why the heck not? You'll get a well-built saw with more oomph than we have now plus a little piece of mind. I'd also ignore the few silly comments here, which are rare for such a generally helpful site. Usually people who encounter blades on table saws don't just walk away with a "bandaid." And the very definition of "accident" is something that's unexpected, out of the ordinary -- a thing that occurs even when you're doing your best to avoid it. Happens to the best of us, the bravest of us, the most cautious.
    So when are you upgrading?

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Cary, NC
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    551
    I, like, many of was opposed to SS because of the business tactics of the inventor. I had a perfectly good Unisaw that I really liked. In Feb. of 2013 a moment of inattention caused me to swing my left pointer finger across the blade. I had a diagonal cut across the nail. Afterwards, I went through my actions realized that instead of lifting my hand, I had started to turn to the left for another piece of stock. Afterwards, my GF told meto get rid of the saw. Which I did. The inventors aside, the SS is a really well built piece of equipment. I have been happy with mine. I think that I have become more safety conscious when using the SS. I don't want to have to buy a new and cartridge. I did learn that while you are in the ER getting sewn up, don't tell funny jokes to your medical people. They start laughing and giggling and jerking around and poke the needles everywhere. As to the price, it's like buying a Robust lathe as opposed to Say a Jet lathe. Both are fine products and will get the job done. But, one will give you more satisfaction at the end of the day.
    Joe

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