SawStop in the shop

[Dave Wright #2]

Alan, cutting a nail will only trip the brake if the nail happens to extend through wood and its other end happens to be touching the table top or your hand at the same time as it is being cut. There is some chance that the brake would not trip even if the other end of the nail was touching your hand. The system needs either a fair amount of dry skin surface or a very small amount of blood stream contact to decide that it has hit a person. A nail tip against your dry finger might not be enough surface area.

Tom, I thought more about the fence question. The Vega is a good aftermarket fence. Your current saw can be sold with its previous fence. Using the Vega on the SawStop contactors saw would be a good way to keep the cost reasonable.

Regards,

Dave

[Chris Padilla]

Dave,

I thought that the SS had an overly large table top? I think most aftermarket are designed for a table top around 27-28" deep. What is the size of the SS top?

[Dave Wright #2]

Hi Chris,

It is large - 44" wide x 30" deep. That may be a problem with aftermarket fences that clamp on the back rail, router extensions, and maybe some other accessories.

The machine's layout is different. My Delta CS blade comes up somewhat behind the table center. When at full height the distance from the back of the blade to the back of the table is only 5". Outfeed table or rollers essential. Here is how the saws compare at full height:

Delta Contractors Saw: 13" blade to front, 5" blade to back, 27" overall table depth.
SawStop Cabinet Saw: 10 1/2" blade to front, 10 1/2" blade to back, 30" overall table depth.

The SawStop is much more forgiving of operation without an outfeed table but has a tad less table in front of the blade. That could be a minor issue for people who use their miter gauges to crosscut wide stock. I think SawStop decided that overall it was better to add dimension behind the blade. They may also have needed the real estate for the blade brake beneath.

A related note. The SawStop's blade rises straight up in approximately the center of the table. You could mark the fence with a line indicating the center of the blade because that position does not change, unlike most other saws. They also could have designed the elevating mechanism with a scale to tell you exactly how high the blade is above the table. It is driven by a large Acme thread screw and the system has no backlash. Predictable enough for a scale to have been devised.

Regards,

Dave

[Tom Whalley]

Dave,

Thank you so much for the reply - it was very helpful. Your thoughts about the Vega fence I have is exactly what I had in mind. Since I have a good fence, I did not want to have to invest in another one if unnecessary. I have been in contact with Renee from the company about expected delivery dates and she is thinking end of Q1 in 2005. That will be good.

[Dave Wright #2]

Tom,

End of first quarter next year? That's earlier than I would have guessed. The contractor version should be less expensive than the cabinet version for a number of reasons. The electrics would be simpler since there isn't a mag starter and there aren't voltage/phase options. The base is obviously less expensive. No cast iron wings. From what I could see of the early engineering prototype's interior the mechanism was of similar design but lighter. It does have a true European style riving knife. The contractor version is SawStop's attempt to make an affordable saw. They probably expect to sell many more, and probably have a much smaller profit built into the price.

Please post news as it becomes available. I look forward to your review comments.

Thanks,

Dave

[Tom Whalley]

Dave,

I thought of another question perhaps you can answer. I know the saw has a couple "T" slots for accessories. Will my current things work in these slots? I have a couple saw sleds, and the miter guage, etc., or is this a totally different width where these will not work?

Thansk again.

Tom

[Dave Wright #2]

No problem Tom. The slots are standard 3/4" wide x 3/8" deep with T bottoms to accept normal North American saw style woodworking accessories. Regular miter gauges, slot mounted featherboards, and tenoning jigs work in the slots. An existing two-runner sled might not work because the slots might not be exactly the same distance apart, but you would have that problem when switching between any two standard miter slot saws - even different samples of the same saw from the same manufacturer.

The miter gauge that comes with the saw is as nice as any OEM gauge I've seen. The bar is the best part. It has spring loaded balls that press against the slot sides to effectively eliminate play. You can adjust the spring loading force to get the sliding action that you prefer. I'm happy with the way mine came. A little friction but no play. The gauge head has adjustable stops for 0 and both 45s that are engaged by a shot pin. I would rate the gauge's bar as equal to any aftermarket unit but the head not as good.

[Tom Whalley]

Thanks Dave

[Ken Waag]

Dave,

I haven't been on the site for a while but I came across your thread re: your new SawStop TS. I've been following their progress for some time now. Don't want to start the arguments on this thread, so I'll keep my opionions to a minimum. Suffice it to say I'm glad to see the Saw hit the market.

I've appreciated your posts, both on the safety issues elsewhere and regarding your own experience with the saw here. I called a while back and got on the list. As I recall they projected April to May, so I hope they've been able to stay on schedule. At the time they were putting out about a hundred saws a week, with 800 already ordered and requests coming steadily.

It has been a while since your last post, so I just wanted to see how your experience with the saw has been going. So if you happen upon this post and get a chance, I'd be curious to hear the latest.

I was glad, when their design came out, that they went toward the high end of the market. The blade brake aside, it looks like they've made a saw that competes at the top of the list. With all of the "added cost" issues surrounding the brake, I was afraid they might feel pressured to aim at a low cost rather than a better saw. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts about some of the noted features (i.e. large table size, riving knife and blade guard, Larger arbor bearing etc.) I'm especially curious how well the dust shroud works as I made my own for my Jet which I'd estimate made about an 80% improvement.

I hope you're enjoying the saw and your woodworking. I'll look forward to any new information you have for us, and to trading notes sometime soon!

Thanks,
Ken

[Per Swenson]

I am so envious, but mine is coming soon!
Where there any problems with the weight issue?
The truck had a lift gate? I am losing sleep at night
wondering how I am going to get it to where it has to go.
Hey, did you feel like a little kid on Christmas?
I feel like a little kid at Thanksgiving.
Best of luck.
Per