Time for a new table saw....need some help.

[Roger Feeley]

I just got a SS Industrial. In doing the research beforehand, one objection sounded pretty strange to me. It was suggested that I would become lax in my habits and start depending on the safety system. I didn't think that was the case and it turned out not to be the case...sort of... My hope was that I could forget that the safety system was there and just use the same good habits that I have always used. I found that I couldn't ignore the system.

-- This is a little bit of the thinking mans saw. I have to be more careful about nails in the wood. I always checked for nails and stuff but now I have to be more vigilant. That's not a bad thing. It's just a thing.
-- I was used to my Delta Uniguard which I could use with my dado head. I can't use the SS guard with the dado head which is a little scary. I fixed the scary problem by machining the dado throat plate to take wood zero-clearance inserts. Now I have the equivalent of 30 throat plates and can make all I want. Still, using a dado head without any guard is something I never would have done before.
-- I have a Jess-Em miter gauge (aluminum). I found out the hard way that the screws holding the extrusion can come loose and the aluminum can slide. That's fixed now but I had a brake fire and ruined a dado head.

In summary, I am still getting used to the saw. I don't think I will ever be able to entirely forget the safety system. It's just a different animal.

[Alan Lightstone]

My first table saw was the SawStop Contractor's Saw. If I had to do over again I would probably buy their cabinet saw, but the SawStop has been great. No question I would buy a SawStop again. Very happy I bought it. And it's instructions are the best I have ever seen on any device. Truly amazing installation manual.

[Doug Palmer]

My biggest injury was due to kickback. Sawstop won't stop that.
Slider was my answer. Specifically MiniMax Combo. I could never go back.

+1
I know how to keep my fingers away from that blade, but the a piece of wood coming back at me cost me two broken fingers and a few weeks out of the shop.

Whatever your choice, focus on safety. Don't pinch the dollar and skimp on safety. You will recover the money soon enough.

[ken carroll]

BTW, I see no reason why my Sawstop won't still be cutting wood in 40 years. I'd put it up against "Old Quality" any day.

.

Oh puleeze!

I've looked at - and briefly played with - the Chinese made Sawstop and there's no way it is comparable to an "old quality" saw.

My 1945 Oliver 270 has a riving knife, has a micrometer adjutable short Euro style fence, weighs 1300lbs and will cut circles (metaphorically speaking) around a Sawstop.
There ain't nuthin' like the sound of a 14" blade driven by a direct drive 5HP motor - sounds like a gas turbine helicopter!

[John Coloccia]

Oh puleeze!

I've looked at - and briefly played with - the Chinese made Sawstop and there's no way it is comparable to an "old quality" saw.

My 1945 Oliver 270 has a riving knife, has a micrometer adjutable short Euro style fence, weighs 1300lbs and will cut circles (metaphorically speaking) around a Sawstop.
There ain't nuthin' like the sound of a 14" blade driven by a direct drive 5HP motor - sounds like a gas turbine helicopter!

Weren't we talking about table saws? Pretty soon we'll be making comparisons with saw mills.

[Richard Shaefer]

I went with the sawstop and have been happy with it.
I'll only add that if you are married or in a relationship where you share finance responsibility, it's a lot easier to justift a multithousand dollar tool purchase on the grounds of enhanced safety than on the grounds of "cooler", "bigger", or "more power".

[John Paul Cummings]

I would also look at the Hammer saw series. Euro slider with a cabinet saw price. Also go to www.feldergroupusa.com - you can win a Hammer saw valued at $ 4,000-00. They tell me if you buy a machine before the draw is done you will get the money back.

[Tom Willoughby]

I purchased my professional cabinet SawStop (model below the Industrial cabinet saw) a couple of years ago because I type everyday at work and losing or injuring a finger would significantly impact how I work. Long story short, I paid a $1,000 premium for the SawStop professional cabinet saw over other comparable saws I was considering but today, I have long forgotten the pain of the additional money and enjoy the saw and the additional protection it provides.

Have fun making your decision.

Kind regards,
Tom

[Dan Hulbert]

While many or any of the saws recommended are appropriate, let me add something to consider. You're 30. Scince I was 30 I have moved my shop to 3 states (I'm now 56). Unless you are a rare bird these days, you can expect to do the same. None of the places I've owned have had 220 volts available in the shop. While I've lusted after a big cabinet saw for years, no power means no work. If I were to go out today, I'd buy the Sawstop but get the 110 volt model. BTW, I'm a hobbiest, not a professional.

[Don Bullock]

While many or any of the saws recommended are appropriate, let me add something to consider. You're 30. Scince I was 30 I have moved my shop to 3 states (I'm now 56). Unless you are a rare bird these days, you can expect to do the same. None of the places I've owned have had 220 volts available in the shop. While I've lusted after a big cabinet saw for years, no power means no work. If I were to go out today, I'd buy the Sawstop but get the 110 volt model. BTW, I'm a hobbiest, not a professional.

I fully agree with Dan.

My SawStop (early model before there was a choice) is fantastic!!!!!!!

When I bought it I had to have a 220 circuit installed in my garage. A few years later we moved to a new home with an even newer shop and I had the 220 installed before the concrete floor was set. Like Dan said, with the new saws you won't have to have a 220 circuit for the new SawStop table saw.

Having said that my SawStop is so fantastic if I were your age I might have looked at a Euro Slider and Jointer/Planer. I was not very familiar with sliders when I bought my SawStop besides at my age relearning how to use the saw wasn't something that I was interested in.