Buying a new table saw

[Randy Walker]

It’s time to replace my 25 year old off brand (Duracraft) contractors style table saw. It’s been a real work horse taking me from a weekend amateur, to a professional woodworker. I have a limited budget. I have to stay under $1500 including shipping. I have limited space too, so as much as I would love to get a great big extended fence it just won’t fit in my shop. I’ve been looking at the Grizzly 1023rlw and the g0690. I really like the left tilt, and riving knife features. I’ve had a few kick backs in my time and they scare the stuffens out of me every time. I also like the idea of a cabinet saw. I’ve used a couple of hybrids and they seem to be just a bit under powered and not quite heavy enough. I want a cast iron top not granite so I can use magnetic tools and fixtures. The fence needs to be solid, stable, and accurate. I really don’t like the light aluminum fences like the one on the Rigid hybrid. I have a dedicated 220, 20 amp outlet for it so power isn’t an issue.
I’m guessing there are other considerations I should include in my quest too, so I would love some suggestions and/or some critiquing on saws in this range. I’m probably going to pull the trigger on this in the next two to three weeks.

Thanks a lot
Randy Walker

[Joe Leigh]

Well, get ready for an avalanche of opinions, but the fact is you have already answered your own question. The two saws you listed are the only two real cabinet saws available delivered in that price range. Both are left tilt with riving knives. The 1023RL also has a serpentine belt and dust collection shroud which the 690 does not and is a few dollars less. There are many 1023 owners here that are very happy with their purchase.
Good luck.

[Cary Falk]

I have had the 1023rl for about 9 months and still love it. You will probably get a lot of suggestions for used but they will not have a riving knife or the dust shroud. The Grzzly is not inferior to any used Jet, Delta, Steel City, etc. despite what a lot of non-owners say. You might want to call Grizzly and check on availability. Last I heard they were out of the 1023rl or maybe it was the 1023rlw.

[Maik Tobin]

I have had the GO690 for about a year now. I bought it with the slider attachment and I absolutely love the setup. Dust collection is not awesome without an overhead hood of somekind, but I love the machine and would buy it again in a heartbeat.

[Joe Angrisani]

Randy....

Have you considered a used saw?

A early left-tilt Unisaw (circa 2002-2003) will most certainly cost less than $1000, and like most used "big tools", it will probably include some extras like a dado set or sleds/jigs. My $900 5hp/1phase Uni came with two just-resharpened plywood/melamine blades, an unused dado set, and a Porter Cable 7518 hanging under the extension table on a Jess-Em. No riving knife, but a few homemade zero clearance inserts with different height splitters solved that for me.

[Jason Dreyer]

If you want a 1023RL (or any of the other models based on the 1023) be prepared to wait a bit. I ordered mine just over a month ago, and I was told they are back-ordered until June 24th.

[David Kumm]

Used tablesaws are cheap for what you get. General 350, PM 66, Unisaw can be found on CL, Ebay and Woodweb. While left tilt is nice it isn't hard to set up the fence to use the left side of the saw rather than the right and get to the same place. Even a delta 12-14 or PM 72 can be had for $1500 and they are a big step up. Dave

[Jim O'Dell]

I have the Grizzly G0691 and love it. The 690 of course might be better for you if you don't need the long rails. I have helped a fellow Creeker set up a 1023R series, not sure which flavor, but it is very nice also. The fence on the 690/1 is decent, but I really want some long rails for my Biese and get it on the saw. But that's just me. Riving knife was critical for me, and the price was just in my sweet spot with out having to wait another year to get the new saw. I looked for a while at used, but over a year and not much worth looking at here locally, plus the fact that none of the ones being offered used had the RK. I personally don't have an issue with dust collection, but then I am running a 5 hp cyclone. You will always get some dust on top if you don't use an over head dust pick up, I don't care how much power you have in your dust collection. They are easy to make. Not sure this helps you make a decision or not. If I was choosing today with the same money constraints as I had 2 years ago, I'd still get the 691 over the 1023R. The trade off is the blade shroud DC hookup over dumping into the cabinet on the 691 vs the DC hook up being on the right side of the cabinet and on a separate door making a modification for a 6" hook up a piece of cake vs a 4" port on, I believe, the back side that is welded into the cabinet and thus a lot harder to enlarge. Other differences are minor. Jim.

[Randy Walker]

Thanks for the incite
Sorry about being so long in getting back to re-post I am pretty busy these days (bid on 25 tables and 2 big signs with more work coming behind it). I can wait a few weeks if necessary to get the right saw. I have looked locally for about 3 months and the used market just doesn’t seem to have what I really want. I will be using this machine regularly for a long time, so I really don’t think getting something that is not what I want is a good idea. I think the riving knife is important for my own safety too. I will be connecting it to a 1 ½ hp jet dust dog dust collector. It does a pretty good job of picking up from most of my machines. It will do a better job on the cabinet saw than the open back of my contractors saw.
I would really like to here about the differences/similarities between the 690 and the 1023 in use. In the catalog they sound a lot alike, but how are they in real life though. How does the power of the 3 hp motor do on large hard woods like 2 ½” inch 100 year old heart pine and maple. That’s what my next will be made of.

Still thinking
Randy Walker

[Cary Falk]

Randy,
In real life, you will see very little difference in operation of these saws. They are both 3hp LT cabinet saws. The internals are slightly different. The fences are slightly different but both are Beisemeyer clones. The motors are sinilar in specs but both Asian even though the 690 has a Leeson tag on it. The 1023RL may have a little better DC but you still need an over blade DC to catch everything. The 3hp will handle anything you can throw at it with a 10" blade. Mine has never bogged down and I have ripped Hickory with a 40 tooth WWII.There are happy people in both camps. I think there are more people in the 690 camp because it has been out a year or 2 longer.

[James Malcolm]

I'm very happy with my 690. I selected it over the 1023 for the increased cutting range 8" left / 26" right for a 1023 vs 12" left / 29.5" for a 690. I preferred the fence on the 690 because it has a pair of slide pads on the outside while the fence on the 1023 just has the clamping lever. At the store, these extra pads seemed to keep the fence more square to the blade while moving it and allowed it to glide more easily. What I don't like about the fence on the 690 is that the plastic pads that the board rides against weren't even remotely close to being flat. Quite horrible actually, but easily fixed. Add in the Leeson motor (more efficient) and the extension table included with the 690 and I saw enough value to spend the extra $125. Frankly I don't think you can go wrong either way.

[glenn bradley]

You will probably get a lot of suggestions for used but they will not have a riving knife . . .

Randy.... Have you considered a used saw?

That got me. Coffee on the monitor.

[Randy Walker]

I have more new work coming in and I am going to require more space. That means I am going to have to move the shop to the garage where I have more room. That extra space will let me get the longer rails that I really wanted (If I can shake a few $$ lose from the budget). I am now leaning heavily toward the 691. I understand the dust collection may not be as good but the extra cutting room on both sides of the fence will be very useful. Lots of good input here. It has really helped me focus my thoughts. I have used many different saws over the years and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I’m sure there are some to go with these saws too.

Still reading
Randy Walker

[Joe Angrisani]

Randy.... Have you considered a used saw?

That got me. Coffee on the monitor.

I'm guessing "that got you" BEFORE you read my whole post. The part you edited out said....

.....No riving knife, but a few homemade zero clearance inserts with different height splitters solved that for me.

Which, clearly, addressed his comment about a riving knife while also taking his budget comment into account. Sorry. You didn't read my whole post. No quadruple-guffaw for you today....

[Neil Brooks]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]That means I am going to have to move the shop to the garage where I have more room. That extra space will let me get the longer rails that I really wanted (If I can shake a few $$ lose from the budget). I am now leaning heavily toward the 691. I understand the dust collection may not be as good but the extra cutting room on both sides of the fence will be very useful.

I THINK you're considering a great saw.

How important is the % of dust collected ... to YOU ?

There are more than a few ways -- including shop-built -- to introduce an overhead DC attachment to most cabinet saws ... IF you feel the need to do so.

But I doubt you'd find much to gripe about with either the 1023 series OR the 690/691.

Glad to hear you're keeping busy. Sincerely. Yours sounds like a fairly good problem to be sorting out