Hello, new to the site and looking to get back into woodworking now that I am finally getting settled down and get to have my own shop for the first time. I will be needing to get a tablesaw and know that I want a good cabinet saw as I will be making furniture. I am very much a "buy what you really need the first time and then forget about it" kind of person and don't like working with cruddy tools. What I have in mind is something along the lines of a 3-5 hp 10" cabinet saw with a GOOD fence system. I have actually never used such a saw before as the nicest saw I have used was a 1970s era Sears 1 hp flexible-drive contractor saw. It was okay for simple stuff like crosscuts in 1" stock but struggled in doing much more than that due to the absolutely horrible rip fence, small stamped-steel extensions, and low-powered motor. The other tablesaws I have used were the little disposable benchtop ones that are roughly a cheap circular saw turned upside down.

The meat of my questions is whether I would do better in getting a used high-end saw like a Delta Unisaw, Powermatic PM66, etc. or getting a less-expensive newer one like the Grizzly G0690/1023R, Steel City 359xx series, etc. I am not trying to neccessarly pinch pennies but don't want to spend $4000 on a tablesaw either. Somewhere in the sub-$2000 range is where I would like to stay. From what I can tell, the advantages of a new saw seem to be:

- If something is broken/doesn't work, you can send it back and get one that works.
- No wear on any parts and no worries about how well a PO used or abused the equipment
- It just shows up at your door a week after you order it
- Newer useful features like riving knives, probably better fences, and better dust collection.

And for a used saw:
- Less expensive, sometimes significantly so.
- Can get a much nicer saw on paper (more powerful, larger tables, etc.) for the same money as new
- Probably better made than newer saws, if you believe the "old 'arn" guys

So, for those of you who have been in my shoes, what did you do and how did it turn out? Did you buy a new saw and think it was cheaply built or wish you had paid half as much and gotten twice the saw in a used saw? Or did you buy an old saw and end up with a basket case?