Which cabinet saw?

[Tom Hintz]

Hey Tom,

I just wanted to thank you for that kickback video. That and your video on the SawStop pushed me over the edge, to really check into it. I bought one, and I am hoping to put it together next week.

Rick Potter

Good deal Rick. I think you are going to be very happy with the SawStop! It really is muchn more than the blade brake.

[Roy Harding]

This bent-lam glue-up...


...came from these, which are off a stock Minimax bandsaw with a 1.0" Lenox Tri-Master...

Just sayin'...

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

Nice work - I would have to run those through the wide drum sander before glue-up.

We all have our own methods of work, and our own "go-to" tools for various tasks. This fact makes none of us right, and none of us wrong.

I would suggest, however, that for MOST woodworkers - achieving glue ready rips straight from the saw is more easily accomplished with a table saw than a bandsaw. This may be because of lack of exposure to the capability of a properly tuned bandsaw, could be the way we were taught in the beginning stages of our woodworking experiences, could be that once we had a method that worked (table saw), we didn't pursue the possibility of alternate methods (bandsaw) - I don't know.

[Brian Brightwell]

I bought a laguna table saw about 10 years ago. I like the saw alot but I had to correct the blade to the miter slot. I think it is something that should have been factory done. It was taper pinned at the factory but was not correct. The saw is very robust.

[Mike Wilkins]

Hard to imagine leaving a Unisaw for another machine, but that is exactly what I did. Thousands of furniture projects have been completed with a cabinet saw, but like me, many folks have gotten the itch for a slider. These machines really excel at crosscutting operations. My machine (Laguna Pro 6' sider) has a capacity of 60", which is fine for my small shop (16 X 24). If I need to I can use the outrigger and fence for cutting to length long boards and plywood, move the rip fence for good old fashioned ripping and even dadoes. I have only had to make one adjustment on my machine; leveling the main table to the sliding table. It is about one cats' whisker lower than the sliding table to reduce friction when crosscutting. Short stroke sliders make sense in a small shop, but if the lottery gods ever decide to bless me, a slider with 8' capacity will be my next machine. And you can keep the Unisaw for joinery tasks, such as dadoes, cove molding, rabbets, etc.

[Brian Elfert]

I will be replacing my delta unisaw in the next few months. I'm currently leaning towards the saw stop industrial, but am also considering the new unisaw, and hammer and felder sliding table saws. A very important factor for me, which is often not discussed, is the ease at which the saws can be accurately adjusted, e.g., aligning saw blade parallel to miter track. This is the main reason why I prefer the unisaw over the PM2000 and the sawstop ICS over the professional. I know very little about how easy or hard it is to make fine tune adjustments on the sliding saws. Your comments in this regard would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I'm curious why one would get rid of an existing Unisaw for a new Unisaw or a Sawstop? I could understand if you are upgrading to slider. Why do you think the Sawstop professional cabinet saw couldn't be aligned properly?

I just have a crappy old Crafstman table saw so I have no real suggestions. I would probably buy a Sawstop if I was buying a cabinet saw personally and had the money.

[Rick Potter]

Here's my take Bob,

I also had a Unisaw, but fell in love with the Felder. Because I had room for both, I bought my KF700 Pro and kept the Unisaw. The Felder is a wonderful saw and I really like it, BUT....it turned out that I am untrainable, and I use my Unisaw 20/1 over the Felder. I never thought it work out that way, but it did. I have agonized over what to do for several years, and considered selling the Felder several times, but I couldn't do it, there is no way I could ever afford anything like it again.

After a member posted Tom Hintz' amazing kickback video, I got real serious about getting a SawStop. Yes, I realize the SS would not stop the kickback much better than my Uni with the Beis splitter. What got to me was seeing how close his hand came to the blade. That decided it for me, and I bought the SawStop, which I will start assembling today. I have finally gotten off the fence, and made the decision to sell the Felder. It will be on the Classifieds shortly. Let me say again...it is a wonderful machine, and may be just what you need, I simply don't use mine like I should. If you decide to get a Felder, Carl Knapp is a very helpful guy...c.knapp@felder.com

I will again keep the Uni, and just use it for dado work. With proper push blocks, of course.

This is my decision, based on my needs, your mileage may vary.


Hope this helps,
Rick Potter

[Mike Shields]

I had a KF700 (2011 model) with a 98" table. I had the saw commissioned by Felder. This tables base has 4 adjustments, 2 at each end of the table. The table never ran true to the blade. The tech said the runout was just outside of spec, but was acceptable. After he left, I did my own measurements, and determined that it was not good enough, and had to be adjusted. Then I realized why he didn't adjust it; it's a nightmare. I spent hours adjusting. The table base on this model mounts on convex washers, so as soon as you tighten everything up, it moves.

22,000 dollars and a poor design. At least when you get it right, tighten it down, and it will cut flawless.

[David Zaret]

i recently went through this same calculation - i have a good canadian-made General 650, but wanted to upgrade. i looked hard at euro sliders, and decided to go with a Martin slider instead of Felder. one of the reasons is setup - setup on the Martin is actually quite simple, and, not surprisingly, it holds true over time. you pay a bit more upfront for a Martin, but the quality and resale value made it worth it to me.

good luck with whatever you decide.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Roy, I guess I expected that the felder would hold up exceptionally well to normal use, but its nice to hear from any experienced user nonetheless. Space is an issue for me, and I would also not be able to accomodate a full length slider. Is it worth the money to invest in a felder, if I cannot accommodate more than a 79" slider? Would it be like buying a mercedes just drive around the block? The only time I work with sheet goods is when I'm making shop equipment, but I like the idea of using the slider for straight line ripping as well.

Hi, I purchased a Hammer B3 Winner to fit in a small shop.

It definetly is worth buying a shorter slider, especially if you get one that can crosscut a sheet of plywood.

Think of table tops etc, all of them can be crosscut on a small slider.

Small sliders also have an ergonomic advantage in that they have a square base like a cabinet saw, and therefore have better ergonomics when ripping hardwood than the larger saws.

Don't get me wrong, a 10 foot slider would be great, however a short slider is so much better in every respect that a cabinet saw, that's really a no brainer decision.

My Hammer has been going for several years without adjustment, the Felder will be even better...........Regards, Rod.

[Kelly Colin Mark]

Hey Tom,

I just wanted to thank you for that kickback video. That and your video on the SawStop pushed me over the edge, to really check into it. I bought one, and I am hoping to put it together next week.

Rick Potter

Wanted to second Rick's thanks for the video. It was frightening and enlightening and the same time, esp. vis a vis the common argument that Sawstop technology does little to protect against kickback. In this case, it could have protected against an amputation or deep cut.