Sliding table saw

[Paul Incognito]

Hi all,
I'm in the market for a slider. I don't need the capacity to rip plywood sheets (and don't have the space for it), but 4' would be nice so I can cross cut them.
I'm definitely going used for this, as my budget won't allow anything new.
My question: Should I be looking for a Euro machine or old American iron? Is there a distinct difference between the two?
For the record, I do like American iron, and I think the old Oliver, Greenlee, Tanny, etc are awesome machines. The problem I've seen is that it's hard to find one that's complete. Oh, BTW 3 phase isn't a problem.
Anyhow, any input would be appreciated.
TIA,
PI

[Loren Woirhaye]

I don't think old American ones can crosscut 4' generally. They weren't made for working in plywood. Not even the Northfield will do it. The saw alone weighs nearly a ton. One option is a vintage Wadkin dimension saw.

Other than that, you're looking at sliders from Europe. If you want to buy new maybe an Asian one will work for you. The format sliders are tricky to make well and I've seen not much enthusiasm for preferring Asian sliders compared to Italian and German ones. I'm sure the Asian machines are improving generally though.

[Brian Ross]

Keep an eye on Woodweb as occasionally the smaller European ones do appear.

Brian

[David Kumm]

Generally the old US iron crosscut 32-36" except for the Oliver DX or similar which were huge. Euro sliders used are cheap is you watch. SCMI WA 16, Holz her, Casadei, even Altendorf can be had in the 3-6K range.DSCN2153.jpgDSCN2152.jpgWhitney is old iron and the SCMI is a 10' slider. Dave

[Judson Green]

Had a Tanny years ago with a rolling table. The table needed work, but do to the small capacity, easily matched by a sled, I never bother to get it fixed. Also had a 1⅛" arbor. Not a huge deal but kinda a bother. Ive worked on SCMI and altendorf, much better saws for breaking down sheet goods. I'd suggest you find one with a scoring blade, but one that can be easy lowered out of the way. On the other hand I cut up all my sheet goods on that saw (Tanny) and never really had any problems blowing out the back side of plywood, unless it was cheep stuff.

Had high hopes for that saw but in hind sight I should have just got another 10". My shop wasn't big enough (not enough clear span) to accommodate a real slider.

img_5108.jpg img_5102.jpg

Oh you'll notice the slightly custom Biesemeyer, had to accommodate for the rolling table. Its only money.

[Rich Riddle]

Paul,

You are about fifteen minutes from Hammer/Felder in Delaware. Go by the showroom to get an idea about sliders. I purchased the Hammer K3 Winner and enjoy using it. It can cut the four feet you mentioned. I don't need it sliding longer than that. Good luck.

[ed vitanovec]

I have the Grizzly G0623X and have been real happy with it, there is a smaller version G0700 which is nice too.

[Loren Woirhaye]

My little slider only does about 36". For pantry sides and full sheet cuts I built a european style vertical panel saw. It's not perfect but it's better for cabinet work than any lumberyard style panel saw. I owned 3 other panel saws before and had spent a lot of time thinking about what annoyed me about them. The EZ smart track saw system is not too expensive and does a good job. While I totally recommend getting a slider, if you don't have the space for a full size one you're going to want a track saw sooner or later anyway.

[Ruhi Arslan]

They do not have a "showroom" as one might expect. If they happen to have one which they are preparing to send it to a customer or if they have one in for repair, then it would be available for a prospective buyer to see it. Otherwise, no such a thing as a "showroom". Above is based on my limited one purchase experience.

[johnny means]

They do not have a "showroom" as one might expect. If they happen to have one which they are preparing to send it to a customer or if they have one in for repair, then it would be available for a prospective buyer to see it. Otherwise, no such a thing as a "showroom". Above is based on my limited one purchase experience.

Actually, Felder does have a real showroom in DE now. I live within walking distance and stop in when I need new tooling and parts. They expanded they're space and created a dedicated showroom last year. You can go there and see their cnc in action as well as their edgebanders and milling/sawing machines.

[Paul Incognito]

Thanks for all the insights guys.
Sounds like I want a small Euro slider.
I do have a Festool track saw, so I have that covered. I generally don't use it for breaking down full sheets, though. I'm more comfortable doing that on the table saw. Maybe 4' is a bit much, I really want it to cut cabinet parts to length, like 2' base cab sides and such. That's a pain with the track saw and the table saw I have (a General 350) isn't the best for that due to space constraints where it sits. That and the fence which doesn't come off its rails.
I've been to the Felder store, it was a couple of years ago. The machines they had set up there at the time were quite impressive, and quite expensive. The salesman didn't want to let me leave untill I bought something...Kind of turned me off.
Thanks again, and any more insights are welcome.
PI

[David Kumm]

SCMI made a 60" or close slider- SI 12 that was a nice machine. They seem to go for 2500-3500 now. Griggio made a similar machine. A table that can crosscut 60x60 baltic birch is pretty handy. Dave

[Loren Woirhaye]

The Robland/Powermatic short stroke sliders are out there on the market.

When I was looking for a used compact slider I looked at a Rojek, tried to make a deal on a Robland 3 phase short stroke (60" or thereabouts), and finally acquired a Felder short stroke from a well educated person with a solid career in a phd-oriented field who was tired of groin shots from the miter fence on the 8 ft.+ cross dimension of a small slider with 52" stops on both sides of the blade.

[Bill Neely]

About 7 years ago I bought a used Laguna TSS with scoring (48") and I've been very happy with it. After having it for a few years I've found all sorts of ways to use it that I hadn't imagined before getting a slider. If I had the extra cash I'd probably buy a new Hammer with the 79" table.

[Rich Riddle]

They do not have a "showroom" as one might expect. If they happen to have one which they are preparing to send it to a customer or if they have one in for repair, then it would be available for a prospective buyer to see it. Otherwise, no such a thing as a "showroom". Above is based on my limited one purchase experience.

Unless they closed it since I purchase a slider last year, they most certainly have a showroom. The have photographs of it in many of their pictures as well. Perhaps you should visit the place and ask to see it. Read the last two sentences under the Delaware location in this link for information:

http://www.feldergroupusa.com/us-us/events.html