Best Cabinet Saw for less than $2,000

[Will Boulware]

There was a Tannewitz U around here recently that sold for $1,500. Seller claimed it was 5 hp single phase, so it technically would have fit your criteria. Good beginner's saw!

I can't seem to out-work my old Craftsman 113 contractor's saw, so I'll quietly step away from this discussion.

[Keith Hankins]

But not eliminating it?

If you use the safety equipment pushsticks/blocks and do not defeat the machine equipment i.e. kickback paws. It won't happen. No Saw, slider or other is 100% but you can be safe with either and following the rules.

[Kent A Bathurst]

If you use the safety equipment pushsticks/blocks and do not defeat the machine equipment i.e. kickback paws. It won't happen. No Saw, slider or other is 100% but you can be safe with either and following the rules.

Or, stated the other way: Engineers cannot design machine safety features that a committed idiot cannot subvert. Darwin assures us that eventually these people will leave the gene pool.

[Kent A Bathurst]

To see a good selection, I have to open my search radius to 100+ miles and it just isn't worth it to drive that far without knowing the real condition of the equipment. For some people, buying new is the only practical alternative.

All true. Depends on the person, I'd guess: witness my 1100 mile round trip for a 30 year old DP. Not many of that particular breed come up, and I had it fixed in my mind that was the model I wanted. I was confident in the condition, though - so I knew it woud not be a dry hole.

[Jeff Heath]

I have said this many times about buying used cabinet saws but I will repeat it in case the OP looks on Craigslist and gets disappointed. I looked for a used Powermatic 66 or a Unisaw for several years on Craigslist. Typically, there will be 1 or 2 per year on my local listing. These are typically priced higher than what you can buy a new equivalent Grizzly for. They are either junk or they sell in minutes. To see a good selection, I have to open my search radius to 100+ miles and it just isn't worth it to drive that far without knowing the real condition of the equipment. For some people, buying new is the only practical alternative.

Well, I'm having different results than you, but perhaps it's due to geographical location. I'm 60 miles west of Chicago, and here, there are older cabinet saws in the local Clists within 100 or 150 miles every single week. I am an OWWM guy, and all my machines in my shop, which are used daily (I'm not a hobbyist) have all been restored by me. 15 years ago, my frustration with pacific rim machines boiled over, and I replaced every single machine in my shop, slowly but surely, with an OWWM categorically-equivalent machine (jointer for jointer, planer for planer, tsaw for tsaw, etc....) and have been pleased with finally having high quality, capable machines to work with.

Why wouldn't you drive 100 miles to go pick up a Powermatic 66 for $300 to $500 instead of paying $3000 for a new one half as good, quality wise. If you're that worried about quality, and want to be absolutely sure of what you're getting, just go to the OWWM website, and place a Wanted To Buy ad for a restored Powermatic 66, and that you're willing to pay, say, $1500 for it.

I paid $350 for this one, before my restoration: (Sorry, it's upside down on a dolly)


And $600 later for all costs, including new bearings, paint, and a brand new Biesemeyer fence, have this in my shop:



Or this for $400, a Powermatic 72 (big boy saw with cast iron extension)



And, $450 later, including paint, cast iron tops re-ground, and new bearings and starter:



Last month, I drove 800 miles each way and paid $450 for this 16" Yates American jointer in Philadelphia:



And now, it's almost done, in my shop, waiting on new cutterhead bearings to arrive. I've spent less than $400 on new knives ($75), bearings, paint, and having the tables re-ground ($200), and it looks like this (not completed yet, and fence present, but not on yet):



Nothing available today from Sawstop, Jet, Grizzly or Powermatic can even come close to the quality of any of these machines, and I've only spent more than $1000 on any one machine in my shop once. It was plug and play and needed nothing but a sharpening of the knives on a different 12" jointer.

My point is, if you look a little, you'll be surprised with the great quality available on these old machines. If you're not the type of guy/gal who wants to spend any time messing around with restoring one of them, all you have to do is buy one already done from an OWWM'er. There are lots of folks all over the country that restore machines because they like to, and then just sell them off and do more. I've restored 38 machines in the past 4 years, and have 7 waiting in line.

Something to consider, and I can assure you that the quality of these machines far exceeds anything you can buy today for a few grand brand new. The equivalant price for a new jointer, like the one I've shown, purchased new today from Northfield in Minnesota is over $16,000. Go to their website and check it out.....

[Kent A Bathurst]

Jeff -

I REALLY dig the Yates aircraft carrier. Y-A built stupendous machines back in the day.

I guarantee you - you can walk into hundreds of sawmills today [smaller ones], go to their planer shop, and see a venerable 50+ year-old Yates A62 planer running 300+ lfpm, butt-to-butt, all day long. It's just a question of maintenance.

I know one place that recently bought 3 used parts machines for dirt cheap, and picked the best bits and made one brand-new planer. They had about $50k in it all told, but at that point it was a $250k machine, like new, with 50 years + left on the clock, and it runs at least 16/5 every week.

Heck - you'll even run into some that were never upgraded, and they run all the heads and feed rolls via wide belts and one monstrous motor.

[John Donhowe]

Originally Posted by Joe Leighgreatly reducing the possibility of kickback.



But not eliminating it?

The link you cited also says "reduces the possibility"- doesn't say the European (short) fence design eliminates kickback.

[Dennis Aspö]

I like OWWM machines but I have a requirement that a non obtrusive riving knife has to be on the saw, which rules out old US saws. Fortunately there's european OWWM too and proper riving knives where standard since ages ago there. I'm more of a user and my current saw is likely to be my last, it's that good.

[Nick Coffelt]

Great feedback guys. Sounds like I'll be looking for a older american made cabinet saw. Would love to have the $$ for a SS but just isnt in the cards. Sure the saw isnt that much more but by the time you get it home with all the bells and whistles its just too much. Great to hear all the what if and wish lists out there.

[Prashun Patel]

Nick-

I'll offer that the one thing you'll miss in an older American saw (possibly) is the loss of a riving knife. I would take a new, foreign saw with a riving knife over an older American saw most days.

I'd also choose a riving knife over blade-braking technology any day too. I own a Sawstop, but IMHO, kickback is the more sinister and probable risk. It's not always intuitive when/how something kicks back.

My SS has a super easy (toolless) lever to swap the blade guard and riving knife. I highly vote for THIS type of feature being the key to your selection. By and large, most people are satisfied with their +$500 saws accuracy, durability, and customer support (at least as evidenced by posts on this site). I suspect the biggest differentiator is in the built in safety mechanisms.

[Bill Space]

Hi,

Well, from where I am coming from I don't know what is the best saw for you in your price range.

All I can say is that a riving knife was important to me...so much that I eliminated the old American iron from the get go. I bought a Grizzly 1023RLWX 5 HP single phase saw. I love it.

Love old American iron too, by the way...but basic safety features are important too.

Every time I use the RL1023 or walk by it I smile... Can't say more than that!

But it is all about you and not about us...Hope you find your decision not too difficult and are happy with what you chose in a year or two.

Bill

[Chris Padilla]

For those discounting OWWM from America without riving knives, consider this little beauty from Microjig. I have one on my saw...works as advertised.

[Dennis Aspö]

There's always old Wadkin saws and other OWWM euro stuff.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I don't know your location, but Anderson Indiana CL has a PM 66 with 54" fence for $1,200. 3PH, single phase. Likely would not disappoint you and if you tired of it, you likely could get your investment out of it.

[Roy Turbett]

Nick-

I'll offer that the one thing you'll miss in an older American saw (possibly) is the loss of a riving knife. I would take a new, foreign saw with a riving knife over an older American saw most days.

I'd also choose a riving knife over blade-braking technology any day too. I own a Sawstop, but IMHO, kickback is the more sinister and probable risk. It's not always intuitive when/how something kicks back.

My SS has a super easy (toolless) lever to swap the blade guard and riving knife. I highly vote for THIS type of feature being the key to your selection. By and large, most people are satisfied with their +$500 saws accuracy, durability, and customer support (at least as evidenced by posts on this site). I suspect the biggest differentiator is in the built in safety mechanisms.

I had an aftermarket Biesmeyer splitter on my Unisaw that worked almost as well as the riving knife on my Sawstop. You can easily build splitters into shop made zero clearance inserts for nearly every cabinet saw. That said, I still traded my Unisaw for a Sawstop because I could afford to and wanted the stopping technology.