Best Cabinet Saw for less than $2,000

[Nick Coffelt]

Hello, I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are for the best cabinet table saw for under $2,000. My requirements are mostly general and begginning to intermediate wood working. I enjoy making furniture (nothing overly complex) and cut a lot of rough saw stuff (have a lot of trees that I have processed). I'm trying to find a good table saw that can get me in the door and support my habit for the foreseeable future.

I've seen a lot fo brands that are familiar to me and I know to be quality, but which is preferred, which offers the most accessories for the best money?
Grizzley
Powermatic
Laguna
Jet
etc

Also willing to look at used saws, so if you have something that works great let me know and I'll see if I cant find one used on the bay or locally.

I appreciate the advise, thanks in advance for the replies.

[John Schweikert]

I think you will get a different answer from every person.

Basic questions, 120v or 220v needed? I'm quite happy and not hindered by a 1.75HP 120v saw, but the next guy may require a 3HP or higher on 220v.

Grizzly's hybrid table saws G0771 or G0715P are excellent bang for buck, with great customer service.
Laguna has a nice 1.75HP saw but their customer service is rated hit and miss.
I personally think Powermatic machines are over priced. Jet does make good machines (I'm very happy with my Jet jointer)
There are several Sawstop options in that price range with added safety if that is important to you as well.

[Nick Coffelt]

John, great info, this is right in line with what I was hoping for. I just would rather trust the opinions of those people here than the ones at online reviews where negative reviews are seldom helpful and most of the positive ones are from people who havent run the machine yet....

To answer your question, this is going in a dedicated wood shop with its own service, so 120V or 220V makes no big difference to me. Being single phase is though.

The Sawstops are really nice and I'd love to get one but I think the 1 3/4HP model is mid 2k...

[Brian Tymchak]

Nick, as John mentioned about SawStop, the first question you may want to answer for yourself (and maybe you have since you didn't mention it in your post) is whether you would really want or need the new blade break technology that SawStop brought to market. No other saw has it and if you decide you gotta have it, you might bump up your budget a bit and your search is done. There are some very passionate owners and some very passionate non-owners of SawStop and I'm not advocating a preference here on that to avoid starting a SawStop war in your thread. Just offering the thought to rule SS in or out early on might help your decision process.

[Keith Hankins]

Well 2k or close will buy one heck of a TS. You can find an older powermatic or delta for reasonable sum. I had the 3hp Griz 1023slx for 10+ years and it served me very well and it was reasonable (1500). If you can do 220 and I'd put it in if you don't have a circuit. However, I'd save just a little longer and get the sawstop, thats such a fantastic saw. Now I'm going to give you some other advice that other will disagree with, but you asked for it. I've owned all types of saws over my 30+ years, from cheapo table tops, to contractor, to multitool versions to cabinet saws. Don't fool with anything smaller than a real cabinet saw. You can get by with those just fine, but trust me you will want to upgrade each, till you get a CS. Further they have a very similar footprint to the lesser saws.

So either get a SS or get an old American piece of iron. Third would be the Griz. Thats my 2 cents worth, but that and a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee.

[John Schweikert]

I do own the 1.75 PCS Sawstop. I find it an incredible machine, superb fit and finish and required no adjusting, everything was within .001". But I'm not here to push SS. I bought one to continue woodworking after a table saw injury last summer that removed unrecoverable flesh, nerves and blood flow, cut to the bone down the side on my right hand middle finger. 6 months to get it usable. Life long pain in the butt though to have a finger like that now. Daily therapy exercises from here on out.

Sawstops are expensive, all told, a 30 inch fence 1.75PCS with the swivel industrial base was close to $2800 from my local Woodcraft store. To me, that is a crazy amount of money. But it's that or I find another expensive hobby/craft. I do build some things for clients too.

Best of luck with your saw search.

If I had not had an injury, I would most certainly would have bought the Laguna or Grizzly hybrids. They were on my radar. I like those, good quality and good prices. Essentially those are a SS PCS in specs.

[Mike Tekin]

Great advise...and to add to this look at the Grizzly 690/691 - nice saw and starts at under 1300 - Laguna, Shop Fox (Grizzly related company), the new Oliver, Baleigh industrial, etc all sell basically the same saw so that should say something as far as quality at that price point

Well 2k or close will buy one heck of a TS. You can find an older powermatic or delta for reasonable sum. I had the 3hp Griz 1023slx for 10+ years and it served me very well and it was reasonable (1500). If you can do 220 and I'd put it in if you don't have a circuit. However, I'd save just a little longer and get the sawstop, thats such a fantastic saw. Now I'm going to give you some other advice that other will disagree with, but you asked for it. I've owned all types of saws over my 30+ years, from cheapo table tops, to contractor, to multitool versions to cabinet saws. Don't fool with anything smaller than a real cabinet saw. You can get by with those just fine, but trust me you will want to upgrade each, till you get a CS. Further they have a very similar footprint to the lesser saws.

So either get a SS or get an old American piece of iron. Third would be the Griz. Thats my 2 cents worth, but that and a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee.

[Curtis Myers]

I would go for ease of use. Any table saw that incorporates tool-less insert/riving knife and easy blade changing.

[cody michael]

I bought a delta unisaw used for 350$. needed a little cleanup, but I see very nice ones in the 1000-2000$ range every day on craigslist. Look into that you may be able to pick up a saw that is a better value used.

[David Kumm]

2K will buy a used saw like a PM 66 and Unisaw but also a step up to a Delta Rockwell 12-14 or PM 72. Some in single phase but a $300 vfd will also make a cheap three phase machine work too. My first choice would be a used short stroke slider. I'm such a fan I've replaced my old saws with them. Used 51" Felder, Hammer, MM, or even old cast iron with a vfd. A short stroke slider that locks the slider down to work like a conventional but still crosscut 36" will spoil you forever. Not as easy to source but there are rewards to watching and learning. Dave

[Chris Padilla]

3 HP, 240 V Grizzly is the best bang for the buck, IMO. Steel City is supposed to be nice, too. These can be had for well under $2k.

I've been on the SawStop bandwagon for a long time until I realized that its price tag was reaching into slider territory and now I'm drooling over those....

[Cary Falk]

I would guess that you would not be able to get much of a new saw from Jet, PM, or Laguna for $2k. Probably only a hybrid. I have the Grizzly G1023RL cabinet saw and love it. I would never buy another saw without a riving knife. You conld probably go used if you don't care about a riving knife. Any one of the brands you listed will serve you well.

[Jeff Heath]

Older, American made Powermatic 66's are the stoutest in this class of saws. They have the heaviest cast iron trunnions of any cabinet saw, and were machined very well to be very accurate. Find one of these from the green or early gold color era, and make sure it's USA made. Some of the gold colored saws from the 90's started being made in Taiwann. Pass.

I've restored quite a few saws, and have seen the inner workings on many different manufacturer's saws. The 66's castings and arbor are the largest out there for a cabinet saw. I paid $350 for mine, and spent another $600 restoring it in missing parts, arbor an motor bearings ($100 total), paint, and a new Biesemeyer fence. Less than $1000 total invested. You can easily find a good one needing nothing for $1000 to $1500.

[Ole Anderson]

Brand new Grizzly 1023 is $1325 (+ shipping). Got one 15 years ago when they were going for about $850. Full 3 hp 220v cabinet saw. Centerpiece of any wood shop.

[Chris Padilla]

I got my 1023Z in 2000, Ole. I think it was right around a bit less than a grand then. 3 HP/240 V. I wish it would break so I can get a slider! LOL