Questions On A Transition From A Unisaw To Sawstop

[Prashun Patel]

I tend to run my PCS with the riving knife only, not the guard. The guard and it's dust collection is IMHO good if you are doing a bunch of rips. It depends how you work. My non-thru cuts and trimming cuts make so much dust that even if I had the dc boom, I wouldn't be able to utilize it for these most offensive ops.

If you do not require a mobile base, then I would instead put the $$ into extra brakes. Remember, the dado brake is different from the regular one.

Also, there are reports of people having issues with the thickness of the riving knife and their chosen blade. So, if your blade is not on the same page as the RK, you may want to get a new blade (the other option is to grind the knife).


Also, if you

[Kevin Womer]

I've had a Platinum Edition Unisaw for the past 10 yrs and have decided to get a Sawstop. I've been delighted with the Unisaw and want to replace it some something equivalent. It appears that the model PCS31230 would fit that description with 230V 3hp 1phase power and 52" T-glide fence.

A couple of questions if I may:

Is the overarm dust collection effective and worth $199?
Do these things ever go on sale? It appears that all the online sellers charge the same price when you factor in shipping.
Is there anything else I should buy at the same time?
Any other factors I haven't considered?

Thanks for your input.

1) The overhead dust collection is nice, not necessary unless tabletop collection is important to you. I would wait until they offer a free assessory with the purchase of a saw. However, the below the table dust collection is the best I have seen, a shroud surrounds the blade and when hooked to a DC (I use a 2hp Jet) works incredibly well.
2) I am unaware if they go on sale, I have never noticed, others would know better than I would, but I have seen the assessories included with a purchase for free.
3) if you ever plan on moving one for any reason, get a mobile base. I have the industrial one, only due to a shipping error to my benefit and the 3 hp Proffessional and it works very well. I ordered the regular base and it would have been fine for me. It is a heavy saw and can be scooted if need be but a base makes it easy to move around the shop.
4) if you use a dado, it has to be an 8 inch, this requires a separate brake cartridge for dado use. A spare brake cartridge for 10 inch blades is another thing to consider, but hopefully you never need to use it.
5) The manual and the non safety features on this saw I observed while assembling and using it for the last few years have me convinced I would buy it again without the brake system. They engineered this saw to last.
6) I purchased an after market throat plate from Infinity tools that accepts replacement inserts for different blades including dado which is nice-Sawstop throat plates are nice but pricey.
I hope I have answered your questions and wish you well with your purchase,
Kevin

[Ken Krawford]

I've looked thru my manual and don't see a weight listed. The PCS w/ 3 hp motor and 52" fence lists wt. as 431#. A new Unisaw 36-L352 w/ 3hp and 52" fence weighs 661#. Thats a huge difference. The ICS shows a weight of 685#. Looks like about $1K for 250 lbs of iron.

One thing you might want to do is obtain accurate weight information for the two saws you are comparing. As someone already mentioned, the answer to the question of equivalency of the two is not just in the appearance but also how much cast iron is used in the right places. If the PCS and the Unisaw weigh close to the same, then chances are they are built equally heavy duty. If the PCS is much lighter, then maybe you need to look at the ICS. Just a thought.

[Ken Krawford]

Good point about the blade and riving knife. I was planning on putting my Forrest WWII on this saw. Not sure how that would work with the riving knife.

[Prashun Patel]

I suppose it's because I've never tried a heavier one, but I've never felt that my PCS was lacking in weight. It cuts accurately without any vibration or instability. How might more iron help the ICS perform better than the PCS. I can understand the greater HP, not the mass.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I use (and like) the dust collection. I run a hose down from the ceiling for it. I purchased mine used right here on the creek. If you need to purchase it separately, first see how you like things with the standard blade guard.

Sometimes, when I cut off very thin strips, they are sucked up into the blade guard and then I need to extract them (usually by "unplugging" the hose on the blade guard).

When I am cutting right along the edge of a board, it will still spit a bunch of sawdust and such at me, but it generally does a good job.

[Wade Lippman]

The standard blade guard works well. I haven't tried the accessory one, but I can't see why it would be necessary.

I got the cheap mobile base. I am sure the good one is better, but the cheap one does everything I need.

[Joe Kaufman]

I've seen the advertisement for the free $199 dust collection option or mobile base option that starts March 1st and extends through April. Same as last year. I believe that it is PCS only, not for the other models.

[Joe Kaufman]

Its on the inside cover of April's Woodworker's Journal.

[mreza Salav]

ICS has bigger table than PCS, bigger "guts" can probably handle multiple brake fires...

[Mike Nguyen]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback. My Unisaw has not budged since the day I set it up so I really don't have much need for a mobile base. I'm not in a huge rush so I'll just 'wait in the weeds' until the next overarm dust collection freebie. If I don't like it, I'm not out anything.

Sawstop will have this promotion between March 1 and April 30, 2015 according to the ads I see in Woodworkers Journal Magazine.
Mike

[Kevin Womer]

Good point about the blade and riving knife. I was planning on putting my Forrest WWII on this saw. Not sure how that would work with the riving knife.

Ken,
I use a Forrest WWII on my Sawstop with the riving knife. It works fine, perhaps the rumors about the need to grind the RK are based on use of a blade less than 1/8 of an inch kerf. The RK can be adjusted to accommodate blades width or diameter (metric), but my was fine with the Forrest. Just lower it down to a small section sticking up through the throat plate and you can visibly see if the RK is at a higher height than the blade, no measuring necessary. Good luck!

[Rick Potter]

Not quite on point Ken, but the best thing I did, when I went from my Unisaw to my PCS, was to keep the Unisaw. I put a dado set on it, and am amazed at how many times I have used a dado since doing that.

If you have the room, of course.

[John Sanford]

FYI: The "accessory blade guard" that includes the DC fitting is standard on the 3hp PCS and on the ICS. It is a separate upgrade on the Contractor's Saw and 1.75hp PCS

[Art Mann]

I suppose it's because I've never tried a heavier one, but I've never felt that my PCS was lacking in weight. It cuts accurately without any vibration or instability. How might more iron help the ICS perform better than the PCS. I can understand the greater HP, not the mass.

You know, good enough is good enough. However, I tried a Grizzly hybrid table saw once and thought it was quite adequate. I even considered buying one. I later tried a Grizzly 12" table saw with a 5 hp motor belonging to a fellow woodworker and I could easily tell the difference in smoothness and stability, regardless of horsepower. The reality is the Contractor table saw I now own is adequate for my purposes but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to have a heavier saw. The OP wanted to compare the attributes of two saws. Weight is one attribute that has some value. It is one reason all those 1940's Unisaws are still out there cutting in a commercial setting 70 years later.