First and last table saw

[Jim Andrew]

The really long fence is great if you are cutting out plywood cabinet parts, for the least amount of waste.

[Brian Henderson]

You are absolutely right Robert, I have never been to the emergency room after a table saw injury. And no I don't own and never will own a SawStop. I have two Unisaws in my shop and have been using them and contractor saws for about 35 years. I had the benefit of a great shop teacher who taught me how to use machinery correctly and safely. If I were ever to buy another saw the only thing different that I would buy would be a slider. I would follow Ed's advice to start, or save my pesos for a slider.

Agreed. I find it funny that if you look at woodworking videos on YouTube, those who have Sawstops invariably take off all of te safety gear and often make really bad decisions in making cuts because they think the machine is going to save them from themselves and their own stupidity. If you get hurt on a tablesaw or most other woodworking machines, it isn't the machines fault, it's yours.

[Ben Rivel]

Agreed. I find it funny that if you look at woodworking videos on YouTube, those who have Sawstops invariably take off all of te safety gear and often make really bad decisions in making cuts because they think the machine is going to save them from themselves and their own stupidity. If you get hurt on a tablesaw or most other woodworking machines, it isn't the machines fault, it's yours.

Huh, they usually say they do that to show the cuts better for the video and from all the many I have seen they always have at least the riving knife installed. I also dont think anyone believe the saw is going to save them from anything other than an accident involving blade to flesh contact. Pretty sure no one thinks a SawStop will protect from from a kick back due to its flesh detecting feature. Those of us that have them just like the added feature and prefer the higher quality fit and finish versus the competition. Simple as that. In addition however, many YouTubers get their saws given to them or deeply discounted from SawStop like Festool has done for years and like DeWalt is currently doing with all that FlexVolt battery powered line.

[Jeff Heath]

If you're stuck on a 10" cabinet saw, an older Powermatic 66, made in Tennessee, from the green era or older, is the very best built 10" cabinet saw ever made. I've restored a couple, and the stoutness of the inner cast iron castings, as well as the accuracy of the machining of all moving parts is better than any of the saws you've mentioned in your original post.

I will never understand the mentality of relying on a gadget to protect your body parts from the lack of engagement of your brain. Never, ever allow any of your hands anywhere near a table saw blade, a bandsaw blade, planer knives, jointer knives, shaper cutters, milling cutters, grinding wheels, and the list goes on and on and on...... I've been doing this for a living for 30 years now, and the worst thing I think anyone can ever get used to is to rely on a machine to save them from themselves. The table saw is not the only dangerous machine in a workshop, and none of the other machines are going to have a gadget to protect them from themselves. Learn proper shop safety, and protect yourself from all of your machines by engaging your brain while you are working near machinery.

My two current shop saws are a Powermatic 66 that is 100% restored and in perfect condition, and my 16" Whitney #77, from the early 1920's. The Powermatic is a nice saw, but it's 1/10th the saw that the Whitney is, and I paid $1000 for the Whitney.

[glenn bradley]

Ah, Saw Stop threads. . .

[Van Huskey]

First, be aware the three saws are not apples to apples, the Uni and PM 2000 are bigger heavier saws so just be aware of that, the SS ICS is the one most directly comparable in size and weight.

I would not consider the Uni due to Delta's unstable parts situation. The PM 2000 and PCS are a much closer battle for ME. I prefer the PM 2000 to the PCS and that is what I bought. There is not a new cabinet saw I would trade my PM 2000 for except a SS ICS. If I ever buy another cabinet saw it will be an ICS.

I'll bet $3.50 that the OP will buy a PCS and be very happy with it.

For me SS is not a "religious" question it is a machine that mitigates one danger in the shop and I feel each person should choose how they approach shop safety. Woodworking is probably the safest serious hobby I have and statistically by far the least likely to cause death. Buying a SS is simply part of a risk management assessment it is like hitting your "turn around time" 200 meters from the summit of a mountain do you go up or down? I've done both and I am still here, others have not been so lucky and I may not be the next time I decide to blow through my turn around time, just like I may sever my ulnar artery the next time I fire up my table saw.

The good thing about the SS saws is that they make saws equal to the best new saws in each of the classes they sell so you can take comfort in knowing you are getting a SOTA saw within the class if you choose to pay the premium for a SS. Quite frankly it is an easy recommendation. There are a lot of cars I would buy myself but wouldn't recommend to a friend or family member because I understand the the potential issues and may be willing to accept them but prefer to be safer telling others how to spend their money so I recommend Honda and Lexus almost exclusively when people ask.

[Mike Henderson]

Now one more question before I take the plunge. As I said my shop space is limited so although I would love to have it, convince me why I NEED the 52" fence. Other than not being able to rip a saved piece of stock over 36", what will I really be missing?

I have the 36" fence and it's worked fine for me. Only a couple of times I needed more but now I have a track saw so I can use that.

Mike

[P.S. Go with the SawStop. It a great saw AND it can save your hand. It did for me once. Mistakes happen.]

[ken carroll]

O.P., One thing you'll learn quickly, is that this place is Sawstop central.
Personally, I feel if you need a device like the SS to feel safe, then you should just take up a "safer" hobby. The SS is a well made Chinese table saw, functionally no better than a Grizzly 1023 at more than double the price. I have a 1952 Unisaw, and a 1946 Oliver both were way way cheaper than a SS. The tabletop on the oliver weighs more than the entire SS, so it is a serious machine to have to pick up and install in your shop, however I did so in my Toyota tacoma truck on my own so it is far from impossible. The payback of operating a solid cast iron lump like the Oliver over a SS is hard to explain but "you'll know it when you see it". Older saws like the Oliver have a true riving knofe and a shorty Euro fence both of which help eliminate kickback - a FAR more likely event than running a finger into the blade.

I have owned two PM66s over the years, and three Unisaws, both will do the job just fine for you. I also owned a G1023 as my first cabinet saw and it was a really good saw and fantastic value for money.

Buy an older U.S. made table saw or buy a Grizzly 1023. Sawstop would be well down the list for me, but it's your money......

[Jerry Wright]

This is why I always look for a 1949 Chevy when on the mood for anot her car. Heavy, no air bags, poor brakes, hard to find parts....perfect!

[Martin Wasner]

This is why I always look for a 1949 Chevy when on the mood for anot her car. Heavy, no air bags, poor brakes, hard to find parts....perfect!

Haha, horrible analogy.

[rudy de haas]

For me SS is not a "religious" question it is a machine that mitigates one danger in the shop and I feel each person should choose how they approach shop safety. Woodworking is probably the safest serious hobby I have and statistically by far the least likely to cause death. Buying a SS is simply part of a risk management assessment it is like hitting your "turn around time" 200 meters from the summit of a mountain do you go up or down? I've done both and I am still here, others have not been so lucky and I may not be the next time I decide to blow through my turn around time, just like I may sever my ulnar artery the next time I fire up my table saw.

The good thing about the SS saws is that they make saws equal to the best new saws in each of the classes they sell so you can take comfort in knowing you are getting a SOTA saw within the class if you choose to pay the premium for a SS. Quite frankly it is an easy recommendation. There are a lot of cars I would buy myself but wouldn't recommend to a friend or family member because I understand the the potential issues and may be willing to accept them but prefer to be safer telling others how to spend their money so I recommend Honda and Lexus almost exclusively when people ask.

I agree with some of this - specifically that saw stop is a risk management decision because the extra cost goes almost entirely for the safety features. This makes sense if, for example, you are running a high school shop where the insurance savings more than pay for the saw - but it doesn't make sense in a personal shop unless you don't trust yourself around power tools - in which case your wife should probably take all of them away.

Van Huskey, above, makes the comparison to cars you recommend for others. Every car I've bought since the mid 70s has been a Volvo wagon in part because higher end models offer much higher performance than people (including cops) imagine (my XC70 offers 325 HP), in part because they're great for long distance driving, and in part because the biggest threat on the road doesn't come from my hands on the wheel but from some idiot in some other vehicle about whom I have no knowledge and over which I have no control. The same logic applies to the table saw purchase: for personal use the sawstop is just a very expensive version of a mid range grizzly - but it's worth the extra money if you have to let others with unknown skills use it.

[jack duren]

The technology is in front of everyone. If you wish to ignore it, that is your choice. One shouldn't tell another or make a point of why they shouldn't invest or at least want the technology. If you've had a perfect record with never being hurt on a table saw, it certainly isn't anything to brag about. Tomorrow is another day and the risks are the same for everyone.

Be safe...........

[Van Huskey]

for personal use the sawstop is just a very expensive version of a mid range grizzly -

Not really...

[mreza Salav]

Here is one thing to consider when making your decision: there are plenty of people with 30+ (I've seen personally some with 40+) years experience on saws that have cut a digit or two. You'll find many who have bought a SS AFTER they had a nasty accident despite thinking it would never happen to them because they use their brain. They are all part of statistics. Here is another fact: as far as it is known, nobody has lost a digit on a SS. The price difference is peanuts when you think about the long term risk/advantage. It is like paying extra for having a car in which nobody has died in (yet, and event if it happens the odds are still waaaaay better) in case an accident happens. SS is a very well engineered and built saw.

[Chris Hachet]

O.P., One thing you'll learn quickly, is that this place is Sawstop central.
Personally, I feel if you need a device like the SS to feel safe, then you should just take up a "safer" hobby. The SS is a well made Chinese table saw, functionally no better than a Grizzly 1023 at more than double the price. I have a 1952 Unisaw, and a 1946 Oliver both were way way cheaper than a SS. The tabletop on the oliver weighs more than the entire SS, so it is a serious machine to have to pick up and install in your shop, however I did so in my Toyota tacoma truck on my own so it is far from impossible. The payback of operating a solid cast iron lump like the Oliver over a SS is hard to explain but "you'll know it when you see it". Older saws like the Oliver have a true riving knofe and a shorty Euro fence both of which help eliminate kickback - a FAR more likely event than running a finger into the blade.

I have owned two PM66s over the years, and three Unisaws, both will do the job just fine for you. I also owned a G1023 as my first cabinet saw and it was a really good saw and fantastic value for money.

Buy an older U.S. made table saw or buy a Grizzly 1023. Sawstop would be well down the list for me, but it's your money......

This is starting to be my thinking. I do much of my sawing by hand and have been running a cheaper Taiwanese saw (older Craftsman with an Incra fence) for a decade.

I do not run the saw if I am tired or distracted, and pretty much only use it for parallel ripping of parts.

G1023 would be the difference of upgrading or not upgrading.

Does anyone have a good source for an older Powermatic 66 or the like...All of the ones in see for sale are beaten to death and seemingly overpriced...