Table saw search

[Tom Ruflin]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and have read alot of posts. I'm in the market for a new table saw to replace my Delta contractors saw. I like the sawstop and general 650. The new powermatic 2000 looks good but I wary of the quality issues they have been having. I am struggling with the cost of the sawstop over the general but like the safety features. The other issue I have is space, I cannot fit a saw with a 50 inch fence so with the general I would have to cut off enough to fit the saw in my basement (which I would hate to do with a brand new saw). The sawstop can be ordered with a 36 inch fence that will fit nicely. Any comments/suggestions are appreciated.

[scott spencer]

I'm guessing you could find an owner of a set of 30" rails that'd be willing to swap, and I'm sure you could work out some sort of deal. Then the 30" rails can be slid a bit to the right if you want more capacity....after typing all that, cutting them seems easier though! ...just kind of a shame...a tool junky sin of sorts.

The PM2000 looks interesting to me too, but I'd also be wanting to weight to see what bugs they may need to work out...new model and all.

[Doug Shepard]

I've had the Powermatic 66 with the shorter 30" fence for roughly about 8 years now and have been extremely satisfied with it. I'm not too sure, but I thought the PM 2000 wasn't going to be available until sometime in 2006. It's a nice looking saw from what I've seen though.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I am also going thru the table saw issue.Waiting for Hartville Tool sale in Nov.Thinking seriously about the Shop Fox cabinet saw,and just maybe a Unisaw,or a General 650.The General would have to be the top limit for me.Hope you pick a good one.

[Chris Giles]

Tom,
If you are an infrequent user of the table saw, and can afford it, I think you ought to get the Sawstop. A lot of table saw operations tend to be more dangerous if not practiced regularly. The Sawstop seems like a good bit of insurance in this case, and it seems to get very good reviews on it's performance even without considering the safety factors. If you are an everyday user, it still offers the safety advantage, but to be honest I've been using a Jet 10" for six years almost everyday, and haven't even come close to injuring myself. I'm quite happy with the saw, and it is almost half the price of the Sawstop. I should mention that All my large sheet stock goes through a 12" slider, so the Jet never sees the really big stuff, but I do all my ripping on it (Jet) with a 10" thin-kerf blade w/stabilizer disks, and it never bogs down. A very dependable and versitile little saw.

[Tom Ruflin]

Thanks for everyone's input/thoughts. I ordered a Sawstop this morning . After reading about an actual incident and seeing pictures , it convinced me to purchase the Sawstop. It will be interesting getting it into my basement shop. According to an e-mail from sawstop, it is not that difficult to remove the whole top, motor access door and motor if necessary to lighten the load.