Budget and space not an issue? Sounds like science fiction to me!
Member
Budget and space not an issue? Sounds like science fiction to me!
Member
Wow, 30x50, I wish my shop was like that!
SawStop with Incra LS positioner is definitely the best configuration for traditional cabinet saw.
However, if you think you want to make fine furniture and cabinet down the road, since you do not have space and budget problems, I would suggest to look into the euro sliding table saw from Felder or MiniMax. There are lots of thread talking about that before.
James
Contributor
Look for a used Unisaw or Powermatic in excellent condition. Best bang for the buck.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Member
The Grizzly G1023RL and the Saw Stop PCS 3hp with the T-Glide fence are the two "sweet spots" IMO. The G1023RL is about the most saw $1500 can buy. For about the twice the price, the SS PCS 3hp is a really nice setup that won't bite the hand that feeds it.Originally Posted by Steve Nix
Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....
Member
Either a sawstop ICS with the new sliding table they are going to release soon or a nice Euro slider which is also very safe.
Member
There will be no end to the fawning over sawstops.... that's fine. It's a good saw. But I urge you to consider the powermatic 2000 series. I was in your same boat and could buy any saw I wanted under $4k. I got the powermatic. It's absolutely perfect.
i looked closely at the saw stop but im primarily a woodturner and I cut wet wood quite often. That makes the saw stop a no go for me. A buddy of mine has even triggered his saw stop mechanism while cutting super oily woods like cocobolo. He's done it twice. That gets expensive.
in order to turn off the sawstop wet detection technology you have to hit different buttons and when you turn the saw off between cuts, it defaults back to safety mode so you better not forget to hit those buttons again. For every single cut. It just seemed like a huge pain in the rear, to me.
Im 25+ years into using table saws on a regular basis and only had one incident of "kickback" and never had my fingers near a blade. (The "kickback" happened because a piece of wood slipped out of my hand after finishing a cut and as I was lifting it back over the blade it fell on the spinning blade and flew back at me. No harm no foul.)
If you plan on doing all flatwork with plywood, melamine, and kiln dried lumber, I'm sure the sawstop is great. But for me, even head-to-head foregoing the pluses and minuses of the wet detection option, the powermatic is a better saw overall. If I were running a community shop where different folks were constantly using the saw, I'd go for the sawstop. But I'm a one man shop and I have a healthy respect and understanding of industrial machinery so I'm ok living on the edge...
I also drink water right out of the hose on occasion... and I often drive my quad around my property doing chores without a helmet so I'm a risk taker by nature....
Climbing off soap box now....
Member
This is exactly what I would suggest.
Contributor
I own a Sawstop Jobsite saw and, for me, that is all I need. It allows me to fold it up and move it out of the way when I need other tools to move into the center of my shop. Since you don't seem to have any space worries, a Sawstop PCS would be a great saw. I know there are a lot of different opinions about Sawstop, but based on my experience with the Jobsite saw, I'd say they are high quality saws. The PCS is a top notch saw. Since the cost and quality of a Sawstop is really about the same as other similar saws, why not go for the safety aspect. While it shouldn't replace good saw use habits, it sure is nice to know that, if some day you do make a mistake, you won't lose a finger. So, everything else being equal, Sawstop seems like a great choice to me.
Member
SawStop (PCS or Ind.), of course, since money and space are not an issue to you. I know a couple guys who had some space issues but no money concerns ended up getting the SawStop, by getting space smart with their shops, including one parking his car permanently on the drive way.
No one who buys an insurance policy wants to cash in early. The SS as an insurance policy is too good to pass, because the policy can be renwed for about $50 every time you cash it (actually, if you triggered the safety feature with a body part, you'd get a free "renewal" if you sent in the blade with the cartridge in it).
Soon, SawStop is part of the TTS/Festool family, meaning even if the SS patents expire (no one seems to know the exact year(s)), you won't have to worry it will get crushed by its technology followers.
Simon
Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 07-06-2017 at 4:01 PM.
Member
My question is, what power source do you have? You didn't say if its a dedicated shop or garage or what. With my Grizzly, i had to run a dedicated 20a line into my basement.
Member
The basement shop I'm building is a lot smaller than that at 5m x 4.75m (about 16.5 x 15.5 feet). I wanted a Hammer K3 Basic, but didn't want to wait over three months for it to be made and then arrange for delivery. Instead, I bought a MiniMax SC2 Classic slider from a local distributor and had it delivered the following week. If I had a shop as large as 30x50, I would be tempted by the larger sliders, but think I would still buy the SC2.
Member
Is there anyone that regrets going with the 110V 1.75 hp SS instead of the 220V 3 hp? I'm debating just going whole hog but if a hobbyist does just fine on the 1.75....
Contributor
Get the 220-volt.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Member
At that price point, I'd want more than "just fine", when "all you'll ever need" is within reach. 1.75hp is indeed sufficient with good setup and proper attention the correct blade, but it's not difficult to bog a 1.75hp motor, and you're forced to go at the pace the motor will handle. 3hp is considerably more powerful, is much harder to bog down, and will generally allow you to dictate the pace with just about any blade that's on the saw. It also won't work as hard. If you've got 220v, and the budget, why settle? I'd guess you'll be far more likely to regret not getting the more powerful motor vs regretting having it. Do you ever wish your car had a smaller motor? ;-)
Last edited by scott spencer; 07-06-2017 at 6:58 PM.
Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....
Member
220V is better, if you can have it. You can also upgrade the saw from 110v to 220v, if your present circumstances don't allow you to use 220v.
With 110V, if you use the saw with a dust collector, draw power from two different panel breakers instead of from two sockets from the same source.
Simon
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