Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Another Table Saw Thread.

  1. #1

    Another Table Saw Thread.

    Hi all. I really like this website. Lot's of good thoughts and ideas being shared here...

    I enjoyed woodshop in high school, and I want to get back into wood working. My garage will be my shop. The pickup does not fit anyway. I've been lurking around various forums, and especially the Creek. I've read as many threads on table saws as I could find, and have been over whelmed. There are not only a vast number of saws to choose from, but an even more number of opinions and experiences. It seems no matter which saw you read about, you can always find at least one thread where someone has problems with their saw. Some saws more than others. I have decided I want a cabinet saw, 3hp, 220v. I've narrowed my choices down to a PM2000, or Jet's Xactasaw. I'm still wrestling with the table length, 30" or 50". Table length aside, I'm really leaning towards the PM. I can pick up the 1792002K here for $1,955, or $2,044 for the 1792000K, new. I'd like to pose a question, and would enjoy any input what so ever on this subject.

    Has anyone who has purchased a PM2000, regretted doing so? Or wish they had purchased another saw instead of the PM2000?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    1,417
    Welcome Joe, I see this is your first post! Great to have you participating! My first thought was to check your location, so I could online shop a bit and see what deals I might find near you. If you click "quick links" above and then "edit profile", you can add your location, which is great for folks responding to questions like this

    I don't have super valid input to your question--just wanted to say Welcome!--but I do have a PM66 which I like very much. Several recent threads surprised me in rating the fit/finish of the 66 better than the 2000. However, the 2000 has that great riving knife! Because I do own the PM saw, I try to read all threads about PM table saws; and I have never read any dissappointment on the saw that wasn't caused by a fixable defect after contacting customer service.

    You probably know that Powermatic and Jet are both owned by WMH Tool Group, so some of the engineering /parts are being replicated across the two lines; both make good equipment.

    Good luck!
    Thread on "How do I pickup/move XXX Saw?" http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=597898

    Compilation of "Which Band Saw to buy?" threads http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...028#post692028

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Wichita, Kansas
    Posts
    1,795
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Close View Post
    ... I've narrowed my choices down to a PM2000, or Jet's Xactasaw. I'm still wrestling with the table length, 30" or 50". Table length aside, I'm really leaning towards the PM. ... Has anyone who has purchased a PM2000, regretted doing so? Or wish they had purchased another saw instead of the PM2000?
    Can't respond to the PM/Jet question as I own the Jet. But, I do have the 50" table, and even though you didn't ask, I'll direct my comments to that.

    I have a fairly large shop, about 1900 sqft, and have (for now) room to spare. However, you indicated that your shop will be on the smallish side. Personally, in that environment, I'd opt for the 30" table. I find that the extra length on my saw is used mostly to store clutter that has to be moved on the very rare occasions that I have need for the extra length - once or twice a year, maybe? Of course, YMMV, but in my operation, if I were in close quarters, I believe I could find a more valuable use for that space. However, if you've got room for it, better to have and not need than need and not have.
    Tom Veatch
    Wichita, KS
    USA

  4. #4
    Joe,

    Welcome to the forum!

    I have the same space constraints as you and chose the 30 inch model. Have I ever had the need to cut larger, most certainly, but 98% of what I cut is 30 inches and under.

    This is a great saw and I would choose it again...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Waterford, MI
    Posts
    4,673
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Genovesi View Post
    Joe,

    Welcome to the forum!

    I have the same space constraints as you and chose the 30 inch model. Have I ever had the need to cut larger, most certainly, but 98% of what I cut is 30 inches and under.
    ...
    Same here. You can cut sheet stuff down to TS sized pieces with a circular saw and straight edge guide. Plus the long fence means long extension table, means big mobile base footprint. If your shop is like mine, I'm guessing you need to shoehorn other stuff under the TS extension table when stored so the big MB is a problem.
    Use the fence Luke

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    107
    Welcome to the board Joe.
    I'm going through similar decisions righ now with the saw I have. I just recently purchased a '83 PM66 with a 50" table. I'm refurbishing the saw and that is a lot of fun. I know it will be a great saw. The decision is if I want to leave it as a full 50" right side cut table or reduce it to ~30" by removing one of the extensions.
    I'm tight for space in a 2 car garage/shop that already has much of the perimeter used up with shelving and wood rack and man tools and workbench in the center of the shop. My present saw is a 30" saw and that has served me well for several years. Most of the cuts that I do are not sheet goods and up until now, when I need to make a long cut I've managed well with a circular saw and edge guide.
    I really do not want to end up with an extension that accululates clutter and has to be cleared whenever I need to cut something on the saw and I won't be using the saw for a workbench. I'm leaning toward setting the PM66 up as a 30" cut on the right.
    As I have never used a Jet saw, I can't help you with that choice.

  7. #7
    Thanks for the input. Particularly on the 30" vs 50" table.

    I wonder if the Rout-R-Lift model is worth getting. Has anyone had experience using the router lift version?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    east coast of florida
    Posts
    1,482
    I have the jet exacta (I thought it was 52") and like it very much. I can't compare the cut to the pm because I have never used the pm. So far in my (limited) experience I can't see the pm being to much better. I don't know about over time though. All the guts looked very similar when i inspected the two.
    I will say the 52" capacity has not been very useful to me. Like the others I have found it much easier to cross cut a large sheet wit a circular saw. There have been a few times I used my extra large cross cut sled with some sheet goods and I wouldn't have been able to do that without the long table. I could live without it though.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    112
    I recently acquired a SS and had to decide whether to get the 36" or 52" rails. My space is basically 1/2 of a 3 car garage and I was tempted to get the shorter fence. In the end I decided to go with the 52". The cost wasn't much more and I decided I could shorten it if I felt I didn't need it. In the end it turns out it isn't in the way and the additional width has come in handy so I'm glad I went that way.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,492
    Blog Entries
    1
    There's been a few times that I wished my fence rails were longer. they have been few and far between and I have always been able to accomplish my goal with a circular saw bringing the piece down to size. I would like the extra length but am not willing to give up the shop space for the occasional need. If I needed more fence reach every other day, I would go for it.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  11. #11
    When I graduated myself from wood butcher to woodworker about 12 years ago I had in my mind that the important criteria in a tablesaw was that it had a powerful motor. So I bought the saw with the most powerful motor I could get in my price range. I bought a King contactor saw.The saw was not very good as I had to adjust it every month or so. But finally I bought a Forrest blade and a good fence. Suddenly I had a saw that cut very accurately and smoothy but still needed adjustment every month or so. Then I met my neighbor who had been a woodworker and shop teacher all his life. He had two cabinet saws, a General for most of his work and a Powermatic for crosscutting. He told me that he had owned the General for 30 or 40 years, moved 3 or 4 times and had NEVER had to adjust it. Well, THAT WAS THE SAW FOR ME. So I kept on the lookout for a used one and bought one at an auction. Although it had a 5 HP 3 phase motor (which I didn't realize)I was able to get a converter and in the 10 years I have had it I have never had to adjust it. It has the 50 in beis fence.

    If I had to do it over again I would still get the General but I would also look at Grizzly. In any case you probably won't go wrong with any of the saws suggested on this forum.

    Fred Mc.

Similar Threads

  1. New Guy Needs Help With First Router Table
    By Kevin W Brown in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 03-03-2010, 11:26 AM
  2. Quick and Cheap Router Table
    By Stephen Clem in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 11-21-2007, 7:43 PM
  3. Trying to find the horizontal router table thread
    By Mack Cameron in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-04-2007, 1:18 PM
  4. Meehanite and the unflat table...
    By Dev Emch in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 05-02-2005, 7:28 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •