For the last several weeks I have been in the market for a table saw, and after a lot of searching on the internet (especially here), in magazines and talking to anyone who had some time & patience, I've narrowed it down to a Steel City hybrid or the Jet Proshop. Well, today, I was able to get my hands on SC's new granite table saw, and I must say, it is nice, and I wanted to post a few of the comments I had about it.
One of the most important thins I wanted to look at was the miter slots. I've read here, and elsewhere, that after-market miter gauges won't work with this saw, but that does not seem to be the case. If you take a look at this photo that Bill Walton posted on 07-21-2007, you can see that it looks like a normal miter slot.
I took the stock gauge from a Jet super saw next to this one and tried it out. I also took a Delta 36-946 miter gauge (which I believe is the same as the Osborne EB-3) and tried that too. Both moved very smoothly and securely in the slots. There was no side to side movement at all. The difference people have been talking about is in the miter gauge supplied by Steel City. Their slot washer (don't think that is the correct term) is actually a rectangular plate instead of a round washer. I believe it is used to distribute any pressure that might be placed on the granite if someone were to lift the gauge out at mid slot, instead of sliding it out of one of the ends. As long as you're carefull with the after-market, this shouldn't be a problem. And just because I am curious, I tried yanking out the gauge in mid-slot, and no cracking happened. Of course I didn't exert a lot of pressure because I think anyone trying this wouldn't force it because it is pretty obvious that you shouldn't do that.
Also, I tried out the fence system, and wow, it moves smoothly. A single finger was all it took to move it away from the blade. And once locked down it didn't budge - and I believe me I tried (reasonably) to budge it. I think it is the same "industrial fence" that they have on some of their other saws. I especially like the UHMW faces
The next thing I noticed was the extension table. I say "table" because it only has a left one. There is no right table. Instead the main table extends over in place of the right table. I believe they are doing this to either cut some costs or simplify the saw. The left table, and adjacent main table, have 2 tracks embedded in the underside and a steel bar that attaches the two together. It is also attached with some set screws in 3 or 4 pockets along the junction, which also act to level the extension to the main table.
Then I moved on to the riving knife. After seeing them on the SawStop and Powermatic models, this is the feature that I really would like on my table saw. If I had the money, I'd probably be looking at these, but I don't. Anyway, while I like the inclusion of this feature, I don't think SC executed it as elegantly as the other two. To remove the knife & blade guard, you have to reach in and unscrew a small handle and pull it out to release the indexing pin. I don't have large hands, but this was not as easy as it could have been. I really like the SawStops little handle that you pull to release their knife (much more simple). It was also easy to unscrew the handle too far and loose it down in the cabinet. When I did this it lodged itself between the motor & back wall, and when I reached in from the front of the saw to get it I found out that the supplied blade is sharp. I have a nice 1/2" cut on my left hand to attest to it. I know what you are all thinking right now too. I should just find the extra money and get the SawStop. If I can injure myself on an unpowered & unplugged saw, imagine what I can do on a running saw.
I was also told by the SC rep recently that the top adds 100 lbs. to the saw's weight. This might be an issue for me, since my shop is in my basement, and this will have to be carried down 10 rises to get there. Because of this I went to the left side of the table and tried picking that side of the saw up by the extension table, and it seemed to be pretty easy (and I'm sure I shouldn't have picked it up there). I am by no means a strong person, but I had no trouble lifting the left side by 8 to 12 inches. If I do decide to get this saw I am now hoping that weight won't be as big of an issue.
As for the granite itself...very slick. Literally, very smooth and slick. However, I did notice a chip in the stone, even though this saw was just received in the store and set up this morning. If you look at the above photo of the miter slot it was on the front edge at the left side of the slot above the tee'ed out area. Now this wasn't very large, it was only 1/8" in diameter, and maybe 1/32" deep, but it was disheartening to see. I shouldn't see this on a brand new saw. The guy at the counter didn't know if it came in like this or if it was damaged today because he didn't assemble it, but he did notice a second smaller nick to the right of the slot where the beveled edge meets the front face that I missed. Neither of these were structural in nature, and in no way affects the performance, but it does make me stop and think about how easy it might be to damage the top surface.
With all of this information, I know have some thinking to do. I probably won't end up with the Jet Proshop because of the back-order time, and I am just impatient, so it comes down to the granite Steel City, or one of the two cast iron versions - either the 1-3/4 hp 35670 without riving knife, or the 35900 with the riving knife, which is identical to the granite version (I called SC last week and they confirmed that this is a new model and should be in their warehouse this week).
I'll keep you posted on which saw I end up getting, and if this wasn't too rambling and boring, I'll post my review of it.
Thanks for reading
Brian
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