Good info.

I'm going to have to look into Altendorf with regard to exact minimum transport widths. My shop door opening is 37 1/4". At least with regard to the Felder line this limits me to the KS or the new 540.

I feel like with regard to Altendorf and Martin the smaller saws are all made by another manufacturer and rebadged? I dont know how accurate this info was but it is worth mentioning before i go making this decision in hopes i can get the real scoop.

What is the cost of the F45 or new Elmo. Same question with regard to the Martin TS75 and TS72



Quote Originally Posted by Keith Weber View Post
My shop is only 11' 7" wide (48' long), but I squeezed an Altendorf F45 in there. I did have to do some modifications to the saw, however, to pull it off. I wanted 97" from the blade to the left wall, so that I could skim cut the end of a 4'x8' sheet. That left me with 42" from the blade to the right wall, a crosscut clearance of 36" to clear the vertical overarm blade guard post, and 27-1/2" using the rip fence. Normally, the 27.5" rip capability to the right of the blade would be a problem, but with a slider, I can just use a parallel jig on the other side of the blade to rip any width I want. My only restriction is that I can't crosscut a single 4x8 sheet into two 4x4 sheets because of the proximity of the right wall. I mentioned this to a buddy, who added that there isn't a saw made that can cut two 4x4s out a single 4x8. Obviously, he was referring to the loss of the kerf width, and I got a chuckle out of his comment.

So, I guess you could say if there's a will, there's a way.

Regarding Altendorf prices... You'd probably be hard pressed to find a 5-10 year old F45 for under $10K. I've seen them as high as $22K. It all depends on condition, features and accessories, but also who's selling them. Machinery dealers love to control the market on these and inflate the prices. You'll save a lot if you can find a private sale, or grab one at an auction.