Sliding table saw, to straight line rip boards, what spec do I look at?

[dirk martin]

I don't know much about table saws. But, I do know my table saw is about the weakest part of my shop hardware list.

One of the biggest uses I'd get out of a new tablesaw, is straight line ripping....thus I'd go with a slider, rather than a cabinet saw, right? And if that's the case, what spec do I look at, to make sure it'll SLR a board 8 feet long? Is the Grizzly G0700 too small to rip an 8' board?

[David Hawxhurst]

looking at the spec it will not slr 8' with the sliding table, however you can slr with it using it like a standard ts.
the slider tables are definitely safer but also definitely cost more especially if you want to be able to slr w/the sliding table.

[dirk martin]

How about the G0623X ?

[David Hawxhurst]

none of the 10" models will allow you to slr a 8' using only the sliding table. if that is your goal you'll need to look at a 12" or 14" models.

[dirk martin]

Thanks David.

[Larry Edgerton]

This is what you need........

http://www.martin-usa.com/cms/_main/sawing.html

It has you written all over it.......

Sorry, couldn't resist

[Jeff Monson]

This is what you need........

http://www.martin-usa.com/cms/_main/sawing.html

It has you written all over it.......

Sorry, couldn't resist

I think that would meet all your needs Dirk, just hope you have an extra 40 grand or so to get her home.

[Van Huskey]

I don't know if I would get a slider over a cabinet saw if ripping was my primary use. I would either get a cabinet saw and put a feeder on it OR if you do a LOT of SLR then just get a straight line rip saw, they are going to be more efficient than anything else for the task.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Exactly what Van said. I have a MM CU300 with the 6 ft slider and it won't rip an 8 ft piece w/o some jigging. Even the 8 ft slider is a challege. 10-12 footers are really the right "slider" to handle what you've asked, but they are BIG saws -- lot of blank space required fore and aft. They are great for long crosscuts, but that doesn't seem to be your issue.

Take Van's advice.

[Mike Archambeau]

How about a Festool track saw for a long straight line rip? Or a bad saw.

[Mike Konobeck]

Don't let the size of the slider limit the SLR capacity. A simple jig that slides in the track will expand your capacity. I think my slider is 6' 8" and could probably do a 12' board. Reason being is that as you push the material you can push the slider as well. When the slider maxes out you still have the support from your jig to keep moving the board forward. I don't have the room or the need to ever do that long of a board and would consider it unsafe to do so but if push came to shove and you had the room you could. Unless you have some serious outfeed tables and a massive jig you really can't efficiently SLR on a cabinet saw. If you have the capacity on the slider it is pretty easy to use two clamps to hold the piece down but it is just as fast and accurate to use the slider with a jig.

[David Hawxhurst]

Or a bad saw.

i hope you mean bandsaw.

i have the eureka zone track system and it works well for slr and breaking down sheet goods. with a track saw and bandsaw my table saw is seeing little to no action. however with a slider that could do 10' rips my track saw would probably not see much action.

[Chip Lindley]

I don't know much about table saws. But, I do know my table saw is about the weakest part of my shop hardware list.

One of the biggest uses I'd get out of a new tablesaw, is straight line ripping....thus I'd go with a slider, rather than a cabinet saw, right?...

I must reinterate, as a few others have noted, that ripping is NOT what a sliding table saw does BEST! You need a decent 10" cabinet saw with a decent fence. A Biesemeyer fence (or clone) will provide excellent ripping.

You will pay BIG money for a slider, where an adequate cabinet saw will be half to a fourth as much. Plus, the cabinet saw can be used for many other operations in addition to ripping; crosscuts, dados, finger jointing, or even a moulding head. Lastly, a slider takes up a huge amount of shop space. Few home shops have that acreage to devote.

[Gary Curtis]

+1 to what Chip said.

The only advantage really would be if you are doing production work. Lots of board feet. It would be easier only in the sense that the weight of the timber is supported on ball or roller bearings and is carried in an absolutely straight line as you push it through the cut.

The op's original question was about capacity. The terminology differs with each manufacturer. In general you would look for something like:

a)capacity in front of blade. (a measure of the fully retracted slider to the edge of the blade)
b)stroke capacity. (a measure of the sweep of the sliding table. however, if your board won't fit between the blade edge and the fence, part of that sweep is useless. In practical terms, a 10foot slider will not permit ripping a 10 foot timber)

I've met both Kelly Mehler and Mark Duginske, well-known teachers of woodworking. And great authors about WWing. I took a class with Mark at the Felder showroom in Sacramento. Both men own Felder sliding table saws. I asked about the scarcity of printed material about sliding table saws. Both said the demand simply isn't there. Kelly wrote about a page and a half dealing with sliders in his Tablesaw Book. But the comments are general and primarily help a prospective buyer assess his needs. But he doesn't give a person the nuts-and-bolts details of how to use the equipment, nor how to adjust and calibrate it.

I would suggest going to the Felder website and signing up for a class at a showroom on the East or West coasts. Well spent time.

[Chris Fournier]

Length of sliding action is the main concern. I've recently picked up a slider and I truly enjoy SLR with it - a new to me process.