SawStop

[lowpolyjoe]

I've been talking about it for years.  Saving up forever.  Finally pulled the trigger  8).

I know some people are anti-Sawstop for several reasons, but it's a beautiful machine. 

Spent all day today assembling and setting it up.  No time to test it out for real, but I did turn it on to test the motor and my new 220 outlet.  It's pretty quiet.  Very little vibration.  Gonna be a big switch from my Craftsman contractor saw.  :D

[Bruno of NH]

Great looking saw .
Nice upgrade ,

[Magicman]

Nice.   That is a classy way to keep all of your fingers.   8)

[SawyerBrown]

Nice!!  I've heard it's pretty expensive to "fix" if you ever actually use the feature ... although probably less than surgery costs to reattach missing digits.   ;D

[sawguy21]

New tools are a real treat to behold, that is one nice looking saw.  8) It is a big step up from a Craftsman and a lot safer to use. Have fun with it.

[Dan_Shade]

Nice  saw.   Those that criticize it haven't used one

[Bandmill Bandit]

Nice  saw.   Those that criticize it haven't used one

KMS tools did the demo with a wiener at the trade fair last fall and its is a very nice saw.
The rebuild parts are not cheap but a trade show where they are intentionally cause the saw to "stop" didn't wear out the system over a 5 day show. They did the demo every 2 hours.

If you are gona try that hard to cut some skin maybe you shouldn't have a table saw or any saw for that matter.   

[Saga Dan]

Nice saw. Looks like you should be able make the wine glass holders now without the need to worry about shortening the digits.  I made my glass holders, and still do, with a craftsman contractor saw.  The safety feature will only be one that will be noticeable if you try to get a little too fancy.  Hope you never have to find out how much it costs for a new "cartridge".  The better fence, power, and smoothness will pay off time and time again.  Good luck and have fun working with a better machine...

[lowpolyjoe]

Thanks everybody.

The cost of resetting after the safety system triggers is a bummer (over $100 including a new blade).  I asked a few people who own the saws and they said with care to avoid hitting staples and nails or cutting green lumber, false triggers are rare.  The price for resetting after a correct-trigger won't bother me if it ever happens

The fence has a great feel to it, which should be a joy to use after suffering with the absolutely horrible Craftsman fence for so many years.   The motor is 3HP running on 220v.  I'm looking forward to the extra power, although the Craftsman (1.5 or 1.75 I think?) was adequate for most of my cutting throughout the years. 

Next up I'm going to make a few sleds and jigs.  The non-standard miter slots on my Craftsman made it impractical to make DIY sleds for it.

[MattJ]

I've loved my sawstop.  Even without the safety feature its such and amazing smooth and accurate saw it will blow you away.  A crosscut sled on it is my favorite add-on.  Enjoy it!

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Nice saw Nub. Looks great.

[Larry]

I've been using 3 HP Unisaws for 50 years.  Last summer I took a week long woodworking class and used a Sawstop just like your model.  I found no difference in performance between the two saws but the Sawstop gets a bonus for safety.

I cut a couple of fingers on my saw 35 years ago.  Cost $2,000 to fix.  I think Sawstop is a pretty good idea.

Sleds for different uses are always good.

[jueston]

i also love my saw stop and its safety features.

i don't like to admit this, but i have a bad tendency to remove safety features "just for this one cut" and then never put them back on, and use a saw for years without them. but the sawstop riving knife and blade guards guards and so easy to install and remove i don't delay reinstalling them for a year after i take them off just for that one cut.

i set mine off when i accidentally cut a piece of aluminum, it was frustrating both for the cost and for the wait, but i just remind myself even if i accidentally set it off once per year for the next 20 years, it would still be a good investment for the piece of mind that i will not loose my fingers on the table saw. growing up i knew 2 fine craftsman who were missing digits, both of them happened on the tablesaw.

i got the one that is one level below yours, its got the open base, but just like you said, very little vibration, it sounds very strong when it runs, i used to bog down my little contractor saw all the time, my saw stop almost never bogs down. but like every other saw, i always wait to long to replace the blade and then the cut quality slows down.

if sawstop made a jointer i would buy that next. the tablesaw and the jointer are the 2 machines that worry me the most. when i was 16 i lost a chunk out of one of my fingers when i trailed it behind the board i was jointing... but not to worry, my finger grew back, and every time i see my dirty finger print on something i see how its still distorted from that experience.


did you look at there slider attachment? i looked at it in a show room, it looked like trash to me. after tightening up everything i could easily push it a few degrees out of wack with my hand, i can't imagine what a 100lb piece of plywood is going to do to it....

[mesquite buckeye]

Enjoy. ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

[21incher]

That is a nice addition to your work shop. Hope you do a review of it after using it for a while. Looks like you built your bench the right height to be a outfeed table.

[lowpolyjoe]

jueston  - I've never used a jointer but every time I see a video of someone using one I think they seem pretty dangerous.   I didn't realize Sawstop made a slider attachment.   I just looked at it on their website.  I'm surprised you said it seemed lacking.  The rest of their saw is pretty nice.  And that attachment is $1000  .   The splitter and blade guard are very easy to remove/replace, as you say.  That should keep me using them consistently when appropriate.  The blade guard I got has the integrated dust port and as part of an ongoing promotion, I'm going to get a free over-arm dust collector hose attachment (once I fill out the form).  I read somewhere somebody complained about the overarm thing getting in the way, which is a bummer.  But I'm looking forward to trying it out.  I only have a shopvac for dust collection at the moment but I guess i'll have to upgrade.  at some point.

21incher, I will definitely be giving my honest review of the saw as I get to use it.

I have no experience with any other professional table saw, so my opinion will be skewed coming from a garbage consumer grade saw.

So far I am VERY impressed with the saw but I do have a couple of gripes to report.

  - The industrial mobile base works very well.  I can move the saw with one hand and little effort even tho I think it's 400-500lbs.  BUT, to use that base with the "Profession" (instead of "Industrial") model saw, you have to perform a conversion.  It's not difficult, but for OVER $300 for the base (which is just a dozen pieces of steel, 4 casters and a bottle jack), they really should ship you a version that has already been modified to fit the Pro saw directly.  And, you have to drill 2 holes in the side of saw cabinet itself, which is a little disheartening considering how expensive the darn thing is  :D.  Would be nice if they had pre-tapped holes to accept the two fasteners they want you to use.  Finally, using the industrial base with the pro saw leaves close to a foot of unused base-frame sticking out the back of the saw.  If you ever want to store the saw against the wall, it's gonna stick out an extra 10" or so.  I think a lot of people with the Pro saw are getting the Industrial base because it's better than the Pro base (swivel casters on both sides instead of 1, hydraulic foot pedal instead of mechanical) so they should just make a new version of the "Industrial" that fits the Pro saw directly. 

   - The power cord is only 8' or so.   That really limits placement relative to an outlet if you ask me.  I'm going to have to buy another one.  I think something like 12' would give a bit more freedom.  I suppose if you're in a dedicated shop, you might have a 220 outlet every 10 feet along the wall, but I only have 1 in my garage and it's not conveniently located relative to where I want the saw.  Nitpicking  ;)

[WDH]

I love mine.  You could not pry my whole, intact fingers from it. 

[jueston]

   - The power cord is only 8' or so.   That really limits placement relative to an outlet if you ask me.

this is one of my nitpicking complaints too... if it was just 2 feet longer it would sit nicely on the floor in its current location in my shop, but instead it is floating 6 inches up in the air making a nice tripping hazard for me...

i could invest in a short extension cord, but instead i leave it to trip on and complain here....  :D

i couple tools I've purchased recently actually only come with a 6" stub of a power cord, i think since a lot of customers are plugging them into extension cords the manufacturer just assumes it doesn't matter how long it is.

[lowpolyjoe]

Glad I'm not the only one complaining about the cord length.  heh.

I have a ton of extension cords, but this is my first 220v machine and I don't have any 220 extension cords.  I see them on Amazon but I'm not sure if I can find one at Home Depot.  I was thinking of buying a new cord and plug to wire into the switch directly, but I'm not looking forward to that   :D

Been busy the last couple days and haven't got to play with the saw since finishing assembly Sunday night.  Busy weekend planned too, so the poor thing is gonna be lonely for a while.

[Kbeitz]

Check out Grizzlys mobile bases.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heavy-Duty-Mobile-Base/D2057A?utm_campaign=zPage

[Dan_Shade]

My frustration with mobile bases is that  most flex and wobble.

With the sawstop design, when it's "down", the saw is actually on the floor.   It's pretty nice.

[lowpolyjoe]

I don't have any experience with other mobile bases, but the Sawstop Industrial mobile base is pretty darn good.

That Grizzly looks like the price I want to pay  :D   But the design isn't quite up to the Sawstop.  Like Dan said, the saw sits on the floor when in the 'down' position.

A Grizzly bandsaw and some sort of benchtop planer are my two remaining major machine purchases.  Probably gonna be a while before I get either though  :D

[mesquite buckeye]

Glad I'm not the only one complaining about the cord length.  heh.

I have a ton of extension cords, but this is my first 220v machine and I don't have any 220 extension cords.  I see them on Amazon but I'm not sure if I can find one at Home Depot.  I was thinking of buying a new cord and plug to wire into the switch directly, but I'm not looking forward to that   :D

Been busy the last couple days and haven't got to play with the saw since finishing assembly Sunday night.  Busy weekend planned too, so the poor thing is gonna be lonely for a while.

Home Depot has the wire and the ends. You can make your own to whatever length you want.

[Kbeitz]

This 20" 1000lb planner sits on one. It only raises it about 1" off the floor.
It has no problem holding the 1000lb of weight and it does not wobble
or move when locked in place.



 

[MrMoo]

You're gonna love your new table saw. I have had mine for about a year. It was an upgrade from a Craftsman contractor saw that served me well for many years. I am so happy I bought the Sawstop it is a wonderful machine. The safety feature is a great bonus.