woodbutcherbower said:
Curse you, [member=11196]Peter Parfitt[/member]. I've spent three decades convincing myself that I don't need a small table saw for site work. This characteristically honest-but-simple review video (along with several others) is making my credit card twitch violently.
I second the shout out to Peter P and his always measured, honest tool reviews. I too have been caught up in the extraordinary hype and delayed Canadian market release of the CSC SYS 50, in part because of the professed precision of the saw but also because it would fit very nicely into the limited space available in my shop. I make drums, which, among other things, requires bevel cuts at very precise angles -- 9, 12.5, 15 degrees, for example. Deviations > 0.1 degree on any cut spells disaster as the drum won't fit properly together, resulting in $50+ of wasted hardwood lumber. So my attraction to the digital capacity of the CSC SYS 50 is a given. Portability, apart from within the workshop, is unimportant.
I finally got a hands on opportunity with the saw, and I now have mixed feelings. For one, I tested the accuracy of the bevel angles with a very good digital angle gauge and found the angles the saw produced to be out by 0.1 degree. I was also not that impressed with the fence. The 2-sided gripping mechanism resulted in the fence locking in out of parallel. For me, rip cuts even slightly out of parallel are as bad as inaccurate angles. I don't know if these results stem from the demo saw not being properly set up in the first place or not. I am also concerned that there is no SawStop tech on the saw when earlier Festool models did include it, and like many other reviewers, I would have liked a corded option, but I gather that's not impossible as Festool had cord adapters for their cordless drills. So that's part one of my dilemma.
Part 2 is the SawStop option. The same showroom had both the SawStop contractor professional cabinet saw set up. Apart from the safety tech, the build on both saws is impressive. Cast iron tables, a very accurate mechanical bevel mechanism that locks very solidly in place and an extraordinarily accurate T-glide fence in perfect parallel. I began to wonder what would happen with the CSC SYS 50 if the screen or servo motors were to fail. Failure of either would mean no mechanical options or means of measuring available. The saw would be an expensive brick. I'm reminded of a friend's comment that it would be a challenge for anyone in modern culture to find the words "durable" and "electronics" used in the same sentence. But then there are the order of magnitude differences between the 2 options: < 50lbs vs > 450lbs; and, a tidy manageable foot print vs obliterate my entire shop with its bulk. Interestingly, although the SawStop would end up being more expensive, the cost for both options is not that far apart.
So that's my quandary. Yes, I could try to do a massive shop reno that 'might' accommodate the massive SawStop offering and it's near flawless accuracy, or hope that the Festool saw will in fact be as accurate as they claim and somehow work out. But right now, I'm stuck and hoped other group members might have insights or experiences with either or both of these manufacturers that could help. Apologies for the long rant.
