Table Saws

[wilde737]

I am currently in the market for a new table saw.  I'm currently using an old delta contractor saw, and I absolutely hate the fence, and it vibrates too easily.  I'm looking for a nice cabinet saw, preferably 3 Hp.  I was originally thinking of the Powermatic PM2000, but wanted to see a new unison as well.  My father has an older unisaw, pre riving knife days, and it is a good saw.  Unfortunately my local dealer says they can't even get one, Delta is in shambles it sounds.  They showed me the sawstop, which happens to be the only saw they have on the floor, which is really unusual as they used to have several different saws on hand.  I was really impressed with the sawstop as I had always thought they were cheap saws.  I'm torn what to do now, sawstop vs powermatic vs ?.  I have also been told to look at laguna, but no one sells them locally that has one to see.  I'm really not ordering a table saw sight unseen!  Anything else you guys use and like that I should look at?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[GPowers]

Plus one for the Sawstop Professional. Bought one from In Touch Tools last year to replace my Ridgid  contractor saw.  I too was impressed with how smooth the blade adjustments worked and the ease of installing and removing the guard.  I was expecting to pay a premium for the SawStop feature. But the price was very similar to Powermatic, Jet and others.

 

[wow]

I have an older Laguna (Robland) table saw with which I am very happy. One of the reasons I purchased it was because is uses German motors. It easily passes the old test of standing standing a nickel on edge while the saw is running. Heck, mine passes the test it even when the saw starts.

Unfortunately I can't speak first-hand about their current offerings.

 

[richardkent]

I've used, for quite a bit, the Sawstop Industrial and it is quite the machine.  You get every penny worth out of it and with the relatively new & improved sawdust hood on it, I don't know that you could ask for anymore.  The professional I imagine is every bit as nice, just smaller and with fewer motor options.  It passes the nickel test with ease.

I never felt like a premium was paid for the safety feature on it, everything else is so nice.  Even if there was a premium paid, use it once and I doubt you can put a dollar amount on what it saved you from, or if you could, it would be a lot more than the cost of the saw.

I say this as a hobby/renovation point of view, but I got a couple weeks worth of time on the unit as a friend was kind enough to indulge me for a few projects the other year.  I've mostly used portable/contractor saws in the past, but I have used some old units (Powermatic and some unit I've long forgotten from my youth).

They also have a new crosscut table that fits all their units, how can you say no?  =)

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

One of the best bang for the buck table saws is the ever reliable Powermatic 66.

If I was hard up, both my Whitney 77 and Greenlee 495 died, I would go find a 66 to use.

 

[wilde737]

The 66 is a nice machine, that's the saw I've always wanted.  The only problem is the 66 never had a riving knife I believe, I think that came about with the pm2000.  I will be inheriting my dad's Unisaw in the future, but will most likely sell it for a saw with a riving knife, that's a must in my book.  I've seen my share of kickbacks over the years, but never on a saw with a riving knife.  Just my opinion though...Thanks for the input guys.
Steve

 

[jbasen]

I have the 3hp Professional Sawstop and I really like it.  Very solidly built, great performance, smooth operation, and the list goes on. 

I originally had a 1 3/4 Professional Sawstop that I had a great deal of trouble with.  I worked very closely with Sawstop tech support who jumped through many hoops trying to make it right.  They finally decided it was necessary to replace the saw (at no cost to me) and they offered me the 3hp model as a replacement to compensate me for the problems.  I took them up on it and this saw has been great.  I found there is a big performance improvement between the 1 3/4 hp motor and the 3hp motor.

I tell this story not to say that the 1 3/4 hp model is bad but to point out how the company stood behind the product. 

There are those who would never buy a Sawstop because of issues with the owner of the company.  If you search for Sawstop on FOG you will find a wealth of comments on that topic.  If there was another saw with similar safety features I might have bought something else.  But there isn't and I simply view my own safety as more important than the issues people have with the owner. 

No matter how careful you are when you use a table saw, bad things can happen.   

 

[Birdhunter]

I traded in a very nice old Delta Unisaw for the Industrial Sawstop after a lot of looking at competitors including Powermatic. I have several Powermatic tools so was initially leaning toward a Powermatic table saw.

The Industrial Sawstop, in my opinion, was a far superior product to any of the competitors. The engineering and the quality of the Sawstop is amazing. Even without the safety device, I would have bought the Sawstop. It is a pleasure to use every time.

I've called Sawstop customer support several times with questions and each question was answered promptly and to my satisfaction. This has not been my experience with Powermatic.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Riving knife, meh.  Honestly after using saws with and without, it really makes no difference to me. 

I actually took the one off my 1928 greenlee 495 (thats right, factory option 92 years ago) as it didnt fit right when I run a 16" blade on it.

My pm 66 had an overhead guard with a splitter, it was ok. 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Personally, I do not like sheet metal base saws.  There is just something about using a saw with a 1/2"+ thick cast iron base.  A 2000 pound saw just purrs with a 16" blade on it.

 

[jbasen]

If I put a 2000 pound saw in my 2nd floor shop I think it would go straight through the floor  [eek]

It was enough of a challenge disassembling the Sawstop so it could be carried upstairs in pieces and then reassembled upstairs.

 

[fshanno]

The 66 is a nice machine, that's the saw I've always wanted.  The only problem is the 66 never had a riving knife I believe, I think that came about with the pm2000.  I will be inheriting my dad's Unisaw in the future, but will most likely sell it for a saw with a riving knife, that's a must in my book.  I've seen my share of kickbacks over the years, but never on a saw with a riving knife.  Just my opinion though...Thanks for the input guys.
Steve

It's a wise opinon.  We're going to find out about riving knives in the next few years.  I believe that many, perhaps a majority, of the laceration incidents started as binding and kickback issues that a riving knife would have prevented.  Having a blade brake is an important safety plus but it isn't nearly as important as a riving knife.  The blade can cut your fingers and hands.  Kickback can kill you. 

One of my dad's friends was crosscutting a full sheet on a big old table saw.  This was in the early 70's.  The sheet was thrown back at him and hit him right at the bottom of his ribs.  It knocked him backwards and down.  His head hit the concrete hard.  He had a brain hemorrhage and was incapacitated for life.  He nearly died.  He eventually learned to walk again.  This was a first class cabinetmaker in his early 50's who had never had an on the job injury that required medical attention.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Probably that old saws fault.  :

 

[wilde737]

Probably that old saws fault.  :

Never made a mistake huh?

 

[jtwood]

I have the Powermatic 2000, 3 hp. model with the riving knife and I love it.  I purchased it when the Sawstop had just come out and was considerably more expensive as the Powermatic was on sale.  After reading the reviews, I bought the Powermatic.  I don't regret the purchase at all.  With the prices of the two saws closer now, the extra safety features of the Sawstop may sway your decision.  I have been a hobbyist furniture maker for 40 years and have never had a table saw accident.  The riving knife on the Powermatic works very well, but it isn't going to stop the blade if there is a problem.  As far as quality of what you'll turn out on the two saws, I doubt there is much of a difference, if any.  It would, in my opinion, depend on the price and how important the extra safety features are on the Sawstop.

Steve

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Probably that old saws fault.  :

Never made a mistake huh?

Cut a few boards to short and hit a couple water lines digging holes.