Why are there no US based sliding table saw manufacturers?

[WarnerConstCo.]

Ok, it's more like 9 feet long, the beam is the same length as the sliding table part.  There is a reason the controls are on the outside of the slider beam. 

 

[Svar]

I get not everyone has the space or power for a 6k pound, 20hp slr, but as far as production goes, no slider will keep up with it or a beam saw.

Apples to oranges IMHO.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I get not everyone has the space or power for a 6k pound, 20hp slr, but as far as production goes, no slider will keep up with it or a beam saw.

Apples to oranges IMHO.

Except for the fact that professional shop environment was brought up.

You are going to be severely bottle necked if you are relying on one or two sliding saws to cut all your sheet goods and process your solid lumber.

Plus you will kill a guys back humping sheets up on a saw.  Then you get into having to have lift tables to load and unload saws.

Fork lift to load a beam saw, SLR etc. Plus a tailer.

Sliders are pretty good in one to 4 man shops, but any kind of actual production you will have a bottle neck.

Heck, I can buy an SLR, beam saw and a planer for the cost of one decent new slider. My 6 head weinig Hydromat 22AL with 20 heads, parts, loader deck, grinder, knives, etc was less than a used altendorf. 

 

[Rollin22Petes]

Have to agree with everything Darcy said. Plus the dang things take up to much space. We have a Holzer slider in the shop and it takes up as much space as our Biesse rover b cnc with a 4 x 12 table. Sliders are ok but I would never use one to process lumber there's other equipment suited just for that and if you can't straight line a board with a standard tablesaw you might be in the wrong business. 

 

[Lemwise]

I'm not sure what size slider you have, but on a 126" slider, the part of the saw under the sliding table is about 6 feet long. Which is about 18-24" beyond the body of the saw, front and rear, hence the need to walk around it. Your entire body is to the right of the blade when standing behind it like a traditional cabinet saw. Some find this awkward when ripping.

Now I understand what you mean. I don't use my slider like that. I stand to the left of the blade (just like when you're cutting sheet goods) and place my slabs of wood on the sliding table and I let the machine do the work for me. This is how every shipwright I know and have ever known does it. Why on earth would you be standing to the right and make things more difficult yourself? The only limiting factor for me is the length of my slider which is 3.2 meters but since I rarely need anything longer than 3 meters that's no problem for me.

I also spent some more time on squaring up the cross cut arm. There was a voice in the back of my head that kept saying you can do better. I could no longer ignore it so I went to work. it's now out of square by 0.02mm over 122cm. This is a result I'm truly happy with. I can't get it any better than this.

 

[Lemwise]

Today I bought a second slider from a company that recently went bankrupt. It's an Altendorf WA80 from 2005. I have my Harwi upstairs and this one will stay downstairs with the rest of the big woodworking machines. I'm picking it up tomorrow and on Wednesday a mechanic from De Groot is going to give it a full service. I also bought the Atlas Copco air compressor you see behind the slider.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I'm not sure what size slider you have, but on a 126" slider, the part of the saw under the sliding table is about 6 feet long. Which is about 18-24" beyond the body of the saw, front and rear, hence the need to walk around it. Your entire body is to the right of the blade when standing behind it like a traditional cabinet saw. Some find this awkward when ripping.

Now I understand what you mean. I don't use my slider like that. I stand to the left of the blade (just like when you're cutting sheet goods) and place my slabs of wood on the sliding table and I let the machine do the work for me. This is how every shipwright I know and have ever known does it. Why on earth would you be standing to the right and make things more difficult yourself? The only limiting factor for me is the length of my slider which is 3.2 meters but since I rarely need anything longer than 3 meters that's no problem for me.

I also spent some more time on squaring up the cross cut arm. There was a voice in the back of my head that kept saying you can do better. I could no longer ignore it so I went to work. it's now out of square by 0.02mm over 122cm. This is a result I'm truly happy with. I can't get it any better than this.

Because I like using a nice solid fence when ripping lumber. Standing to the left of the beam is awkward, I don't have time to fiddle with ripping lumber during the slider. Set a rip fence and go. 

Better yet, just shove boards in the slr and let it do the work.

 

[Lemwise]

Because I like using a nice solid fence when ripping lumber. Standing to the left of the beam is awkward

Now I'm starting to think you've never actually used a slider to rip lumber. When you stand on the left all you have to do is push it against the fence, which is solid enough on a slider, and move the table forward. I'm doing the same thing as you (ripping lumber) but I'm making things easy for myself. The only lifting I do is when I put my lumber on the slider and from there on out the machine does all the heavy work. What could be easier than that?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

You are using the fence on the sliding table part?

Want to set a rip fence to my width, lock it down and shove lumber. I do not like setting fence on slider to the left of the blade and walking/sliding board past the blade.

I want a stock feeder, solid fence and to stand in front of the saw, not to the side.

Cross cuts and sheet goods are the only worth using a slider for. Ripping lumber, no thanks.

 

[Rollin22Petes]

I have been using a slider for about 20 years and again I'm with Darcy for sheet goods there ok but for ripping solid stock it just doesn't make since. There are far easier and quicker methods.

 

[Lemwise]

You are using the fence on the sliding table part?

I do it like this:


The only difference is I made 2 clamps myself that fit in the groove of the sliding table and I have to manually push the table forward. And I don't have a nice laser line. I only use the clamps for the first cut so that I have a perfectly straight line.

 

[nickao]

There is a fundamental difference using lumber in the rough and straight line ripping one edge verse ripping lumber that already has a nice edge.

Of course I dont use the fence and using a slider would be great for getting that first edge on rough lumber, then I wouldn't have to pull out my sled. As much lumber as I buy in the rough I still can't justify the cost and size(and I have a fairly big shop) of a slider, but I sure could put it to use. I think I would still use my cabinet saw for everything else though, just out of habit and because I am comfortable with it.

 

[Lemwise]

There is a fundamental difference using lumber in the rough and straight line ripping one edge verse ripping lumber that already has a nice edge.

I only buy rough lumber (lower price). I go to my dealer where I seek out a rough sawn stem (or planks) and I do the rest.

I think I would still use my cabinet saw for everything else though, just out of habit and because I am comfortable with it

Having only a cabinet saw on a shipyard would be like cutting off my right hand because the habit over here is a slider. It does everything a cabinet saw does and more.

 

[antss]

habit over here is a slider. It does everything a cabinet saw does and more.

Yes, but at what cost in terms of money and floor space ?

The same argument can be made about a tracksaw, yet that doesn't have the numbers like the stationary saws either , I suspect.  Certainly not in the U.S. , and its cheaper.

 

[Lemwise]

habit over here is a slider. It does everything a cabinet saw does and more.

Yes, but at what cost in terms of money and floor space ?

A slider pays for itself in a production setting. And floor space? It's not like a slider is 4x4 meters. I just don't get why anyone who uses a saw to make a living would choose a small cabinet saw over a slider. Ask any Dutch shipwright and he/she will say the same thing.