Four years ago, SawStop introduced a 10-in. cabinet saw with a remarkable brake that could stop a spinning sawblade just milliseconds after contact with a wayward finger. Instead of an amputated digit, the saw operator would walk away with a shallow scratch.

Now, SawStop has added a second saw to its line, this one a contractor’s saw. It has the same blade-safety brake and riving knife as its bigger brother.

Knife safety. In addition to the blade brake, the SawStop also has a state-of-the-art riving knife (above) to prevent kickback.

Quick change. The knife seldom needs to be removed, but it can be in seconds by flipping a lever (above).

Both the blade-height and the blade-tilt mechanisms worked smoothly. Arbor-flange runout measured zero—as good as you can get. Blade-to-miter-slot parallelism was a tolerable 0.002 in. over 8 in., but it can be adjusted. Switching from the riving knife to a full blade guard required no tools and took just seconds. On the downside, the saw’s table was distinctly out of flat, with a crown of 0.011 in. at the insert opening. That’s more than I like to see on a tablesaw top. In use, the saw ran smoothly. Under the table, the blade is partially enclosed in a plastic shroud with a 4-in.-dia. dust port. Connected to a dust collector, it captured at least 95% of the sawdust.

The 1-3/4-hp motor had plenty of power to rip 3/4-in.-thick stock. I could also rip 2-in.-thick maple at a comfortable feed rate. But, like most contractor’s saws, it bogged down when I tried to feed the thick maple at a fast pace.

To test the brake, I ran a hot dog into the blade twice, once with a regular blade, once with a dado-blade set. Both times, the brake fired flawlessly and the skin of the hot dog ended up with only a tiny scratch. The base model (includes 30-in aluminum rip fence and rails, stamped steel wings) sells for $1,500. For more information, go to the SawStop Web site or call 866-729-7867.

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