Replies

1. 
   GaryW | Aug 03, 2006 06:39am | #1

   They are safer. I was always reluctant to teach an apprentice to rip on the tablesaw without a stock feeder. Ripping plywood was an especially difficult lesson. The slider changed that. I've taught apprentices with less than six months experience to safely and very accurately rip and cross cut plywood in less than two days. 

   In the past six years I've had two, trading the first for a professional machine with a 10-foot slider that'll rip plywood that long. I bought it to accurately square and cross cut sheets (which often aren't square), thinking erroneously that I'd continue ripping with a fence. I still use the fence for narrow, easily managed pieces, but always rip plywood with the slider. I became pretty good with the rip fence on my cabinet saw, but the slider makes the task almost a no-brainer. They're not only very accurate; they're FAR safer than a standard cabinet saw.

   I'd also posit that those add-on sliders just don't remain accurate without constant attention. I tried one for a few months before buying my first sliding tablesaw with a 78-inch slider. 

   Gary W

   gwwoodworking.com

   
   

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   Edited 8/2/2006 11:46 pm by GaryW