I am now making preparations to build the cabinetry, doors, flooring etc. for our new home, and it is time to upgrade from the craftsman contractor saw. My biggest problem is dust collection, then power, then accuracy of fence etc. With the new saw, my biggest priority will be dust collection, then accuracy, then power. With a budget of $1500, what are my options? I would like to find something with dust collection in the guard as well as from a sealed cabinet below. 10″ will be fine. Is a sliding type table saw an option in this price range; I know little beyond the name, but it seems that this type of operation may be a little safer. What other information do I need to provide? Thanks.
Edit: Left tilt, 230V
Edit: $2000 for the right saw including any accessories
Edited 3/8/2008 9:21 pm ET by tuolumne7
Edited 3/8/2008 9:23 pm ET by tuolumne7
Replies
Well, I've had the Grizzly 1023slx for a good long time now and it's even been moved half way across the states and it's still as true as the day it arrived. Great saw. Now they have a 10" with a riving knife and outfeed tables its a sharp looking saw. If I could find an excuse to buy another saw, that would be it, but with mine trucking along cant think of a reason. Anyway here's a link. If you don't like this one look at the 1023, its a lot of saw for a good price. I wish it had been around when I was shopping.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Heavy-Duty-Cabinet-Table-Saw-With-Riving-Knife/G0651
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
That Griz is a lot of saw and I'll bear it in mind. I have a Grizzly bandsaw that has exceeded expectations. A couple thoughts, I don't want to pay extra for outfeed support since that is something I can build and fold out of the way when not in use. No dust collection on the hood....If I can find one with a very narrow gaurd for narrow rips and afford to add on a guard setup with dust collection that would be OK.
"That Griz is a lot of saw and I'll bear it in mind."
Good pun! Was that intentional?Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
"That Griz is a lot of saw and I'll bear it in mind."
AND my paw HAD ONE!
Edited 3/28/2008 9:09 am by WillGeorge
Budget of 1500, options are . . . used
But you're real close to Unisaw / Powermatic territory.
Powermatic / Jet are in the midst of a sale. You can get a PM2000 with 50" fence, think thats down to about $2300.
Cabinet saws will have a dust collection port, but the collector . . . obviously . . . on you.
Dedicated 220 isnt too big a deal as long as you have room in the panel for the breaker.
Dust collection in the guard? New to me. Slider - no. There's a couple of varieties. Theres the attempt at a slider which is a bolt on accessory for some cabinet saws, but a true slider is often called a horizontal panel saw and you're now at ten grand to even start thinking about it. Probably 20 to get halfway decent and set up. Buddy of mine (yes, I am supremely jealous) has a SCMI 14" he got used for 25K.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
There are several good cabinet saw choices in your price range. Most are 3 to 5 hp and do require 230v, which you have. Grizzly, Jet, Steel City, General International, Shop Fox, and Delta all have good saws in that price range. There are many aftermarket sliding tables that can be made to fit. You might find a used PM or General saw in your price range too.
Grizzly's website shows several versions of their 1023 cabinet saw in the $1k to $1.5K range, plus a slider for ~ $400 shipped...the slider should fit most saws where the motor cover is on the right side. Keep in mind that Grizzly is primarily a mail order house unless you live near a show room. The others all offer dealer support, so you might check for a dealer in your area.
http://grizzly.com/products/Sliding-Table-For-Table-Saws-Shapers/G4227
http://grizzly.com/products/10-Table-Saw-3-HP-Single-Phase-220V/G1023S
http://steelcitytoolworks.com/products_category.cfm?section=2&category=12
http://www.general.ca/pagemach/machines/50250260a.html
Edited 3/9/2008 8:44 am ET by Knotscott
I have a Grizzly hybrid saw, model 0748. It has all the power I need at 2 H.P. (since I don't do production work). Can be wired for 110v or 220v.
http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2008/Main/18
With the money saved on the saw I was able to purchase the outfeed roller (easier than building your own).
http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2008/Main/14
Hope this helps and good luck.
Tuolumne, Steel City has their right-tilt, 3HP titanium-top cabinet saw on sale right now. Note the 5-year warrantee. If you buy it from Woodworker.com, there's no shipping charge, it comes direct from the Steel City warehouse. Click here, and look at the 2nd saw in the list for the 50" version ($1199), or the last saw for the 30" version ($1149).
This list has confused several of us, but it's become apparent that the other two saws are ones that WW.com has in their inventory and are charging regular price for.
Here's the saw on the Steel City web site.
Thanks for the links. That looks like a lot of saw for the money. Why is a left tilt so much more expensive? I had it in mind that a left tilt is safer to do beveled ripping and that is what I am used to with my contractor saw. Does the guard come on and off easily? With my current saw, the guard is difficult to put on and align properly, and the result is that it never goes on...safety problem. I want to prepare for my own negligent personality the best I can by purchasing a saw that makes this task go quick. How effective is dust extraction on this machine? My allergies make this a very important buying decision. Thanks for your help.
I've looked at one of the Steel City models and the release for the guard looked quick and easy. I don't know if this model has the same set-up. If you call their customer service line, you'll get someone who can talk to you about it. I use an overhead guard and quick-release splitter on my old Jet saw.
I would suspect that SC overestimated how many right-tilt saws would sell relative to left-tilt and their inventory got out of whack, hence the reduction sale. If you want to do bevelled ripping, you an always move the fence to the other miter slot. Depends, I guess, on whether the saving$ is worth it to you.
Dust collection -- I dunno. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Decision done; thanks for the tip FG. I will look a long way to find a saw comparible to the SC for that price. I use the fence on the left for those close bevel cuts, and use some of the dollars I just saved to upgrade the overhead dust collection system, a tenoning jig and a dado set. Any pointers on those 3 items will be appreciated.
You may want to look at the Shark Guard for the overhead dust collection at the saw blade. http://www.leestyron.com/sharkguard.php I purchased one for my craftsman saw and have been very happy with it. It gets most of the saw dust thrown up from the blade as long as you have decent dust collection. I purchased it because of allergies and the safety of it having a splitter, which my saw did not have originally.Alan
Started Learning, Still Learning, and will never know enough!
I got the SC titanium yesterday and set it up. This saw is fantastic. Yes, I'm comparing it to a contractor saw, but man this thing has a ton of power. The table and extensions are very flat and the saw is very solid. I caulked the perimeter of the bottom inside the cabinet and added a beveled piece of wood to help get the dust out. The saw even shipped with four carbide blades...1 combination, 1 rip, 1 crosscut and a stacked dado set. Positive locks on blade height and tilt are great, I used to clamp the wheels on my old saw to prevent them from moving during a cut. I didn't get the fence installed yet, but the rails are very stout so I have high hopes. My only disappoinment is the splitter/guard. It is a pain to install and align properly, and appears to be nearly the same design as my 25 year old craftsman. Maybe this is a problem with most saws. There shouldn't be any tools required. Again, when I take it off for a very thin piece of stock (anything 1/4" or less) I'll be tempted to leave it off...not good. Even the craftsman had thumb screws to take it on and off. With a nut and bolt, two hands are tightening and the guard is busy moving out of place. At least with a carriage bolt one hand would be able to hold the guard in place. So, this will be the first upgrade. Any comments on shark guards; what other choices do I have?
The Shark Guard looks a lot like the guard on my Laguna TS. It looks like it comes with a riving knife and has a vacuum attachment on top of the guard. Look at http://www.lagunatools.com/ts.htm and you will get an idea about what I am talking about. I wear a 3M 5271 respirator with the charcoal taken out after they are spent from spraying lacquer and they are light and I am allergic to dust (go figure) and I use that and my silicone earplugs every time I am in the shop. You get to the point where you feel unprepared without them. At 25 you never worry about getting old, at 58 you care a lot more about your lungs and ears. I had an audiologist test my tinnitus (table saw) last year and he looked up from his machine and said "you must be a woodworker." It made me reflect on my past stupidity that it was that obvious.
Congrats on the Steel City, tuolomne! I'm confused, though, about your statement "...when I take it off for a very thin piece of stock (anything 1/4" or less) ...."
As far as reinstalling is concerned, Jigs & Fixtures has a technique for installing a quick release splitter that might be useful in re-installing your regular splitter. Look here. I can envision a jig that could be clamped to the fence and used fairly quickly to install a splitter, keeping the splitter still while tightening the bolts. Can you not replace the nuts with wing-nuts???forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I can replace all nuts/bolts with wingnuts, but carriage bolts will spin in the round holes so I still need two hands. Maybe I could file the holes square...if I could find a file small enough. The splitter sits 1/4" off the table, so any thin stock could drift under the splitter and bind. There is no way to get it tight to the table without cutting 1/4" off the tabs. If I did that, raising the blade to full height would hit the splitter. I'm going to look at more aftermarket options rather than spend a lot of time correcting an ill conceived product. Besides, dust collection in the guard is one of my high priorities...I also where a respirator in the shop, but would like to get away from it if I can. I have a great air purifier, and now have a full scale cyclone that replaced the shop vac, so I'm hopeful in this regard.
Two more options for Your consideration.(1) Tap the holes and put in studs. (2) Epoxy in the bolts you have or a better grade for longevity if you like.
Tuolumne7,
Grizzly makes excellent products at very affordable prices, but when it comes to 10" Cabinet Saws, I prefer the Powermatic line. I currently have the PM 2000 with the router table wing option. The saw is very accurate and powerful. This model is 3 hp on 230v. I am not aware of any western table saw with a dust collection in the blade gaurd. In fact, there isn't a western table saw out there that I would use the blade gaurd. Powermatic does have a riving kniife and anti-kickback paws that I use. There may be an after marker gaurd that has a dust collection but quite honestly, table saws cut on the down stroke and most of the saw dust is going to go south of the table anyway. A cabinet saw even without a dust collection system will run cleaner then your Crafsmans Contractor saw. I think whatever brand you buy, as long as you buy a true cabinet saw and go at least 3 hp (with 230v) you will be OK. Don't expect any change back on your $2,000 budget, but if you buy quality it will last you the rest of your life.
Eifler
I don't doubt the lifespan, this was my dads saw for 20 years and I've had it for 5. If a torsion spring drive contractor saw can work well for that long I trust the new one will. I'll be looking for aftermarket dust collection. I had built a box below the craftsman and had a hose dropped from the ceiling, but I have high hopes for something better. I like Grizzly, but that price on the Steel City is not something I can easily walk past. Now I'll have to get used to a right tilt! I'll rework my collapsable roller outfeed for the new saw and maybe add a slider attachment some day. Thanks.
I have ordered a Jet Deluxe Xacta saw, $1599 on sale through April. Couldn't afford a Powermatic but had to have a riving knife and a blade shroud under the table with vent
hose. It also has poly-v-belt drive like the Powermatic. My saw is on backorder.
I looked at Laguna Platinums but decided against because they're made in China
How do you like your saw. I am trying to decide between the delta unisaw 36-831LA and the Jet deluxe 708674PK. Delta cost $1299 (sale) vs Jet $1680?
All I can say is re-build a house with a old so-called hunk of junk Ryobi 3000? I forget.. Everybody here said it was a peice of junk,, I disagree! Very much..
I have a Ridgid.. Yes from a big box one... I have access to use some really expensive saws.. They are wonderful but I think for production work.
My sort of new junk saw serves me fine and then some!
EDIT: I forgot... Dust collection is sort of OK but.. I will leave it at that.
I have seen dust fly with the very expensive machines I have used!
That is not all that bad... Dust is Dust! Goes everywhere!
Edited 11/6/2008 8:58 pm by WillGeorge
I also pulled the trigger on a SC TS and ordered
this for my Christmas/Birthday present (hoot!)
http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=12&tool=35905G
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