This is a crosspost from Knots, still unclear which is the appropriate forum for this item but thought this forum would be interested as well. In any case…

I recieved an incredible response from General about their new hybrid saw 50-220 and thought other woodworkers would be interested.

This saw was on the short list of upgrades but I’m leery of buying too light. But I am of a mind that while I know heavy cabinet saws will do what I need, a saw doesn’t need to be heavy to do what I need. Just accurate, reliable, and enough power to cut occasional 12/4 stock. But no power feeds and a fairly light duty cycle in a one person shop.

So I posed some questions to General and this was their response:

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“Thank you for your inquiry and for your interest in General and General International products.

To be frank and up front, as a professional furniture maker I feel your interest in what is basically a home hobbyist type saw is somewhat misplaced. If your concern about down time is an indication of the importance a table saw holds in your shop then I would seriously recommend you consider paying the price now and investing in a full 3 hp cabinet saw. My personal belief is that if you are purchasing this saw as an inexpensive alternative to a full 3 hp cabinet saw and expecting the same performance, features and adjustability – then your expectations are not realistic and you may be disappointed, and this regardless of whether you choose our “hybrid” type saw or someone else’s. But if you are purchasing this saw knowing full well that it will give you cutting power similar to a contractors style saw but with better vibration dampening and better dust containment, then you like many others will be very satisfied with your purchase.

Now to your specific questions about the saw:

With the pulley system that is used to drive the arbor we’ve been able to get as good, if not better output while using a slightly smaller sized motor than that of the typical contractors saws. Not necessarily better or worse, it’s just a different design.

As for parts availability, to my knowledge there are no wearing parts that are proprietary or that could not be obtained from other sources if need be. From our end we certainly try to stock an adequate supply of replacement parts for all products in our catalog and strongly encourage (with varying degrees of success) our dealers to do the same.

Unless I have misinterpreted your words, I keep looking at your last sentence “I am not a hobbyist so need to minimize down time”, and I can’t help but wonder if you are really looking at the right saw for your needs? This is a question that only you can answer for sure.

I hope this adequately addresses your concerns. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us again.

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Amazing! No BS, just an honest evaluation from a manufacturer. Frankly I can hardly believe it, I’m so used to having things “sold” to me. Maybe its just Canadian capitalism but its refreshing.

It appears a reliable, accurate saw with enough power is going to be a cabinet saw. Knew I couldn’t go wrong with a big cab saw but prefer a scalpel to a cleaver. But old USA PM 66’s are very nice cleavers so I’ll keep looking for one.

But great integrity from General, if I could budget the Canadian made cab saw I would. Their General International cab is a unicopy and if I buy a new import it lean to the Bridgewood which uses a Powermatic/General carriage and trunnion design.

But I will seriously consider General when the time comes, I would just like to do business with them based on that response.