Bao Loi Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'm a recent graduate at Gerald D. Hines Architecture school in Houston and have a question about tool suggestions. Recently, I've been interested in starting a small woodshop in my garage and the first power tool I'm looking to buy is a table saw. My budget is around $2000. Is there a reliable saw recommend in terms of warrenty, quality, usability, etc... I've worked in the woodshop at school for 5 years on a StopSaw industrial tablesaw. I really loved it but the price is a killer. I'm thinking of the StopSaw Contractor model. Also, what's the benefit of a cabinet saw vs. the regular stand saws?If you have any other recommendations I would love to hear it! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-astragal Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I've got a 5hp unisaw 12-16" blade with a unifence that I took out of service ~4 years ago. It's a beast of a saw! Rips 8/4 oak at 30'/min easy. I'm in college station and I'd sell for $700 cash. Pm for ph # or email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Jenkins Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Love my Grizzly G0651 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Obviously there is only one company that has a blade brake. However, if that is not critical to you then grizzly makes some very nice cabinet saws under your price range. There is also quite a few used saws out there that are easily in your reach. What you get will depend on what features are important to you. If a riving knife is essential then a lot of the older used saws are not going to be under consideration. If you feel you must have a warranty for whatever reason then you are only looking at new. Etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I've got a 5hp unisaw 12-16" blade with a unifence that I took out of service ~4 years ago. It's a beast of a saw! Rips 8/4 oak at 30'/min easy. I'm in college station and I'd sell for $700 cash. Pm for ph # or email. Thanks T-Astragal. I'll probably buy new though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Obviously there is only one company that has a blade brake. However, if that is not critical to you then grizzly makes some very nice cabinet saws under your price range. There is also quite a few used saws out there that are easily in your reach. What you get will depend on what features are important to you. If a riving knife is essential then a lot of the older used saws are not going to be under consideration. If you feel you must have a warranty for whatever reason then you are only looking at new. Etc Thanks Apple Wood. I don't really mind not having the brake technology but the riving knife is a bigger need for me. I didn't know older saw didn't have it. Thanks for the information. I'm probably going to look into the Grizzly and see what they offer. Have you ever used Steel City or Powermatic products? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-astragal Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 My old Delta probably isn't the best fit for you. It weighs 1000 lb and has a motor that's almost the size of a 5 gallon bucket. 3ph too which is not great for hobbiest shops. This is 10x the saw that you are looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Your budget is not too far off for a sawstop or a PM. Lots of people here have had great luck with Grizzly (myself included). I've never played with a Steel City. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 My old Delta probably isn't the best fit for you. It weighs 1000 lb and has a motor that's almost the size of a 5 gallon bucket. 3ph too which is not great for hobbiest shops. This is 10x the saw that you are looking at. Yea a converter for single phase to three phase for a 5 hp motor is not going to be cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 My old Delta probably isn't the best fit for you. It weighs 1000 lb and has a motor that's almost the size of a 5 gallon bucket. 3ph too which is not great for hobbiest shops. This is 10x the saw that you are looking at. yea, that's more than im looking for right now. haha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Your budget is not too far off for a sawstop or a PM. Lots of people here have had great luck with Grizzly (myself included). I've never played with a Steel City. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Any recommendations when it comes to maintenance for garage shops? I'm worried about rust since i'm in a hot and humid climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Keep a good coat of paste wax on it. If you keep up on it, you should be fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 You can afford the SawStop's safety technology with your budget, but you'll be buying quite a bit less saw than the one you've used at school. Saw Stop's contractor saw is a cut above most, but is not at the same level of an industrial cabinet saw. You'll have to decide whether you to buy the safety technology, or the most saw for your money, which really boils down to your preferences. Which means more to you? With $2k you can buy a nice Grizzly 3hp G1023RL or G0690 cabinet saw tricked out with a mobile base, great blade, and maybe an aftermarket miter gauge and a dado set. Those saws are not at the level of the SS ICS, but they're in the ballpark and are a lot closer than the SS contractor saw will be. The fence on the basic SS contractor saw isn't really up to snuff for a saw in that price range IMO, and is a good candidate for an upgrade. Same goes for the wings. By the time you've equipped the SS contractor saw with a good fence and cast wings, you'll be pretty much spending the entire budget just for the saw. The difference between a cabinet saw and a contractor saw can be pretty substantial in how they feel while you're using them, but both are capable of cutting wood accurately. There's obviously more power with a 3hp cabinet saw.....the saw won't labor with thicker materials, will be less sensitive to blade selection, should last longer, and will allow you to dictate the feedrate as opposed to having the saw dictate it to you. There's also quite a bit more mass with a cabinet saw that equates to stability, and less vibration...the heavier the saw, the less it'll move when you're using it. The under pinnings of an industrial cabinet saw are more robust, and should hold up better. The hand wheels tend to be bigger and heavier, and work as they should, but that's often a product of proper cleaning and lubrication as much as it is size. The overall footprint of a contractor saw is actually larger than a cabinet saw due to the motor hanging off the back....depending on what fence arrangement you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have the Sawstop contractor saw with all the bells and whistles (cast iron tables, 54" fence rails, outfeed table, mobile base, etc). I think it came in at about $2000. I'm very happy with it. My advice would be: Look closely at your shop space before deciding which rails to get get the mobile base; it is convenient even if you don't move the saw often get the overarm dust collection the outfeed and extension tables are optional - they are easy to make, and you can easily make tables that will have more storage, fill multiple needs, etc price out the Sawstop contractor with all the options that you want, and compare with the Sawstop cabinet saw with equivalent setup, and with offerings by Grizzly, etc. At $2000 you can get an extremely high end contractor saw (Sawstop), or a decent cabinet saw. Cabinet saws are usually more powerful, have less vibration, are more accurate and stable, and often have better dust collection. But you really have to compare individual models. I expect that the Sawstop contractor saw will beat some low end cabinet saws in these areas. I'm also in a hot and humid climate (except when it's cold and humid). In addition to wiping down all my cast iron with paste wax two or three times a year, I wipe down every cast iron machine with the paste wax rag at the end of the day. Drops of sweat will cause rust almost overnight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Thanks for all the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 That's why we get paid the big money Hmm... Come to think of it, I haven't seen a check yet.... Marc!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Bao, Congrats on your recent graduation. Will you be working for Hines? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Another option between the SawStop ICS and contractor is the PCS. it's a little more than your budget but will be a saw that will last you a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bao Loi Posted September 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Bao, Congrats on your recent graduation. Will you be working for Hines? Thank you! I'm actually at a small firm right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I have the sawstop contractor saw and I like it. I wish I did, however, save up a few more dollars and buy a 3hp sawstop PCS instead of the contractor saw. I cut a lot of 8/4 hardwoods and it certainly does the job, but 3hp would do it faster/easier/safer. Just like a sharp blade is safer than a dull one, more power can be safer than less. Ha. I've also been debating which table saw to get and want to get a SawStop. I read your comment like "oh he just got the contractor...he lives close maybe I could take a look at it" but I wasn't sure I wanted to get just the contractor...then reading more I was like "oh...I was also thinking about just going 3hp PCS". Maybe it's a sign I should learn from your example and just go for the 3hp PCS. =p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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