Sliding Table Cabinet Saw

[Mark J]

Hi,

I am new to the site, so pardon me if this has been addressed elsewhere.  I have looked about on this forum and thewoodwhispere.com but not found a specific discussion. 

I would like to hear some opinions on the relative merits of sliding table cabinet saws vs. fixed table cabinet saws. On a related note what about the value of scoring blades as compared to a zero clearance insert (at least for standard saw blades and cuts)?  

Now in my pre-retirement years I am returning to my old high school hobby of woodworking and slowly setting up my workshop.  I have some power tools, but no table saw.  I have the space and budget to acquire a bigger and more featured unit and I have a 240 volt 15 amp circuit.  On the other hand I am not going to throw money into a shredder just to make confetti.  At the end of the analysis I will probably put more emphasis on acquiring a great tool rather than the least expensive solution. 

I have done a little web shopping and Sawstop, Baleigh and Grizzly all have sliding table models. 

I don't have any particular time line on this but I have already done some projects where a table saw would have been helpful.  

Any one have any opinion/ experience ?

Thanks.

[minorhero]

Sliding table saws are potentially safer in that you can move stock over the blade of the saw without getting your hands near the blade. The same can be done if you have a crosscut sled of course. But then again, a slider is likely to stay calibrated longer and thus is considered superior. Sliders will also allow for mitered cuts a bit easier then a cross cut sled where you might need to make a whole new sled to get the same effect, and the same again for dados. Is it worth the extra hundreds or thousands for a slider though? Well that depends on your budget. If it were me, I wouldn't buy a slider instead of buying another machine... but if I had a crazy high budget and was looking to burn some money I wouldn't hesitate to pickup a slider. 

I have never used a scoring blade before so I can't speak about that. You would still want a zero clearance insert either way though as it can prevent certain kinds of kickback situations.

[Brendon_t]

I have watched a friend work on his felder sliding table saw.  They are pretty bad azz...

[wtnhighlander]

I think sliding saws are more common at the hobbyist level in Europe. In the US, they seem to appear more often in pro shops. They do make many operations easier / safer. As for scoring blades, I think they are most beneficial for cutting plywood cleanly. I would recommend a zero clearance insert in any case, but not sure how that works with a slider.

[TerryMcK]

You can fit zero clearance inserts on sliders as the blade is about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the edge of the slider. I have one fitted plywood made myself. Sliders are 99% of the hobby to pro market in Europe. I also have the crosscut sleds. My TS only has one tee slot which is in the sliding table. 

On a slider you can't position the fence on the left side of the blade and the blade is right tilt only. So it does limit beveling table tops for instance. 

[weithman5]

Mark,

welcome to the forum, decent contingent from chicago burbs on the forum

I think sliders also take up a bit of space, but i am not sure.

 

Don

[shaneymack]

Hi,

I am new to the site, so pardon me if this has been addressed elsewhere.  I have looked about on this forum and thewoodwhispere.com but not found a specific discussion. 

I would like to hear some opinions on the relative merits of sliding table cabinet saws vs. fixed table cabinet saws. On a related note what about the value of scoring blades as compared to a zero clearance insert (at least for standard saw blades and cuts)?  

Now in my pre-retirement years I am returning to my old high school hobby of woodworking and slowly setting up my workshop.  I have some power tools, but no table saw.  I have the space and budget to acquire a bigger and more featured unit and I have a 240 volt 15 amp circuit.  On the other hand I am not going to throw money into a shredder just to make confetti.  At the end of the analysis I will probably put more emphasis on acquiring a great tool rather than the least expensive solution. 

I have done a little web shopping and Sawstop, Baleigh and Grizzly all have sliding table models. 

I don't have any particular time line on this but I have already done some projects where a table saw would have been helpful.  

Any one have any opinion/ experience ?

Thanks.

Hi Mark, welcome to the forum!

My opinion is that a full blown sliding table saw with a scoring blade is for someone that plans to cut 4x8 sheets all the time. The scoring blade is not a "need" unless you are working with alot of melamine. If you plan on doing woodworking and need something for crosscutting than a slider attachment like the one Sawstop makes would be ideal. It takes up way less space and will do everything you need it for furniture, with the odd 4x8 job.  A zero clearance insert and a proper sharp blade with the saw tuned properly, you really don't need a scoring blade. 

In terms of power i don't think the 240v 15 amp would suffice for a 3hp and bigger saw. I think you would need a 240v 20 amp circuit. But that is easy enough to change.

My recommendation would be get a 3hp Professional Sawstop with the sliding table and you will be a happy man.

[Mark J]

Thanks for all the great responses and the welcomes!  I appreciate your taking the time give me your thoughts.  Much of what has been said so far confirms my own opinions.  

I get the general impression that most folks would probably go with a sliding table if it didn’t cost much. 

  

The slider does seem to have some advantages over a fixed table:  Safer for routine cuts.  Replaces the crosscut sled in many applications.  Allows for cuts at any angle without building a new sled and may stay calibrated longer than a sled.  It’s probably faster to set up, too. 

…and there is the “bad azz” factor.  If you’ve played with one of these in the store they are just oh so smooth. 

  

On the down side it does tend to reduce the size of the left hand table.  It also restricts the fence positions to the right side.  The sliding action has some space requirement, both in front of and behind the saw.  While the back side space requirement won’t be more than an outfeed table would require, a slider would need to be accommodated in the outfeed table design. 

 

On a further note I think that a slider would not necessarily be as safe a choice as a crosscut sled for cutting small pieces or for doing work to the middle of a medium sized board.  So imagine you have a piece that’s 4 by 16 inches and you want to put a dado in the middle. With a crosscut sled you would have physical support for the piece on both the left and right sides of the cut, while the slider could only support the piece on the left side of the cut.  I’m sure the cut could be made successfully either way, but if I had both options open to me I might choose the sled over the slider in that instance.  (Then again you could use a router, but hey! this is table saw discussion).

 

They do come in various sizes.  The “Bad Azz” Felder for example looks big enough to handle a 4 x 8 foot sheet.  The Sawstop and Baileigh tables are much smaller.  …and there are ways to deal with large sheet goods by cutting on the floor with a circular saw.  …and the Felder has a price tag in the “confetti” range. 

 

Another point, I think the Sawstop sliding table is an option purchased separately from the saw.  So it may be removable (cake and eat it, too?).  I’d have to do some more research.

  

Everything I am hearing and reading about scoring blade suggest that they are principally for laminate.  I would have thought that a scoring blade would markedly reduce tear out for any type of cut.  I have only seen one possible saw out there with the scoring blade (Grizzly), so that cutter was never likely to make the final cut, so to speak.  I guess the questions I have about zero clearance inserts are how effective are they and once you’ve made one, how much cutting can you do before it’s not so zero clearance anymore? 

  

The power issue I am going to review with my electrician.  When we re-wired the basement last winter it was with the idea of supporting a 3hp 13amp motor, which I think we can do.  But those 5hp 3 phase motors have attracted my attention, and it is possible to covert to 3 phase  by passing the electric current through another large pile of money (i.e. a rotary converter)…

 

Keep in mind that I am just in the Lusting phase of this acquisition process.  The Wet Blanket of Reality comes later, followed by the Justification of More phase, then the I Don’t Know Maybe I Shouldn’t phase and finally the Ok, Let’s Do It event.

[Chet]

 

Keep in mind that I am just in the Lusting phase of this acquisition process.  The Wet Blanket of Reality comes later, followed by the Justification of More phase, then the I Don’t Know Maybe I Shouldn’t phase and finally the Ok, Let’s Do It event.

Hey Mark, Welcome to the forums.

Lusting phase is half the fun of a purchase and after awhile you just start skipping to the last "Okay Lets do it" event.