Jodavis Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I've been looking at table saws for a couple of months now and my new saw will be here on Tuesday I was really looking for safety it was between the grizzly or the sawstop and I felt that the slider was the way to go. I'm not real big on being pigeonholded by proprietary tech like sawstop. It looks good but I think the sliding design is just as safe since it keeps my hands away from the blade. Does anyone here have any experience with the grizzly? Any setup/assembly advice? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcustoms Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Congrats on the new saw! I have to ask the question... what makes the slider safer than a traditional cabinet saw or safer than a saw stop for that matter. I use a SCMI 16" slider every day and I would say it is as every bit as dangerous as my uni saw. There was even an injury on the slider where someone lost part of their finger. When using the slider to cross cut or rip plywood (under 78inches with the grizzly) your hands don't get anywhere near the blade however there are a lot of situations that your hands get just as close to the blade as any other saw. I guess my point is assuming that the saw if safe may lead to an accident through complacency. With all that being said having a slider is really nice. Do you have any experience using one? When I was first learning how to use the SCMI I almost killed my self a few times because you have to use different techniques and stand in a different spot while working and apply pressure in different ways than a cabinet saw. As for the set-up I don't have any experience with the grizzly slider, I do however have experience with grizzly tech support and I have found them very helpful. Good luck with the new saw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodavis Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Wether it's some of the time or allof it any saw that reduces the time my fingers stay near the blade is safer IMO Speaking as someone who has filet his own thumb with a cabinet saw. I can appreciate the operating differences of a slider verses an cabinet saw. Any advice on technique would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcustoms Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 It would be hard for me to describe the techniques to you with out having you and the saw in front of me. But with sliders you have to think about cuts by which side of the blade you are using. We call it the left (slider) or the right (table saw) side in the shop. If you are using it as the slider then the fence has to be positioned back behind the blade like a stop block. This makes it so you avoid 3 points of contact on through cuts. when using the saw on the right side or table saw side the fence needs to be repositioned past the blade. With the Grizzly slider you have just over 78" of travel on the slider so anything over 6 1/2 feet you will have to remove the fence of the slider. therefore you can cross cut plywood with the slider but all ripping work will be done on the table saw side. When using the slider to cross cut full sheets of plywood it helps to hold down the plywood with you hands and keep it up against the slider fence with your body weight. I could really go on all day about how to use a slider because it takes about a day of training to learn how to use one. Your saw you will be using like a cabinet saw most of the time which eliminates a lot of the other techniques for ripping plywood with the slider and strait line ripping long boards. I guess the biggest piece of advice I can give you when using the slider is have a sharp blade and hold on tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodavis Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Sound advice Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodavis Posted March 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 Well it's assembled and everything is squared and adjusted. I have to say I'm very satisfied with the quality of this machine, everything fits well and took no modification or wiggling to come together. I've made mostly test cuts but it's like a hot knife through butter compared to my jet jtasw-10. The easyest cross cuts I've ever made The sliding table mechanism is very smooth and quiet and was adjusted square to the blade out of the box. I'll definitely give updates after I've had it a while. You know after that new car smell wears off Thanks for the input everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted March 23, 2012 Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 Congrats on the new saw. I'm not familiar with that model but it looks like it is a nice setup. Crosscuts and panel cutting look much safer with the long fence and sliding bed. I've looked at the Felder models up close and the slider tables really are a good design for keeping you out of the way of the blade far better then the standard cabinet saw. Looks like ripping can be much safer as well http://flairwoodworks.com/2010/06/25/straight-line-ripping-on-a-sliding-table-saw/ Maybe in the next house I'll have the room for something like that... Good luck with it. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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