toneslinger Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Ok, this might already have been brought up but I'm going go out on a limb and guess. I'm thinking the MagSwitch folks aren't big endorsers of Granite top tablesaws. I'm just guessing tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmykx250 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Im wondering how long they will produce granite top tools? It doesnt seem like a good idea to me. Not in a shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Although I know a number of folks who are happy with their granite tops, I have to imagine granite didn't make the intended splash in the market. But kudos for trying something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 My cast iron table saw pitted in only a few months with minimal use. Now I wipe all my cast iron down with a rag and a little paste wax every time I leave the shop. If I had it to do over, and my saw had a granite option, I'd go with granite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I'd be a little uncomfortable with the idea due to the risk of breakage, but I've also read about many happy owners. If I had severe rust issues, it'd certainly be something to consider. On the plus side, it's heavy, flat, and doesn't rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 These tools have been on the market long enough that if there was going to be a breakage issue, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now. Not to mention all the granite kitchen countertops that have been installed over the years -- kitchen countertops take a lot of abuse as well, and those sheets of granite are wider and thinner than what is being put on the tablesaws. Breakage fears haven't stopped people from using granite in the kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Steel city has a whole line of granite top tools. Including granite top tablesaws and Jointers. I haven't heard any reviews about the jointers yet. But I've heard pretty good reception to the table saws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I have a granite table saw and love it , no worries about rust or about it breaking. It's not like your going to be pounding on it with a sledge hammer. Yea MagSwitch won't work on it but I can live with that . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryangel69 Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Good ole boy trick number 63. If you are absolutely too lazy to take care of your saw top. Laminate that SOB. I have seen it done. It really works. Glue that thing down and hit it with a laminate bit. She will be slick as any metaphor you wish to use. Think it will crack, it's backed by cast iron, hit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Good ole boy trick number 63. If you are absolutely too lazy to take care of your saw top. Laminate that SOB. I have seen it done. It really works. Glue that thing down and hit it with a laminate bit. She will be slick as any metaphor you wish to use. Think it will crack, it's backed by cast iron, hit it. You da man, Chad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I looked at the granite topped saws by Steel City when they first came out. They looked pretty good and heavy enough to keep the saw stable as anything. I haven't tried the MagSwitches yet. my FeatherBow does a nice job with all my feather board needs right now so if it ain't broke, I'm not going to "fix" it If you are worried about rust, check out the Steel City models with a Titanium coated top. They only come in the 220v models though but no fear of rust there, damn near scratch proof, and looks pretty cool to boot. I've seen the Steel City models quite a few times now and they seem to be a pretty good brand. Just not in the market for any machinery at the moment... JMHO -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneslinger Posted February 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 I looked at the granite topped saws by Steel City when they first came out. They looked pretty good and heavy enough to keep the saw stable as anything. I haven't tried the MagSwitches yet. my FeatherBow does a nice job with all my feather board needs right now so if it ain't broke, I'm not going to "fix" it If you are worried about rust, check out the Steel City models with a Titanium coated top. They only come in the 220v models though but no fear of rust there, damn near scratch proof, and looks pretty cool to boot. I've seen the Steel City models quite a few times now and they seem to be a pretty good brand. Just not in the market for any machinery at the moment... JMHO -Jim I was being a little bit of a smartass when I posted this topic. granite not being magnetic might be a big turn off for some. My poor tablesaw becomes the workbench for many a projects. I have it on casters and it slides underneath my workbench when not in use. So after ripping all my stock, the tablesaw, like i said becomes the assembly table for many smaller projects. So, it gets stained and glue drops on it all the time. and lots of things get clamped to the iron top during assembly or hand planing. Usually though, when i'm done, a nice razor blade and a little steel wool gets it back in shape and then a new coat of wax. Any-hoo, While i dont own any magswitch's I do have a bag full of disk magnets and such that I use all over the TS, fence, etc as guides, hold downs, etc. I've gotten used to using them. a disk magnet is great to slap on the fence when feeding sheet goods through. 2-3 of em are great as hold downs while you push it through. I guess you could still do that with a granite top's fence. I dont know about anybody else, but I also scribe pencil/sharpie lines all over my iron top too. I use a straight edge on both sides of the blade to scribe lines to the front of the table so I know exactly where the blade will intersect when doing miter cuts. Its nice using those lines safely at the front of the table when lining up for miter run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 I was being a little bit of a smartass when I posted this topic. granite not being magnetic might be a big turn off for some. My poor tablesaw becomes the workbench for many a projects. I have it on casters and it slides underneath my workbench when not in use. So after ripping all my stock, the tablesaw, like i said becomes the assembly table for many smaller projects. So, it gets stained and glue drops on it all the time. and lots of things get clamped to the iron top during assembly or hand planing. Yeah, I figured My TS also does double duty as a glue up station and assembly table so I know what you mean. I've taken to leaving my crosscut sled on it so I don't dump stuff there when not in use I also found it is a great place to clamp my dovetail jig to... I was milling up some pieces the other day on my jointer and trying to keep the jointed face against the fence while keeping downward and forward pressure on it and I was thinking, "boy, I could use a magnetic featherboard or two to help with this" so there you go, how I have to think about a magnetic featherboard. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Check this out... http://toolclad.com/ Protect the top from rust and have a cool note and reference surface when the saws not in use... I'd say they aren't sponsors of granite topped saws either though -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Good ole boy trick number 63. If you are absolutely too lazy to take care of your saw top. Laminate that SOB. I have seen it done. It really works. Glue that thing down and hit it with a laminate bit. She will be slick as any metaphor you wish to use. Think it will crack, it's backed by cast iron, hit it. Chad....slick'ern oyster snot on a door knob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Two other great benefits of a granite top: 1) candy making 2) rolling pie dough just saying. If granite was as fragile as (very likely cast iron top vendors) people make it out, many mountains would be falling. Kinda glad I don't live in Denver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryangel69 Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Two other great benefits of a granite top: 1) candy making 2) rolling pie dough just saying. If granite was as fragile as (very likely cast iron top vendors) people make it out, many mountains would be falling. Kinda glad I don't live in Denver. Isn't fudge made on granite. I likes me some fudge. Wait, maybe that's marble. nevermind Wait, maybe I can make a saw out of marble. So I can makes me some fudge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Isn't fudge made on granite. I likes me some fudge. Wait, maybe that's marble. nevermind Wait, maybe I can make a saw out of marble. So I can makes me some fudge. Dang these forums. First I was reading about Green Koolaid on the Festool Owner's Group. Then I was reading about hot dogs for hand planes on the Canadian Woodworking forum. Now you guys are talking about candy and pie. Let's go see what the guys on The Burl are talking about. Back on topic, well a side note actually - magnets are practically useless on my sliding table saw due to it's big aluminum sliding table and cast iron table on the right between the blade and fence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stampy Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 All right you guy's...I bought a Steel City 1.75 HP table saw this fall. I did so for several reasons. 1. $865 Canadian best value for the money 2. I live On Vancouver Island (Pacific Ocean 2 miles away) and work away from home for 5 months then return...To a rust free table saw. 3. Trunions mounted to cabinet not the table. 4. Built in Mobile base 5. Granite top is 100% true. 6. If I need to draw a line on the table, I put doen a piece of masking tape. 7. HEAVY and very quiet. 8. And if I want I can roll my cooky dough on it! Not all of these are directly related to a granite top,I know. I did have some small chips along one of the mitre slots and one of the threaded feet stripped and was not adjustable. The product support from Steel City has been great. When I pointed out the chips they offered to replace the top or I could have a tenoning jig for my troubles. I took the jig. Then when the foot striped a month later they replaced the whole saw. There may be a few stories out there about brakage but I'm sure cast tops break to. And considering the quality of the casting that we are seeing in tools these days, I'll put my money on a million year old rock. Stampy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattvan Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 I too have a couple of granite topped tools and I love them! The whole thing about breakage is a non issue as far as I'm concerned. The granite is very thick and if I were to drop a tool on it, short of a small chip (which I could epoxy or simply sand smooth) I don't see it breaking. Heck I've slammed into the edges more than once and yet to have any issues at all with it. Of course the flatness of granite is a bonus, although I've never been overly obsessed with super dead flat table saw surfaces. I use my tablesaw more for rough work and then move onto other tools for fine adjustments. So a surface that's NOT dead flat (as if that's possible) isn't a deal breaker for me lol! I do wish I could more easily use my Magswitch jigs on the granite tools, but I recently took a thin metal bar I bought at the home center and clamped it with some quick clamps to the tablesaw. This has allowed me to attach my Magswitch jigs and use the full range I have in the shop. Works great and only takes a few seconds to setup and teardown. Two more bonuses to my granite topped tools is easy cleanup when I use it for glueup (already mentioned somewhere above before) and no worries when I set my drinks on it lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattvan Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 But seriously how much does a small chip in the surface make in the overall performance of the saw? While installing a zero clearance insert I chipped a tiny bit around the opening from using a tool to pry it out when I discovered the insert needed to be a pinch smaller. I have yet to have a problem with that tiny chipped area. I guess I'm wondering if it's an issue of appearance more than anything else. I don't choose my tools for their looks, and if they get dinged or a little surface rust I deal with it. I'm just curious how much of a value everyone places on their tablesaw being DEAD FLAT? If it's off by .001 or even .003 does that mean you can't use it? If I had a small chip in the middle of my granite top that accounts for 1-2% of the overall surface space does that really affect the saw's function? If that's the case, then considering surface rust or a scratch from another tool can cover more surface space on a cast iron surface that should hinder a lot of people from using theirs lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneslinger Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Two other great benefits of a granite top: 1) candy making 2) rolling pie dough just saying. If granite was as fragile as (very likely cast iron top vendors) people make it out, many mountains would be falling. Kinda glad I don't live in Denver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneslinger Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Babies!!! Don't forget babies!! You can make babies on a tablesaw! Anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stampy Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Wow...this thread took a 90 degree turn right there. I try to make my babies the old fashioned way. In the back of 1978 Buick LeSabre with red crushed valour interior and Stairway to Haven on the tape deck. Okay...what were we talking about...............?? Oh yeah WOOD. The chips I had were along the top corner of the miter slot, and had no ill affect on functionality of the saw. On my old saw I found that the cast table was soft enough that a ding or gouge would come proud of the rest of tha deck, and if I didn't notice it and dress it out, I was left with a surprise on the work I put accross the table. Another nice feature of the granite is the underside is flat as well. So if you need to clamp jigs or featherboards that won't work in a miter slot, you have a nice flat surface to clamp to. Stampy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattvan Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 That's a great feature to point out Stampy, about the flat bottom...not the other topic lol! Of course you could always make a bed on the granite topped TS for such purposes (man this went in the gutter fast). I don't know about the Rigid Granite TS but the Steel City version has a very thick piece of granite. Probably 2X's the thickness of a cast iron top? And probably even thicker than a countertop granite piece. This really helps to deaden noise, vibrations and such. But more importantly it also means it's pretty strong too. The wings on my saw are attached to the main table via steel bars that slide in holes and extend several inches in. So unlike cast iron wings which often are attached via nuts and bolts parallel to the surface, downward pressure on the granite wings is transferred to the steel bars not the bolts. And depending on where you're setting up the saw, if you have to carry it down into a basement...it could also be great for making hernias!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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