Protecting new Sawstop surface

[MichaelWisniewski]

Hi!

I ordered a SawStop a few weeks ago and I'm still anxious to get it. I hear it may be in this week, but not sure. In any case, I reviewed some information about protecting the surface from rust. I was going to follow Marc's recommendation with the mineral spirits to clean the old oil off, apply some boeshield and wait overnight, then apply some renaissance wax the next day.

The question I had in particular is....should I assemble everything before doing this, or should I run through this process before assembly. I was thinking before assembly, so that the boeshield can reach between the table saw and the wings. I'm guessing it would be easier to do this after it's all assembled, but just wondered what others thought.

Thanks!

[ChetlovesMer]

Just my opinion here, but I don't think you really need to worry about the area between the wings. I've never done anything like that to any table saw I've ever owned and when I've removed the wings I've never seen anything that has made me think I should have. So, it is up to you, but I think doing it after assembly will be just fine.

By the way, which SawStop did you order?

Enjoy it.

[MichaelWisniewski]

Thanks for the info. I got the 1.75HP Sawstop PCS. I chose that one because I wanted the option of rewiring it for 220 in the future, and still be able to use it on 110.

I currently have a portable craftsman TS that works well, but I wanted something more sturdy. I was going to get a Grizzly, but started thinking that the extra money is worth not having anything happen to me. I don't know if it was a sales pitch, but when I was ordering it in Woodcraft, the salesman said that this guy and his wife was in here a few hours ago ordering one, and the guy's finger was all wrapped up. He said that he had a TS accident earlier that day and so he then went out and bought the Sawstop. I'm sure there's tons of these stories, but I didn't want to be just another story. Additionally, everything I read says that the saw is great quality and worth the money. I don't feel like I'm buying a brake for 3 grand, but more like a great table saw for 3 grand.

I just received a call a few minutes ago saying that the saw is in, so I'm pretty excited about it now.

Thanks for the info!!

[Beechwood Chip]

I got the PCS, and had minor rust pitting after less than a year. I treated it carefully with paste-wax when I assembled it, but I used it a couple of times and must have dripped sweat on it. Since I wasn't using it often, I didn't renew the wax treatment.

Now, I keep the rag I use for putting on wax around and every time I leave the shop I wipe down all my cast iron surfaces.

This may not be necessary if you are in your shop all the time - instead you can set up a regular schedule. My problem is that I may use the shop and then disappear for months, so if I don't wipe it down when I use it it may sit for a while. Also, I sweat buckets, and I live in Philly which is very humid all year.

I use Johnson's Paste Wax for the full treatment, and I have a can of TopCote for a quick spray and wipe. Often I'll just wipe it down the with the waxy rag that I used last time, without adding any additional wax. I think TopCote is just spray wax marketed for shop use (ie, without the lemony fresh smell).

I've only been doing this for about six months, so I can't say for certain that it works. So far, so good.

If you got the extension table, make sure it's the right one. WoodCraft gave me the wrong one (twice) and I lost a lot of time and gained a lot of frustration trying to install it. Other than that, as many people have said, it's the clearest and best organized installation I've every seen. I recommend having two people, though, for several hours. The cast iron is heavy, and you'll need one person to hold the pieces while another puts in the screws.

[MichaelWisniewski]

Thanks again for the information and the tips. I went to woodcraft last night to pick it up and thought that it would be a couple of moderately heavy boxes. Nope, a couple of light boxes and one really heavy one. The salesman and myself tried to lift it up, but it wouldn't budge. He was then able to use a pallet lift dolly and we slid it into my SUV.

Getting it out was a trick, since it's only my wife and I. We rigged a little slide up made out of a wooden ladder and just slid it out of the car and onto the cement floor of the garage. I'll probably set it up later in the week, when I can get some help.

I've been to woodcraft in the past and always had a great experience there. I have to say though, that this time when I went to buy the saw, I didn't get a warm fuzzy. The salesmen were nice and very helpful, especially when the guy helped me load it into the car. But beyond that, eh... I think the biggest thing is that one of the reasons I was gun-ho about getting the saw was the free blade guard with dust collection thing. When I bought it, the salesman knew nothing about it and I had to show him the display sign that was in front of the 3hp one. They didn't explain how the offer worked, and I was under the assumption it would come in the box. Last night, I looked in the box, and I received just the regular blade guard. Went online and saw that it's a mail-in form you have to fill out, but they don't say if they will send you a coupon or check for the money. Plus, when I bought the saw, I didn't buy the blade guard because I thought woodcraft would know more about it.

There was also somebody, maybe a manager, there that seemed like he didn't want to even bother with anybody, including his employees. The last thing was when I bought it, I paid it in full. They said it would be about a week to 10 days, and it ended up being more like 20 days. When I called them to see what was going on, it was like I was bothering them to get info about it. I don't know, but if I dropped 3 grand for something and paid it in full and if it's taking longer than what they said, it would be nice to feel like I wasn't being a bother.

That's just my experience so far. The Woodcraft is nice because it's down the road from me and they usually have a lot of stuff in stock, but I wasn't really that thrilled about my experience there. And it is really odd because every time I was there in the past, they have always been extremely helpful.

[Beechwood Chip]

a couple of light boxes and one really heavy one.

It sounds like you have the steel sheet-metal wings - I got the cast iron. If so, your wings should be much easier to install.

Since we're trading WoodCraft / SawStop stories...

My WoodCraft guys seemed really eager to do a good job. The first extension table they gave me was a return, and it was missing a hardware pack. They didn't tell me that it was a return - I don't think the salesman knew. The instructions are really clear but didn't match the hardware I had, and it took me a while to figure out that I was missing an entire pack. I called WoodCraft and they suggested that the quickest solution was for me to drive out and get the screws I needed. I got thescrews, but I still couldn't get the thing installed. There was a also a big sneaker print on the peel-off protective plastic on the table. So, I insisted on a new, factory sealed table. When I picked it up it was much beefier that the previous one, and I figured that they had improved the design and I had a better part - woo hoo! Actually, it was the table for their cabinet saw and didn't fit my PCS. By now I had made three trips (45 minutes each way), plus the aggravation of trying to get this stuff to work. I called up and explained the situation, and they sent a guy to my house with the correct part, and he installed it for me, at no charge. It wasn't that I was lazy - I just didn't want to be sitting there with it not going together, wondering if I was doing something wrong or if I had the wrong part, again.

It was a bummer for my first really major tool purchase involved frustration and weeks of delay before it was up and running. But I have to give WoodCraft points for going the extra mile (well, about 45 miles) to make it right.

By the way, a couple of times I've emailed questions to SawStop and I've gotten helpful replies within a business day.

[MichaelWisniewski]

Wow, that's amazing the guy came out to your house. Now that's customer service!!!

I called SawStop up, and I must say that they were extremely nice and helpful. They explained how the blade guard thing worked, what to mail, and what I should expect. I was also caught offguard because I was expecting a "Press 1 for ...".

When I was going through the box last night, I came across two small boxes, which I believe are the wings. I didn't unpack anything, but they were heavy. I was able to lift it up myself and they probably weigh about 20lbs each. So, I'm not sure if they're the sheet metal ones or the cast iron ones. I suppose a plus for the sheet metal ones is that they won't rust.

Thanks again for the info. Hopefully, I can get to unpacking it a little more tonight and start monkeying around with it!!

[Jerry_in_SD]

I didn't think PCS (either 1.75HP or 3PH) has sheet metal wing options. Contractor saw does.

Congrats on the saw. I bought a 3PH PCS about a year and a half ago. Yes, a very nice saw.

BTW, I didn't wax prior to assembly. But I do give a waxing every 6 mos or so.

You're going to love assembly. I think SawStop is trying to be the Apple of table saws --meaning the attention to out of box experience detail is amazing.

[Beechwood Chip]

I didn't think PCS (either 1.75HP or 3PH) has sheet metal wing options. Contractor saw does.

My mistake - I have the contractor saw. I get all the acronyms confused, and I forgot to check.

[dcheels@gmail.com]

My Woodcraft was great, even suggesting a moving company and taking care of everything when they showed up so I didn't have to wait around. They did send me some extra parts for a CS so I called them up and they just told me to drop them off when I could.

Assembly was actually a joy. I did everything by myself including the integrated mobile base. I wiped down everything as I assembled it then did the table with WD40 and wax. Keep it clean and waxed and no issues so far.

Enjoy your new saw!

[ChetlovesMer]

Some guys get it, some guys don't. I bought my SawStop Industrial Cabinet Saw from Acme Tool in DesMoines. They get it. I bought the SawStop and requested a Delta UniFence. They offered the Unifence, a biesmeyer clone, or the SawStop fence all for the same price. A true Biesmeyer was a $100 up-charge. Anyway, they delivered it, 4 guys carried it out to my shop (it weighs about 800 pounds.) They set it up for me. It took them about an hour. Then their "Table Saw Guy" walked me through the features and the manual, he made sure everything was running correctly and that I was satisfied.

Like I said some guys get it, some guys don't. Acme Tool in DesMoines gets it.

[LoneRider]

Getting it out was a trick, since it's only my wife and I. We rigged a little slide up made out of a wooden ladder and just slid it out of the car and onto the cement floor of the garage. I'll probably set it up later in the week, when I can get some help.

Yeah, I had to do the same to get my Unisaw out of my Suburban. Fun times!

I have to say though, that this time when I went to buy the saw, I didn't get a warm fuzzy.

......

That's just my experience so far. The Woodcraft is nice because it's down the road from me and they usually have a lot of stuff in stock, but I wasn't really that thrilled about my experience there. And it is really odd because every time I was there in the past, they have always been extremely helpful.

It completely depends on the Woodcraft. The one in Carrollton, TX has great employees and managers, except for one of the floor guys who I have grown to completely ignore.

I am envious of your saw. I got my Unisaw a year or so Saw Stop got their cabinet saw really going. The riving knive would have been very handy twice.

Happy sawing!

[ChetlovesMer]

Am I the only one who bought my saw from a place that not only delivered it, but set it up?

I must be spoiled out here in Central Iowa because I assumed that was just "how it is done".

[SawSucker]

The ACME store that we have intown here doesn't impress me much, good selection but not very personable at all. But then again, that seems to be the norm in retail lately. Does a SawStop require some special care on it's top compared to other table saws ?

[Beechwood Chip]

Does a SawStop require some special care on it's top compared to other table saws ?

I don't think a cast-iron SawStop top is any different from any other cast iron table saw top. I assume that the comments in this thread can be applied to any cast iron table saw top.

[SawSucker]

I don't think a cast-iron SawStop top is any different from any other cast iron table saw top. I assume that the comments in this thread can be applied to any cast iron table saw top.

Yeah, I didn't think so either, but you never know, it's cast iron from Taiwan.