Which is the best table saw?

[BillN]

I bought my table saw around 5 years ago. I did a lot of research and found the the Grizzley G1023SL was the best value. Since then the model number has changed to G1023RL and a riving knife has been added. Very good value.

Today if I were going to buy a new table saw I'd give serious consideration the Delta's Unisaw. Yea, the SawStop won't cut you but most injuries are caused by kickback. The Unisaw is most impressive.

I agree. I bought a Grizzly 1023SL based on value and recommendations. I saved enough to buy some other goodies. It doesn't have the name of some of the other brands, but it sets up nicely, plenty of power, and was a comparative bargain. With table saws a lot of the quality comes from the mass to provide the dead steady platform for the work to be done. I'd love to have the SawStop, but that might encourage me to do something stupid.

[knotscott]

"Best" is such a subjective term. "Best" for you and your circumstances is what you really want. If you've got $400 to spend, the viable choices are more limited. Sorry if this was mentioned and I missed it, but what's your budget, and do you have 220v available?

[MikeMc]

"Best" is such a subjective term. "Best" for you and your circumstances is what you really want. If you've got $400 to spend, the viable choices are more limited. Sorry if this was mentioned and I missed it, but what's your budget, and do you have 220v available?

I have 220V in the wall waiting to be wired into the breakers. I ran the wiring when I re-drywalled the garage within the last few months. Havent powered it up yet but I should have 20Amp 220V at 2 outlets and 30Amp 220V at an additional outlet on the same circuit (didnt know how much power I would need.)

As for the $$ I am single and have enough money to spend on my toys. In addition, I plan on building all the doors, cabinets, trim in the house with the equipment so I hope to break even or save a little money over the long run in remodeling costs (yeah, it is a white lie )...

So, I dont want to dump over 3K for no good reason but the sawstop finger saving option is worth at least 1K to me.

[daviddodd]

Ha, I can kind of relate to that! Good point.

t's weird, but I think the psychology goes like this:

1) Regular saw: If I put my hand in the blade, I could cut my fingers off. That's too scary to think about, so I'll assume that it won't happen to me.

2) Sawstop: The slightest touch of the blade could cost me $200!! I better be sure not to let my hand get anywhere near that blade!

[oldgrowth]

I'm with Beechwood! I would sit down and think about what you are wanting to do now and maybe in the future and where you stand with it as a hobby. Secondly, be honest with your budget and also factor in other equipment that you might need or want to upgrade. The Saw Stop is a great product and there are no real bad choices in that range of saw's, cabinet and hybrid that is. You just have to figure out what suits your current needs.

I was in the ready to upgrade my current inaccurate and underpowered saw with a Saw Stop PCS and after doing the above wound up going in a

new direction.

Good Luck!

[DeanJackson]

Mike;

For me, I had to fit a saw into my shop, and I have *maybe* 150 sq ft. I went with the Bosch 4100, which folds down onto it's base and can be moved around easily. At one point, I put two fingers *over* a dado blade, and spent $600 on stitches. It's been a year, and it still smarts a bit to type. If I had the room, SawStop wins, even for the extra cash.

That said, there's basic features (blade is parallel to the slots on the top, blade doesn't wobble, etc), there's nice to haves (blade is easy to raise/lower, easy to tilt to specific angles), and must-haves... that can often be added later. By "must have", I think "fence that can be moved easy, accurately locked down, and stays *exactly* where you put it". If you don't like the original fence, there are add-on kits that can replace the rails and fence; look at Unifence, Biesemeyer, Kreg, Incra, to name a few.

[MikeMc]

Mike;

For me, I had to fit a saw into my shop, and I have *maybe* 150 sq ft. I went with the Bosch 4100, which folds down onto it's base and can be moved around easily. At one point, I put two fingers *over* a dado blade, and spent $600 on stitches. It's been a year, and it still smarts a bit to type. If I had the room, SawStop wins, even for the extra cash.

That said, there's basic features (blade is parallel to the slots on the top, blade doesn't wobble, etc), there's nice to haves (blade is easy to raise/lower, easy to tilt to specific angles), and must-haves... that can often be added later. By "must have", I think "fence that can be moved easy, accurately locked down, and stays *exactly* where you put it". If you don't like the original fence, there are add-on kits that can replace the rails and fence; look at Unifence, Biesemeyer, Kreg, Incra, to name a few.

Thanks for the reply.

I decided to go with the Sawstop PCS. The contractor model seemed a little underpowered at 1.75hp and I didnt need the saw to operate 8 hours a day.

I am really happy with the saw at this point but have not made more than 6 cuts with it due to my schedule. I feel it will be a solid centerpiece of my new shop.

[Autorotate]

Nice looking saw Mike. You wont be disappointed with it.

[Jim DaddyO]

I think my next saw will be a General. For years I thought the Uni-Saw was THE saw. Then I went to the woodworking show and saw the new one in person. One thing that really stood out to me on the new Uni-Saw was the big decal on it. I would prefer something made on this continent, but I have to give them kudos for being honest.

[PaulMarcel]

I think my next saw will be a General. For years I thought the Uni-Saw was THE saw. Then I went to the woodworking show and saw the new one in person. One thing that really stood out to me on the new Uni-Saw was the big decal on it. I would prefer something made on this continent, but I have to give them kudos for being honest.

ha ha, I remember when the new Unisaw was announced FWW made a video detailing it. All the guy said was "this is made in America" after everything he touched. At the end he mumbled a lot and if you replay it he mentioned that many of the parts were imported. I just thought the whole thing was silly to review a saw expressly based on where it is made.

Many highly regarded tools come from Taiwan, which according to 1/6th the world's population is part of China. The blame for shoddy "imports" is square on the nose of the American importer's QA. My Powermatics are from Taiwan as is my SawStop. Wouldn't trade them in.

[Jim DaddyO]

Good point Paul. I am old enough to remember the 70's "Jap scrap" cars. Now they are highly regarded for quality. For a more recent example Hyundai and Kia (Korea) has made huge strides in quality in the last few years and actually make a good car now (remember the Hyundai Pony...yeesh). I can agree with you that there is quality imports, I still want a General though.

[Vic]

I have 220V in the wall waiting to be wired into the breakers. I ran the wiring when I re-drywalled the garage within the last few months. Havent powered it up yet but I should have 20Amp 220V at 2 outlets and 30Amp 220V at an additional outlet on the same circuit (didnt know how much power I would need.)

I'm not sure you mean what I'm thinking, but you can't wire like that. A 220 - 20 amp outlet needs a 20 amp circuit breaker and 12 gauge wire, while a 220 - 30 amp outlet needs a separate 30 amp circuit breaker and 10 gauge wire. I'm not sure on the code, but believe they may be required to be dedicated. I know there are others here in the forum that are more learned on code. I just always ask a friend who is an electrician.

[dryhter]

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I would like to go into this purchase with the most knowledge possible. Thanks in advance.

Mike ,

Like many have said,

• "best' is very subjective you have to decide what is most important to you
• getting into any of the "cabinet" level saws you can't go wrong

You said

"One of my primary goals is to get a table and/or fence system that makes measuring and cutting pieces very easy. I am not sure if one manufacturer stands out in this regard or buying a table from one and a fence from another is the best way to go. "

Some may disagree but I believe that Biesmeyer Fences have a very high standard for accuracy and repeatability of cuts and they usually come packaged with the saw you buy. Availability of parts and information about working ( fixing something that may break or a problem you are having ) on your saw should also be a consideration.

Powermatic would be my first choice Delta a very close second, and only because the Powermatic just seems to have heavier casting for the trunnion which is the heart of a table saw. I would consider what saws are bought by commercial and industrial users as opposed to hobbyists. Durability, accuracy and dependability seem to stand out in my mind. These two brands have a proven track record . Hobbyists have a different criteria. Go with cast iron.

I would seriously consider looking at a used saw. you will always get your money back on it if you decide to sell it.

I have owned a Powermatic model 66 since 1984 it is used daily for all types of woodworking projects from cabinet making to ripping wet treated lumber . The saw has never let me down.

[MikeMc]

I'm not sure you mean what I'm thinking, but you can't wire like that. A 220 - 20 amp outlet needs a 20 amp circuit breaker and 12 gauge wire, while a 220 - 30 amp outlet needs a separate 30 amp circuit breaker and 10 gauge wire. I'm not sure on the code, but believe they may be required to be dedicated. I know there are others here in the forum that are more learned on code. I just always ask a friend who is an electrician.

I wondered if someone would misunderstand me. Sorry I was unclear.

I wired a 220V circuit in my garage. I put a 30amp breaker on the circuit which is 10 gauge wire. I put a 30AMP outlet and 2 - 20AMP outlets on the wall servicing the circuit.

Turns out the Sawstop uses a standard 20AMP 220V outlet so I am good to go.

[dryhter]

Congratulations Mike,

There is nothing like that new saw smell in the shop.

So what was the final thing that made you get the saw, just curious.

Dave

[MikeMc]

Congratulations Mike,

There is nothing like that new saw smell in the shop.

So what was the final thing that made you get the saw, just curious.

Dave

Really it was the safety of the machine. I cant put a price on my fingers.

Doing research on the internet I found almost no complaints about sawstop other that mis-firing. And BTW, according to the manual, if you actually touch the saw blade and it retracts you can send the cartridge in and they will replace it for FREE! Of course if you are cutting wood that is too wet then that is another story.

And ulitimately if I decide to get an after market fence I dont have to replace the saw to do it.

So really, since I have the money it made sense to get the one with the most safety features for me.

[Guest Trace]

My vote goes directly to the cast iron top type saw. Granite is nice and smooth and has a very low coefficient of friction with wood, with cast iron having a slightly higher rating.However, granite can chip and if it cracks , it won't be worth much as a top. I was in the marble and granite business, I know how easy it is to chip and crack. With the tempature and humidity (or lack of)in Arizona, this also a reason to go with the cast iron top. The saw Stop might save your fingers, but the REAL saftey device in your shop is between your ears. Keep that in mind at all times. Even with saw stop a nasty cut is possible.

[hhanger]

No one has said anything about a Hammer K3. same cost as a SS ICS but with a slider, your hands never get close to the blade. It handles large sheet materials easily which is important if you work by yourself. I'm saving up for one now.

[jon003]

I may be biased... I have a sawstop.

...but I think you'll find that most of the people who have a Sawstop, are enthusiastic about it. You don't see these on the secondary market, except in extremely rare circumstances, and they tend to get sold for near-new cost. The topic has been done so many times, I doubt I'll add anything new, but the piece of mind it bought my wife was worth the cost.

[Jacob Mac]

No one has said anything about a Hammer K3. same cost as a SS ICS but with a slider, your hands never get close to the blade. It handles large sheet materials easily which is important if you work by yourself. I'm saving up for one now.

Is that true when you are ripping boards? I really do not know the answer, and have never seen a sliding TS. So I am genuinely interested in the answer.

[hhanger]

go to hammerusa.com and check out their video. You can rip either conventionally using a rip fence or use in conjunction with the slider. The key is getting the longest sliding table you can manage. Hammer makes a 78" one IIRC. Most of the time you end up ripping shorter boards than that but it's nice to have the extra capacity when you need it. It's really great in cleaning up a rough edge before going to the jointer. I'm surprised no american manufacturer has developed one. It's Hammer/Felder, Rojek and Minimax for the most part.

[Jacob Mac]

go to hammerusa.com and check out their video. You can rip either conventionally using a rip fence or use in conjunction with the slider. The key is getting the longest sliding table you can manage. Hammer makes a 78" one IIRC. Most of the time you end up ripping shorter boards than that but it's nice to have the extra capacity when you need it. It's really great in cleaning up a rough edge before going to the jointer. I'm surprised no american manufacturer has developed one. It's Hammer/Felder, Rojek and Minimax for the most part.

Wow, that is really cool. I see a MiniMax combo machine in my future.