Looking at Sawstop... who has one?

[blazeman45]

I’m seriously considering a new Sawstop table saw... aside from the obvious safety features, who has one and can give goods and bads on performance. I’m really curious about their claim on dust collection and the riving knife. I’m looking at the 3hp professional cabinet model. Thanks

Steve

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I have had my saw about 4 years and there are no regrets. The under table dust collection is awesome. I have only had to vacuum the inside about once a year. The overhead dust collection which s an option offered as a free upgrade is mediocre at best. All of this may depend upon the dust collector. I have an Oneida cyclone dust collector with Norfab ductwork and 6 inch pipe until the blast gates at 3 feet above the floor. I am pulling 700 cfm at the machine. If purchasing again, I would have done the mobile base instead.
The riving knife works excellent and the guard is the easiest that I have ever used. It takes less than 5 minutes to add or remove if I am using across cut sled.

My only complaint with the saw is that the electrical cord could be a couple of feet longer. It barely reaches to the wall with the longer rails. I prefer my electrical outlets at a height above the saw so I can quickly unplug it if I want. It barely reaches.

 

[mquan01]

I have the same saw, which I bought used and is about 10 years old. I like it quite a bit. The controls are nice and smooth. The dust collection is pretty good (I do have a bigger duct collector though). I would recommend it.

 

[JimD]

I am thinking of the 110V professional model. I know it will have less power. But it will be similar to the others I have owned in power. Any recommendations of the best time of year to purchase?

 

[David Justice]

I have the contractor saw with cast iron wings and I love it. The 1.75HP motor hasn't ever bogged down, even ripping 8/4 Oak.

 

[Michael Mathews]

Jim, I also have the 3HP PCS with the overarm dust collection. My saw is fixed in place so the mobile base wasn't needed. I love the overarm dust collection! I think it makes a huge difference in comfort when sawing. I have an old Grizzly DC, maybe 1-1/2 HP? Was sold as 1150 CFM. RE: time of year to purchase...seems to me about twice per year they offer the free $200 upgrade (mobile base or overarm dust collection). I'd wait until they offer that deal!

 

[David Turner]

I have the 3 HP Professional Cabinet model and have been using it for about 2 years. Dust collection is good, not perfect but very good. The saw comes with a 3/32" thick blade and therefore the riving knife is 3/32" wide. My only concern is when using a 1/8" wide blade is the 3/32" riving knife sufficient. So far I have had no pinching problems.

David Turner
North Raleigh

 

[blazeman45]

Thanks guys, that was exactly what I was wanting to know!! I typically use thin kerf blades and the riving knife thickness is a little concerning but obviously not an issue. I wanted to make sure the fence system and other features are quality before making that large of an investment and it sounds like they are! . Being frugal I've got some thinking to do but then again how much are fingers worth. I've been cutting for 30 years and had some close calls but luckily i can still count to 10. I think the safety feature alone is enough for me to pull the trigger. NCWW is always the place to ask these questions no doubt! Thanks again!

 

[KenOfCary]

I have the 3HP PCS and really like it. It has good dust collection, is very accurate, very easy to adjust and the blade guard / riving knife work very well and are easy to change out so you will tend to use them. It's also easy to change blades.

 

[Berta]

I just have the Jobsite model of the SawStop. It came with 2 riving knives. One for thin kerf. You might want to check that possibility out.

 

[drw]

I have had mine for several years and I have been very please with its performance. I am not sure how to rank its dust collection capability; I think it is adequate, but really don't know how it stacks up when compared with similar table saws. That said, my primary reason for purchasing the SawStop was safety as well as being a solid, well-built, excellent performing saw.

 

[redknife]

I have had the pcs 3 hp for about 5 years. Only problem is that the right miter slot has a slight bow or curve to it. I didn’t have a dial gauge for a while so now I know (I forget how far off exactly). I mostly use the left miter slot for reference both to align the fence and for precision cuts. Overall I’ve been very happy with the saw.
Regarding the thin kerf and independent of the riving knife question, Sawstop recommends a minimum of 3/32” blade. Some thin kerfs are more narrow.

 

[riggsp]

I have a 1.75 hp contractor’s saw and it has plenty of power...I also use a thin kerf blade, and a thin riving knife is available from Sawstop.

 

[petebucy4638]

I bought a SawStop 3hp Pro model last November. It developed a problem where it would not start, especially in cold weather. The folks at Klingspor, in conjunction with Sawstop tech support decided to simply swap out the defective saw for a new one. (it does not get any better than that.). The new saw has worked flawlessly ever since.

What I like about my Sawstop cabinet saw: It is a well constructed tool. It is designed and built to be easily adjusted and calibrated, more so than any saw that I have ever seen. With little effort you can set up the saw so that the miter slots and the blade and the fence are in near perfect alignment. The table top adjustment system is very precise. The machining on the top and the extension tables were very accurate too. The fence is accurate and tough. The blade controls are precise and accurate. The saw has plenty of power.

The safety features are not without some minor trade-offs, and I stress 'minor.' The saw has the customary on/off paddle switch and it has a power switch that has to be turned on first. When you turn on the power switch it goes through a 30 second, or so, boot-up sequence. Then the paddle switch works like any other cabinet saw. You never have to turn off the power switch, if you don't want to. Of course, if I am changing a blade, I turn the power switch off.

When changing blades, you have to check the clearance on the brake mechanism. All 10" blades do not have the exact same diameter and the clearance between the blade and the brake is important. When you change between 10" blades and dado blades, you have to swap out brake cartridges and adjust the clearance between the blade and the cartridge. It didn't take me very long to get these blade/cartridge swaps down to only a couple of minutes.

Sawstop does not recommend using anti-kickback blades in the saw because some designs can reduce the ability of the blade to dig in to the brake mechanism, taking longer for the blade to stop. I have a Freud dado that is an anti-kickback design. When I use it I am very aware that it may not be as safe as my other dados.

In summary, the Sawstop Pro cabinets saws are well made, accurate, and safer than saws that don't have Sawstops safety brake system.

Pete

I’m seriously considering a new Sawstop table saw... aside from the obvious safety features, who has one and can give goods and bads on performance. I’m really curious about their claim on dust collection and the riving knife. I’m looking at the 3hp professional cabinet model. Thanks

Steve

 

[JimD]

I hope Steve doesn't mind me asking more questions on his thread but my other concern with buying a SawStop is the height. I have my shop set up for a 38 inch height on the table saw. My outfeed/assembly table is about 1/4 inch shorter as are my other tools so wood can go over them. I believe the SawStop professional model is 34 inches. I'm sure I can figure something out and it's a lot easier to make it taller than shorter. I think the preferred mobile base integrates to the side of the cabinet - so that seems difficult to use if I add a 4 inch sub-base. What's the best way to raise it 4 inches?

 

[blazeman45]

I hope Steve doesn't mind me asking more questions on his thread but my other concern with buying a SawStop is the height. I have my shop set up for a 38 inch height on the table saw. My outfeed/assembly table is about 1/4 inch shorter as are my other tools so wood can go over them. I believe the SawStop professional model is 34 inches. I'm sure I can figure something out and it's a lot easier to make it taller than shorter. I think the preferred mobile base integrates to the side of the cabinet - so that seems difficult to use if I add a 4 inch sub-base. What's the best way to raise it 4 inches?

Not at all!... the more info the better!!! Great question

 

[KenOfCary]

I hope Steve doesn't mind me asking more questions on his thread but my other concern with buying a SawStop is the height. I have my shop set up for a 38 inch height on the table saw. My outfeed/assembly table is about 1/4 inch shorter as are my other tools so wood can go over them. I believe the SawStop professional model is 34 inches. I'm sure I can figure something out and it's a lot easier to make it taller than shorter. I think the preferred mobile base integrates to the side of the cabinet - so that seems difficult to use if I add a 4 inch sub-base. What's the best way to raise it 4 inches?

Jim, you are correct in that raising the PCS 4" would not allow the mobile base to work with the unit without a lot of possible modification which I'm not at all sure could even be done. It is integral to the bottom and side of the PCS Unit. Works very well though and takes up very minimal additional room under the saw.

 

[riggsp]

A little pricy, but the hydraulic mobile base for the Sawstop Industrial saw can be modified to fit the Professional saw by moving one lower support (a kit is available to do that)...maybe use it with a riser of the correct height.