BTW....There is no way I would buy a granite top saw for two reasons :
1. They sweat and lack aftermarket add-ons
2. Drop a hammer or heavy object near the edge by accident and.............CRACKED/CHIPPED TOP................RUINED ! (One of the new replacement model display units received a 12" crack in it's granite top. It happened when the employee dropped a hammer on it during assembly........OUUUUUUUCH !!......I was in the store shopping when it happened and that reinforced my belief in cast iron over granite')
I've seen a few saws with granite tops in action. Two major advantages that I can see:
- Granite doesn't rust. It's not too big of a problem here in my shop in Raleigh, in a climate-controlled basement, but if you're in a shed near the coast...let's say I'd be buying stock in Johnson and Johnson :rolf: with all the paste wax moving through the shop
- Granite can be machined flat and
stay flat.
The only aftermarket item that I can think of that wouldn't work are those magnetic featherboards. I admit, those are handy, being able to position it anywhere is really nice. As for chipping/ cracking them, I guess if you dropped a hammer on it you could damage it. But how likely is that? Granite is extremely popular in the kitchen, where people drop glasses, plates, pots and pans, casserole dishes etc. all the time. Maybe not quite as heavy as a sledge hammer, but I don't swing one of those around in my shop every day either (unless I've _really_ messed up a project :embaresse :embaresse). They also make pretty good epoxies to fix minor chips and cracks.
Cast iron has been the standard for over how many years without fail ? .........Why fix something that isn't broke.....nuff said.
Once in a while new innovations are actually better than the original. Indoor plumbing comes to mind
My saw has a cast iron top, and I'm very happy with it. Given a choice, I'm not sure which one I'd pick. But I sure would like to have the option!
My jointer fence has a slight twist in it that wasn't there originally. It's barely measurable, but it's there. A granite fence would have prevented that. Luckily, the top on my saw hasn't dipped, warped or twisted...(fingers crossed)