New Sawstop Professional 3hp first impressions

[petebucy4638]

I finished assembly and calibration of my new Sawstop cabinet saw. [I covered the issues with blade/miter slot alignment on another thread.] The first thing that I noticed is that the 3hp Sawstop professional saw is pretty quiet. Compared to the saw that it replaced, a Grizzly 1023, 5hp, the Sawstop is significantly quieter. It is quiet enough that I would have no concerns about running it with the garage door open without being concerned about it waking up the neighbors.

As expected, with the Forrest WWII blade, it makes very nice cuts. I haven't anything like 8/4 hard maple through it yet, but what I have cut has not even slightly bogged down the motor. The fence slides easily and locks down tightly. Adjusting the brake for the Forrest blade took about three minutes. Dust collection promises to be one of the Sawstops very good too. I like the blade guard/splitter; it is narrow and does not get in the way. You can make fairly narrow cuts before you have to take it off and replace it with the riving knife. Changing out the guard and riving knife is quick and precise and the saw has a place where you can store either or both the guard and riving knife when you are not using them.

Now that the saw is set up, I plan on making a mobile outfeed table that can be used as an assembly table and will provide some needed storage too.

So far, I like the saw. I'm looking forward to putting it to good use in the near future.

Pete

 

[patlaw]

Pete, since you've just done it, how hard would it be for someone who has never owned a table saw before to make the adjustments you just made?

 

[Robb Parker]

Pete, I noticed your in Denver. Curious as to where your located. My shop is off Business 16 in Balsom Ridge Industrial Park. Stop by sometime.

 

[VTHokie]

Pete, since you've just done it, how hard would it be for someone who has never owned a table saw before to make the adjustments you just made?

Hi Pete - Congratulations on the saw! I'd also be curious to know specifically which measurements you took, the instruments required to take those measurements, and how you ultimately adjusted your saw.

Also - how are you set up for dust collection with your PCS?

Thanks!

 

[petebucy4638]

First of all, you need a couple of tools that you might not have. The first one is a basic dial indicator that you can buy on Amazon for around $40.00. I used that one to match the cast iron extensions and check the blade for run-out. I also had a set of 1-2-3 blocks that assisted with this task and with clamping the ends of the extension to make the flush. You could get by without them, but they make the task easier. You will also need a dial indicator, like the one that Woodpeckers makes to adjust the blade/table miter-slot alignment and to align the fence. (My Sawstop came with the fence perfectly aligned. Unfortunately was aligned to a table that was not aligned to the blade.

The Sawstop manual does a pretty good job of describing how to align the table to the blade. The adjustment mechanism is elegant compared to most table saws on the market today. But it takes time and persistence. Once you get the table perfectly aligned to the blade, just tightening up the four mounting bolts that attach the table to the frame has the tendency to move the table out of alignment. Fortunately table is mounted to a pivot at the front and has machine screws on the back that can be adjusted to keep the table in perfect alignment as you tighten the top.

Then again, you could very likely buy a saw that was aligned within specs from the factor. To be fair to Sawstop, that is the norm. My saw being so far out of alignment is not common for this brand. I think that anyone with some mechanical abilities could make all of the adjustments that are required to assemble and calibrate a Sawstop Professional cabinet saw.

Just remember, you dial indicator is no more accurate than the blade or calibration plate that you are using. My Forrest WWII blade had very little run-out; it was more accurate than some indexing plates that you can buy. My new Freud, Ridge, and Sawstop blades had more run-out and would not have been ideal for aligning the blade and table, though with some work they could have been made to do the job.

Pete

Pete, since you've just done it, how hard would it be for someone who has never owned a table saw before to make the adjustments you just made?

 

[petebucy4638]

I'm In Ashley Cove, adjacent to Sailview off Webs Chapel Church road. I'd like to stop by and meet you some time.

Pete

Pete, I noticed your in Denver. Curious as to where your located. My shop is off Business 16 in Balsom Ridge Industrial Park. Stop by sometime.

 

[petebucy4638]

I listed the tools that I used in a previous post. Attached is a link to the tool that I used to measure the alignment between the blade and the miter-stop on the table and to align the fence to the blade by suing the aligned tables miter slot as a proxy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUuxwdZYpy4

By the way, you can buy this tool at Klingspor. They are worth every penny.

Pete

Hi Pete - Congratulations on the saw! I'd also be curious to know specifically which measurements you took, the instruments required to take those measurements, and how you ultimately adjusted your saw.

Also - how are you set up for dust collection with your PCS?

Thanks!

 

[Jim M.]

Thanks for all the feedback Pete, I've been getting the itch for a new saw.

 

[Robb Parker]

I know exactly where Ashley Cove is. I trimmed a whole house remodel for the owners of the Sports Page at the end of the cove there. Give me a heads up and stop by sometime. I'm less than 5 miles from you.