Woodworking 101: What a great piece of equipment

Samstag, 28. Juli 2012

What a great piece of equipment

I got this saw a few months ago. I figured I like it enough to write a review. Yes, the Sawstop always leads to heated discussions. This is a review of the saw and nothing else.

I will admit, the safety is what first made me look at the Sawstop, However, it is the last thing I think about when I use it. I hope I never have to make use of the braking system, but if I do, I’ll be glad I got it. Speaking of that, I have not had any false triggers as of yet, and I hope to not ever.

The saw arrived on a pallet, after a hiccup with the delivery company (forgot to send a lift-gate truck):

I had a buddy help me assemble it. It couldn’t have been much easier.The instructions are outstanding. The hardware packs are in order and color coded. Seems silly to dumb down instructions on a $3k+ tablesaw, but what a difference it makes. Three or 4 hours later, it was assembled.
The fence and blade were dead parallel with the miter slots right out of the box. But, from what I have read/heard, adjusting the table so the blade is parallel to the miter slots is extremely easy, and is achieved using allen keys (not a mallet).

The fence is smooth and accurate. The front rail which the T-Glide fence grips has cast iron strips on three sides (front, top and back)

I was able to rip 12/4 hard maple fairly easily. Anything 8/4 or less is like butter.

I built my own overarm dust collection unit. It works surprisingly well. That project is posted here I think it’s better designed than sawstop’s, and only cost about $50-60. When using both below- and above-blade collection simultaneously, there is virtually no dust anywhere (unless you are shaving less than 1/8” off the end of a board).

Removing the blade guard/riving knife takes about 5 seconds, could not be easier. The included zero-clearance insert is beveled on the underside, allowing you to tip the blade.

I give this saw 5 stars. I absolutely love it. The safety is a bonus. I am not complacent. That spinning blade does not see any less scary than it did on my old craftsman.