HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
Guys,
I posted a while back about finally pulling the trigger on a replacement table saw for my 1990 Craftsman 10-inch with an upgraded fence. I ordered a SawStop PCS with integral roller base during their recent sale. Picked it up a couple of weeks later at the nearest dealer (30 miles away).
First issue was how freaking heavy it was. The lumberyard I picked it up from sent 4 Amish men with a forklift. They got it close to my trailer and then manhandled the skid up the ramp. When I got home, it was all me though. I had to drag the skid onto the ramp and then uncrate it right there to get it unloaded one piece at a time.
The assembly instructions were the best, most comprehensive set I have ever seen. A ton of thought went into how to make assembly as foolproof as possible. First rate.
The only thing that caught me by surprise was the fact the PCS really has to be hooked to a dust collector. I didn’t have one. I ended up getting a reasonably priced Wen unit from Amazon with an automatic on/off switch. Works great, but that was an extra expense I wasn’t planning on.
I also had to order a “module” from SawStop for my 8-inch dado stack. The saw comes with a combo blade and the module for 10-inch blades, but not for a dado stack. I also ordered a zero-clearance insert for the dado. I do really like how easy it is to swap from dado to standard blade and the included blade guard is quite easy to remove when using the dado stack.
Anyway, for my first project I bought a set of online plans to make a table and card catalog with a pull out writing shelf and then modified those plans to make it shallower and wall mountable for our kitchen (see below).
The table saw handled the 3/4 oak plywood with ease, as well as the hard maple for the drawers. Everything was easier and more precise than my old craftsman. Even though I opted for the less powerful version of the PCS, to keep it 120 volt, the saw never struggled. The OEM fence is great. The mobile base is so easy to use, to spin the saw as needed in the tight confines of my shop when long boards required more room to rip, and I had to turn the saw 90 degrees to get extra room. Everything is just improved from what I’m used to.
Anyway pictures below.
I posted a while back about finally pulling the trigger on a replacement table saw for my 1990 Craftsman 10-inch with an upgraded fence. I ordered a SawStop PCS with integral roller base during their recent sale. Picked it up a couple of weeks later at the nearest dealer (30 miles away).
First issue was how freaking heavy it was. The lumberyard I picked it up from sent 4 Amish men with a forklift. They got it close to my trailer and then manhandled the skid up the ramp. When I got home, it was all me though. I had to drag the skid onto the ramp and then uncrate it right there to get it unloaded one piece at a time.
The assembly instructions were the best, most comprehensive set I have ever seen. A ton of thought went into how to make assembly as foolproof as possible. First rate.
The only thing that caught me by surprise was the fact the PCS really has to be hooked to a dust collector. I didn’t have one. I ended up getting a reasonably priced Wen unit from Amazon with an automatic on/off switch. Works great, but that was an extra expense I wasn’t planning on.
I also had to order a “module” from SawStop for my 8-inch dado stack. The saw comes with a combo blade and the module for 10-inch blades, but not for a dado stack. I also ordered a zero-clearance insert for the dado. I do really like how easy it is to swap from dado to standard blade and the included blade guard is quite easy to remove when using the dado stack.
Anyway, for my first project I bought a set of online plans to make a table and card catalog with a pull out writing shelf and then modified those plans to make it shallower and wall mountable for our kitchen (see below).
The table saw handled the 3/4 oak plywood with ease, as well as the hard maple for the drawers. Everything was easier and more precise than my old craftsman. Even though I opted for the less powerful version of the PCS, to keep it 120 volt, the saw never struggled. The OEM fence is great. The mobile base is so easy to use, to spin the saw as needed in the tight confines of my shop when long boards required more room to rip, and I had to turn the saw 90 degrees to get extra room. Everything is just improved from what I’m used to.
Anyway pictures below.
