Table Saw Recomendations

[signcrafter]

Is the saw stop a bad saw? No. Is it a great saw? No. It's an average saw that has a neat safety feature. This feature can save fingers in the case of an accident or careless cut. No denying that.

The problem comes into play when this guy that invented this technology tries to force every manufacturer to put this technology on their saws and in turn every saw someone purchases has it. The safety aspect would be a good thing. The cost factor would be a bad thing. The typical homeowner buys a 200 or so dollar table saw for the few times they need to use one. Now throw this technology on top of that and the saw price goes way up. If it costs 70 bucks just for replacement blocks I would guess the whole setup would cost 2-300 bucks to fit to a saw. So now all saws price goes up by that much. I know I wouldn't be able to afford one. So even though I use my bosch saw safely someone else decides I "need" this technology and have to pay for it. That someone was the inventor of saw stop who was trying to get it manditory for business reasons only. If he cared so much about everyone's safety he would make the technology available for everyone for very cheap. But he wanted to make the most money he could.

But instead of forcing it down people's throat let the people choose. If you want a saw stop then buy a saw stop. But don't force everyone to buy one.

Kind of a wild analogy but I think semis are safer then a 4 door car in an accident. So I think everyone should be required to buy and drive a semi because in an accident they will protect you better then a smaller car. Pretty much what the saw stop guy tried to do and that is why he is a world class jerk. Let him sell his saw and make his money on the technology he invented selling to those who want it. Should have left it at that. But he got greedy

 

[vjlobel]

I know it's not made in USA, but I have friends who swear by their Grizzly cabinet saws...based on my 17" bandsaw I'd buy one too.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

I know it's not made in USA, but I have friends who swear by their Grizzly cabinet saws...based on my 17" bandsaw I'd buy one too.

Funny you should mention that. Remember when "Made in Japan" was always blurted out when a toy or some other small object broke? 30-40 years later we were complaining about the Taiwanese machinery being sub-quality.

I have a Grizzly band saw and a shaper and am satisfied with both. In fact the shaper is the sweetest running machine that you could imagine.

 

[ez-duzit]

Pretty sure Grizzly is made in China.

 

[ozyborn]

ozyborn, what router table do you have on your craftsman saw?

Benchdog

 

[Zeke]

Is this for real?

I'd be pretty mad elected officials are waisting their time on this if I lived in CA.

You have no idea. Every saw must have a guard in CA if used at work. Forget what you see on TV using a dado or not cutting all the way through the board. You must have a guard. If the guard supplied won't allow you to do certain cuts then you must buy an overhead one that will let you.

I know, I had a regular saw as most DID in my shop and my neighbor stopped by to use the saw. This was not my home shop and he was not an employee of mine. He cut the end of his finger and the doc removed the tip to first knuckle. My neighbor wanted me to pay for that and I told him no.

He sued me and won. Cost me triple the fine and the medical to the tune of about 20K. I should have paid the 2500 bill in the first place but I thought it was extortion.

I did everything I could to beat that suit. I closed the shop, got rid of the saw and caught the neighbor working at a night time job when He told the court he couldn't work. BTW, he was not born in this country if you get my drift.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Pretty sure Grizzly is made in China.

I just looked and both of them said "Made in Taiwan".

 

[7th Kahuna]

Sorry to hear about that Zeke, but you are right, it seems to be par for the course here. Not sure what the solution is.

Schools site budgets as the reason for closing wood and metal shops but I have often wondered if the more direct answer would be liability and the need to replace perfectly good equipment in order to satisfy ever changing safety rules. How many accidents do you suppose could have been avoided if folks had had a little shop training in school before going out and purchasing a table saw. I read that before Sears drove the price of radial arm saws down, DeWalt often included hands on training in the price of their saw.

One day we are going to have to get these liability issues under control. Several years ago I tried to take a shopping cart from the parking lot into a small store and was informed that only employees could enter the store with a cart 'due to liability issues'. I found that odd as apparently there was no liability going in the opposite direction. I have always wondered what sort of suit they got hit with.

 

[GreenNV]

We have become a litigious society. So it is no small wonder that the inventor of Saw Stop is a lawyer. I am a firm believer in capitalism. The market decides what products becomes a success, not big government.

That said, I did agonize on whether to spend an extra $800 on a Saw Stop vis-à-vis the Powermatic PM2000. I chose the PM2000 for the following reasons:

Both are made in Taiwan and are equal in quality.

Powermatic has a 5year warranty vs 2 years for the Saw Stop.

If the system is false tripped, you are out the cost of the blade and brake. Of course, if it was your finger, there is no comparison.

Powermatic has a riving knife, anti-kickback paws, and pivoting blade safety guard that extends at least three inches in front of the blade. Use of safety tools like feather board, push sticks/blocks and good safety techniques lessen the possibility of injury. Saw stop only protects from injury to fingers. Both saws are equal on kickback.

Saw Stop has fixed pricing at its dealers; no discounts. Powermatic has multiple sales per year and provides free lift gate service shipping.

Big Gulp: I do not want a lawyer or politician (one in same in most cases) telling me what I need to protect myself.

 

[brianpgriset]

Big Gulp: I do not want a lawyer or politician (one in same in most cases) telling me what I need to protect myself.

I'm not so much bothered by the idea of protecting people's fingers. I think it's great that they are so interested in keeping people safe at work. But how many more people DIE every year due to things like drunk drivers, senseless criminals etc... Let's get our priorities right. In addition, table saws are probably pretty low on the list of things getting people hurt at work. To me it makes more sense spending time on other things, like ensuring employers train new employees on proper use of equipment, maintenance and upkeep, good housekeeping, good work procedures, etc... These guys have their heads in the weeds, which is not a good thing for leaders.

 

[signcrafter]

Schools site budgets as the reason for closing wood and metal shops but I have often wondered if the more direct answer would be liability and the need to replace perfectly good equipment in order to satisfy ever changing safety rules. How many accidents do you suppose could have been avoided if folks had had a little shop training in school before going out and purchasing a table saw. I read that before Sears drove the price of radial arm saws down, DeWalt often included hands on training in the price of their saw.

Another point to this is back in the day almost every 6th grader had used a hammer and saw and helped dad build something or fix something around the house. Most had built a tree house or fort or skate board ramp or something. So they had some knowledge and skill going into shop class. Nowadays there are a lot of kids who's dad has never shown them how to use any tools. So they go into shop class in middle school or high school and have never cut a board with a hand saw or skill saw let alone an industrial table saw or radial arm saw. So there is a huge learning curve and also a huge liability to keep all those fingers on the hands.

 

[7th Kahuna]

So they go into shop class in middle school or high school and have never cut a board with a hand saw or skill saw let alone an industrial table saw or radial arm saw

So instead they go into life with no idea of what it takes to maintain a home or get a car back on the road, and no place to start or any appreciation for what it will take someone else to do it for them. But you're right, I took wood shop in high school because I had enjoyed working in the shop with my grandfather. Of course now I wish I had taken metal shop instead in order to diversify my skill base. Still time to learn.