If you could buy a new ts....

I'd see what may be availble on the local used market - Powermatic 65 or 66, Jet, Shop Fox, Grizzly, Unisaw, General, Oliver, Inca, etc.
Shopping new i'd look at everything i could see and compare them all to a couple of benchmarks - best value and best quality. Bells and whistles are nice, but it's been my experience that most are not necessary, few are really helpful, and they all can become a frustration if they're not well conceived or executed. For instance, what's the premium you pay to get a saw with a riving knife, when roll pins set in my throat plate make a perfectly fine splitter for about a buck fifty?
The essentials in my book are high quality fence, miter gage, and a lot of the other features that will be standard on all cabinet saws (cast iron top, belt drive, good dust collection ability, substantial weight, heavy trunnions, etc.). You may need a mobile base, but that doesn't mean it needs to be integrally built into the saw. You may need a sliding table, or stock feeder.
Concensus pretty much has it that the Grizzly is the best value and has been for some time. I'd look one over closely if i could. Best quality is a little harder to define, though the General 650, Mini Max, Powermatic 2000, or Saw Stop all seem to be highly regarded. That's a pretty diverse group of saws, so i'd try to see which one suited my use best and use it for my quality bench mark. Then i'd look at the others i could get my hands on and compare them to the value and quality benchmarks making sure i wasn't spending money on features i didn't think i needed or a level of quality that didn't suit my work or budget.
I'm pretty much a minimalist, but i like my equipment to have good bones. They all cut wood very nicely with a good blade when properly tuned.
Paul Hubbman

One of the nice things I have going for me is that my local - indenpendent woodworking shop is only 20 minutes from me. They distribute General and GI products, but also shop fox, Delta and Powermatic.

so I can get a Griz version, via shop fox, pretty easy or a Genral or PW.

The Sawstop is my first choice, with a slider a strong second, followed OH SO close by the Pw 2000.

riving knife is a priority, even though I have accumulated some pretty good alternative add-ons with my current saw.

I make my living using my fingers, losing them would cause me to possibly lose my business. so keeping them attached would be a good thing.

Sliders?????

I look at these things and think to myself that those long protrusions would some how be an annoyance when cutting small stuff.

Does anyone have any anectodal stories to tell?

joe

In October of 2006 I had the chance to buy a Sawstop and I did not pass it up. Having done that I would try a Slider if I won the lottery just to use them both. I have the bandsaw taken care of now as well so the next big saw in the shop will be a panel saw. Those are just Slick.

It would be this custom Powermatic

In John Deere green and yellow

http://www.woodwerks.com/order.php

Nothing runs like a DEERE

Now don't wake me from this dream



JEFF

I had a 3hp PM 66 in my production shop for 13 years and it was the best workhorse I had. I also had a Delta RT40 7.5 hp and left it set most of the time after selling out I bought the General contractor saw and it was a nice saw for what it was. But I sold it to my son when a Unisaw came up at auction and thought I would up grade. What a let down I hate the saw and the unifence is a piece of crap. Will get a PM or Steel City as soon as I get moved. I have Steel City 18" bandsaw and the drill press and love them.
Jay

Joe Mioux said:

Sliders?????

I look at these things and think to myself that those long protrusions would some how be an annoyance when cutting small stuff.

Does anyone have any anectodal stories to tell?

joe

Click to expand...

joe, sliders aren`t the "end all saw"....they are fantastic for sheetgoods, convenient for jigs-n-straightlinin` but for me they`re still awkward.....my choice for a hobbyshop cabinet saw would be a 5hp pre 1977 pm66 with a biesmyer fence.....ain`t the prettiest or safest saw goin` but they`re darn near bulletproof and will never go down in value, parts are available at most bearing houses or electrical supply.....they`re like an old pair of boots.

Well, I just loaded the GI contractor saw and my Delta 22-580 13 inch planer onto the backend of a pick up truck and bid it good bye.

I don't think I came out to bad from the sale.

Now I really have to get serious about finding a new saw.

joe

Get the sawstop and throw on a jessem or similar slider if you want it?

I would be searching for a used cabinet saw. Unisaw, PM 66 or something along that line. A Delta 12/14 would be high on my list too. They are just as good as the new one and maybe better. And a lot less money.

I have asked and done some homework and I can't find a huge advantage to the Riving knife. Not that they are a bad idea! But there isn't enough advantage to one to not buy a saw without one. To clarify my point before someone jumps me. A riving knife is just a splitter. It has two advantages over a splitter.

One, if it is the Euro design like on the SawStop you don't have to take it off to do blind cuts. It will probably stay on the saw so thats good.
Second, it is closer to the blade than a splitter. That is good but I don't see it is a major improvement over a splitter a couple of inches behind the saw.

The biggest advantage it has is that you rarely have to remove it. If your like me and you will put the splitter back on it just lost it's biggest advantage.

If you never put on back on then it might be worth it to you. In my mind a splitter is must so keep mine in place. It does the same thing the Riving knife does, it's just further back.

The next big problem is most of the American designs I have seen and granted I don't look much at new tools, have incorporated the knife with the hateful plastic guard. It's going to be removed and never replaced because the guard is so aggravating. Then the only one it is protecting is the Company!