www.popularwoodworking.com: It’s time for a short round-up of the most useful table saw reviews we have published in the magazine and on the blog. What’s the best table saw for you? Well, it depends on your approach to the craft. Today’s summary will focus on some of the larger models – cabinet saws and the so-called “hybrids” that our editors have examined and used. Stay tuned to future posts for a round-up of smaller models, including the often overlooked benchtop table saws, and some information on European machines.
3 comments:
I'm always a fan of a good table saw review, but personally I still find it hard to jump on the SawStop bus. One of my friends got a SawStop model as soon as it came out and instantly had problems with it. Occasionally while cutting a piece of wood the saw's blade would drop into the block as it it just hit a finger. He would of course have to buy a new replacement blade and stopping block, apparently a ~$100 price from what I remember. It didn't take him long to figure out the cause of this. Apparently, if the wood was too wet, the trigger would set off. So, whenever using a piece of wood that might have been outside for a day or maybe even too fresh, $100 dollars would drop out of his pocket. I understand the benefits of the SawStop, but sometimes I think that simple wisdom can be just as good instead of throwing money at something.
Sam brings up some downfalls to the SawStop which we have all been talking about for a while. A lot of times you might end up disabling the feature just so you can cut wet wood or any other kind of conductive material. What I find interesting in these reviews is the granite surface instead of cast steel. It would give you a smooth surface for sure and never rust! I would think you would really need to take care of it and make sure you dont chip it though. Even though granite is tough, its always an investment that needs the same amout of care to be put into it.
Since we're all talking about the SawStop.. I suppose I might as well too. I'm from California, and although I truly love my home state, legislation was recently introduced to mandate that all table saws sold provided "SawStop" like protection. It was a ridiculous monopolistic power play by the inventor of SawStop to boost sales through legal mandate! Luckily, the bill failed, but it certainly didn't make me think any better of SawStop or its promoters.
That being said, it's a pretty neat product. My high school owned one and used it all the time without problems. However, if you wanted to cut damp wood, you were certainly going to have a bad time..
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