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SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw (2010?)
SawStop 3Hp PCS w/ 52" Fence:
- Unifence (stays accurate, long fence, adjustable fore/aft, tall & short faces).
- Right tilt. The rip fence tape measure is always accurate regardless of the blade thickness (unlike a left tilt) - very important to me because I use dado blades often. The motor cover is on the right side of the saw cabinet which allows me to add a sliding table to the left side of the saw as a potential future upgrade. The much discussed and thoroughly overblown safety issues with bevel rips are easily addressed by moving the fence to the left of the blade on the rare occasion I need to make such cuts.
- 2 wrench blade changes. Much improved and safer than the "single wrench with wood block" method. It's amazing how such a simple upgrade can be so useful.
- 2 cast iron wings provide large flat stable saw top.
- All cast iron and fence table sufaces were well within Delta's tolerances for flatness.
- Magnetic switch is a nice safety feature for power interruptions.
- The switch is in a very convenient location. You can easily get to the on button when needed, but it's a recessed button to prevent inadvertant starting. The stop button is a large red mushroom that is very easy to push with your hip or leg while your hands are controlling the stock - but it takes enough effort such that it doesn't get tripped accidentally.
- Plenty of built-in storage for accessories. There are brackets on the left of the cabinet for storing the rip fence or dado fence when not in use. There are convenient slots in the motor cover to store the arbor wrenches and rip fence. The shelf under the fence table is a great spot for your extra blades, tenoning jig, etc.
- The footprint of the saw cabinet is actually smaller than a contractors saw because the motor is located inside the cabinet instead of hanging off the back.
- Delta customer support is very helpful once you reach them.
- Mobile base works amazingly well.
- Quiet (compared to my old saws anyway).
- Powerful. The saw hasn't bogged down on any cut no matter the wood type or thickness.
- 52" capacity rip fence is great.
- Extras with LE package (blade, table board, shelf, 2 CI wings, ZCI, base, etc).
- Woodworker's Supply was very helpful.
- Delivery was great. The saw was delivered on a flat bed with a lift gate. The driver brough the saw off the truck and rolled it all the way into my garage.
- Packed securely - no shipping damage.
- Solid, sturdy. Built like a tank. I expect this to last longer than me.
- Made in the USA.
- Dust collection works fairly well.
- Excellent manual with clear instructions.
My Unisaw was fantstic. I got it for a great price, it was very reliable and precise, and it was built like a tank and would have lasted several lifetimes. But I was presented with an opportunity to "upgrade" to a SawStop and I jumped in primarily due to the automatic blade brake to provide an extra layer of safety for me and my daughters (since they have started to join me in the shop occasionally).
Shipping: No damage. Rails inspected at dealer. Everything well packaged.
Assembly/Setup: Amazing directions. Almost _too_ detailed. Fantastic packaging of fasteners/accessories. Easy to install mobile base inside cabinet. Paint is well done. Seems powder coated (not positive though). Wings not perfectly flat. Rails helped straighten, but still not perfect. Certainly good-enough for woodworking through, and they've worked fine. Extension table can't get flat at rear. Front ok. Rear dips 1/8"+ish at end. Again - no issue in usage. **Count warning labels. Cast iron is nicely ground. Sits 1"ish lower than my Uni. Creates problems for surrounding tables. To solve this issue I ditched the integrated base and built a custom-welded base to raise the table top to the correct height for my shop. (wanna buy a barely-used integrated base?? - email me!) Miter slots spaced a bit wider than my Uni. Need to redo slots on my outfeed. Needed help for getting downstairs, mobile base, wings, front fence rail, aligning extension. Setup of brake? Alignment?
Performance: Mobile base works great on concrete. Rolls over foam pads better than expected. Mobile base negated a bit by my need for a 1" pedestal. Fence performance? Cutting ability? Dust collection? Guard / riving knife? Durability of outfeed table.
General comments: Freaky expensive. No more of a saw than my uni. Purchased mainly for blade brake. Excalibur vs guard/riving?
Pics: Overview Guard Riving knife Mobile base Pedestal
Likes:
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Dislikes:
- Left tilt. All my previous saws were rigtht tilt, and I prefer that direction so that the fence scale is accurate even if I'm using a thick dado stack.
- The Beis-style fence works fine, but I miss the versatility of the Unifence from my Unisaw. Perhaps I'll swap it out someday, but there's nothing wrong with the stock fence so it's a very low priority issue for me.
- I refused to order this from Woodcraft, and the next closest dealer was in Royal Oak which isn't exactly around the corner. I was able to arrange for a local tool store to act as a middle man for delivery and setup, and while they were great it was a small extra bit of hassle.
- Expensive (although all the current crop of high quality cabinet saws have skyrocketed in price over the past 6 or 7 years).
- Swapping out the brake cartridge for dado stacks is fairly quick and easy, but it's an extra step that isn't needed on other saws
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© Copyright 2014 Chris Billman