# Thinking about getting a Sawstop table saw



## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

I do exclusively finish carpentry on new homes, and work with my 22 yr old son. When I was 14 I cut off part of 3 fingers on my right hand on a log splitter. Two of them more than halfway.

I have been trimming houses for 20 years, and have been very fortunate with no major accidents with saws. That being said, now that I have my son working with me and I'm short on fingers myself . I'm thinking about getting one of the smaller Sawstop brand table saws with the job site cart/stand. 

Has anyone else been using this saw for job site use and can you give me any advice weather it's too heavy for moving from job to job and the quality of the saw. I work out of a trailer with a ramp. 
We have been using the portable Bosch saw. 
Thanks.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

250+lbs for a contractor saw? No thanks. But I understand wanting to protect your loved ones from suffering the same fate as you have. Accidents happen, but are preventable. This is just one more step in preventing them. I just don't like the idea of getting comfortable around a table saw.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Saw stop makes a smaller job site saw. It is still, but it does not weigh 250 lbs.
Size wise it would be comparable to the Bosche.


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## m1911 (Feb 24, 2009)

B.D.R. said:


> Saw stop makes a smaller job site saw. It is still, but it does not weigh 250 lbs.
> Size wise it would be comparable to the* Bosche*.


is that anything like a Bosch? :blink:


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## Dan_Watson (Mar 1, 2008)

100 lbs


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

B.D.R. said:


> Saw stop makes a smaller job site saw. It is still, but it does not weigh 250 lbs.
> Size wise it would be comparable to the Bosche.


The Bosch weighs 133lbs (shipping weight).

The only contractor saw on their site weighs 225lbs without the 30" fence or the mobile cart which is 50lbs.

What model are you looking at?

http://www.sawstop.com/support/product-comparison


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

No offense meant Don, but what was the cause of your finger loss? Accidents do happen, but awareness, proper training, and respect for the tool will go a lot further than a product put on the market to make us "feel" safe. I am not a fan of the saw stop and the political bullying they are trying to use to force us to use their products. My dad taught me to use a table saw properly over 25 years ago and that is a tool I still respect every time I use it. JMPOV.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

TNTSERVICES said:


> The Bosch weighs 133lbs (shipping weight).
> 
> The only contractor saw on their site weighs 225lbs without the 30" fence or the mobile cart which is 50lbs.
> 
> ...


I looked it up ,you are correct.
It did not look that heavy.
I'm suprised to say the least.


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## tonylumps (Dec 4, 2012)

I know it will not replace the table saw 100% but a track saw will do almost anything a table saw will and a lot safer. To be honest I don't even like to turn the table saw on anymore. I am trying to work around it if I could.Except for some very thin moulding that has to be ripped to match existing work I do not use the table saw for anything else.And trying to eliminate that by sharpening my hand planes.


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

If the smallest saw stop would fit in a Rousseau table I would do that. I think a riving knife in General makes a table saw safer.


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## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

overanalyze said:


> No offense meant Don, but what was the cause of your finger loss? Accidents do happen, but awareness, proper training, and respect for the tool will go a lot further than a product put on the market to make us "feel" safe. I am not a fan of the saw stop and the political bullying they are trying to use to force us to use their products. My dad taught me to use a table saw properly over 25 years ago and that is a tool I still respect every time I use it. JMPOV.


It was a log splitter 34 yrs ago when I was 14. I still have respect for a table saw every time I use it. I love to play guitar and mandolin and would be depressed if something worse would happen to my fingers. 
Just trying to minimize the chances of an accident.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

A riving knife, push sticks, feather boards, training, and a healthy respect for the tool will eliminate nearly every accident risk with a table saw outside of an electrical shock. I have been bitten twice by one. First time I got three fingers at once, second time was only a slight scratch on one. Both times were due to being too comfortable with the saw and not using a push stick. As mentioned above, I don't like the idea of anything that makes you feel comfortable around a saw.


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## Lanya LaPunta (Oct 31, 2010)

B.D.R. said:


> Saw stop makes a smaller job site saw. It is still, but it does not weigh 250 lbs.
> Size wise it would be comparable to the Bosche.


I am interested in this "smaller job site saw".

Referencing SawStop's site (www.sawstop.com), the smallest shown is their contractor saw.

Shipping weight (no extras) is 240 pounds, which probably has the saw coming in around 220.

Would you post a link to their smaller saw (comparable to the Bosch)?

Thanks in a advance and, perhaps, someone should notify Saw Stop and inform them that product is not on their website.


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## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

Lanya LaPunta said:


> I am interested in this "smaller job site saw". Referencing SawStop's site (www.sawstop.com), the smallest shown is their contractor saw. Shipping weight (no extras) is 240 pounds, which probably has the saw coming in around 220. Would you post a link to their smaller saw (comparable to the Bosch)? Thanks in a advance and, perhaps, someone should notify Saw Stop and inform them that product is not on their website.[/
> Amazon has it listed at 100 lbs but don't think that's correct All other sites show it weighing over 200lbs


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## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

Sorry quote didn't work. 

Amazon has it listed at 100 lbs but don't think that's correct All other sites show it weighing over 200lbs


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## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

http://assets.rockler.com/media/cat...3525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/4/6/46993-03-1000.jpg

Here is the saw and stand that I'm interested on.


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

PrecisionFloors said:


> A riving knife, push sticks, feather boards, training, and a healthy respect for the tool will eliminate nearly every accident risk with a table saw outside of an electrical shock. I have been bitten twice by one. First time I got three fingers at once, second time was only a slight scratch on one. Both times were due to being too comfortable with the saw and not using a push stick. As mentioned above, I don't like the idea of anything that makes you feel comfortable around a saw.



Jenny was scared to death of running a tablesaw when she first started helping me full time. Scared to the point that she was going to get herself hurt because she was paralyzed by fear.

One day, I took the time to walk her through every scenario I could think of that would get her in trouble with the saw. I intentionally setup kickback situations & allowed it to happen & showed her how to control it when it did happen. I showed her where the safe zones were around the saw & where the hot zones were. I showed her how to always have one hand firmly planted on the saw so she could shift her weight & get out of the way when things went bad.

Today, she's not scared to tackle any task she's presented with on the tablesaw, even though she still has the utmost respect for it & a healthy dose of fear. She's no longer paralyzed by that fear.

Like overanalyze stated, I really don't like the politics of the inventor of sawstop, so I'm no inclined to help him financially force his invention on the rest of us.

Lets say I did buy one though, how would I combat the dangers of other dangerous tools in my shop? Like the shaper, or router table or even the jointer for that matter? My 17" bandsaw with a 1" blade scares me far more than my tablesaw. 

Common sense, a healthy fear & a good understanding of what can go wrong & following general safety rules will prevent the lions share of accidents from happening in the first place.


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

Another thing comes to mind. I was watching Jenny on the miter saw one day & she was reaching across the blade path to hold the stock & using her other hand to start the saw. Again, I had to show her why what she was doing wrong could get her hurt & show her the right way to do it. IMO, if you'd take the time to show your son the ins & outs & the right & wrong ways of running the tools, you'll do him a far greater service than buying him a sawstop. Teaching safety & proper procedures will transfer to all the tools that could get him hurt that don't have the sensors.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Buckeye Don said:


> Sorry quote didn't work.
> 
> Amazon has it listed at 100 lbs but don't think that's correct All other sites show it weighing over 200lbs


Are you looking at the stand or saw? Can you post a link?


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## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

TNTSERVICES said:


> Are you looking at the stand or saw? Can you post a link?


 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006G36V4E/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1401199740&sr=8-3
Click on features and details


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## PixelPaul (Mar 19, 2014)

TNTSERVICES said:


> Next time you talk to him tell him he's a db from me for trying to force this crap down or throat.


If you feel so strongly about it, then why don't you tell him? Personally, I don't approve of some of his tactics, but to say his product is crap is a bit naive. His Sawstop's are a high quality product, best in class even without the blade stopping technology. As a consumer you can decide whether or not you want or need that technology. For me my fingers are more important to me than some grudge against a guy who's business practices I object to.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

PixelPaul said:


> If you feel so strongly about it, then why don't you tell him? Personally, I don't approve of some of his tactics, but to say his product is crap is a bit naive. His Sawstop's are a high quality product, best in class even without the blade stopping technology. As a consumer you can decide whether or not you want or need that technology. For me my fingers are more important to me than some grudge against a guy who's business practices I object to.


When did I say it was crap?

And give me his number, I'd be glad to tell the whiny biatch that he's a DB.

It's funny you say as a consumer I can choose, if he had his way there would be no choice. And it's not the finest in its class, it may hang with then, but I can think of a few that are better.


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## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

PixelPaul said:


> I have emailed the Sawstop owner on several occasions and there is a benchtop model that would be more portable in the works. Last I heard from him was January, and he said they were schedule to begin field testing in the spring and hopeful for release sometime late summer or early fall.


I'm curious to see this benchtop model. I would think that just due to inertia that it will need to be much heavier than similar saws from Bosch and Dewalt. Stopping the blade in that short of a time requires a lot of energy transfer, to the point where I could see a lightweight saw literally jumping off the table and flipping over when it engages.

The Sawstop is a quality saw, on par with its competition, but other that the safety features I thinks its a stretch to say its the best in its class over the Unisaw, PM2000, etc. If I didn't own a cabinet saw already, I would certainly consider sawstop, but I'm not going to replace my existing PM66 with one anytime soon. And yes, I'm not a big fan of how he took this technology to the government to try and make it mandatory while holding a patent on it. What's next, your going to take away my motorcycle because cars are safer?? There may be 60,000 tablesaw injuries per year, but there were 88,000 motorcycle injuries and over 5000 fatalities in a year. Oh, lets ban the NFL as well, those guys get hurt a lot too.


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

There are alternatives,,,,,,

http://youtu.be/8VbYuJYhxLM



Interesting discussion about saw stop....http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/a-sawstop-killer/


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## Jswills76 (Nov 12, 2012)

I bumped the blade last month I was rushing my self to much. I got lucky just 2 stitches. The doctor was telling me all about the ss haha.


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## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

I think the most interesting point, we might do this for a living, but plenty of people are woodworkers do it as a hobby, just for fun. How many fatalities were there last year from table saw accidents?? I would bet the number is probably zero, yet people died skiing, drowned while surfing, parachute failed to open, fell rock climbing, etc.

I could do the same damage with a tablesaw as with a huge variety of other tools, but there is no controversy there. Lets stop selling ladders, they are dangerous as well and some falls of them may have actually killed. The list goes on and on, something in this world has to be about responsibility. Let's ban cigarette, alcohol, fast food, etc. sales before we get to mandating saw brake mechanisms, I'm sure that has resulted in far more deaths.

The capitalist in me says that if saw stop costs 30% more and I'm going to get a big break on my comp insurance by having it over a regular saw, then they win as they should, the market dictated the value, not the government.


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## Sisyphus (Nov 1, 2010)

There is almost always a guard on my table saws. I don't like the factory guards that came with them (at least not the ones I actually tried) but I do like a guard that will collect the dust and totally cover the blade. Safer, cleaner and healthier. I hate to think what carcinogens may be in dust from melamine, particle board etc.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

tccoggs said:


> I think the most interesting point, we might do this for a living, but plenty of people are woodworkers do it as a hobby, just for fun. How many fatalities were there last year from table saw accidents?? I would bet the number is probably zero, yet people died skiing, drowned while surfing, parachute failed to open, fell rock climbing, etc.
> 
> I could do the same damage with a tablesaw as with a huge variety of other tools, but there is no controversy there. Lets stop selling ladders, they are dangerous as well and some falls of them may have actually killed. The list goes on and on, something in this world has to be about responsibility. Let's ban cigarette, alcohol, fast food, etc. sales before we get to mandating saw brake mechanisms, I'm sure that has resulted in far more deaths.
> 
> The capitalist in me says that if saw stop costs 30% more and I'm going to get a big break on my comp insurance by having it over a regular saw, then they win as they should, the market dictated the value, not the government.


But you should always be wearing your fall arrest gear when climbing said ladder that is over 6'. :laughing:


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Sisyphus said:


> There is almost always a guard on my table saws. I don't like the factory guards that came with them (at least not the ones I actually tried) but I do like a guard that will collect the dust and totally cover the blade. Safer, cleaner and healthier. I hate to think what carcinogens may be in dust from melamine, particle board etc.


You would love the sawstop blade guard. I could never stand using one until I used sawstop's guard. Works great and captures dust well also. Sawstop has the only table saw I have ever worked with whose dust collection actually works. 

I the fact that the company is lobbying and all that because their saws are really great tools. 

But as far as the blade guard goes, you put on sawstops blade guard and you have made an incredibly dangerous machine remarkably safe.


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## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

Spencer said:


> the fact that the company is lobbying and all that because their saws are really great tools. QUOTE]
> 
> Has nothing to do with great tools. If the tools are that much better then the competition, they will sell themselves. Festool proves this concept, their tools are typically double the price of the competition, but they aren't lobbying to get the Kapex to be the only miter saw that you can buy.
> 
> ...


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## Needles (May 18, 2012)

Saw stop technology should go into the public domain if the goobermint makes them mandatory. 

Lobbying is a crime against the natural laws of commerce.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

PrestigeR&D said:


> There are alternatives,,,,,,
> 
> http://youtu.be/8VbYuJYhxLM
> 
> Interesting discussion about saw stop....http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/a-sawstop-killer/


Damn. That Metabo setup looks nice. Why can we never get the really cool tools on this side of the pond...


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

PrecisionFloors said:


> Damn. That Metabo setup looks nice. Why can we never get the really cool tools on this side of the pond...


Festool and mafell both makes saws like that too. The UL will never allow one here.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Festool and mafell both makes saws like that too. The UL will never allow one here.


I see that now. That post sent me on a trip down the google hole lol. Why is that do you suppose?


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## m1911 (Feb 24, 2009)

PrecisionFloors said:


> I see that now. That post sent me on a trip down the google hole lol. Why is that do you suppose?


because you clicked from one link to the next :laughing:


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## john5mt (Jan 21, 2007)

That metabo seems like an upside down radial arm saw


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

Long story short
There is no substitute for proper technique with a power tool.

I was a firearms instructor for several yrs. A surprise to many was, it's not the novice who caused most accidental discharges. It was usually from those with the most experience and became so comfortable they became lax. And then...BAAM!!!

I thinks it's the same with power tools and motorcycles. Everyone is most cautious in the beginning.


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## Sisyphus (Nov 1, 2010)

jb4211 said:


> Long story short
> There is no substitute for proper technique with a power tool.
> 
> I was a firearms instructor for several yrs. A surprise to many was, it's not the novice who caused most accidental discharges. It was usually from those with the most experience and became so comfortable they became lax. And then...BAAM!!!
> ...


Absolutely! Most of the guys I knew who lost bits of fingers etc. were usually the experienced people who got careless (in a hurry, distracted, tired ...whatever, and that is a path I fear to tread) hence the importance of safe setups and making correct technique automatic.


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## Buckeye Don (Apr 29, 2011)

Well I got one and remodeled the trailer a little to make the saw fit. 
With the motor off the weight isn't too bad. 
Haven't used it yet, will give it a go next week.


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## Aaron Berk (Jul 10, 2010)

Buckeye Don said:


> Well I got one and remodeled the trailer a little to make the saw fit.
> With the motor off the weight isn't too bad.
> Haven't used it yet, will give it a go next week.


:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Sweet.
After I chopped a slice through my right hand pinkie working on a ridgid portable (not my saw) I debated the SS as well.

I enjoy my 5hp cabinet saw and baby bosch to much, so I didn't make a saw change.

Have fun with the SS, looking forward to hearing your opinion on it :thumbsup:

I bet it runs smooth........


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## varmintjcl (Jan 23, 2009)

A few years ago I almost bought a SS, but the feature that allowed you to turn off the safety feature because I was told it would trip if you were cutting a damp piece of wood sent me over to the Jet saw....not at all portable, but an awesome saw...
I'd also like to hear your experiences with your new one...


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## Rustbucket (May 22, 2009)

varmintjcl said:


> A few years ago I almost bought a SS, but the feature that allowed you to turn off the safety feature because I was told it would trip if you were cutting a damp piece of wood sent me over to the Jet saw....not at all portable, but an awesome saw... I'd also like to hear your experiences with your new one...


What are you trying to say here?


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Rustbucket said:


> What are you trying to say here?


I think he's saying that because the safety feature can be shut off when cutting wet wood it's not worth it.


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## BBuild (Oct 10, 2012)

varmintjcl said:


> A few years ago I almost bought a SS, but the feature that allowed you to turn off the safety feature because I was told it would trip if you were cutting a damp piece of wood sent me over to the Jet saw....not at all portable, but an awesome saw...
> I'd also like to hear your experiences with your new one...


If you override the safety feature a red warning light comes on and it automatically resets after your power it off. There's no chance of mistakingly using the saw with out the safety feature.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

BBuild said:


> If you override the safety feature a red warning light comes on and it automatically resets after your power it off. There's no chance of mistakingly using the saw with out the safety feature.


But you can use it without the safety feature. The red light simply means you need to start using your brain again when you get your fingers close to the blade.


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

I hate that f&cking saw and all that is behind it.......


Nothing personal,...



JMPOV,...


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## mattrich (Oct 16, 2009)

PrestigeR&D said:


> I hate that f&cking saw and all that is behind it....... Nothing personal,... JMPOV,...


Wow


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

mattrich said:


> Wow


What? It's surprising that some of us disagree with a private business attempting to utilize the government to strongarm us into buying their products? Shouldn't be. I don't need yet another entity attempting to think for me - I have that covered, thanks


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

Well said


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