sawstop or unisaw? Why?

[wisardd1]

One or the other will probably be my next TS purchase.

[Beamer]

only you can answer if that brake is worth it to you.

Both are fine saws and will likely be your last one.

It's entirely up to you on that brake, though. I will say, the ICS is built about 3x beefier than an already beefy unisaw - bearings are bigger, castings, etc ... they gotta be for the impact of that brake cartridge. Better? i dunno ...

Personally the one feature i want on my ... next ... saw is a TRUE riving knife. If it sits above the blade at ANY time throughout it's travel, it's not a true riving knife. That's the one feature my current saw (PM66) lacks.

Brake or not ... that's yer call

[lexrex]

I like the sawstop, if it's in your budget. They have a contractor saw, the Professional Cabinet Saw, and the Industrial Cabinet Saw. I think the PCS is in the realm of a lot of cabinet saws.

The unisaw, SS, and some grizzly machines have true riving knives. They are essential if you are buying a new saw, IMO.

I have seen holy wars erupt on other forums about SS vs. other and hopefully this won't go that way. There are people unhappy with the owner trying to mandate his technology, etc. When it came down to it for me, I am a young guy and I wanted to buy my last saw. My wife also saw the SS demo and pretty much sealed the deal. I had it down to PM2000 and SS.

People argue that it will give a false sense of security. That can only happen if you let it. I approach my saw the same way I do any other saw, as safe as possible. It's not a mechanism to allow me to be lazy, it's an insurance policy should an accident happen. The fact that there is a blade brake never even enters my mind when I make a cut. I learned WWing on a delta contractor saw so I developed very good habits there.

[TDHofstetter]

I wouldn't personally own one, for that false-security reason Chris talks about plus the fact that I'm pretty dang unlikely to stick my finger into the blade of a running saw so I couldn't justify it even without the security thing.

BUT... it really IS a personal choice, one nobody should make for you.

[wisardd1]

You guys are so much farther ahead on the realistic aspects of tablesaws than I could ever be. Right now I have a Bosch contractor saw. I read the reveiws and it has been a good beginning saw for me. I use woodworker IIs, both a 40 tooth and a 30? took think kerf rip saw blade. It cuts beautifully. I don't like the fences and it is a little light in power, but sufficent. So, in upgrading there is no better place to ask the question.

dale

[brburns]

I wouldn't want the brake. If I had a brake I would have already blown through at least 1 $70 brake and 1 $70 blade. I would love a riving knife though.

[Stretch]

Of the two saws, I'd go for the Unisaw. The brake mechanism on the Sawstop isn't a selling point for me and I really like having the both blade adjusting cranks on the front of the saw.

[fredbelknap]

Dale looks like you got some different opinions so I will put in my $ .02 worth. I was in a commercial shop a while back and they had the sawstops. That said something about the quality and maybe liability. The guy that owns it is a high school building instructor. If I had the money I think I would go with the ss. I have seen first hand what a moment of distraction can do to someone hand. One only had a finger and thumb one only lost one finger. One guy I know almost lost all use of his hand in a radial arm saw. It is a personal decision as has been stated. I don't think it would lull you into a state of indifference.

[Ruffnek]

I would go with the Unisaw for the following reasons:

• It has the blade height and tilt adjustment wheels on the front.
  
• The Unisaw has consistently been rated with the best dust collection of any cabinet saw.
  
• FWW magazine recently judged the Unisaw as having the best riving knife.
  
• It's cheaper than the Sawstop.
  
• Your routers, chop saw, band saw, lathe, jointer, planer etc. will not have an emergency stop on them, why the TS?
  
• After Steve Gass tried to get the CPSC to make his sawstop device mandatory on new saws, I swore I would never buy a Sawstop. I have not changed my mind nor lost my anger at his greed which he tried to pass off as concern for the operators (us).
  

But, as was already stated, it's a personal decision. I've read all the arguments on the forums, pro and con, and mine are simply my own opinions.

[lexrex]

I would add, as with other tools, go into the store and get a feel for both saws before making a final decision. I also think the PCS saw is pretty much the same price as the uni. Not sure exactly how they compare because I haven't put my hands on the uni.

[rrich]

There are a few things...

In your shop, have you trained your family to NOT interrupt you while you're using the machine?

In your shop, do you visualize every cut before you make it?

Did you know that hitting the blade with the miter gage (Metal) will trip the mechanism? (Wet wood will do so too.)

Did you know that there is but one source for the brake mechanism?

In all probability the best place for saw stop saws are schools and then commercial establishments where table saw operators are trained to use the saw as part of a career path.

The reasons behind the general hostility toward SawStop is all about marketing and not worth going into in this thread. The issue has been beaten to death and like blue dots in red states or red dots in blue states the issue will never be resolved. (RIP)

[Jim Brown]

About the false sense of security ... knowing the price of the blade and the cartridge if I trip it, I don't think I'd be any less careful than I am now. At Woodcraft a couple of years ago I watched them do a Sawstop demo, and the employee accidentally tripped it because she wasn't familiar with the startup sequence or something. It was a crap blade, but it still cost, as did the cartridge, and it made us all think twice about the potential cost of a "false positive."

Sure was a fine saw though. I still have my eye on it. And my wife the OR nurse seems to be coming around ...

[lexrex]

Dec 14, 2009 20:03:56 GMT -6 rrich said:

In all probability the best place for saw stop saws are schools and then commercial establishments where table saw operators are trained to use the saw as part of a career path.

...and in my house ;D

[wisardd1]

And the more important question: Is one saw better overall if the brake is taken out of the equation? Ultimately, it is the better tool I am trying to figure out rather than the safety feature. Motor, fense, tables, inards, etc.

[dcarter636]

I doubt that you're going to find anyone having enough experience with both saws to give an objective comparison. The Sawstop is still pretty new compared to the Unisaw so relative durability can't be accurately assessed beyond, junk VS not junk.

I'm sure you already know that most of the wood rags rave about the stoutness of the Sawstop machine but they also take significant advertising trade from them.

[sawduster]

What I would do is get the new Griz CS with the riving knife and buy wood with the money I saved. ;D

My previous TS had a riving knife (after a bit of alteration it worked like the "real riving knife" Jason described) and I really like that technology because I'm lazy about removing and replacing the splitter on my saw. Though I knew several manufacturers were going to be making new saws with riving knives I was impatient and bought my Griz before they came out with their saw with a riving knife.

Other than the new Uni being made in the USA it seems to me that its main selling feature above other CSs is as a status symbol.

As to the SawStop, if I was a younger fella with several decades of woodworking and wage earning in my future, then the SS would be a good choice. If it saves one of your fingers, it is worth the extra cost. I was happy when Doc Kerry got his. He needs his hands and all of his fingers for work. Guess I'm finally getting over my anger at the owner of SS for his attempt to force his patented technology on all of us through efforts at legislation making his product mandatory on all saws.

[wisardd1]

Would that be this one?

www.grizzly.com/products/10-3HP-220V-Cabinet-Table-Saw-with-Riving-Knife/G0690

[lexrex]

That is one of them, and less than half the $$ of the other two saws.

[lexrex]

grizzly.com/products/10-Heavy-Duty-Cabinet-Table-Saw-With-Riving-Knife/G0651

Even the big boy is much less $$.

Edited for wrong link.

[Joe Lyddon]

That sure is a pretty saw...

(... so is a brand new Unisaw... ;D ;D )