Mikedlj

Hi Jerry
I’ve used one for several years now in a scenery shop. The big advantage is that you never know who’s going to use it, so it’s a great insurance against injury. That said, it is a very good saw and if I was going to buy a new table saw for my own shop, that’s the one I’d probably get.

rcarol

Why do you say that it's not worth the price? How do you put a price on your fingers? Apparently, your fingers are worth less than mine.

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

A very talented local finish carpenter, was cutting up some treated lumber through his cabinet saw so he could bag it, he was worried his dog would get into it, and took his mind off things, wasn't;t really aware that he had removed all the fingers off his left hand. His wife, a nurse, did everything right, but they couldn't be saved. His work was exceptional, cabinet/furniture grade stuff and high end carpentry and design. One of the very best I have seen. But one second not paying attention.

I too work a lot with my hands and sharp power tools etc. and I am very, very cautious and careful... but that system sounds like a good trade off if it should ever be needed. Stuff happens!

clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

He invented it and tried to license the technology to most of the saw manufacturers. The all passed on the offer because they felt the liability for their old saws would increase exponentially. It would have been an admission that all the saws they produced were inherently unsafe. A Hobson’s choice. Use your brain when operating equipment that is designed to cut, crush, abrade or puncture things tougher than you skin.

clickety

As well as the blade, so every saved finger or hand costs a couple hundred bucks. Considering we shell out thousands to save a tooth......?

Bill_de Loc: US

The brake is what needs to be replaced. I, like many people who were buying Saw Stops when I got mine, bought a spare. They are easily replaced. In fact, when using a dado set you need to swap the brake. It slips over a couple of pins and plugs into the computer at the same time.

I just read something I didn't know. Saw Stop in owned by the same German company that owns Festool.

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rcarol

Good point about the tooth. My implant cost $7500 including the bone graft.

Lonnie77 Loc: Kennedale, Texas

I have a cheap Ryobi table saw. It cuts wood like a table saw should.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks. That guy is good. I started on the sled yesterday. Mine is going to be a combination of several on YouTube - simple and inexpensive. Like some others, I'm using 1/2" MDF. All the pieces are cut, so I'll see how I feel after getting my second Covid shot today.

CaltechNerd Loc: Whittier, CA, USA

I believe
Festool only recently acquired SawStop. It does seem somewhat logical. Previously it was an independent company.

Virgil Loc: The Hoosier State

My table saw is my dad's Craftsman that he bought back in the early 40's. Still works fine. He mounted it on a singer treadle sewing machine base, (still is!). New blades but the original motor. Back then some things were made to last!!

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

When I semi-retired 12 years ago, I decided that I was going to get more serious about woodworking. I already had a ~30 year old Craftsman 10" contractor saw a planer and a bunch of smaller power tools. I did some research and decided to go with Grizzly. I bought a Grizzly 17" band saw (2HP), an 8" jointer (3HP) and a 20" drill press (1.5HP). As I was cutting the plywood to fit into the mobile bases for the drill press and band saw, the motor on my table saw died. I bought a Grizzly 10" 3HP cabinet saw with the optional cast iron extension with a router mount. I have been very happy with all of them. You just have to respect ANY power tool and use it carefully, taking all safety precautions. Keys on a table saw are push sticks, a riving knife or splitter, a blade guard and a zero clearance insert. Always use eye protection and dust collection; your eyes and lungs are even more important than your fingers IMO. A cabinet saw has much better dust collection than a contractor saw. No more clouds of dust in the garage since getting my cabinet saw and a good dust collection system. Respect it and any power tool. Is a Sawstop worth the extra money? Maybe. Do I plan to replace my Grizzly with one? No. If I needed to replace my current saw, would it be with a Sawstop? Maybe. The current model of my saw is the G1023RL; with the router table extension, mobile base and shipping, around $2,000. My feeling is that life is too short for cheap tools.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

My dust collection is haphazard. If I'll be doing a lot of cutting, I'll connect the shop vac. I made a "dust separator" out of it with a 25 gal pail, and that works fine. Otherwise, I vacuum up the sawdust. I'm finishing a crosscut sled today, and that will help protect my fingers, although I do use push sticks, a riving knife, and other safety items. Those Covid masks come in handy when cutting and sanding.

EDIT: That 1023 looks good. I like the switch. I'm going to add one to mine.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, a sled is a useful accessory and not hard to build. The trick is to get the runners exactly the right distance apart and parallel (and perpendicular to the vertical of the sled) so they don’t bind. I used double sided tape, carefully placed the sled over the runners (using the fence to square it) and then flipped it over to screw them in, but I’m sure there are other ways. I also marked the slot on the back where the blade emerges in red - easy to forget it’s there when it “emerges” from the back.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I put pennies in the runner slots to raise the boards a bit. Then I put super glues on them and dropped the baseboard onto them, using the fence as a guide. I'm putting a safety block of some kind at the rear where the blade could exit. All these ideas came from online. Some guys make a safety block that is a box with an open top so you can see the blade coming through.