scarlton

Just received my Sawstop Contractors saw. There have been many posts about this and some people not believing it was real because it has been so long since it was announced.

Well I can confirm it is indeed real. Will need to assemble at the weekend but so far packing and instructions look very good and the machine seems very substantial.

raskgle

You will enjoy saw, have had one sence nov. you will find that your saw can be ajusted for purfexion. I am totally blind so that means all of my settings have to ve in my head, so setup needs to be right. you will be very pleased with your saw
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Buffalo Bilious

Stick a hot dog in it and see what happens!

Just kiddin'... what's one of them bad boys go for, price-wise? Other details would be nice as well.

ramon68

Three questions:
Do the trunnions attach to the cabinet or the table?
Is the motor inboard or outboard?
Does the riving knife move up and down with the blade?
I asked Sawstop these questions and never got a reply.
Their website has no details.
Thanks.

knotscott

Wow! You're the first "individual" that I've heard actually got one.
Let us know how it goes. Mind telling us what the total delivered cost ended up?

Ramon, I'm almost certain that the motor is outboard and that the trunnions are table mounted.

scarlton

The motor is mounted externally.

The trunnions are pretty heavy duty and mount to the table top.

Every thing seems extremely well made and over engineered.

Instructions for assembly are extremely well written.

Still only partially assembled at this point but I'm quite impressed. Should have it running Friday.

As to price, I sent in an order many years ago and they honored the price from that time. So my price isn't representative of the current price which is $1499

scarlton

I forgot to mention that the riving knife moves with the blade.

aclose

i posted this in another thread on Tablesaws:

ramon68

I believe the target market for this saw is job site contractors.
Stamped steel wings and aluminum fence and rails are weight saving features, fine for a jobsite, but not in my shop.
So add $500 to that $1499 starting price tag for cast iron wings and biesemeyer style fence and you have a good $700 contractors saw with a $1300 safety feature. $2000 and you still have a contractors saw.
I just think I'll wait untill I can afford the cabinet saw.

22B

I am ordering mine next week. I can't believe it's been over 3 years since I placed my pre-order.

scarlton,
I am thinking about getting the mobile base with it. What accessories did you order?

scarlton

I ordered the high grade 52" fence system and table.

I put the saw together today, am quite impressed. Very good instructions. Every part is good quality and over engineered. No corners have been cut. Particularly good is ease of removing and adding the riving blade or blade cover.

It is very substantial and I think the mobile base would be useful.

I thought I ordered the cast iron wings but it was a long time ago and I received the standard pressed wings.

With the fence system and table extension the wings have very rigid support. I'm hard pressed to make the wings move or deflect. I'm going to use the saw as it is and see how it functions with the standard wings.

22B

I am ordering the 36" fence and the cast wings as well. Can you measure the runout of the arbor and the flatness of the table top? I read that the SS cabinet saw had 0.000" runout and a superb flatness measurement. Do you think the fit and finish is close to the SS cabinet saw? I am replacing a unisaw so I hope the quality is close to that at least. Thanks

scarlton

I don't have a dial gauge to measure accurately. However there is no play in the blade and is flat against a straight edge.

The machining on the table top is superb, far better than a delta sander i just purchased and obviously done to high standards. A long metal bar sits dead flat on the surface.

22B

I just finished putting together and fine tuning my SS contractor. Here are some tidbits of info some of you guys might be interested in.

The quality of the Sawstop 1.75HP Contractor is exceptional. The arbor runout is 0.0005. Table flatness is 0.012. The ground surface of the table has an excellent polish. My last saw was a unisaw and this saw is almost as stable. The only 2 items I am not completely satisfied with are the lightweight aluminum handwheels and the melamine sides on the fence. I already ordered some solid handwheels from grizzly. The melamine fence surfaces are slightly bowed. I will adjust the holding screws and see if that fixes the problem. I am thinking about getting a couple pieces of phenolic to replace them.

The motor is very strong. I made a couple test cuts and they came out perfect. I will rewire it for 230V before starting my next project: a couple of morris chairs. I don't forsee any issues cutting 3" thick white oak.

I am very particular about my tools and I am very pleased with this purchase. I am happy to see this saw next to my Laguna LT14SE bandsaw. As a weekend woodworker, this saw is perfect for me. I don't see the need to go to the cabinet saw for more than twice the cost.

Rod in Ontario

I watched this...she sure does stop fast and disappear fast.

http://tinyurl.com/33plcf

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Rod in Ontario

Dr_Jerkyll

Hi all fellow woodworkers.. This thread got me to register, up untill now I have read your posts unregistred for a year or so.

I think saftey is imprortant, and are considering the sawstop contractor saw. Since they do not sell it here in sweden, or in Europe, I have not had the plesure to try it. But before I order I have som concerns that I hope you sawstop owners can help me with.

- I am afraid that the motor turns out to be to weak. I am a advanced hobbyist with a woodworking education, renovating our old house from the 1700-century and would like to be able to drag a sturdy saw between the 14 rooms but still be able to rip 2" boards. Is that possible with only 1,75 HP (1300 watt)? Up untill now I have used a saw with 1800 watts and that worked fine. But 1300 watt... ?

niki

Hi Dr Jerkyll

I'm from Poland and looks like I'll never buy a Sawstop...

First, because I'm working according to the European safety regulation and if you do so, your fingers will never be around or above the blade. Not to mention the fact that the blade is (must) covered with the blade guard for ANY operation...

Second, it will cost a lot of money to import it to EU...so, better to check it with the shipping company and the customs in your country (the VAT in Poland is 22%).

Another factor that you have to think of is, part availability...the "father" is in USA....

The saw, as it is now, will not be imported to EU because it's illegal (the blade must stop within 10 seconds and the arbor should be of 30mm) and it will not be profitable for any importer to import it just to sell it to a few rich amateurs that are not controlled by the safety regulations...

Some small correction...in Europe all the electric products should indicate the Watts but, this is the consumption Watts or "Input Watts" and not the "Output Watts" that are the real Output power and depends on the "Motor Efficiency".

In USA, the tool / machines are showing the HP that is the real "Output HP" (only for induction motors) so the 1,300W is the real output power....the 1,800W of your previous saw is the "Input power" and if you'll multiply it by 60% (motor efficiency) you'll get the real "Output power" that will be only 1,080W or aprox 1.5HP so the 1.75HP is better than you're previous saw...

Here is a part of my Metabo PK 255 table saw....Metabo is the only maker that gives the Input and the Output power so you know "what's in the box" (look at the "Motor Capacity" on the table - Input P1 = 2.5kW -- Output P2 = 1.9kW)...all the other makers gives only the Input power and the output depends on the "Motor Efficiency" that is usually a big secret...

Scarlton
I wish you to enjoy your new saw....I know you will...
Work safe

Regards
niki

Dr_Jerkyll

Thank you so much for the information Niki! You made my day!

This explains everything! I have wondered how every reviewer could say that you with ease could rip 2" american maple on 1 300 watt. :)

It is a funny coincidence that you refer to the metabo pkf 255, that saw is number two on my list if I can not get a hold of a sawstop. :) Yes the saw will be "illegal", and the warranty will not cover. But I am willing to take that and the relatively high price for the sake of sawstops safety feature.

You seem to know a lot about motors Niki, I have one more concern. The sawstop is specified for american 230 volt, that has a frequency of 60Hz and we in Sweden (europe?) have 50 Hz in our outlets. I do have shipped a DeWalt planer over the pond before, and that works fine. But do you think the 50Hz will make the engine loose power, or that it can hurt the advanced surcuits in the machine?

Thanks again! And Scarlton, I hope you can write a couple of words or three about the motor effect in practical use.

niki

Hi Dr Jerkyll

Well, my knowledge in motors is not so good as you think. I learnt it from reading many replies of Electric Engineers on the Internet and some reading in Vikipedia and alike (just Google - Induction motors or Universal motors)

I think that the lower frequency in EU (50HZ) will cause the motor to turn at a slower speed and according to this site, there is a danger of burning out so, maybe it's better to ask some motor repair shop or an Electric Engineer...or, to send a question to SawStop...
http://www.elec-toolbox.com/Formulas/Motor/mtrform.htm

I made many jigs for the PK 255 so, If you'll decide to buy it, send me a PM and I'll give you the addressees that you can see the jigs "work in progress" with many pictures.

Regards
niki

duncsuss

Niki --

You are correct, the lower frequency will cause the motor to spin at a lower speed.

The danger of burnout mentioned on the website you linked to is when the motor is prevented from turning at the speed it would like to run (which is proportional to the frequency of the power supply). This might happen, for example, by trying to cut through material that is harder and/or thicker than it is able to process.

Regards,

Duncan

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Duncan