aclose

Sat, Aug. 2nd, 2008 my father and I head off to our local Woodcraft to take delivery of my new tablesaw. After poking around the store a bit, we have the saw (4 boxes) loaded into the back of his pickup. The store had a nice people powered forklift that they used to load the main cabinet which was nice.
At home, unloading was much simpler than we had thought it would be. We 'roughly' constructed a ramp from some 2x10's and a couple smaller boards that hung off the bumper of the pickup. This allowed us to slide the main saw box to the edge of the bed, lift the edge of the box onto the ramp, and then carefully slide it down to the driveway. The cabinet came encased in a steel frame that needed to be unbolted to get to the saw. This actually made unloading much easier as we had something to hold on to.
Unfortunately I was a bit excited and pre-occupied with unloading the saw to take many pictures, but I do have a few.


Here I'm unbolting the cabinet from the steel base frame it's attached to.


Here is the top of the steel cage/frame that was over the cabinet (and my father and uncle)


My brother and I inspecting the cabinet on its new mobile base.

As previously mentioned, the saw came in 4 boxes. The large/heavy main box contained the cabinet and the two cast iron table wings. Box #2 contained the fence, #3 contained the front and rear fence track and rail system, and #4 contained the remaining hardware/accessories. Everything was fairly well packed and had arrived undamaged.


Attaching the table wings was a two person job, but was fairly easy.

Sun. I spent the day assembing/tuning the rest of the saw carefully following the manual. Actually, I read the manual Sat. night and then stepped through it as I was doing the assembly. The manual is pretty good as far as installation instructions go. Something I found mildly amusing was that in the electrical requirements section of the manual it states: "The switch has a plug that is designed to plug into a 230 volt outlet. There are so many different configurations fro 230 volt outlets, so it is conceivable that the configuration of the plug may not match the configuration of your existing outlet. If this is the case, you will have to replace the plug with a UL/CSA approved plug that matches the configuration of our 230V outlet." And then, on the very next page, grounding instructions, it states: "If a plug is provide wih you machine DO NOT modify the plug. If it will not it your electrical receptacle, have a qualified electrician install the proper connections to meet all electrical codes local and state."
It makes sense now that I read it a fifth or sixth time, but it wasn't very clear the first time. Although, never having owned a tool that requires 240V before, it may be common to have to switch out the plug, or supply one altogether.
If that's the only thing I can fault Steel City with in the manual, then that's pretty good.
I spent the next hour or so cleaning off the oily stuff that covers all the cast pieces. First with a plain, clean rag, then with mineral spirits, a little mild rubbing compound to get out a couple small stains, and finally two coats of wax.
The fence rail system was next. A couple bolts and a few quick measurments and the rails and guide tube are attached. The fence came assembled aside from the adjustment screw that rides on the rear rail. It was also very easy to adjust. All the assembly and setup was fairly straightforward and easily accomplished while taking your time.
After installing the blade I decided I would start off right 'attempting' to use the blade guard and splitter that ships with the saw. While installing the blade guard I was a bit perplexed because I couldn't figure out how the riving knife would be attached and still move up and down with the blade. And wait, where is that riving knife..?

Ok, what happened? And who screwed up?
At first I figured I had been misinformed and maybe the cast iron top saw didn't come with a riving knife, only the granite one. But a visit to Steel City's website proved otherwise. However, they do have two cast iron models with three horse motors. One comes with the riving knife and the other does not. Doh!!!

Mon, Aug 4th I called my Woodcraft to straighten things out. We went through the purchase order and found that the correct saw was listed. Woodcraft called Steel City and they both verified that the shipping order had the other saw listed. So somewhere between writing up the purchase order and calling it in to Steel City there was a glitch. Surprisingly I've been very even tempered about the whole situation considering I've been waiting for this saw for over a month now. I even think it's slightly funny. Slightly. :wink:
Steel City will be shipping out the correct cabinet a little later this week so I'll be able to pick it up early next week. Which is ok since I still don't have 240V power hooked up yet (another story...).
So next week I'll chronicle the arrival of the 'other' new saw, the disassembly of the current saw, and the reassembly of the correct saw. And maybe I'll try to take a few more uncrating photos at that time as well.

Edit: Aug, 6th 2008 - The replacement is here already! We ordered it on Mon.

aclose

The rag was clean and the table had been wiped down with mineral spirits three times.


A nice shiny, waxed top


Rails and Fence installed


Assembly finished

I finally got around to completing this reveiw.

Woodchuck1957

Nice saw, congradulations, but why is the mobile base so long ? I'm not sure that I'd like the casters sticking that far out either, looks like they would be easy to trip over.

skymaster

Hi Chuck :} I agree base is really wide. That said I would slide the saw all the way to the right and bild a cabinet for the left side for blades,etc

knotscott

Nice! That oughta make your summer! ...that's the 3hp version right? Nice looking saw. Are you going to add a router table and leg set on the right side? You should find that you can slide the front rail tube over the right to gain some extra rip capacity if you like. With that type of fence, you can usually go one bolt hole over to get about 10" more with little to no redrilling. You may have to reattach the switch, and you will have to relocate the tape measure accordingly.

Enjoy!

aclose

hey Woodchuck. i was going to buy the Steel City base when i bought the saw. but the base at the store seemed very unstable. so i looked into other 3rd party bases and decided for $100 +/-, i could have a better base built. maybe i can get some pictures from above to show where things stick out, or don't. this base is just a bit shorter than the table. the wheels rotate/spin and lock. i also didn't want to raise the saw up any more than i had to, so the wheel configuration is what it is. but now that the saw is on the base it doesn't seem like it will be a problem.

Skymaster, the saw is positioned so that it and the base will wheel into the corner of my shop when not in use. the extra length to the right and left of the cabinet will be used to build drawers for storage. i figured that space is typically wasted and should be put to use. since i need the saw to be mobile in my garage, the storage under it needs to be mobile as well.

Knottscott, yes it is the 3HP model. it does make my summer. i'm just hoping that i can get everything squared away and setup again so that i can actually use it before it gets cold. i don't have a heated shop, err, garage. :wink:

i'm hoping to do the needed electrical work this weekend to power the saw. the new cabinet should be here early next week. so maybe i'll actually be able to 'use' it the following weekend.
one of my first projects will be to build the storage cabinets.

clarionflyer

Nice saw. I've heard they build the Craftsman version... and looking at the outside they are identical.
You're gonna love it.

aclose

Steel City must've overnighted the replacement cabinet because it showed up two days after we called and re-ordered. my Dad and i were able to get the new cabinet unloaded and the previous cabinet reloaded without too much hassle. Steel City sent only a replacement cabinet because the other parts were interchangeable. well, not quite. the rear rail for the fence has a different bolt configuration due to the much much larger trunnion setup this saw has. so i guess i have to wait another couple days before i can really try this saw out. i suppose i'll just have to be patient.

edit: actually, the fence rails fit just fine. you just have to make sure you're not trying to put them on upside down

BobbyfromHouston

That is a really nice looking mobile base. I hope you enjoy the saw.
Bobby

TexasTimbers

I like the wide base. I also like the idea of moving it to the right and building a cabinet. Anything to make it heavier. Heavy is good with table saws. Give us a rundown on how she drives after you've taken her for a couple of spins around the block.

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lifeisgreat1

Yeah you will surely enjoy this tablesaw. My uncle can't stop talking about his even though he's not that big on the size of mobile base.

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Itchy Brother

Looks sorta similar except mine is 110 not 230 volts.

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TheRecklessOne

My plan is to buy the same table saw, but with the granite top. 3 hp, the whole bit. I've got a renovation to start this week, but once that's over that saw is mine. What problems do you see with the granite top? I want to big power one, but I've got to install a big outlet too.

TheRecklessOne

ItchyBrother do you have any power issues with the 1.75 hp motor?

knotscott

I had the Craftsman 22124 (pretty much the same saw made by the same company as the SC) for over 3 years before I went to a 3hp Shop Fox saw this summer. With good alignment, and a sharp 24T TK ripping blade, I could cut just about anything to full blade height without too much struggle on the 1-3/4hp saw. If helps alot if the wood is flat/straight. You just need to be more conscientious about the setup and blade choice than with 3hp.

I did run the 22124 on 220v, but theoretically the power is the same. 220v gave it faster startups, and faster recovery during real heavy cutting.

Itchy Brother

Nope,It seems to have all the power I need,and I didnt have to rewire my garage!

aclose

i didn't see any problems with the granite top, except for possibly chipping. but it has a pretty good warranty on it. i actually really liked the idea. however, i figured the cast top would allow me to use magnetic hold downs/featherboards. although i'm wondering if the granite might have been a better choice now that my saw is in my unheated garage.
the outlet install isn't really a big deal. you can do all that work. but if you're uncomfortable with electricity, or don't have a lot of experience, it would be worth your while to hire a qualified electrician to finish the hookups for you.
good luck!

TheRecklessOne

I like the thought of the granite top never warping, and the awesome warranty. Plus, it's different and that's got me written all over it. I may go with the 110 just to be on the safe side. Not only do I not want to wire anything, but I want to use it right away!

P.s. My shop is seperate from my house and doesn't have heating and cooling either. Plus I'm in southeast VA where the humidity is aweful!

clarionflyer

Hmmm.
As soon as you're ready to change over to 220v... just yell. It's been my favorite addition to the shop. It's not too bad.

aclose

ok, i've ignored this post long enough. i need to take the time to finish up now that i've had the 'correct' saw for a couple weeks.

assembly was the same as the hybrid version. the only real gotcha's i came across were that some of the bolts are in metric. luckily i used to have an old Datsun 280z that i had planned to restore, so i had a set of metric wrenches. however, it is rather annoying to be working through assembling something and then having to switch from our stupid English system to the metric system.

once assembled and cleaned up, the saw looks quite nice on my mobile base.



it sounds great when i plug it in and turn it on. i haven't tried the nickel test, mainly because i rarely keep change in my pockets. but i'm pretty sure it would pass. this saw is much beefier than the hybrid as you'll see in the picts of the trunnions.







raising and lowering the blade are quite easy and the wheels/cranks are solid metal which feels nice and adds a bit of weight to turning. the on/off switch is conveniently located right at your left thigh, which has caused me to turn of the saw a couple times while ripping. my other saw and my father's saw both have their switches on the right side out of the way and not very prominent if you need to quickly turn the saw off. the switch position on the SC is much better but will take a little getting use to.
once i aligned the fence with the miter slot and gave it 1/1000th runout or so it's perfect. it's by far the best fence i've had a chance to use regularly. its very smooth to slide and locks into position nicely without drifting so your measurement stays dead on.
the riving knife works well and has actually done it's job already. in testing out the saw i ripped a piece of 4/4 purpleheart that i will be making a cutting board out of. previously this piece of wood pinched and completely stopped my fathers Rigid tablesaw. the SC has 3HP and probably wouldn't stop for this board, and the riving knife kept the pinch away from the blade.



i was expecting the blade that came with the saw to be junk after reading posts from others about new saws and the best/first upgrade is to get a decent blade. the SC blade isn't half bad. i do plan to replace it with the Freud Fusion blade as soon as my Woodcraft gets them in stock. but the SC blade did a nice job on the 4/4 purpleheart and a piece of 4/4 rock maple. after several rips of each (~3' long) the edges of the boards i cut were glass smooth and had little to no burn (some of which could probably be attributed to my newness with this saw i'm sure). i would guess that this blade won't hold it's edge as well as a high quality blade from a quality blade manufacturer, but i will be holding on to it as a backup.
the miter gauge isn't terribly great, but i guess it's not bad either. it rides nicely in the miter slots with minimal play. it will do until i get around to building a crosscut sled; although, if one of you 'wealthy' woodworkers would like to send me an Incra miter gauge i'd be happy to use it and let you know what i think of it.
i can't really talk about the dust collection because i don't have a dust collection system. my poor old shopvac is in serious need of a replacement and would probably die if i tried to hook it up to a 4" port. the inside of the saw is angled down towards the dust port to help funnel dust out. it seems functional, but i have very little experience with dust collection or cabinet saws for that matter. right now i just do my work and vac it up after the fact.
i've already templated out my throat plate to make a couple zero clearance inserts. due to the riving knife and how it's mounted, this saw doesn't have the standard oval throat plate that most others do. it's a long rectangle. i haven't looked to see if aftermarket blanks are available yet, but i wouldn't be surprised if they are. making your own isn't terribly difficult and is a lot cheaper. i'm sure that will also help with the amount of dust kicked up by the blade.
overall i'm very happy with this saw and am looking forward to making dust with it. now i just need to find more time to get out in the shop.