Upgrading to a cabinet saw

[Boondox]

For years I've used a 1.5hp Jet contractor's saw with an Exacta fence and Forrest WWII blade. Really happy with it for softwood, or for hardwoods of 3/4 inch or less. But most of my wood is rock maple of 6/4 - 8/4 thickness, and that little motor has a really hard time with it.

So I'm thinking of upgrading to a 3hp cabinet saw. Looks like the Grizzly with the Shop Fox fence (Biesemeyer clone) is the most bang for the buck, but am also looking at the Powermatic, Jet, and Delta saws.

Two questions: (1) For those of you who have made the jump from an open-stand contractor's saw to a cabinet saw, was it worth it? (2) If any of you have actually used the cabinet saws, how do you rate them?

TIA, Pete

 

[Egon]

I've no experience with a table saw but will say the more HP and 220 in the shop should surely ease the feed situation.

I can really notice the difference between my 30 some year old sears radial and the 10 year old Delta sidekick sliding miter saw with the delta at much more amperage does a whole lot better.

Egon

 

[Glenn9643]

The only money that might have better spent in my shop than on my Grizzly 1023Z cabinet saw was that spent on dust collection.
The 1023Z was straightforward to assemble and set up. Was well packed for shipping with no problems. The blade that comes with it is a POS, so go on and get a Forrest WWII or Jessada, Frued, etc ahead of time. I don't recall if mine came with a dust collector port in the door or if I added it. I also "chinked" all the cracks around the saw, between the side panels and top, etc. with pieces of fiberglass insulation to help keep sawdust off the floor and increase suction through the blade opening.
At one time Grizzly would provide customers' names/phone numbers in your area so you could get direct feedback on their products from other buyers. You might try that. Nothing against Delta, Jet, or any of the others but I still this was the best bang for my buck! "Five Stars"!

 

[buzst]

I'll go along with Glen with this one. I've had my Grizzly for 5 years now and just cannot envision what would make the more expensive saws better. The money I saved put more tools in the shop than I otherwise could have justified

 

[Henro]

I also use a contractor's table saw...10" sears...50" delta unifence...roller table on the outfeed side, made from 6" fence pipe with ball bearings in each end...

Won't be long till I get a Grizzly saw. Can't decide for sure yet, but will probably go for the 14' single phase model. I just like the bigger table. The 12" looks pretty good too, though.

Was at the showroom a couple weeks ago...all their cabinet saws look real good for the dollar, from what I can see.

I have been happy with my grizzly 18" bandsaw and 15" planer. I am also considering the 8" by 75" jointer...I think they make a fairly good product for the dollar spent. No complaints here...so far... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Cliff_Johns]

I'd have to agree with Egon. I switched to 220 and found
enough power for my needs without switching to a
bigger motor. However, I see other reasons to move up
to a cabinet saw like rolling outfeed tables and more
stability. They aren't woth the price for me, but I could
see where those type features would be useful, especially
for people doing a lot of work with 4X8 sheet goods.

Ripping long 8/4 red oak doesn't give me a problem
unless my blade is getting dull, or I try to do it with the
combination instead of the rip blade (the right blade makes
a big difference.)


Cliff

 

[BXMMCC]

Egon - my 30 plus year old Sears radial is convertible to 220. I thought I had a new saw after I switched it over, startup was amazingly faster.

 

[Egon]

My Radial isn't set up for 220 but there are plans for running some new wiring and putting the bandsaw, Jointer and radial on 220. Since I'm retired time is at a premium.

Egon

 

[sassafraspete]

I've been reading woodworking magazines since the 70s, but don't get to do as much woodworking as I'd like. I can remember when the cheap knock-offs of the US made tools, didn't get much good press. Bad castings, poor grinding, etc. They have really come along way now...ie Grizzly. I see the same comparison to tractors...eg I believe the South Korean tractors are giving a lot of value for the money these days. Maybe when Henro buys the grizzly, he can trade the kabota for another brand also ?

sassafraspete

 

[Hank]

<font color="purple"> But most of my wood is rock maple of 6/4 - 8/4 thickness, and that little motor has a really hard time with it. </font>

Even with a 7.5hp, three phase, 14" rip saw, we would sometimes find thick and especially hard or curly hardwoods a chore. In those cases, we'd resort to resawing, even though the saw could take it in one pass.

Good luck with your new saw! If you have cats, expect little presents inside the litterbox/cabinet.