Questions before I purchase new TS..

[eezlock]

new table saw?

Chris, I think you would like the 3650 if you get it, a lot of good reviews
on Ridgid's website about that saw for sure. If you don't like the stock fence and rails that are on it now....upgrade them...I did and I like my saw a lot better now! I went with the Delta T-2 30" fence and rails and I would not have any saw....no matter what brand or type without a T-square type fence, they are better built and more reliable than stock units. You could always sell the fence and rails on E-bay, they will even fit some of the older Craftsman (Emerson built saws) and recover most of the cost of the new Delta T-2! Lowe's put the Delta on sale pretty regular at or near $129.00,
full price is only about $150.00...gives you something to ponder anyway.
eezlock

[tomscanio]

If the riving knife is important to you, you may want to wait. I believe I heard in this forum that any new model table saws after 1 Jan 08 will have to have riving knifes. That being said, models don't change very often.

tomscanio

[drumpriest]

Very late in this discussion, but chiming in anyway. I am the proud owner of a PM2000, upgraded from my BT3100. My motivations were many, one of which is that I didn't want to downgrade my safety features when I upgraded my saw.

Concerning the Shark. Buying a shark guard for a saw that isn't equipped with a riving knife doesn't give that saw a riving knife, the sharks for those saws attach to the splitters. RK's are an integral design element.

The RK was vital to me, and ease of removal of the guard and RK is INSANELY GOOD on the PM2000. An easy to use safety feature is a feature that gets used. I didn't really agonize over my purchase decision, I am young, and into woodworking, this saw will last a long time, and was a wise investment for me.

I have taper ripped 3" solid oak on the PM2000, with no troubles, if you are regularly going to be doing such things, a cabinet saw makes sense, if not, and the RK isn't as important to you, then I'd recommend a hybrid. Most of the cab features without the price.

I have the 50" rip capacity PM2000, but in all the projects I've done, I've never ripped wider than 36". I use the extra capacity to use my rip fence (with a stop block attached so as to not reference off of the rip fence directly) to set the lengths of my cross cuts. Nice repeatable cuts that way with my miter sled.

In short, cabinet saws cost more, no doubt, power is a big reason, better parts overall, and in the higher ends better safety features (PM2000 and SawStop). For me, given my love of the work, and my projected time doing it, it was worth the $$$. I didn't want to have to justify to the wife or myself another TS upgrade in 5 more years.

[Knottscott]

Dustmite,
did you make that router extension, or did that come with the saw? If you made it, it looks great!

Made it. I made one in the original 16" extension but it was just too short for my needs. Thanks.

[cpritchard]

Dustmite,
did you make that router extension, or did that come with the saw? If you made it, it looks great!

[cpritchard]

Jeff, thanks for the great info. I am always so grateful to all the info gained on this site. If this site isnt making money it should, I would gladly pay membership to this club.

I will keep my eys on the bargain alerts for a good deal on this zip code saw. If you see something please pass it along.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I had no idea that the rails could be slid for wider cuts. That definately is a plus to me. I will go by Sears again and play with it again. I really did like the outfeed support on it. It was actually one of my favorites when I came up with a small list of saws to choose from. The poor setup at sears kindof threw me off though.

I will keep my eyes open for some deals.

BTW, why is table mounted trunions harder for alignment? And would a Shark guard remedy the blade shroud problem?
Sorry for the newb questions.

It is unlikely that you need anything wider than standard issue rails. Even set in their normal position, you will rarely need anything that wide. Sheet goods is one of the few times you deal with really wide stuff. In those cases it is generally easier and safer to break the sheets down with a circular or jigsaw first. Unless you are using Board Buddies, it is hard to keep a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood against the fence.
The outfeed is cool, though I took mine off and gave it to my Dad to put on his entry level zip code saw. I have my bench parallel to the saw providing a large outfeed table.
Table mounted trunions require loosening a few bolts, then you can easily use a rubber mallet to bump the saw top until your miter gauge is parallel to the blade. Really easy on the 22124. I am not sure how aligning table mounted trunions work, however everyone says it is harder. Of course, once they are set you rarely have to do it again unless you move the saw or otherwise cause it to go out of alignment.
Given the ease of removing and replacing the guard on the 22124 I think the Shark is too much money for what is gained. Folks will argue with that I am sure, however if I was really concerned with above blade dust collection I would attach a 2" or so hose to hole I would make in the standard guard.

[cpritchard]

I had no idea that the rails could be slid for wider cuts. That definately is a plus to me. I will go by Sears again and play with it again. I really did like the outfeed support on it. It was actually one of my favorites when I came up with a small list of saws to choose from. The poor setup at sears kindof threw me off though.

I will keep my eyes open for some deals.

BTW, why is table mounted trunions harder for alignment? And would a Shark guard remedy the blade shroud problem?
Sorry for the newb questions.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

The above post reminds me, I have the 22124 and my wings are flat and level. No problems what so ever. Much like HD, Lowes, etc you can't let Sears assembly put you off.

Deals on the 22124 have not been as active as they originally were at first. I personally got mine for $399 from a Sears Essentials store in NJ. I *believe* one person "one upped" me and got theirs for $399 - 10% = $360. Those were unusual clearance situations, however the saw has been regularly had at the $700 point. You need to catch it on sale, then find 10% off everything weekened, maybe a 10% of Sears card purchases and possibly Craftsman Club deal.

I do agree with others that the blade guard does tend to allow dust to shoot out the front of the guard, however, I do find it an incredibly easy guard to take on and off. It requires not tools. Simply snap in and out. Very simple, thus very safe as I tend to use it a lot! I really like the saw. I believe the Steel City version is worth taking a look at as it comes in a 3hp flavor. However, with a thin kerf blade the 1.5hp with the 22124 works pretty well. I saw a lot of thick hardwoods like maple, walnut and cherry.

Don't let the Craftsman name put you off. Its a great saw made by Orion, a well respected company that was formed by former Delta/Jet employees. There are a lot of happy people out there with the 22124. Oh, ya it comes with a very decent Leitz blade as well.

[Knottscott]

I looked at that one this weekend, but did not like how the table and wings matched up. The wings sat lower than the table. It may have been just set up wrong, is your table and wings level to each other.

Also, does it have the ability to upgrade to longer rails?

Chris - I don't want to patronize the 22124 to influence you...it's such a personal decision, but I'd hate to see you pass up the right saw because the wings and table didn't match up on a display...especially a Sears display. Mine are about as tight as is reasonably possible, and so are those on a friend's 22124. There are alot of happy 22124 owners out there, most seen to have very few complaints. Wing alignment doesn't seem to be a big issue. It's not uncommon for any saw with cast iron wings to require some shimming. My General International did, and the 22124 did...it's just part of the setup procedure, like blade, pulley, and fence alignment...some are dead nuts, some not.

The 22124 has 30" ripping capability to the right and about 20" to the left with the stock configuration. It's an easy task to slide the rails 10" or 20" to the right by giving up some of the capacity on the left. Mine are 10" over for a rip capacity of 40". Longer rails are available if wanted.

That said, I do think the 0478 will have somewhat better DC, and there is some advantage with the cast shroud design vs the large connecting rods. The downside are the table mounted trunnions...alignment will likely be more challenging. It's up to you to decide if those advantages outweigh the advantages of the 22124 and 1023. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

Just for the sake of adding confusion, have you looked at a Steel City 35601?

http://steelcitytoolworks.com/produc...=12&tool=35601

Here's a pic of my setup with the rails to the right and a router table:

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Take a look at those photos again. I am suprised your answer would be G0478 after looking under the table. I would say the 22124 is by far a better saw than the G0478. Cabinet mounted trunions, great fence and included table extension, etc make the 22124 a much better choice in my opinion. Having said that, if was paying retail I would definatively go with the G1023 given the 3 choices. Shipping is the same as the G00478 and you get those massive trunnions in the photos, 3hp motor (big difference between 1.5 and 3 in the real world).
As far as changing rails on the 22124, that is quite easy as this is a true Biesemeyer fence. I don't think you would ever have the need to go with larger rails. I mean if you really wanted the width right of the blade you could simply move the rail down and reset the measurement tape.
If you are going to spend $1000 I would watch the Bargin Alerts section here, along with the power tools sections of Woodnet.net and Sawmillcreek.org. There have been recent deals on Delta UniSaws and Jet cabinet saw that are in that price range. Don't get me wrong, I think the G1023 is just as good of a saw as the Delta and Jet product, some folks just like Delta or Jet better.

If you like to ride horses occassionally, a quarter horse is a good choice.... If you want to pull a Bud wagon, get a Clydesdale!

Cabinet saw without even a second thought if the purse strings allow!

Good luck...

[cpritchard]

I looked at that one this weekend, but did not like how the table and wings matched up. The wings sat lower than the table. It may have been just set up wrong, is your table and wings level to each other.

Also, does it have the ability to upgrade to longer rails?

[lcm1947]

Thank you LarryG. I figured it was me but just wanted to make sure. Plus I got more good info out of you to boot. You are expert at explaining stuff. Thanks again.

[Knottscott]

Thanks Dustmight, that helps alot! I think for me, the G0478 might be the route to go.
Is the saw you have, the craftsman hybrid?

Guilty as charged!