Sawsmith 2000 Value?

[cadman84]

I have a chance to pick up a sawsmith 2000 but they are asking $700. Is this reasonable or way overpriced?

[a1gutterman]

Welcome to the forum cadman84 (BTW what part of the world do you hail from?),

I have heard of the SS2K, but never seen one in person. The picture that you provide does not seem to have the sliding table. I could not suggest a price, but here is a picture of one with a sliding table (I think): http://www.songofthegreatlakes.com/ssmodels.htm
I might consider paying $700 if it has the sliding table, but if it doesn't, to me it is just another used table saw.........
Would it have any other benefits that would make it worth that much?

[paul heller]

Actually, the picture looks correct to me.

I have seen one in person. The table does not slide. The saw blade slides. You can use it as a regular table saw or you can position the work, lock it down, and then pull the blade toward you from underneath while it spins. You can see this by the long slot where the blade goes.

Think about an upside down radial arm saw with a lot of control. Imagine how handy that would be for hard to handle oversized stock.

Well, the table didn't catch on. Nick told me about the history of this saw once. If I remember correctly, the mechanism was good but the base of the saw was a bit too cheaply made to justify the list price at the time. A lot of engineering went into the saw.

$700 sounds high to me, however. I guess it depends on the condition.

Paul

[perryobear]

Hi guys,

Here is my input on the Sawsmith 2000.

Tim: The basic design of the Sawsmith 2000 allows the saw blade carriage to be "pulled thru" the wood (the wood being held stationary on the table) similar to the action of a radial arm saw. The table itself always remains in a fixed position. You can see the black knob used to pull the carriage assembly in the photo just below the fence rail. The carriage can also be locked in place and the saw used as a conventional table saw.

cadman84: The Sawsmith 2000 was sold in four basic versions (all have been out of production since the early 1990's):

The Standard Model (p/n 555530) Included the basic table saw and a fence system with tubular rails similar the fence design used on the Mk V model 510.

The Pro Model (p/n 555593) Added two extension tables and telescoping support legs again similar to the legs used on the Mk V model 510.

The Deluxe Model (p/n 555580) This was the same setup as the Standard Model but equipped with an Excalibur Precision Saw Fence.

The Ultra Model (p/n 555598) This was the same as the Pro Model table set up but again equipped with the Excalibur Fence.

There were a few accessories available including a dado setup, molder set, casters, etc.

It appears from your photo that the saw you are looking at is an Ultra model (perhaps with an additional floating table installed).

The Sawsmith 2000 that I was given by my father-in-law is the Standard Model. It listed new for $999 and sold during a Shopsmith sale for $799 back in 1993. The floating tables sold for $80 each back then. The saw in your photo would have cost more, but it is difficult to judge its current value.

My personal opinion is I'd rather spend my money on a Mk V.

Dennis

[a1gutterman]

My thanks to paul heller and perryobear for the detailed information.

[reible]

The ssug.org site has a few posts if you are interested in more reading.
http://www.ssug.org/index.php?option=co ... t&catid=14

Ed

[a1gutterman]

I checked it out (the SSUG web site) Ed. It looks like parts and accessories would be hard to come by. cadman84 is probably better off without it. And the price of a complete unit with many accessories 3 years ago was $650. Maybe $700 is too much?

[cadman84]

Wow, I thought I'd be lucky to get one reply. Thank you all for the info. I'm going to go and look at the SS2k sometime this week. I already own a 1980 era Marv V model 500 and I have been looking to upgrade the table to the 510 or 520 version. I've found used setups selling for around the the same money as this ss2k but I've never been able to get comfortable with the tilting table vs. the conventional tilting blade so I see this as a great alternative. I wouldn't part with my Mark V for anything but I like the idea of getting rid of my crap old craftsman router table and my Dewalt chop saw. With the size of the work surface I also see a plus in increasing stable work surface area for assembly. Yes I have the same old story of not enough space to work. I'll let you know if I end up with it.

a1gutterman to answer your question I am a recent transplant from Massachussets to Kansas. Gotta love the wide open flat land I guess.

Thanks again!

[Ed in Tampa]

Wow, I thought I'd be lucky to get one reply. Thank you all for the info. I'm going to go and look at the SS2k sometime this week. I already own a 1980 era Marv V model 500 and I have been looking to upgrade the table to the 510 or 520 version. I've found used setups selling for around the the same money as this ss2k but I've never been able to get comfortable with the tilting table vs. the conventional tilting blade so I see this as a great alternative. I wouldn't part with my Mark V for anything but I like the idea of getting rid of my crap old craftsman router table and my Dewalt chop saw. With the size of the work surface I also see a plus in increasing stable work surface area for assembly. Yes I have the same old story of not enough space to work. I'll let you know if I end up with it.

a1gutterman to answer your question I am a recent transplant from Massachussets to Kansas. Gotta love the wide open flat land I guess.

Thanks again!

I would be careful with the 2000 the carriage that the blade slide on had a lot of play in it. More than most radial arm saws which it is almost an upside down copy of.

As for getting rid of your chop saw again I'm not sure what you got but I use mine for moulding and won't part with it even though I have a Shopsmith 520 and a radial arm.

Lastly I have heard so many complaints about tilting tables but I wonder how many ever make bevel cuts tilting either their table or blade in common woodworking? A bevel cut to me is a real rarity, and even then the SS has always came through.

[cadman84]

Hi All,
Well I finnaly went and looked at the sawsmith. It is in rather good condition so I ended up bringing it home for $500. Thanks for all your imput.