New Saw

[jsburger]

Cabinetmaker
Does the overhead dust collection system work as Saw Stop says it does? Does it really collect 99% of the dust? Our woodworking club is considering getting that add on.
Bill V

Yes it does. Basically dust free as long as you are cutting a board with the curf at least 1/2" from the left edge. The only time you really get get dust is if yyou are cutting right on the edge of a board say like ripping a 3 1/2 inch board down to 3 3/8. The dust collection was more important to me than anything else and I'm very pleased with it.

Overhead dust collection is not rocket science. It all works very well no matter who makes it. It is all basically the same. Put a dust port on the saw guard and it works. 99% efficient, I don't know but it really helps. As Bill said, if the stock does not stick out past the left side of the saw guard you will have some leakage. Otherwise it will suck up almost all of the dust.

The answer is the Shark Guard for many saws. I have a Shark Guard for both my MK V and my Powermatic PM2000. They provide upper guard dust collection that makes a BIG difference.

[wa2crk]

Mark
Thanks for the reply.
Bill V

[mbcabinetmaker]

Mark
Thanks for the reply.
Bill V

You are welcome.

[damagi]

Cabinetmaker
Does the overhead dust collection system work as Saw Stop says it does? Does it really collect 99% of the dust? Our woodworking club is considering getting that add on.
Bill V

Yes it does. Basically dust free as long as you are cutting a board with the curf at least 1/2" from the left edge. The only time you really get dust is if you are cutting right on the edge of a board say like ripping a 3 1/2 inch board down to 3 3/8. The dust collection was more important to me than anything else and I'm very pleased with it.

https://youtu.be/gf6b7ttPke4?t=4m13s
This video shows one way to capture the spray when you are taking down the edge

[mbcabinetmaker]

Well I have used the Sawstop for a couple of weeks now and I remain pleased and impressed with the dust collection and the quality of cut even with a combination blade. The guard,riving knife and throat plate are first class. The saw was dead on accurate from the factory. I did have to make a slight adjustment to align the fence with the blade and miter slot. The rip scale indicator was within 1/64" from the factory so only a slight adjustment was needed. Last week I ran 700 board feet of 4/4 poplar through it and the power is great. This week I ran 4/4 maple and some 8/4 ash with the same results. Ripping plywood sheets posed a problem using only my ridgid flip top stands so I ordered a 44 x 64 Kregg bench with casters and mounted a 54" x 68" melamine top to it. (I'll post some pictures later) While leveling and adjusting it to the saw the one thing that I wasn't impressed with during initial assembly of the saw was the table to the right of the blade for the 52" fence. It is a nice laminated table surface on a cheap white wood frame. As I feared the bolts and washers collapsed the cheap wood fibers and the table did not retain the adjustments that I originally made so I had to go back with some fender washers and re_adjust it. If that doesn't hold I'll rebuild the frame with maple which Sawstop should have used in the first place. I am also not pleased with the legs or the way they mount. The casters kit that I installed does not lift the saw high enough to roll without laying on the floor and manually retracting the leg levelers. In my case I will rarely move the saw but if I did have the need to do so often I would return their $200.00 caster kit and do something else.

That is my honest opinion/review on my new saw. I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars until they address the table/casters/leg issues.

[jsburger]

Well I have used the Sawstop for a couple of weeks now and I remain pleased and impressed with the dust collection and the quality of cut even with a combination blade. The guard,riving knife and throat plate are first class. The saw was dead on accurate from the factory. I did have to make a slight adjustment to align the fence with the blade and miter slot. The rip scale indicator was within 1/64" from the factory so only a slight adjustment was needed. Last week I ran 700 board feet of 4/4 poplar through it and the power is great. This week I ran 4/4 maple and some 8/4 ash with the same results. Ripping plywood sheets posed a problem using only my ridgid flip top stands so I ordered a 44 x 64 Kregg bench with casters and mounted a 54" x 68" melamine top to it. (I'll post some pictures later) While leveling and adjusting it to the saw the one thing that I wasn't impressed with during initial assembly of the saw was the table to the right of the blade for the 52" fence. It is a nice laminated table surface on a cheap white wood frame. As I feared the bolts and washers collapsed the cheap wood fibers and the table did not retain the adjustments that I originally made so I had to go back with some fender washers and re_adjust it. If that doesn't hold I'll rebuild the frame with maple which Sawstop should have used in the first place. I am also not pleased with the legs or the way they mount. The casters kit that I installed does not lift the saw high enough to roll without laying on the floor and manually retracting the leg levelers. In my case I will rarely move the saw but if I did have the need to do so often I would return their $200.00 caster kit and do something else.

That is my honest opinion/review on my new saw. I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars until they address the table/casters/leg issues.

I have a 3 HP Powermatic PM 2000. The saw out of the box is dead on other than the rip fence scale. The farther right you go the more it is off so fixing the hair line will not help. I normally only use it for rough cuts. I always use a rule or my Wixey digital read out for precision cuts. The power is more than adequate for the wood you cut. I have done them all. The right hand table for the 52" fence has a frame and surface made from Baltic Birch plywood and laminated with a plastic surface. It has built in castors at no extra cost. You just pull out the blade raising hand wheel and it in gauges the castor screws. I don't ever expect to move it but the castors sure came in handy once I got the saw inside the door to move it in place.

I made my own out feed table from a laminated 36" X 60" bench top. It is mounted to the angle iron on the out feed side of the saw and everything is shimmed to be level and co planer to the saw table. BTW, The legs are glued up 8/4 popular.

[mbcabinetmaker]

That's a nice looking setup John. It sounds like you could replace the stick on tape and solve the measuring problem. I had the same issue with a Starrett stick down rule a while back on the set up for my miter saw. It would loose over 1/16" over 8 feet. I replaced it with one from Kregg and it is dead on. It is really sad to see all the old respected American tool names now associated with junk.

[jsburger]

That's a nice looking setup John. It sounds like you could replace the stick on tape and solve the measuring problem. I had the same issue with a Starrett stick down rule a while back on the set up for my miter saw. It would loose over 1/16" over 8 feet. I replaced it with one from Kregg and it is dead on. It is really sad to see all the old respected American tool names now associated with junk.

Yes I could replace it but I would have to be certain the replacement scale would solve the problem. I would have probably chosen a Starrett but since yours didn't work I guess not. Mine is off 1/16" at 50".

I just use the scale for rough cuts so it is not really a problem.