SafeSaw

[Netpackrat]

The inventor is a bit of a dick as well.

The inventor of "Sawstop", Steve Gass is a rentseeking asshole. When he tried to license his idea to the various saw manufacturers, they all turned him down(basically, they saw it as an admission of liability), so he started his own saw company with his tech, but apparently this wasn't enough for him - he sought the CPSC to make his technology the standard, which would make him piles of money in royalties.

This. Fuck that guy.

[MiddleAgedKen]

Perzackly. How do you think child-seat laws got to be ubiquitous?

[Netpackrat]

Perzackly. How do you think child-seat laws got to be ubiquitous?

Or mandatory insurance laws.

[John_in_Longview]

Whatever you decide to buy, get a couple of featherboards, and learn to use them. They're very helpful in making straight, accurate cuts.

LINKY>

Thanks for the link, PawPaw.

[John_in_Longview]

What are you looking to do w. the saw? Cabinet work, trim work, heavy ripping? What kind/type of wood?

I will mainly be building bookshelves and canned food cabinets for the house. Nothing too fancy and I don't plan to use dense woods. This is for weekend, DIY stuff.

[John_in_Longview]

The inventor of "Sawstop", Steve Gass is a rentseeking asshole. When he tried to license his idea to the various saw manufacturers, they all turned him down(basically, they saw it as an admission of liability), so he started his own saw company with his tech....

Very cool on his part.

....,but apparently this wasn't enough for him - he sought the CPSC to make his technology the standard, which would make him piles of money in royalties.

Mega-uncool on his part. If table saws were so dangerous that they were maiming people right and left, and he sells this new technology to prevent it, the free market would drive sales to him.

[arctictom]

Been using table saws for decades , no problems , with power tools you need to pay attention all the time. Not really an issue for most people. I have a small portable Dewald that suits/fits what I do , and I love it.

[Netpackrat]

I think the asshole's patents start expiring in 2017.

[rightisright]

What are you looking to do w. the saw? Cabinet work, trim work, heavy ripping? What kind/type of wood?

I will mainly be building bookshelves and canned food cabinets for the house. Nothing too fancy and I don't plan to use dense woods. This is for weekend, DIY stuff.

Do you have a dedicated space for it? Or will you be wheeling it out of the way when done? 110v or 220v?

If you are using 120v and need to move it, a contractor saw is your best bet. I have 2 slightly older versions of this guy w. a stand: http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW745-10-I ... dewalt+744

The saw/stand folds up nicely and tucks away into a dedicated space in a work trailer. I've replaced a few parts here and there over the years. But all in all, I would highly recommend this saw. Also, DeWalt makes a throat plate that is meant for dado blades if you are going to make dado/rabbet joints.

If you are looking for more rip capacity, there is this guy: http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWE7491RS- ... +table+saw

Above that, you will be looking at larger 110/220 convertible models which will be more expensive and heavier (heavier is good for stationary units as it cuts down on vibration): http://www.amazon.com/Jet-708492K-JPS-1 ... +table+saw

[Aesop]

What are you looking to do w. the saw? Cabinet work, trim work, heavy ripping? What kind/type of wood?

I will mainly be building bookshelves and canned food cabinets for the house. Nothing too fancy and I don't plan to use dense woods. This is for weekend, DIY stuff.

Unless you're going for Norm Abrams' level of beauty and quality, as opposed to pure functionality, there's nothing in that you can't accomplish with a cordless handheld 18V DeWalt or equivalent. As my library and DVD collections' resting places will attest.

A contractor saw will obviously give you more power for bigger projects, more stability for more critical cuts, and the ability to use dado blades for stacked cuts, but at the risk of greater injury in case of a screw-up.
For simply making short straight cuts in 1"x (mostly pine/plywood) material for shelves and such, get a good handheld, and a spare battery to alternate charging one while working with the other, and you can work it all day long, with little more risk to your fingers or other body parts than if using scissors (presuming you aren't cutting boards braced against your femoral artery), using nothing but a small worktable or even a pair of sturdy sawhorses. (If needs be, you can construct those yourself first, using the same saw.)

The sound impact on the household and neighbors is also commensurately less than a contractor or table saw, if that's a factor.
If you have a shop on a lonely acre, you can test missiles.
If you're putting something together in an apartment or a condo, the pounding on the door will soon outdo the noise of the saw.

And you can take the thing where you need it for other projects.

The other $1200 you didn't spend on the Smart Saw will buy a lot of project lumber.