What are my best tool options?

[Guy in Paradise]

I would appreciate some input from the experts here.

I am looking at purchasing a tablesaw and jointer in the next two months, plus some of the accessories. I am a hobbyist, not woodworking for a living. I had to sell my last tablesaw before a move, and got rid of the old and temperamental 6" jointer I had. I have a budget of about $3K. There are plenty of previous polls on these tools. Although, there is not a lot of information about some of the new tools listed in the latest catalogs. I have looked at Grizzly, Delta, Jet, Shop Fox, Powermatic, General, Wilke, etc. I am not at all interested in SawStop or Steel City, so I would prefer those single minded advocates to remain silent.

I like the Grizzly G0490X 8" Jointer, with spiral index cutterhead, parallelogram tables and built-in mobile base. Right now it is at $1195 with free shipping. I also like the Shop Fox W1741S, which is almost the same machine. All of the others seem like good machines as well, but more money.

I like the Grizzly G0690 Tablesaw, 3HP, with riving knife, 10", short rails. This is a new saw from Grizzly and little review had done. It is currently $1250 with shipping $144, or a total of $1394. Yes, I know the G0651, is the same price with some tables included, but I need the saw to have a smaller foot print and to be mobile. I got word from Grizzly customer service that the Router extension table would fit on it (H7507 at $199.95). I plan also on the outfeed roller system (G1317 at $289.95). Although, I was happy with the melamine table with folding legs, I attached to my last Grizzly table saw. And of course, a saw blade.

So, lets see that brings the total Grizzly bill to:
jointer $1195
saw 1394
router ext 200
outfeed 290
can of slip it 10
Total $3089

I have been checking Craigslist and seen some deals, not many that have all of the features I would like, and often would require some compromise. I am also not able to pick up or receive until June.

I did contact Grizzly in February seeing if they could provide a deal, but I was told I had to contact them again two weeks prior to ordering, and to allow up to 10 days for delivery. They also said that discounts were for orders of at least $5K. So, that means I have until mid May to finalize my purchase. Probably about the same for any of the distributors.

So, that said, what advice or input can you provide?

Thank-you in advance.

 

[ScottM]

No advise on the tools to buy but if you are thinking on dropping 3K at Grizzly you might want to drive to PA and pick it up yourself. Should work out a lot cheaper then paying shipping for each piece.

 

[Mike Davis]

Sounds like you have it all worked out.

Only thing I can offer is to check with The Woodworking Source in Mooresville and see if he can match the specs and price on what you want. Sometimes a local guy can help in unexpected ways.

 

[JimmyC]

I would definitely see if somebody local can come close to a match with the specs and price, as Mike said. Even if the cost is a little higher, it's always better to be local in case of any problems. As far as shipping costs go from Grizzly, they've been running free shipping on alot of their machines lately plus tax savings over a local or picking up at Grizzly would be about $210. After a ride up there and gas and tax, shipping would be less anyway. But you could see their store and it's pretty spectacular if you have never made the pilgramage:icon_thum.

Good Luck.

 

[JackLeg]

20% off on Jet and Powermatic on May 15 and 16 at Woodcraft. I have an OLD Powermatic 64 Artisan that still serves me well. The PM 66 is an industry standard. AND, Powermatic is still put together in the USA. (Tenn I believe)

:wsmile:

 

[Bigdog72]

If you want to take the steps required to link a Live Search acct with your paypal acct, Microsoft cashback is 14% right now on E-bay. Grizzly has accomodated many buyers by listing there proposed purchases on E-bay allowing buyers to take advantage. Read the rules for Cashback because i think there is a per purchase limit ($200?).

 

[McRabbet]

I'd say you've made some excellent choices -- I've always been pleased with all of my Grizzly tools and the free shipping on the G0490X should cinch it!

IMHO, the only thing I'd change would be to drop the roller outfeed (expensive and too limited in use) and buy a good sawblade (I'd get a Forrest .125 kerf blade like the T20779) and build my own outfeed table that could be used for assembly, too.

 

[DaveO]

I will personally vouch for the SF W1741S jointer, I just got one and it's a sweet machine. Griz and SF are on in the same but SF gives a 2 year warranty over just 1 from Griz.
I am a big fan of both brands and the majority of my machines are green and white.
Personally I wouldn't discount Steel City too fast. Their granite topped TS is the greatest innovation in TS since the SawStop
By all means get a saw with a true riving knife, it's the simplest and most effective safety device to have on a saw other than user common sense.

Dave

 

[Guy in Paradise]

How to contact the Woodworking Source in Mooresville?

Their web site is still under construction. Since I am overseas, it is really expensive and inconvenient (12 hour time difference) to call them. An online catalog is how I do most of my research and shopping.

Can anyone provide an email address for the Woodworking Source? Maybe I can send them an email and see what they can do.

Thank-you, Guy

 

[Mike Davis]

I e-mailed Rick and asked him to send you a quote.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

Thank-you Mike

...for contacting the Woodworkers Source. I look forward to hearing from them.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

Mike, I haven't heard from Woodworking Source

Did Rick get the message?

Sorry, I am eager to hear what he can offer.

 

[Mike Davis]

He did e-mail me back. He may be looking for the best deal.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

Rick did reply with a couple of quotes

Mike, Rick at Woodworkers Source did reply with a couple of quotes. Offers comparable to the Grizzly tools for equivalent, or almost equivalent, tools.

A good offer on a jointer. On the tablesaw, I sort of had in mind to get a saw that had a riving knife. Rick made good offers on the W1677, 10" saw w/o a riving knife, and on a W1761, 12" w/ riving knife. I just have to figure out if I want to go for the extra price tag of the bigger saw. Not sure I need a 5HP and 12" blade.

What do you think?

 

[Mike Davis]

Just depends on what you want to build and how you work.

I use my dado stack almost as much as the regular blade so I have never used a blade guard nor splitter. But, I have grown up and worked that way for nearly 35 years and never had a single kick back.

I have never had anything larger than a 1 1/2 HP motor either. A couple times when I was cutting 4 inch thick maple I could have used a bigger saw, but that was two days in 35 years. Not worth the expense, weight, power consumption nor extra bother TO ME.

For all I know you may need a 12 inch blade and 5 HP every day. That is for you to decide. And I would never tell anyone they don't need all the safety features they can get. If I could afford the money and the space I would not let my children every work on anything less than a SawStop!