Cabinet saw question!

[Kelly ODonald]

Cabinet saws.Does anyone know how to get the best deal on one?And are they that much better than a contractor saw

[Unisaw A100]

Buy used.

Yes.

UA100, home of the short replies...

[Jim Wilson]

To answer the second question first, yes.

IMHO, the best deal is to be had by restoring an old Unisaw.

Jim

[Bay Area Dave]

amazon for a good deal.

YES!

dve

Kelly OD> Cabinet saws.Does anyone know how to get the best deal on one?And are they

[Bay Area Dave]

but long sig lines...

dave

Unisaw A100 wrote:

[Rob]

Yes!

Wait until a tool show comes to town.

A local retailer in KC, for example, has it's own tool show a couple of times a year.

I bought a limited edition Unisaw with Unifence one year ago for$1349. A nice deal.

Similar deals can probably be found in your part of the country if you are patient.

Rob

[Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D. P.A.]

Depends on the owner and setup. My Delta CS with zero-clearance plate and Biese fence puts my employer's PM66 with OEM fence and plate to shame.

[Phisherman]

Search the internet and ask here for the best deal. The lowest price is not necessarily the "best deal." Cabinet saws are generally better than contractor saws (accuracy, dust collection, heavier parts, less vibration), but contractor saws are more portable.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Yes, they are better. Depending on your needs, it can be well worth the extra money, or a waste of it. Making fine furniture and cutting thick woods? Best way to go. Making bird houses and whirligigs? A decent contractors saw will be just super for your needs and you have hundreds of dollars left over to buy a few pine boards from Hope Depot.

Best deal? Most often it is a local dealer that gives good service and backs up the products he sells. You know the guy, he's the one that takes an hour to explain the saw, the setup, and checks that you have everything you need.

Ed

[Traves W. Coppock]

On Sun, 5 Oct 2003 10:17:58 -0700, "Kelly ODonald" Crawled out of the shop and said. . .:

find a used Unisaur in a heap somewhere collecting rust, and give it a good home.

its not the most cost effective and fast way, but. . . this will do two things for you.

first, it will give you GREAT satisfaction reviving an old machine.

second, you have a perfect gloat, neener and drivebye,,, a vintage Uni

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

As Ed says, a dealer can also provide a human to help and fight for you should something me missing or defective.

Too often, people are more than willing to spend an hour or two in a retail store asking questions, trying stuff out, etc... Then they mail order the item to save some money.

I see this all the time in the local bicycle shop. We've actually had people come in a try on several pairs of shoes, or bend our ear for over an hour about fitting an aftermarket part, only to mail order the item.

There is nothing wrong at all with saving money or mail ordering stuff, as long as the entire transaction is done with the mail order house. Do your own homework. Retail shops are not showrooms for Amazon.com, etc...

Barry

[Jim Weisgram]

Regarding best deal, you already have suggestions to purchased used.

If you wanted to purchase new, then, like all else, it depends on your needs. The PM66, Unisaw, or Jet are all highly regarded.

You aren't going to find any sales that knock the price down a whole bunch. You can get some bundles that add value, such as a decent router included in the package price.

You can go low end, such as I did, with a Grizzly or similar. You can save a few hundred $$$, but it is somewhat apples and oranges.

In my case, with little shop space, I get a smaller than average table with no wide extension, so it is a good fit for me. Purchasing the optional extension tables and rails sure gets you close, but still under, the cost of the big boys.

With a cabinet saw you get a saw that is actually easier to set up and use (in my opinion) than a contractors, and I believe it stays setup and accurate longer. You get the extra power that can be very useful and the greater mass means less vibration.

If you are planning to use the thing occasionally, and don't need the extra power, then a contractor's saw could make sense. It will make the same basic cuts, but will bog down much more easily on thicker wood or hardwood.

[Young Carpenter]

sometimes by the time you get that big Amazon.com is not always the best deal. As always shop around, get a newspaper, a pennysaver and a swap sheet.