Re: table saw: Grizzly cabinet vs Delta contractor's

Bob,

This is a common thread.

The cabinet saw is superior: II has all the power you would ever need. The trunnions used for tilting and raising the blade are separate, lockable, smoother and hold their settings.

The Shop Fox "classic" or "standard" fence work well. There may be advantages to a unifence or Beis, but I don't know what they are.

As for mobility, either type of saw is a handful. I own the Grizzly 1023S with a sliding table (~550 pounds) which resides on a Shop Fox mobile base. My shop floor is very uneven. Even so, I move the saw around with ease.

I would certainly not trade the 1023 for a contractors saw. :

Bob, it sounds like you and I have a similar setup. I have a left tilt Shop Fox, classic fence, and an Exaktor sliding table. I have cut a lot of plywood as well as hardwoods using a WWII blade. I don't know how any saw could perform significantly better than this one does. I use it every day, fairly hard, and it just keeps on ticking.

I appreciate comments. As I understand the consensus, I would summarize this way:

Despite Delta or Jet perhaps having somewhat higher or more consistent quality, the advantage of weight/stability/smoothness of a beefier Grizzly cabinet saw over a Delta/Jet contractor's saw makes the Grizzly cabinet saw the better choice. That said, the preference seems primarily a 'pleasure' issue attributable to the smoothness and ease of cutting because (as Bob Griffiths said, and no one else claimed otherwise) there is no material difference in the accuracy of cut if both saws are set up true ("on the money").

For _me_, it's a no brainer. I *don't* have the room for a cabinet saw. "law of restricted choices" governs.

Why? They are roughly the same size. In fact the cabinet saw is smaller.

Delta 36-444 contractors saw is 40"x27" Grizzly 1023 cabinet saw is 36 1/4" x 27 1/8"

-Jack

Agreed somewhat. The cabinet saws have the power to cut just about anything you throw at them, including stacked dado blades. Contractors saws will reach their limits sooner, especially in thicker hard woods. Also, the cabinet saws are more likely to stay in tune better than the lighter weight contractor saws. A smoother running saw is going to translate into smoother cuts regardless of how well set up 2 different saws may be. That is not a pleasure factor. That said, a Yugo and a Mercedes will both get you to the same place.

Regarding preference, a cabinet saw is preferrable due to the HP availability and inherent greater stability (ie weight) which dampens vibration allowing cleaner cuts. I bet I could tell the difference between 5 cross cuts on wide stock with a cabinet vs contractor saws by simply using my square.

That being said, you must also consider your capacity to support 220v AND the amperage load of the saw. The Grizzly wants 220 with 18 amps but a typical contractors saw is/can be 110 and probably only 15 or less amps.

Having a beefy saw with two few amps in the circuit (or a skinny extension cord) is a problem for the motor causing heating and lower performance and or/ blowing circuits (or worse).

IIRC the 18 amps for the 220 comes from the 2, 110 lines and is a 9 amp draw on each. Much less than the 15 amp on the single 110 line.