SawStop UK Imports

[HRRLutherie]

I'm probably completely missing something, but I've always wondered why people don't just import SawStops from the US. Even with freight and taxes, surely it would still come below the price of a really decent UK saw.

Or is there just not the demand for it, as nearly all UK saws have sliding tables. It just seems like in a hobbyist workshop, a big sliding table seems overkill. However, I have been taught woodworking by American videos, so I'm probably not seeing the advantages.

 

[jimmybigfoot]

I know exactly what you mean as I am studying joinery in France and all the saws I've used have sliders.

 

[HRRLutherie]

Is anyone in France selling plain old American cabinet saws?

 

[Lord Kitchener]

SIP, and others, I'm sure, offer table saws with small(ish) sliding tables, if space is your main concern. For general woodworking I would much sooner have a sliding table than much about with a crosscut sled. There's no way such a sled is going to be as accurate as a proper sliding table. Plus, of course, one of the big advantages of a sliding table is the flip stop. Quite often you will want to take a bit off each end off the pieces you are working on. Flip the stop up, eyeball the amount you want to trim off, turn the piece around, flip the stop down, and cut it to tlength. All the others will be the same.

 

[HRRLutherie]

I guess I just don't know how to use a slider. But why are American rip fences so superior (or is that just US woodworker propaganda?)

 

[JakeS]

why are American rip fences so superior

Isn't that because they go all the way from back to front for maximum kickback potential? ;-)



(I have one of those saws with the miniature sliding table/carriage, and it's awesome most of the time. But I'm still wondering about making a cross-cut sled, because there's sometimes things which are too long front-to-back to fit on the sliding carriage and remain in front of the saw... and I don't have the space to set up the RHS extension table at the moment.)

 

[HRRLutherie]

I still don't understand how you can get kickback when you're using a fully adjusted riving knife, it seems physically impossible

 

[ankledeep]

I still don't understand how you can get kickback when you're using a fully adjusted riving knife, it seems physically impossible

if your fence, for ANY reason leans in towards the blade....kickback to the max...even with a riving knife...believe me......I KNOW.... #-o (homer)

and that was on a relative baby of a saw (the saw that comes with the coronet major) Full length fences CAN be ok...BUT you HAVE to check them for parallell-ness to the blade every time you start ripping or else :twisted: and its better if they are a smidgin leaning away from the blade.....

 

[JakeS]

if your fence, for ANY reason leans in towards the blade....kickback to the max...even with a riving knife...believe me......I KNOW.... #-o (homer)

(Because the workpiece will potentially hit the rising teeth at the back before it gets anywhere near the riving knife?)


More relevantly to my flippant comment, though - Americans don't seem to believe in riving knives!



I do get the impression that they look down on the apparently-more-common 'short' rip fences over here, though, so that possibly is part of the reason. I presume they think that there's more chance that the workpiece will wobble and you'll get a non-straight cut... but it seems to me that if you're pushing to the right of the blade, the piece is only ever going to 'wobble' towards the front of the fence and the riving knife if it moves at all...

 

[woodshavings]

(I have one of those saws with the miniature sliding table/carriage, and it's awesome most of the time. But I'm still wondering about making a cross-cut sled,

I have a Charnwood 619 Sliding carriage table saw. I have made a cross sled that fits in the groove on the sliding carriage - best of both worlds.
John

 

[jimmybigfoot]

Hi, no I've never come across American cabinet saws.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Riving knife prevents the workpiece closing up on the back of the blade, but it does not stop it opening up and applying pressure on the (long)fence. If that happens, and the fence doesn't move, the rest of the workpiece is pushed into the blade. That's why, for ripping, we need both a short fence and a RK.
S

 

[HRRLutherie]

Ah, that makes sense.

So, back to the big question: has anyone imported a SawStop?

 

[Lord Kitchener]

So, back to the big question: has anyone imported a SawStop?

If thye had, it would almost certainly have to have been as a personal import, ordered directly by the customer from a seller in the States, becuase it is virtually certain that it doesn't have a CE mark, and so it would be illegal for a firm to import them for resale. Which is why Axmisnter doesn't import any electric pocket hole machines, only the air powered one, incidentally.

I did a quick google on it, and found only queries about it, mostly oon this forum, so if anyone has done it, they are keeping it to themselves.

 

[Noel]

SIP, and others, I'm sure, offer table saws with small(ish) sliding tables, if space is your main concern. For general woodworking I would much sooner have a sliding table than much about with a crosscut sled. There's no way such a sled is going to be as accurate as a proper sliding table. Plus, of course, one of the big advantages of a sliding table is the flip stop. Quite often you will want to take a bit off each end off the pieces you are working on. Flip the stop up, eyeball the amount you want to trim off, turn the piece around, flip the stop down, and cut it to tlength. All the others will be the same.

Why wouldn't a well constructed and adjusted sled be as less accurate than a "proper" sliding table? And I've seen plenty of sleds with a flip stop.

 

[Lord Kitchener]

SIP, and others, I'm sure, offer table saws with small(ish) sliding tables, if space is your main concern. For general woodworking I would much sooner have a sliding table than much about with a crosscut sled. There's no way such a sled is going to be as accurate as a proper sliding table. Plus, of course, one of the big advantages of a sliding table is the flip stop. Quite often you will want to take a bit off each end off the pieces you are working on. Flip the stop up, eyeball the amount you want to trim off, turn the piece around, flip the stop down, and cut it to tlength. All the others will be the same.

Why wouldn't a well constructed and adjusted sled be as less accurate than a "proper" sliding table? And I've seen plenty of sleds with a flip stop.

I suppose such a sled could be. I should think they would get a bit unwieldy at the kind of size needed to be able to crosscut say 1000mm to the left of the blade. I would normally expect that roller bearings running of alloy extrusuon or steel bar to have less play and easier movement than runners in machined slots, but I've never tried to construct a sled so must admit I was guided by my engineering prejudices.

If you assure me that a decent sled is as good as a sliding table them I will take your word for it.

 

[3planksjoinery]

The riving knife is slightly thicker than the saw plate but not quite as thick as the saw kerf, therefor it does not prevent kick back, It is to stop to timber being ripped from binding on the saw plate, the fence should be adjusted to just past the gullet of the tooth closest to the bed and a maximum depth of cut should be on no account more than 4 teeth, hope this helps

 

[rafezetter]

The other thing that comes to mind regarding american TS and use of a riving knife is dado blade and chippers etc, they use them a great deal over there, but are not legal/ CE covered/ whatever (far as I know) in europe.

 

[Steve Maskery]

The use of dado blades is not illegal. The use of them unguarded is illegal in industry, and it is difficult, but not impossible, to guard them.
If you can guard them you can use them. And at home in your garage, you can do anything you like. That does not necessarily mean that it is wise to ignore very sensible H&S guidelines.
S

 

[WoodMangler]

So, back to the big question: has anyone imported a SawStop?

Wouldn't it be the wrong voltage for the UK ?