SawStop Contractor Saw With 36" T-Glide Rail

Fantastic, high quality saw for all the reasons mentioned by many others. I look forward to a lifetime of use.I only have 2 complaints. First, the stamped steel wings are not worthy of a saw this expensive. It's the only part of the saw that doesn't feel high quality, they're difficult to get completely aligned to the cast-iron table, and they collect tons of dust that's difficult to wipe off around the Sawstop lettering. Charging an additional $270 for the cast iron wing upgrade feels a bit like price gouging.Second, Rockler's lack of communication about shipping updates was frustrating. The saw took almost 2 months to arrive, a month longer than advertised when I bought it. I understand there are supply chain problems right now, but there was no communication ... MoreFantastic, high quality saw for all the reasons mentioned by many others. I look forward to a lifetime of use.I only have 2 complaints. First, the stamped steel wings are not worthy of a saw this expensive. It's the only part of the saw that doesn't feel high quality, they're difficult to get completely aligned to the cast-iron table, and they collect tons of dust that's difficult to wipe off around the Sawstop lettering. Charging an additional $270 for the cast iron wing upgrade feels a bit like price gouging.Second, Rockler's lack of communication about shipping updates was frustrating. The saw took almost 2 months to arrive, a month longer than advertised when I bought it. I understand there are supply chain problems right now, but there was no communication from Rockler about shipping updates unless I contacted them to request a status update, which I had to do 3 times before the saw was shipped.

Awesome saw. I Can't imagine a better one.

I've owned 2 Sears Craftsman table saws in my life. I can't really badmouth them because they were inexpensive. BUT little did I know that a table saw could be engineered so well until I stopped cheaping out. This stopsaw from soup to nuts is a galaxy better than anything I could have expected. The attention to detail in the awesome assembly instructions to the quality of ALL the materials makes me want to cry because I waited so long to step up to the world of fine machinery. Don't let the cost keep you away. It is by far the best deal and most cost effective addition to my shop. I wish I'd done it years ago. I have an heirloom in my shop, No Bull.

Big Saw, Big price + Assembly tip

Pros:Great, high quality saw. Light years better than my old Dewalt 744 it replaces (though takes up a lot more space!)Got the nicer fence w/ 36" rip capacity. Strong, straight and true.AFFD appreciated (Anti Finger Frappe Device)Great Out-of-box-experience. Nuts & bolts etc. packaged in little patterns in plastic. Great assembly directions.This saw will more than perform my home DIY needs:make new Shaker style kitchen cabinet doorsCustom pull out kitchen drawersteaching woodworking to kidMurphy BedShop furnitureCustom weightlifting equipmentCons:All pretty minor, but wanted to at least share for reference."Zero clearance" insert is really not, since there's about 1/16" gap on right side of the blade. But on the other hand they made it this way ... MorePros:Great, high quality saw. Light years better than my old Dewalt 744 it replaces (though takes up a lot more space!)Got the nicer fence w/ 36" rip capacity. Strong, straight and true.AFFD appreciated (Anti Finger Frappe Device)Great Out-of-box-experience. Nuts & bolts etc. packaged in little patterns in plastic. Great assembly directions.This saw will more than perform my home DIY needs:make new Shaker style kitchen cabinet doorsCustom pull out kitchen drawersteaching woodworking to kidMurphy BedShop furnitureCustom weightlifting equipmentCons:All pretty minor, but wanted to at least share for reference."Zero clearance" insert is really not, since there's about 1/16" gap on right side of the blade. But on the other hand they made it this way to accommodate 45 degree blade tilt. So the 45 degree position is definitely zero clearance. You therefore don't need to buy another throat plate for that, or enlarge the opening of your "almost" ZCI. Engineering for the blade to tilt to 45 degrees within this tight tolerance is impressive.Dust collection: Sawdust still flies out above blade, through bladeguard, with my current 2.5" hose/Fein shopvac/Dust Deputy setup. I may have to look at (expensive) dust collecting blade guard.Inability to (reasonably) make custom throat plates. Not a big deal, but needed to shell out extra $50 for a dado throat plate. Just be prepared to spend more premium money for premium accessories.Throat plate as shipped had a small 1/8"x 1/8" chip out of it. Nbd but kind of ruins the aesthetic. Obviously making that 45 degree bevel makes a razor sharp edge on the right side, so not having some chip out would be difficult. But still.Minor point, but On/off paddle feels a little cheap for a saw of this pedigree. You can feel the thin lip of plastic behind it when you pull it out to turn the saw on. As a product designer myself, I feel it would be better if the 1" or so in the back of the paddle were solid. Or if they wanted to have that lip then make it shallower, and make the rest of the paddle back thicker. Just my opinion/ suggestion to design team.Miter gauge is too sloppy. Attached an auxilary fence, and there's noticeable slop (1/8" total wobble from side to side).However I'll be making a crosscut sled anyway and not use the miter gauge. I may also use the hammer and chisel trick to slightly widen the miter bar to fix it.Owners manual has a big series of typos: the figures/illustrations are mostly mis-labeled and/or out of sync with their description by a page or two. Be prepared to do some page flipping, head scratching until you figure out the secret code.Bonus tips for assembly of base:1. When building base legs, drop in temporary 3/8" or 1/2" bolts into the top 4 bolt holes to keep the overlapping metal holes open, before assembling/firming up the base. This will ensure the final bolts go in smoothly.2. Turn assembled base legs upside down and attach to upside down table saw, while the tablesaw is still resting in the styrofoam, upside down in the crate. (Then tighten all bolts.) This method will take you only a minute or two, since everything is open and easily accessible. And the legs weigh less than the saw haha. You also don't have to crawl on the floor. And no trying to juggle and flip the table saw with a friend ;)3. Cut away front of packaging that the upside down table saw is resting in (cardboard and styrofoam). Then, with a friend's help, tip the entire saw upright. Super easy. I used the pallet it came on for leverage on the floor, since the pallet was also against a wall, but probably not necessary. The legs when used as a fulcrum are plenty strong to support the load.

Great tablesaw.

Bought this 2 months ago and had to wait before assembling it. First finished the shed to keep it out of the weather. Assembled it last week (with the cast iron wings and mobile base) and got everything dialed in. Love the fence!. Absolutely locks in easily and stays there.That was one of the weak spots in my old tablesaw. Powered it up and was very happy with the performance even with the stock blade. Since then I put a premium blade in and it works better. I will enjoy this for the rest of my life.

High quality tool, pleasure to use.

Best quality tool I’ve ever owned and I’m a contractor with a garage and truck full of Makita, DeWalt, Skill and Porter Cable. I spent a day dialing it in, building an outfeed table and a few basic jigs. Every cut was accurate, smooth and repeatable. Changing between blade guard and riving knife is quick and easy. I upgraded to the t-glide fence and cast iron wings. The machining tolerances were so tight that the seam between table sections basically disappeared once aligned. One of my favorite features is the knee-level off switch. Once you get some muscle memory on where it is, it is so much easier and safer than a toggle switch.Coming off a 1970s craftsman, I was surprised how many safety features I didn’t know I was missing. Riving knife, blade guard with ... MoreBest quality tool I’ve ever owned and I’m a contractor with a garage and truck full of Makita, DeWalt, Skill and Porter Cable. I spent a day dialing it in, building an outfeed table and a few basic jigs. Every cut was accurate, smooth and repeatable. Changing between blade guard and riving knife is quick and easy. I upgraded to the t-glide fence and cast iron wings. The machining tolerances were so tight that the seam between table sections basically disappeared once aligned. One of my favorite features is the knee-level off switch. Once you get some muscle memory on where it is, it is so much easier and safer than a toggle switch.Coming off a 1970s craftsman, I was surprised how many safety features I didn’t know I was missing. Riving knife, blade guard with anti-kickback palls, hands-free off switch, and the SawStop blade brake. Just having a quality fence is a game changer in preventing kick-back.I went into Rockler leaning towards the 1.75 PCS model and had the budget to get it. But after adding the 36” fence and mobile base and tax, it was getting a bit uncomfortable for me to justify, just starting out with my new hobby. Getting the Contractor saw allowed me to get the fence I wanted, the cast iron wings and the mobile base and still be under budget. After setting up and using the saw, I don’t regret going with the contractor model.The only slight disappointment is dust collection. I knew this would be a drawback going with the contractor saw but was a bit surprised how much dust and debris ended up on the floor and in the air. Luckily, there are accessories that can address this. The dust collection blade guard would probably take care of all the large debris. A more powerful dust collector rather than a shop vac would help too but by then I will be close to the price of a cabinet saw. If dust is a primary concern for you, get the cabinet saw. I just blow the dust out of my garage once a day and plan to build a box fan air scrubber to keep the air clean. I also have a dust collector on my shopping list once my budget recovers from this purchase.The sales person at Rockler was very helpful and patient comparing the two saws for me. This was the Seattle store in Northgate. Everything was in stock and quickly loaded on my trailer. They even take care of registering your saw for you.I’ve never regretted spending the money to buy a quality tool. Even with the steep price tag of a SawStop, it’s worth every penny.

Incredible, high-quality, and perfect out of the box!!

First off, this was an enormous upgrade from the machine we had prior. We opted for the 36 inch TGlide with table extension. The packaging was meticulous. The instructions were the best, most easy to follow of any purchase I've made of any product from any manufacturer, period. Once assembled, I used both a square and a digital angle finder to square up the blade to the table prior to use. It came in at a perfect 90 degrees out of the box. Very minimal adjustments were necessary to make this table perfect and usable. The fence system glides like butter and is dead on accurate. Our initial cuts were made with the blade that came with the saw. Really, it's not a bad blade and we'll continue using it until we equip it with a Tenryu gold. Have no reservations about ... MoreFirst off, this was an enormous upgrade from the machine we had prior. We opted for the 36 inch TGlide with table extension. The packaging was meticulous. The instructions were the best, most easy to follow of any purchase I've made of any product from any manufacturer, period. Once assembled, I used both a square and a digital angle finder to square up the blade to the table prior to use. It came in at a perfect 90 degrees out of the box. Very minimal adjustments were necessary to make this table perfect and usable. The fence system glides like butter and is dead on accurate. Our initial cuts were made with the blade that came with the saw. Really, it's not a bad blade and we'll continue using it until we equip it with a Tenryu gold. Have no reservations about buying this high-quality machine. The safety features and high quality make it well worth the price. We're not rolling in it, but we figured for just a little bit more than a Laguna, we'll have the safety and quality SawStop is famous for.

Purchased for the Safety - but was very impressed with the quality

I knew this saw was good quality, but the deciding factor was the safety. What surprised me about this saw was just how well it was built. I did go with the cast iron wings as apposed to the stamped steel. I think that makes a difference.The directions were well written and the assembly hardware was packaged very clearly and color coordinated with the directions. (very impressive)Once the saw was assembled and adjusted as per the directions it cut incredibly smooth and precise. When remodeling my kitchen my cabinet maker decided he liked my saw enough that he did most of his cuts in my basement as apposed to his shop. (Saved him time, and me money)The only recommendation I would have is that if you get the cast iron wings they (sawstop) should not ship the ... MoreI knew this saw was good quality, but the deciding factor was the safety. What surprised me about this saw was just how well it was built. I did go with the cast iron wings as apposed to the stamped steel. I think that makes a difference.The directions were well written and the assembly hardware was packaged very clearly and color coordinated with the directions. (very impressive)Once the saw was assembled and adjusted as per the directions it cut incredibly smooth and precise. When remodeling my kitchen my cabinet maker decided he liked my saw enough that he did most of his cuts in my basement as apposed to his shop. (Saved him time, and me money)The only recommendation I would have is that if you get the cast iron wings they (sawstop) should not ship the stamped steel wings with the box as they will only get thrown out.

SawStop table saw.

Love it. It is a huge improvement over my old Ryobi! Can't even compare the two. The fence is awesome. And am very pleased with the peace of mind that the blade brake on touch feature gives. Though I hope never to use it, of course

Very pleased with the CNS 175 SawStop assembly, features, and operation.

I've been looking to upgrade to a SawStop for a long time for its safety value and features. Having it in stock when I was at the Sandy Springs Rockler store was the nudge I needed.Assembly was amazing. Everything was tightly packed, and all small parts sealed in color coded compartments. No missing pieces, and instructions were flawless. From there it just got better.Everything was spot on perfect out of the box. The blade was exactly parallel to the fence, which was exactly parallel to the miter slots. Zero adjustment needed. The cast iron table was nicely oiled out of the box, and flat w/ no gaps, defects, or issues. All bolts lined up exactly with their corresponding holes.The T-Glide 36" fence is fabulous. It slides like silk and has two measure gauges for ... MoreI've been looking to upgrade to a SawStop for a long time for its safety value and features. Having it in stock when I was at the Sandy Springs Rockler store was the nudge I needed.Assembly was amazing. Everything was tightly packed, and all small parts sealed in color coded compartments. No missing pieces, and instructions were flawless. From there it just got better.Everything was spot on perfect out of the box. The blade was exactly parallel to the fence, which was exactly parallel to the miter slots. Zero adjustment needed. The cast iron table was nicely oiled out of the box, and flat w/ no gaps, defects, or issues. All bolts lined up exactly with their corresponding holes.The T-Glide 36" fence is fabulous. It slides like silk and has two measure gauges for use depending on which side of the blade you're cutting on.Since the brake can be activated with *extremely* moist wood, or striking metal (nails) embedded in material, there is a bypass key which allows you to turn off the brake, if you suspect any of these issues.The saw is quieter than the jobsite I've been using, and glue-line smooth. And, of course the safety feature is gravy.Dust collection isn't perfect (but without the overhead vacuum assembly, this is expected).I'd recommend the saw CNS 175 without hesitation.

heavy heavy

i just finished building the 10" contractor saw. as another reviewer said, the installation of the screws requires you to have small hands, and often turn your head upside down. could be a little better on the screw installation. as far as the weight, i needed to get bruce banner to help me put the unit onto the base. it took 3+ hulks to lift it to the base. have not finished reading all the instructions yet. but am looking forward to turning it on.