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In a move that will surely tighten the competition in the table saw market, SawStop announced plans to introduce a less expensive version of its cabinet saw that will use the same blade-stopping technology on its industrial cabinet saw and contractor saw.
The SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw is expected to cost somewhere between $2,500 to $2,800 (without accessories) and should be available during the spring of 2009, company officials said. The company’s industrial cabinet saw costs between $2,799 and $3,899, though after Oct. 1, the price will increase to a range of $3,099 to $3,899.
The lower-priced SawStop cabinet saw will compete with other premium saws, such as the new domestically made Delta Unisaw and the Powermatic PM2000, which starts at about $2,500. Both of those saws have upgraded guards, but they do not include the blade-stopping technology of the SawStop.
SawStop showed a pre-production model of its Professional Cabinet Saw at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta and pointed out the changes the company made to reduce the price. The new saw uses different blade-elevation controls and does not include the nice gas shock on the industrial-level saw, which assists the user in raising the blade.
Also, there is less cast iron in the trunnion assembly, the saw has a smaller tabletop and it will be available with a 3 horsepower single-phase motor only.
The Professional Cabinet Saw includes a nice Formica-faced T-square fence system, plus all the enhanced guards and blade-stopping technology found on its other saws. The saw will weigh between 515 and 540 pounds and will be available with 52″- or 36″-long fence rails.
In addition to the Professional Cabinet Saw, SawStop showed attendees its new contractor-style saw (now available for $1,599 to $1,839) in a couple configurations and was showing photos of the minor nicks that SawStop users received when their fingers came in contact with a spinning sawblade.
Company officials say they have received reports of about 400 “saves” from users who have set off the saw’s brake cartridge since the saws went on the market three years ago. However, the company estimates that number to be about three times higher. The company encourages users to send in the spent cartridges when they touch the blade for further analysis, and they said that they will send the user a free replacement cartridge in these instances (brake cartridges cost $69 for a 10″ blade and $89 for an 8″ dado).
Since SawStop went on the market, the company has sold about 13,000 saws.
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