Woodworker's Journal 2010-34-1, страница 56
Tool In our strained economy, the "value" tension between price and features has never been greater, so picking a "best" saw is really tough. Review continued unconventional design that delivers fluid blade movement and a rugged arbor platform. Laguna provides a split guard fixed to a riving knife. It locks in place with a bolt; a quick-release mechanism would make switchouts a bit faster and easier here. The fence system, bevel tilt scale and pointer on this saw resemble the components on Grizzly's G0691, with the same mixed bag of issues for me. The saw also has a handy cabinet cleanout door. Cutting performance was good for this machine, but dust collection was not. I removed 39 handfuls of dust from the cabinet after cutting. One standout feature of the Dovetail Saw is an improved miter gauge: it comes with a long T-slot fence, bar adjusters and a flipstop for repetitive cuts. Very nice! The saw also includes a dadoing throatplate — a standard item not packed with every saw. But, all things considered, this Dovetail Saw seems a little overpriced to me. Powermatic PM2000 The PM2000, Powermatic's replacement to the Model 66, is handsomely equipped and was a solid performer here. It comes with a huge cast-iron top and your choice of a laminated table or workbench extension with an end vise. The riving knife/guard system resembles JET's Xacta Saw and is easy to use. A low-profile riving knife is also available as an accessory. A bottom blade shroud enabled this saw to draw away all but a light dusting from inside the cabinet — very impressive. This saw's box-style trunnion is a good-sized chunk of iron, which helped it cut thick hardwood without fuss or noticeable vibration. The rip fence is rugged with extra-thick plastic facings. PM2000's miter gauge has a sawtooth rack system for locking in angle settings, plus a 13" aluminum extension fence with T-slots. Powermatic includes integral casters that crank up and down using the blade 10-050 Rip Capacity: 48"R, 10"L Depth of Cut: 3%" (90°); 2%" (45° Table: 29I/2"W x 42 Vi'l Weight: 615 lbs Street Price: $1,699.99 www.rikontools.com (877) 884-5167 Rikon offers a sliding table accessory for this right-tilting saw (right). A second throatplate insert for dadoing (left) is a convenient standard feature. bevel-tilt handwheel. It takes some practice to activate the feature, but it's a small hassle for the wheeled advantage. An oversized bump kill switch is a wise safety feature, and so is the illuminated On button and removable magnetic lock-out key. The saw could use some means for hanging accessories and a better motor door latch. All in all, though, this is a sweet machine. Here's a pricey saw, but it's plentifully appointed and ready for hard daily use. Rikon 10-050 The 10-050 is a leaner version of Rikon's 10-110 right-tilting saw, which includes a big sliding crosscut table on the left side. For that reason, the 10-050 is the only right tilter here. The sliding-table's mounting blocks are still attached in case you want to add the table later (the accessory costs $899.99). It took me a while to get used to the right-tilt nuances: the blade tilt wheel is on the left, the arbor spindle projects from the right side of the throat opening, and the arbor nut spins on and off the opposite way. But, in testing, the saw's large box trunnion, triple belt drive and accurate rip fence were up to my cutting tasks. There's no blade shroud and hose below the blade to help capture dust in the cabinet, and about 13 handfuls of dust remained — an average result. You'll like this saw's huge table area in front of the blade — a giant 16V2" with the blade raised to 1"! The extra Tool Review continues on page 58 . 56 February 2010 Woodworker's Journal |
