I’m donating my SawStop table saw today.
I have been debating this back and forth for a couple of months, but it wasn’t until last night that I finally made a decision.
I might be donating some of my other larger woodworking tools as well, with the SawStop just the first to go.
A while back I bought a band saw so that I could resaw thicker boards with less waste than using a planer and greater speed than ordering planed-down boards online.
I was testing a small jointer and decided to buy a large Powermatic, to see if size matters. It does.
I bought a SawStop, fully aware it wasn’t exactly what I wanted long-term. It has ample power, a large table surface, and delivers a smooth user experience.
I have been wanting to build a legged cedar planter, and bought the boards last year. I need to rip-cut some of the 6ft and 8ft boards. I kept planning to make space to do that, but didn’t. Rip-cutting 8ft boards requires around 18-20 feet of space – 16 feet of clearance (front to back) plus room for me to stand.
We plan to get a shed. I drag my feet on that every year (mostly because of the permit and land prep that will be needed), but will try my best not to fall behind again this year. Will that give me more space for my garage workshop? Yes. Enough to make a difference with respect to the table saw? No.
I have space for ToolGuyd work, but for creative projects? Not really. I have been moving closer to that goal since the summer.
Will I miss my SawStop cabinet-style table saw? Absolutely. I think about all of the larger projects I still want to work on. However, I don’t have space to glue up panels or to put assemblies to dry or cure after putting on a surface finish.
It’s not a big deal to roll things out of the way, but it all adds up.
From a business decision, will the table saw make me money?
There are countless woodworking content creators and influencers. I enjoy woodworking but don’t identify as a woodworker.
I don’t enjoy milling my own wood. Meaning, I’d rather pay a little more and start with a relatively flat and square board that’s been planed to thickness.
I like the idea of making furniture. But I’m not making furniture, at least not entirely from wood.
From the “creator” context, woodworking won’t make me money unless I go full throttle in that direction, which I don’t want to do.
Every woodworking content creator is now a tool reviewer, and I can’t stand it.
AI services are decimating websites, review channels, and pretty much every content platform.
It’s possible that even what I do here at ToolGuyd could become redundant. So what would come next? How would I adapt?
I love my SawStop table saw, but it’s not pulling its weight, or rather justifying its footprint. There’s little potential for it to support revenue-generating activities. It’s in the way or not needed for personal projects that I will realistically complete in the next year or two.
“But I will need it.”
“But it’ll cost so much to replace.”
“But I’ll have to go through freight hassles to replace it.”
These are the reasons I’ve been holding onto it, not because it’s so useful to my current projects.
The price/value is also an obstacle. Can I replace them it this year if need be? Yes. Next year? 2 years from now? I don’t know. I don’t like to plan that far ahead, as everything can quickly change, which is why I never expanded beyond my 2-car garage.
Can I convert the basement into a woodworking shop? Theoretically? Yes. Realistically, not anytime soon and it would cost an exorbitant amount of money.
I wanted to upgrade to a cabinet saw for so long.
And, it really is a capable machine that’s a joy to use.
To rip or cross-cut with the SawStop table saw without worry about it bogging down? Fantastic.
But to really enjoy the use of the table saw, I need more space. I need clearance for larger workpieces. For my larger project plans, I need a space for applying wood finish. Where can I clamp things together and let the glue dry? I have a paint sprayer, but no room for even my knock-down spray booth.
A woodworking shop is one of purpose.
I thought I could commit to it. I can’t.
I need my workshop to allow for greater agility, for both personal and ToolGuyd work. There are so many projects I still want to make. But, the table saw has been in the way.
What if I removed the extension table and cut the fence rails to be shorter? That will give me some more space, but won’t make it any easier to rip-cut longer boards.
Several times now, I’ve decided to part with the SawStop but WAIT – I’ll need it for [project I haven’t gotten to in several years].
Let me think about this. I need a wood slab, say 12″ x 8″ and 3/8″ thick, for a new project. I have a nice piece of oak I can use for this, rather than ordering a board like size from a supplier.
I can use a handheld saw to cross-cut the board to rough size. A miter saw or careful handheld cutting can get me closer. The band saw can get me a 3/8″ board from the thicker Oak. Or maybe let’s say 1/2″. My jointer can get one side flat, and the planer can get the other side flat. If I need perpendicular ends, the jointer can do that too, and the other side can be trimmed on a table saw.
Do I need a SawStop cabinet saw for that? No – a small portable jobsite-type saw would be enough. Or maybe I can even use my track saw.
The table saw delivers the least value but takes up the most space, gets in the way of other activities, and is the most replaceable.
What else can I get rid of?
Maybe my Nova drill press? It’s a good machine, but my benchtop mill and portable cordless drill guide have been getting a lot more mileage. The drill press doesn’t have a large footprint, but I could put another workbench there, or move my band saw over.
I’ve been thinking about the type of wood project I am likely to work on if I could start over right now. I’d get a medium-sized DIY-type CNC, use it to flatten one side of a board, flip the board, and then let it do its thing.
Do I need my large jointer for that? Band saw?
It’s more work to prep wood boards with smaller tools. But it’s also a lot of work playing musical machinery where everything gets rolled around so that I can access what I need.
I’m thinking about getting rid of my jointer and Dewalt planer (test sample) in favor of benchtop models. I can then fit a portable table saw, benchtop jointer, and smaller planer all on the same rolling shelf. Maybe the Dewalt can fit on there, in the middle (it’s a bit too heavy and awkwardly shaped for me to lift and move).
Such a rolling tool storage platform might work well for a miter saw too.
I need the space to work on 5 different projects all at the same time, not necessarily just with wood. That requires work surfaces more than it does larger equipment.
I think I just convinced myself to part with almost all of my woodworking machinery.
There’s a mentality about what one “needs,” and it’s really a mix of wants and needs.
There’s an adage that you should buy the biggest you can afford – biggest planer, biggest jointer, etc. There’s good reason for that – it’s a hassle trying to surface a long board on a short-bed jointer, or if you need to surface an 8″ board and your jointer maxes out at 6″.
I will miss these tools terribly. But I am also convinced that their absence will give me so much more space for woodworking projects, just not the ones I still haven’t had the time to budget the time or space for.
Does it make sense to buy a small jointer with aluminum table to replace my awesome Powermatic one with cast iron tables? Of course not. Luckily ToolGuyd pushes me to try new tools, and I’m really excited about what I will be able to do with the reclaimed space.
If I have regrets, ToolGuyd might afford me the opportunity for a do-over in a few years. But right now, I have more regrets about what I don’t have the space to work on.
I have the tools to work on the projects I don’t have time or space for, and don’t have the space to work on the projects I do have time and greater passion for.
That this is as much a business decision as much as a personal one doesn’t make it any easier.
Bonus – if I get rid of my two 220V machines, I can upgrade my 110V dust collector to a 220V HEPA model, buying me some time before I have to install additional 220V outlets. (Even benchtop tools can put out an enormous amount of chips and dust.)
