Do you actually use 52ish inch rip capacity?

[KyleD]

Think about the type projects you will be building and if you have enough room to maneuver a full sheet of ply in your workshop. For the last 12 years I have a 52" capacity and use it regularly when building cabinets. Before this saw I had a 25" capacity and pre-processed with saw horses and a circular saw with a straight fence. It is handier now but pre-processing was no deal breaker.

[Cooler]

The wide fence is only useful for sheet-goods.  If you are working with lumber, it would be far less useful.

[AHill]

Yes. When breaking down sheet goods. But, these days, I mostly use my track saw for that purpose.

[Turner52]

I use it quite a bit i do not have a track saw. 4x8 sheets are getting way to heavy for me too. Fortunatly i have a son in law and several grandsons who live close and are nice eneough to answer any call for help almost imediatly

[Alan S]

Having read that so many prefer the 52" fence, I bought one only to find it really didn't fit in my shop. I exchanged it for a shorter one, and in the decades since I have never encountered a situation where I would have wanted it.

Obviously your needs may differ. It seems clear that they are very useful to some people, but not all. Think about what you want to do and how you want to do it.

[Admiral]

Only for sheet goods; otherwise, meh. Came in handy when I made several bathroom vanities, and built in bookcases, I don't have a space problem.

[tablesawtom]

Only for sheet goods; otherwise, meh.   Came in handy when I made several bathroom vanities, and built in bookcases, I don't have a space problem.

Actually I have had a 52 inch Biesmeyer fence on my saws for the last 35 years and I don't really remember  using the full capacity.   I just sold my general cabinet saw and it had a 52 inch fence. I couldn't get a 52 inch fence on my new saw. Out of stock and couldn't get any in for over a month. I went with a 36 inch fence I figured I would just work around the shorter fence if I had to.

Tom

[handi]

Even with sheet goods the wider fence is less than useful. 

You can’t cut off a factory edge, so if you need the saw to cut one edge, you may as well reduce the sheet to manageable sizes before going to the saw.

Even if you want to cut off a factory edge, in order to cut a sheet, you need to start standing 8’ back and 4’ over to one side. And before you hit the blade, you have about 14” of fence to guide the entire sheet from all that distance away.

I have a full size cabinet saw, plenty of room in my shop and all the off-feed space I need. I still reduce sheets with a circular saw first.

[MT Woodworker]

Even with sheet goods the wider fence is less than useful. 

You can’t cut off a factory edge, so if you need the saw to cut one edge, you may as well reduce the sheet to manageable sizes before going to the saw.

Even if you want to cut off a factory edge, in order to cut a sheet, you need to start standing 8’ back and 4’ over to one side. And before you hit the blade, you have about 14” of fence to guide the entire sheet from all that distance away.

I have a full size cabinet saw, plenty of room in my shop and all the off-feed space I need. I still reduce sheets with a circular saw first.

I agree completely. I don’t have a 51 inch rip capacity, but even if I did, I would as I do now, reduce full size sheets to a manageable size.
Much easier to make accurate cuts for the final size needed.

[Stwood_]

I set mine up for 48" rip, so I could end cut a 4x8 sheet.

A tablesaw *is* for ripping/cutting down sheet stock.