Table saw sliding table

[garmar60]

So my wife went to the book store without me. For an unknown reason she was looking at a woodworking magazine and saw an add for a euro sliding saw and a smaller table saw with a sliding table set away from the blade (the first saw had the table against the blade). She didn’t really know what she was seeing but it got her concerned with my safety. 28 years no accident, griz 1023 10 years no guard ( I really don’t like it. Can’t see with it on. Have to push too far to clear back side).
She says buy what ever to get safer. I’m thinking shark guard and Laguna sliding table accessory. About 1/2 my work is with plywood panels or glued up panels that I can’t square with my miter gauge because of distance in front of the blade. Shark guard is no question as anything is better than nothing. What about the slinging table. Or do I just get a euro slider. Only one I could consider is the griz 10. No mimimax hammer or Laguna tss
Thanks
Gary

[Tapper]

So my wife went to the book store without me.  For an unknown reason she was looking at a woodworking magazine and saw an add for a euro sliding saw and a smaller table saw with a sliding table set away from the blade (the first saw had the table against the blade).  She didn’t really know what she was seeing but it got her concerned with my safety.  28 years no accident, griz 1023 10 years no guard ( I really don’t like it. Can’t see with it on. Have to push too far to clear back side).
She says buy what ever to get safer. I’m thinking shark guard and Laguna sliding table accessory.  About 1/2 my work is with plywood panels or glued up panels that I can’t square with my miter gauge because of distance in front of the blade.   Shark guard is no question as anything is better than nothing. What about the slinging table.  Or do I just get a euro slider. Only one I could consider is the griz 10.  No mimimax hammer or Laguna tss
Thanks
Gary

Ever consider Sawstop? They also offer a sliding table as an accessory, if you want one.

Doug
SS PCS driver

[iublue]

So my wife went to the book store without me.  For an unknown reason she was looking at a woodworking magazine and saw an add for a euro sliding saw and a smaller table saw with a sliding table set away from the blade (the first saw had the table against the blade).  She didn’t really know what she was seeing but it got her concerned with my safety.  28 years no accident, griz 1023 10 years no guard ( I really don’t like it. Can’t see with it on. Have to push too far to clear back side).
She says buy what ever to get safer. I’m thinking shark guard and Laguna sliding table accessory.  About 1/2 my work is with plywood panels or glued up panels that I can’t square with my miter gauge because of distance in front of the blade.   Shark guard is no question as anything is better than nothing. What about the slinging table.  Or do I just get a euro slider. Only one I could consider is the griz 10.  No mimimax hammer or Laguna tss
Thanks
Gary

I have a Rojek with a sliding table and I LOVE it.  I would never have a table saw without a slider.

The fence on the slider has T-bolt slots which makes it very convenient for jigs.  I have made several for different cuts.

[jteneyck]

I think the two safest options are a slider or a Sawstop.  But short of that, the simple act of putting a riving knife or splitter and a guard on your current saw would be a huge step up.  You don't need to see the cut if you line it up prior, but if you just have to then the Shark guard is a good option.  

For accurate crosscuts a slider is great, but you can get just as accurate ones with a sled on your current saw.  It all depends upon how you want to work.  

One thing a true slider can do more easily than other options is straight line ripping a board that has no straight edges.  You can make a sled to do it on a regular TS, but a slider can do it with no additions.  

John

[handi]

Sliders are NO SAFER when doing standard rip cuts on table saws. They are AWESOME at cutting panels, but for standard woodworking tasks, they offer nothing extra and often are in the way. I say this having worked with them professionally for decades. Every shop I have ever worked in with a slider ALSO had one or more standard cabinet saws.

[jteneyck]

Perhaps you misunderstood what I said. If you put the board on the slider to rip it's just like cutting a panel, where your hands are no where near the blade.

John

[TGW]

Here in Europe we have a different take on table saw safety.
Being accustomed to our way of working I would not dare to use a cabinet saw in the American manner. Essentially you use your cabinet saws for a much wider variety of uses but then safety inevitably becomes a tradeoff. Even with a Sawstop you haven't cured the basic problem only the symptoms.
Your routers are better than ours and our table saws are better than yours. 

In my oppinion a sliding table is more about efficiency and accuracy than safety. I would never ever want to be without it except maybe if I had a too small worksop to provide room for it. A sliding table that goes up against the blade is a lot better but I have so far made do with an old style sliding table mounted some 20 cm away from the blade and I haven't suffered too much.

This is my european style setup

   
-Overarm guard which hardly ever needs to be removed.
-A short fence attachment for ripping and for crosscutting with the end against the fence. More modern saws have a fence rail that kan be slid back for the same effect.
-A riving knife that doesn't protrude above the blade. This means that I never need to remove it.
-A long european style push stick meade from plywood which doesn't splinter.
-An easily accessible emergency stop
-Sliding table
This saw has a 5hp three phase motor and a 40 cm (16") blade but it is very safe.

[EvilTwin]

For breaking down plywood, a track saw is ideal and probably a lot safer than trying to push a large panel through the blade.  You dont need a fancy table to do it either, a couple of saw horses and either a piece of sacrificial plywood or maybe some foam board and you are there.  And you can cut down to some fairly small sizes.  I remember the times I tried to feed some big sheets through the saw, never again.

For crosscutting, I use a sled.  I don't normally use a guard on the saw, but I dont get my fingers that close either, I use a push stick.  I have had a kickback, so I'm sure it could be improved, but its an old saw (delta 12/14) and retrofitting is tough.

[Mr Eddie]

I've got a JessEm Mast-R-Slide small sliding table.  I don't cut large panels but for 2'-3' panels it works quite well.  Space is at a premium so the slider is on one side of the table saw and my router table is on the other side.  Gotta do what you gotta do.

Lonnie

[garmar60]

Thanks for all the comments and ideas. I had considered a saw stop with their small slider it may be the best set up but don’t know that I can get past the 4500 cost with the small slider. the griz euro slider at about 3500 Seams like a better deal. I think that some kind of slider for panel cutting would be handy for my work. I am not going to use it rip 8 ft sheets and may not crosscut full sheets either but do want to trim square panels with crosscuts up to 48. I am a little concerned about maybe loosing some of the table saw features I am use to like tenon cutting and dados if I went euro. I would have to change the way ido some things
ThNks
Gary