Reviewed by Consumer
Search, June 2010
Pros
- Two
true riving knives
- Best
blade guard system
- Stable
granite top
- Relatively
quiet
Cons
- Relatively
low power
- Some
deflection in fence
Analysis
The Steel City 35900G is the first hybrid saw to incorporate a true riving
knife plus a heavy granite table top that's more stable than cast iron. This
table saw keeps all the features that reviews praise in earlier Steel City
table saws, like a tool-free blade guard and excellent dust control. Reviews
also praise it for ease in cutting sheet stock. Though expensive, reviewers say
the 1.75-horsepower Steel City
table saw could easily be the centerpiece of a workshop devoted to precision
woodworking. The saw carries a five-year warranty, 10 years on the granite top.
However, you could pay just a bit more to get equal performance and an extra
safety feature with the SawStop Contractor Saw (*Est. $1,600), which builds in
a flesh-sensing blade brake to prevent cuts.
Wood Magazine is the first to include the Steel City 35900G hybrid saw in comparison
tests, even comparing it with the Steel City
35670 (which is topped with cast iron). Single-product reviews of the Steel
City 35900G in Popular Woodworking and Woodworker's Journal highlight new
safety features as well as the granite top, and the Steel City riving knife and
blade guard system are compared with others in Taunton's 2010 Tool Guide. An
article on safety features at Popular Woodworking makes note of the riving
knife and blade guard system. The reader's choice in the 2009 Taunton Tool
Guide is the Steel City
35601, now the 35930 -- also covered in earlier comparison tests in Fine
Woodworking and Tools of the Trade.
Sources
1. Wood MagazineDetails/Subscribe
This review compares the Steel City 35900G with nine other hybrid saws and
two cabinet saws, giving each model very detailed ratings for just about every factor
you might want to consider. The Steel City 35900G proves the quietest and
safest -- with two riving knives plus an excellent switch and blade guard --
but provides less power than the top-rated Shop Fox W1748.
Review: Shop Tested Hybrid Tablesaws,
Bob Hunter with Craig Ruegsegger, Nov. 2008
2. Popular
Woodworking
This brief review praises the Steel City
35900G table saw for its riving knife, convenient blade guard, smooth height
adjustments and most of all, for the rust-proof and stable granite.
Review: Tool
Test: Steel City Granite-topped Tools, Robert W. Lang, Oct. 2008
3. Taunton's 2010 Tool GuideDetails/Subscribe
This review compares the riving knife system on the similar Steel City 35905 table saw with those of seven
other table saws, rating the Steel City
riving knife adjustment as very good and calling the blade guard
"user-friendly."
Review: A Riving Knife Prevents Tablesaw Kickback, Roland Johnson,
Nov. 2009
