Going to finally purchased a saw helper stand. I’m on the fence for what size fence to order, (5′,8′ or 10′). I do alot of custom trimwork. I like the idea of the 10′ on both sides of the saw for crown molding but 19′ for the total length of the set up is alot to ask. Does anyone have any input? If I need to cut a 14′ piece of crown can it be safely done on the 8′ fences? Thanks gents.
“When the job is perfect, we’re almost done.”
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Are they up and running again?
I have the 8 & 5 for both of mine and space wise I think they work great. If I were to buy them again would stay with those sizes. Most houses I set up in just don't have the room for longer sets
I cut 15 and 16' millwork and either side will support it fine. Of course most of my cutting is done on the left side. On the occasion I have had to struggle with a long piece on the right I use a roller stand
Got a good look at the Saw Helper at a JLC show a few years back and was impressed. Does it remain accurate after repeated setups/ takedowns? What are your thoughts on the portability aspect of it? ......... I've had some jobs with 3 and 4 flights of stairs to deal with. Any other negatives? TIA
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Last I heard they had shut down, hopefully just tempI have one of the first ones made, probably at least 15 yrs and one of the newer ones with the bigger tubing and table. durability & accuracy hasn't been a problem. If they get out of whack they can be adjusted.Portability is great, they can be taken down & set up fairly fast and fold up for easy transport in the truckThe only negative I've had is getting used to a smaller surface area to cope after a miter cut. But I have gotten used to it. I usually have a portable bench set up if I need more space on an intricate cope, but rarely use it anymore
Barry E-Remodeler
This has been discussed a few times in the past year or so--the company does not appear to be operating any more in spite of having their website up and in spite of the automatic responder that sends you the PDF price list.
I have an 8+5 and a 10+8 setup and they are both fine for cutting long stuff. The shorter setup is better inside the house.
YOur fence needs to slightly longer than 1/2 the length of the longest piece you want it to hold.
The center of gravity, or balance point of a board is in the middle of the board. If the balance point is on the fence, then the board is supported.
I have been trying to buy one for almost a year now. I think they may still be trying to get back up and running, but it's tough times to get a bank loan to finance that kind of venture. Unfortunatly, I think I may have to look at used, if I can find one.
If they ever came back, I think I would opt for the shorter setup with an additional extension for the left side.
Let me know if you have any luck buying. I'm next in line!
I don't have a Sawhelper. The stand that I do use goes out to about 10-12 ft. total. For long stuff I just use a pair of these if I need to (also use on the table saw):
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Are those Ridgid stands still available? I've been looking for a couple of years for one. Can't find them on the web sites. May not know the right thing to search for. Can you provide a model number or name?Thanks, Ed
RIDGID Flip Top Work Support - I really like this alternate to a traditional roller stand. I think it was Jim Blodgett and Snort or Mongo that turned me on to it.
Here's the Home Depot page that shows them:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100618242&N=10000003+90401+530616
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Thanks for the link!Ed
Simalar to the roller stands I use with mine.
The 5'/8' combination was what I bought so long ago that I never bothered to see if thye now made longer one.
I don't know why the Sawhelper is so popular. A miter saw stand shouldn't have a fence. There is a good reason that most miter saw stands do not have fences. You will have to crown each piece before you cut because if the crown is facing you the saw will pinch. Not good. Hope you have a jointer nearby. The sawhelper does stand nicely on uneven ground. THe base adds another 15 lbs to the weight of the saw which makes it cumbersome to move.
I can see what you are saying, but I think that if the crown had that much "crown" to it, I think I would cull it from the mix. If I can't easily press the crown up against the fence of the miter saw, I think it would be even harder to press it up against the wall and ceiling. I save my straightest pieces for the long runs, and if some pieces have a little crown or twist, I usually cut those down for the shorter runs. Too much, and I don't bother with it.
Where I really like to have a fence is when I do face frames and cabinet door frames. I just feel it is much more accurate that way. I can just slide my stop to where I need it to be, and cut away.
I agree that the sawhelper with the fence is nice for finish work. The stop is nice for repetitive cuts on pieces that you have just milled.
When I used the sawhelper it was for long pieces of exterior 2x10 facia and exterior dimensional window trim. It was nice that you could set it up outside on a hillside in the dirt but that damn fence just wasn't right. Anything longer than 2' you had to crown and then the cuts were not square unless you cut the rough first and then cut to length. All that cutting twice gets old.Mike Callahan, Lake Tahoe, Ca.
It's really not an issue with interior trim, as you saidIt has enough adjustment front to back that it can be adjusted so the helper fence is in back of the saw fence, and you can still use the flip stop
Barry E-Remodeler
With a jointer and a planer set up on the job I never have issues with crowns. Also cutting a piece of crown only needs to be straight at the blade becuase the cope takes care of the rest. "When the job is perfect, we're almost done."
Do you cope outside corners?
You can answer that for yourself. The crown only has to square at the cut not the whole 14'. Also Every crown that I cut I make a jig so the crown is held in the correct position and it is also cut upside down and backwards. The jig is about 30" long and that is the only park thats correct. A crown in crown is never an issue. Thanks for the help. "When the job is perfect, we're almost done."
You're completely missing the purpose of the fence. Its primary purpose is to give the flipstop something to register on. Ideally, one would set the fence on the wings about 1/2" behind the fence on the miter saw, negating the issue of bowed lumber. The flipstops, continuous wings & couplers are what make the stand the best one on the commercial market, bar none, especially for repetitive cutting tasks, cutting crown, etc. As far as the base adding 15 lbs., I don't think that's accurate. The base is just a piece of plywood that's about 2'x3' (at most). You also don't necessarily need to mount the saw to the wood base. I've been clamping mine, rather than bolting it to the base for years & it works fine.