MiniMax SC4 Elite or Hammer?

Sounds like you may be a good candidate for a SawStop with slider attachment – http://www.sawstop.com/crosscut. I love my Sawstop, but don’t have the slider attachment which has been introduced since I bought my saw. The saw has protected me when I made a mistake. It fired and left me with a small surface nick and no blood spilled.

-- socrbent Ohio

Get the one that fits your budget best, but also the one that will handle the size of projects you’re interested in building.
I read in a previous post that you’re just getting started and if you can get something you can grow into, I think it’s better than getting something small, then having to upgrade a few times as you increase in skill and interest.

I looked into either a sawstop and a format table saw and after weighing the 2 options, I went with the euro style.
I purchased a Grizzly though as the mini max, or felder just didn’t fit my budget.
The sawstop does have a sliding table, but it’s not the same as a true format saw and after reading some reviews, I saw there were some issues with the sliding table attachment.

Best of luck in your woodworking and you’re starting with the right concerns. Safety is often overlooked.

I might be wrong but it sounds like your top concern is safety. Saw Stop would be the only saw to answer any concern with losing a finger at this time. Bosh has a contractor saw available soon but doesn’t compare to saw stop’s available saws. I struggled with the same decision for two years and finally bought the Saw Stop. It is the best saw I have ever used, we’ll worth the piece of mind and cost. Extremely well made and easy to assemble and use. JMTC

-- Gary, Central Illinois

I might be wrong but it sounds like your top concern is safety. Saw Stop would be the only saw to answer any concern with losing a finger at this time. Bosh has a contractor saw available soon but doesn’t compare to saw stop’s available saws. I struggled with the same decision for two years and finally bought the Saw Stop. It is the best saw I have ever used, we’ll worth the piece of mind and cost. Extremely well made and easy to assemble and use. JMTC

-- Gary, Central Illinois

I might be wrong but it sounds like your top concern is safety. Saw Stop would be the only saw to answer any concern with losing a finger at this time. Bosh has a contractor saw available soon but doesn t compare to saw stop s available saws. I struggled with the same decision for two years and finally bought the Saw Stop. It is the best saw I have ever used, we ll worth the piece of mind and cost. Extremely well made and easy to assemble and use. JMTC

- gmc

It really isn’t the only saw for safety.

Euro slider saws, like he is looking at can actually be considered safer than a Sawstop. A sawstop only protects against a finger contacting the blade. It doesn’t protect against kickback or other flying objects.
A slider, places the operator to the side of the blade, not directly behind it and the hand pushes a carriage, not the wood so it’s kept away from the blade.

I have a Hammer K3 winner 48” x 48” sliding table saw and love it. The sliding table has T-slots and this allows you to attach hold-downs and any jig you can dream up. By clamping the work to the sliding table your fingers don’t need to get anywhere near the saw blade. You can still do ripping in the standard manner. I use a home made fancy “pusher” to do this and keep my fingers away from the blade. I find the saw EXTREMELY accurate! Every setting is exactly out of the box. I suggest calling Hammer USA and asking for a demo by an owner near you. I do this for Hammer occasionally in the Atlanta, GA area when asked.

Of course, you can do a lot of this with your present saw by making a “sled” that acts as a sliding table. These use the miter gauge slot in the table as a guide and you can clamp work to these if you choose. Not quite as versatile as a true sliding table but close.

Planeman

-- Always remember: It is a mathematical certainty that half the people in this country are below average in intelligence!

I am going with the SC4 by Mini Max. Thanks for the comments everyone.

I am going with the SC4 by Mini Max. Thanks for the comments everyon.

Hi. I’m looking at getting the SC4 Elite. I was wondering how you like yours? How’s the belt driven scoring unit?
Any issues or concerns to know about it?
Thanks

I have a mimimax cu300 combo machine and would NEVER go back to a traditional table saw. Once you get the hang of it, the things you can do without all those jigs is amazing. And I can tell you the chance of an accident is far less.

There is simply no comparison.

-- Dave

How are you liking the SC4? Pros/cons so far? I’m debating between that and the s315 10.5’ saw.