Contractor Saw

Our lowest-priced cast iron table saw

When you buy SawStop’s Contractor Saw (CNS) for $1,999, you not only get a great saw for a very reasonable price, you also get the same industry-leading safety technology to protect your hands that’s been featured on our cabinet saws for decades.

The Contractor Saw comes with a 10” blade, 1.75 HP motor, and your choice of three rip fences in 30”, 36”, or 52” capacity. With this saw you can build everything from cabinets to fine furniture to jewelry boxes to outdoor projects to cutting boards to shop projects. So, get your SawStop Contractor Saw now and enjoy woodworking with the peace of mind knowing your fingers are protected.

The Best Value in Woodworking

We would not call SawStop’s Contractor Saw a hidden gem because it’s available for sale right out in the open. But some people might tend to overlook it as they focus on our two amazing cabinet saws. Here’s what makes the Contractor Saw such a gem:

1. It’s SawStop’s lowest-priced table saw with a cast iron top, which delivers pinpoint accuracy, low vibration, and dependable durability
2. This saw is the only sub-$2,000 cast iron table saw with SawStop’s revolutionary safety system
3. We manufacture the Contractor Saw from quality materials and to exacting standards, so it will perform at peak condition for decades
4. This could very well be the last table saw you ever buy—it’s that good
5. As with all of our table saws, SawStop supports the Contractor Saw with a legendary technical support team and parts warehouse, should you ever need assistance

Quality is More Than Just a Slogan—It’s How We Make Everything

Right from the beginning in the early 2000s, SawStop’s creators agreed that compromise was an unacceptable notion. Just as there could be no doubt that our legendary safety system would change the industry and get woodworkers to not accept anything less, there could be no doubt as to the strength, durability, and performance of our saws.

Consequently, we make our cast iron saws from the absolute best materials to deliver a flawless performance that exceeds that of saws from other brands in the industry. We use premium cast iron, steel, electronics, and other components to ensure unparalleled performance.

How SawStop’s Contractor Saw’s quality separates it from competitors:

1. We make the CNS from premium-grade steel, cast iron, and aluminum
2. Its rugged construction means the CNS is built to last and perform very well for decades
3. Premium electronics and a power switch that self-diagnose and constantly monitor for potential conductive materials touching the blade ensures safe, reliable operation
4. Premium bearings, belts, pulleys, handwheels, gears, and other components
5. Powder-coated paint resists wear and increases longevity

Safety Stands Out as the Core Principle of SawStop’s Existence

This is a very troubling statistic: A table saw accident happens once every nine minutes in North America, resulting in an average of 10 finger amputations per day. That is simply unacceptable to SawStop. Our revolutionary safety system reduces what could be a potentially life-changing injury into a minor scratch by stopping the spinning blade upon contact with skin within 5 milliseconds. To date, SawStop has verified thousands of successful system activations—finger saves—from grateful woodworkers, DIYers, contractors, teachers, students, and industrial workers.

The patented SawStop safety system sets the Contractor Saw apart:

1. The unique, patented finger-protection system is available on only one contractor-style cast iron table saw, the SawStop Contractor Saw
2. No other cast iron saw selling for less than $2,000 has this system
3. After an activation, you replace the brake cartridge and blade with new ones, a small price to pay for preventing a serious injury
4. Should you experience an activation of the safety system, it can be easily reset in about 5 minutes and you are back to work.

Adaptability Makes the Contractor Saw Easy to Personalize

Each of our cast iron table saws can be customized to suit your exact needs, but the Contractor Saw leads the way with the most possible variations available in our lineup. The CNS comes with a powerful 1.75 HP motor, but then you start making choices, such as one of three rip fences and more than three dozen accessories.

What makes the Contractor Saw so versatile and adaptable:

1. This saw can be configured with optional accessories in more than 150 different versions, more than any other SawStop saw
2. No competitor’s contractor table saw can match that number of possible configurations
3. You choose from three rip fence setups:
   1. 30” Premium Fence
   2. 36” T-Glide Advance Fence
   3. 52” T-Glide Advance Fence
   4. 36” Standard T-Glide Fence
   5. 52” Standard T-Glide Fence
4. More than 3 dozen premium SawStop accessories to choose from:
   1. Mobile base
   2. Cast iron wings
   3. Dust collection panel and overarm setups
   4. Sliding crosscut table
   5. Inline cast iron router table with router lift and other accessories
   6. Premium miter gauges
   7. Customized Systainer miter gauge or dado set
   8. Under Table Cabinets
   9. 10” blades
   10. 8” dado set
   11. Insert plates
   12. Brake cartridges
   13. Feather boards

The CNS: A Logical First Table Saw

Although some people get a benchtop or jobsite saw for their first table saw, it’s also common for many, especially hobbyist woodworkers, to get a contractor-style saw for their first. It makes sense, because after a while with a portable saw most people want to upgrade to cast iron anyway. So, it’s a logical place to start. And the SawStop Contractor Saw proves to be the best option on the market in that contractor-style class.

A hobbyist woodworker wants a cast iron saw for:

1. Bang for the buck: You get a heavy-duty, powerful, cast iron saw for significantly less than the price of a cabinet saw
2. The cast iron top, arbor, trunnion, and other internal components deliver pinpoint precision for all cuts, and that leads to better project builds
3. The CNS delivers the most power you can get with a standard 120-volt motor that works with common electrical circuits in garages, basements, and other places around the house
4. You can get as much rip capacity as you need, with the minimum being enough to reach well past the midpoint of a 4×8 sheet of plywood
5. You also choose the style and functionality of your rip fence, with three models to choose from
6. The cast iron reduces vibration and the wide stance of the saw’s legs ensures stability
7. The induction motor of the CNS creates far less noise compared to the universal motors in portable table saws, a welcome relief during your fun time in the shop
8. With two overarm dust collection setups to choose from and an optional multi-port manifold, you can capture nearly all the dust you’ll enjoy creating with the CNS

Also, a person looking for his or her first table saw might be on a tight budget, which typically leads them to a contractor saw rather than a cabinet saw. Here is why the budget-constrained should consider the SawStop Contractor Saw:

1. SawStop’s safety system is a must
2. Runs on common 120-volt electricity, so no special wiring required
3. Uses 10” single blades and 8” dado sets
4. Full size rigid, reliably accurate fence
5. Full size miter gauge

When it’s time to upgrade from a portable saw

It’s pretty common for people to make their first table saw a portable model, with or without a collapsible stand. These saws sell for a lower price than cabinet or contractor-style saws, and they take up less space in a shop, garage, or basement. However, once your woodworking skills—and ambitions—grow, that person usually finds themselves yearning for the benefits of a cast iron saw.

Reasons to upgrade from a portable saw to the SawStop Contractor Saw:

1. Jobsite/portable saws:
   1. Smaller rip and crosscut capacities
   2. Universal motor is loud, produces less power, and typically has a shorter life span compared to induction motors
   3. Can be unstable, depending on the stand
   4. Smaller miter gauge with less functionality and capacity
   5. Smaller fence with less functionality and capacity
2. SawStop Contractor Saw:
   1. Induction motor provides more power and lower noise
   2. Greater rip and crosscut capacities
   3. Larger cast iron top equals less vibration
   4. Splayed-leg stand equals greater stability
   5. Larger, more capable miter gauge
   6. Larger, more capable fence
   7. Large dado blade capacity and performance
   8. Easier blade and fence adjustments
   9. Larger paddle switch
   10. Better dust collection (with optional attachment)

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