hey, so I was looking at craigslist in Phoenix area, you got some good saws out there for under $1000, here are some of the better ones in my opinion.
1.
Jet 3HP Right tilting
This is a great saw, with a great fence, it is a right tilting arbor which was very common for the Jet saws. The
right tilt is odd to get used to at first if you've never used one, but it fades quick, just don't tilt the blade into
your fence. This thing is a work horse. He has it listed for $900 and that is not a bad price, it is on craigslist
though, so I'd offer less, if you can swing this the money for this saw go for it, I am sure it won't be on there
very long.
2.
Craftsman Professional 22124
This is thought by many to be the last really good Craftsman saw made. No it doesn't have a riving knife (but
neither do any of the other saws on this list.) This is a really good saw, in fact I tried to buy one of these a
couple different times and missed my window of opportunity. This saw has cabinet mounted trunions, and
comes with one of the best fences made at the time. He is asking $750, I'd see if he'd take $550, but
wouldn't exceed $675. The downside here is that the saw is in Silver City, NM. may be worth the drive if you
can get it for under $600 though.
3.
Powermatic 64
This is a good contractor level saw, with a GREAT fence, and the fact that it comes with a mobile base and an
over arm dust collection is an awesome bonus(if you have or plan to get a dust collector.) The downside on
this one is the stamped steel wings, but it is still a good saw. He is asking $795, I'd offer $675 and see where
the haggling took us.
4.
Delta
This is also a good saw, better than the delta you'd get from Lowes today. The fact that it has the Unifence is
awesome. This has one of the best (and some would argue the best) fence ever made. I wouldn't be scared of
this one either.
These are my pics in the order I'd pick them, but again its only my 2 cents worth, and when you figure in the exchange rate my 2 cents may be absolutely worthless to you, anyways good luck!
!!BONUS ROUND!!
Also there is a
PM66 with what looks like a 5HP single phase motor. This would actually be my first choice (this is the same saw I've got), but he has it listed at $1200. That saw is an absolute beast! If you could drop a little extra, (and get him down a couple hundred) you cannot get a much better saw. To buy the brand new version you're gonna fork out around $4k. The only downside to this one is it looks like you may have to build or purchase the extension for the right side. If you buy it, its big bucks from powermatic, and if you build it, it will cost you not just $$ but time, so if he doesn't have it use that as a bargaining chip to your favor.
-Ryan