July 30, 2020

Shop Fox W1837 10โ€ณ 2 HP Open-Stand Hybrid Table Saw Review [UPDATED]

If you consider buying the Shopfox W1837, you may want to read this post. It boasts an easy-to-transport weight and size of a high-end contractor saw. There is dust control and the full features of a cabinet saw. This is an excellent combination of performance, practicality, and portability.ย 

Like the Shop Fox professional cabinet saws, this hybrid also has a quick-change blade guard with anti-kickback pawls that can be positioned away from the workpiece. This saw will surely envy anyone who sees it in a shop or worksite. The Shopfox W1837 is a Hybrid Table Saw featuring cabinet-mounted trunnions and an enclosed steel upper stand for maximum dust containment. Despite its hybrid design, cutting capacities stand toe-to-toe with the most expensive cabinet saws on the market.ย 

Shopfox W1837 10

The interchangeable riving knife offers protection for non-through cutting operations requiring the blade guardโ€™s removal. It also features a serpentine belt and pulley system for smooth and quiet operation with better power transfer than a standard V-belt drive system. This saw is sure to be the envy at any shop or worksite.

Prosย 

  • It is strong, hard-wearing, and durableย 
  • It is straightforward to use
  • It comes with anti-kickback pawls that can be positioned anywhere
  • You can easily change blades

Cons

  • Is very expensiveย 
  • Requires a lot of power
Open-Stand Hybrid Table Saw

Specifications

  • Motor: 2 HP, 120V/240V, single-phase
  • Pre Wired to 120V
  • Amps: 15A at 120V, 7.5A at 240V
  • Weight: 243 lbs
  • Rip capacity: 30โ€ณ to the right, 15โ€ณ to left
  • Speed: 3450 RPM
  • Maximum blade diameter: 10โ€ณ
  • Arbor: 5/8โ€ณ
  • Maximum Depth of Cut At 90 Degrees: 3-1/4โ€ณ
  • Maximum Depth of Cut At 45 Degrees: 2-1/4โ€ณ
  • Blade tilt: Left
  • Features
  • Enclosed cabinet bottom with 4โ€ณ dust port
  • Precision-ground cast iron table
  • Table measures: 40-1/4โ€ณ x 27โ€ณ
  • Lift-off Precision Fence with front/rear locking ability
  • Quickโ€Release Blade Guard Assembly
  • Riving knife
  • Robust Cabinet Mounted Trunnions
  • Built-in foot operated mobility system
  • Tโ€Slot Miter Gauge
  • Easyโ€Glide Fence System
  • Quickโ€Release Blade Guard Assembly

Additional Features

Interchangeable true riving knife

The interchangeable true riving knife offers protection for non-through cutting operations requiring removing the blade guard.

Built-In Mobile Base

The W1837 features a handy built-in kickstand operated mobile base. With a simple push down on the foot levers, the machine rises off, and otherwise stable feet become mobile, so you can easily move it to your new desired location.

Enclosed cabinet bottom with 4-inch dust port. The enclosed cabinet bottom features a dust chute with a 4-inch port. When connecting a dust collector with at least 400 CFM, keep your work area free of dust and debris.

Blade Tilt

The blade can tilt to the left between 0 and 45 degrees. Excellent for cutting bevels, compound miters, or chamfers. Easily adjust your cutting angle by loosening the blade tilt lock and turning the blade tilt handwheel to position the blade at the desired angle, then lock it in place for consistent repeat angled cuts.

Quickโ€Release Blade Guard Assembly

The clear guard allows the operator to watch the blade cut the workpiece during operation while maintaining a barrier around the blade that prevents accidental contact and keeps flying wood chips contained. The spreader/riving knife is a metal plate that prevents the newly cut kerf in the workpiece from pinching the backside of the blade and otherwise causing potential kickback.

The anti-kickback pawls allow the workpiece to travel in only one direction. If the workpiece moves backward, such as during a kickback, the pawls dig into the workpiece to slow or stop it. Includes a 10โ€ณ x 40-tooth carbide-tipped blade, standard and dado table inserts, miter gauge, push stick, and arbor wrenches

Buyerโ€™s Guide

Whatโ€™s a โ€œhybridโ€ table saw?

A hybrid table saw is a stationary table saw, built to look like a more expensive cabinet maker saw, with the motor inside, but with internals more like a less expensive โ€œcontractor saw.โ€ So itโ€™s a hybrid between a cabinet maker saw and what was traditionally known as a contractor saw.

Cabinet maker saws tend to be sturdy and heavy, typically with a three hp motor, requiring a 240-volt circuit. The trunnions and saw mechanism are mounted directly onto the cabinet base. In contrast, on a hybrid table saw, they are usually bolted to the bottom of the cast iron table.

Traditionally, a contractor saw is a saw with a cast iron table, a stand or legs that you can detach, a tilt mechanism bolted to the bottom of the table, and an induction motor hanging out the back. The heavy motor is easy to remove, and the motor of such a saw is fairly luggable by two people.

ย A โ€œHybridโ€ table saw is a contractor saw with a fully enclosed stand and a motor inside instead of on the back. This makes the saw more convenient in the workshop, making it harder to move.ย 

Most manufacturers no longer make traditional contractor saw type saws, making hybrid table saws instead. It doesnโ€™t cost more to make one of these saws than an old-style contractor saw. But this arrangement makes more sense since most old-style contractor saws are stationary in a hobby workshop.

A downside of having the blade tilt raise and the lower mechanism and motor hanging off the bottom is that the cast iron table will sag slightly over time. Sagging cast iron sounds hard to believe, but yes, it happens!

Trunnions bolted to the bottom of the table also make it much more challenging to adjust the blade alignment (though, ideally, that is already set correctly when you buy the saw)

Contractors these days use more portable โ€œjob siteโ€ saws (also referred to as benchtop table saws). These Jobsite saws are now often referred to as contractor saws.

Jobsite saws use smaller universal motors, which are much lighter but less durable and loud. The motor is on the inside. These saws are less solid than cast iron contractor saws, but the increased portability makes up for it.

Our Verdict

Like standard cabinet saws, the Shopfox W1837 trunnions mount to the cabinet for superior performance. The robust cast iron trunnions absorb vibration, ensure proper blade-to-fence and miter slot alignment and make blade height and angle adjustments a breeze. You may also want to see how the w1837 compares to Delta 36 725. ย 

David D. Hughes

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