[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Table saws (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/25/2012 5:47:50 AM EDT
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Some school me on table saws. What to look for, what to avoid?
Can anyone recommend a brand or model? |
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Rigid R4512 from Home Depot for an entry table saw. Good saw for the money without breaking the bank. Next step up in quality will net you over $1,200........
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/ridgid-10-in-13-amp-professional-table-saw-r4512.html#.ULIxK4bVqSo |
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The fence is the saw. Make sure yours is the t-square configuration that locks only to the rail. This. Bessemeyer Fence is what you want. 
Beyond that it really depends on what you want. Portability, go with a contractor saw. Otherwise you want a cabinet saw. I have a DeWalt hybrid but if I were going to buy another saw today I'd probably get the 5 H.P. Delta. 
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The fence is the saw. Make sure yours is the t-square configuration that locks only to the rail. This. Bessemeyer Fence is what you want. http://toolsandmore.us/images/products/detail/78902.jpg Beyond that it really depends on what you want. Portability, go with a contractor saw. Otherwise you want a cabinet saw. I have a DeWalt hybrid but if I were going to buy another saw today I'd probably get the 5 H.P. Delta. Biesemeyer is a top notch fence. I'm happy with the old style Delta Unifence on my saw, but if I were buying today, I'd likely go with the former. I have a old Delta Contractor Saw. With it's 32 inch right side extension table, I wouldn't really call it portable. At this point, I'd break table saws into three categories: portable/benchtop, contractor, and cabinet. |
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Just looking for something to put in the garage for home projects. Planning on building a shed out back, probably going to replace carpet with wood floors. Possibly build some cabinets. I'd get a job site saw for everything you mentioned. Building cabinets is possible, but you start getting into the realm of a larger saw. |
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I have a Craftsman 10 inch stationary saw with extended cast iron top that I bought 25 years ago and it still serves me well. Made in the USA
About 12 years ago I upgraded the fence to the one pictured above in this thread. I would keep a eye on the classified adds for a older used Craftsman stationary 10 inch saw - you can find them at a good price usually sold by a widow. If you go into a Sears today all you will find is overpriced crap that took a long sea voyage to get to the store. Mike Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Just looking for something to put in the garage for home projects. Planning on building a shed out back, probably going to replace carpet with wood floors. Possibly build some cabinets. I'd get a job site saw for everything you mentioned. Building cabinets is possible, but you start getting into the realm of a larger saw. The RIgid that was linked to earlier is probably in the price range I was looking at. The larger cabinet saws are considerably more than I was looking to spend right now for a few home projects. I might check craigslist etc for used ones as suggest as well. I appreciate the info. |
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Get a SawStop with the cart. Table extensions if you want those.
Get 2 standard and 2 dado breaks. I have had a SawStop in a University Theatrical shop for over 7 years. College kids that have never used power tools using it and it is holding up to their use and accidental abuse. The rip fence is solid, and looks a lot like the one pictured above. SawStop will know which saw you have if you registrar it. Their customer service is very good. The SawStop cart makes it so you can move the thing around in your shop. The Manual that comes with the SawStop is the BEST I have ever seen. It goes into how to make adjustments, how to calibrate the blade for Zero, and square etc. It is the only one I have ever seen in full color. It will make sense when you see the inside as most of the parts are color coded. Now for the draw backs: The wood extension table on ours is a bit short for the cart, so when we jack up the saw to move it one foot falls off, sometimes. IMO you need a vacuum system for it. The breaking system on the SawStop needs a place to retract, if that is full of dust there is no place for it to go. Also the internal ducting on this saw is the BEST I have ever seen. With a smaller Jet dust collector it stays cleaner than any other saw I have seen. It is not a CHEAP saw, or CHEAP to buy. I think they run about $5,000 at least ours did. Now after you pull yourself off the floor ask yourself this; How much is your trigger finger worth? We have had 2 saves with ours in the 7 years. There are 2 on campus with another one planned. There are 3 different wood shops. 2 of the shops are primarily student use. |
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The fence is the saw. Make sure yours is the t-square configuration that locks only to the rail. This. Bessemeyer Fence is what you want. http://toolsandmore.us/images/products/detail/78902.jpg Beyond that it really depends on what you want. Portability, go with a contractor saw. Otherwise you want a cabinet saw. I have a DeWalt hybrid but if I were going to buy another saw today I'd probably get the 5 H.P. Delta. http://www.rockler.com/rso_images/Delta/29899-03-500.jpg True. Powermatic seems to work. I'd say atleast 5hp if you are doing any serious work. May be able to find one used in good shape. |
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Avoid getting half drunk in your basement, start building bird houses, putting your forearm into the path of a spinning 12" blade, and then having to take out a second mortgage on your home to pay for the 9 hours of surgery that follows. 
(brother) Damn, that would suck. Hope he's OK. |
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Quoted: If this is the company that wants to mandate that all saws come equipped with their device, then fuck them. Quoted: Get a SawStop with the cart. Table extensions if you want those. I saw a demo of one of those things. Amazing. (and cheaper than a second mortgage) |
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For a job site saw, there is Bosch and then there is everything else. For the use you describe, this is what you need - a very high-quality saw, with a convenient stand included. Add a sliding compound miter saw and you've got pretty much everything you'll need for cutting wood. Oh yeah, that is if you have a band saw as well, then you're done. |
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If this is the company that wants to mandate that all saws come equipped with their device, then fuck them.
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Get a SawStop with the cart. Table extensions if you want those. I saw a demo of one of those things. Amazing. (and cheaper than a second mortgage) It is. Only good thing i can say about the ones i've used is they are quiet and might save a finger. Still waiting on false trips but the lack of power is showing. |
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The fence is the saw. Make sure yours is the t-square configuration that locks only to the rail. I borrowed a friends newer craftsman. It reminds me why I hate sears. The fence is shit, has cracked plastic ends (it's held together with a wire right now, and I need a vise grip behind it to make sure it doesn't back up. Overall, it's loaded with plastic, even the table adjustment gears. When I buy, I believe it will be a Bosch. Cry once, buy once. |
| The Ridgid table saw (contractor size) will do everything you need a table saw to do. The fence is very good but as good as the Biesmeyer. I have a Delta Unisaw with the 5hp motor and it's more than I need. The only thing a table saw will do that a good sliding miter saw can't do is rip sheets of plywood and cut dados. The miter is much easier to use and in my opinion safer. I have a 10yr. old DeWalt 12" that will make perfectly square miter cuts and any degree angle I need. I have an 82 tooth Ridgid blade and the cuts are as slick as glass. Plywood can be ripped with an $89 skill saw easier and safer than using a table saw. |
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For a project saw I'd suggest a compound sliding miter saw. A lot more versatile than a table saw in my opinion. except for cutting plywood and ripping that is. Add a Track Saw to this and you can cover 90% of most DIY (non-professional) needs. We bought a compound sliding miter saw and never touched the table saw again. Been 5 years now and not even moved it. |
| I would go with grizzly. My dad has had one for years and it cuts through anything without over heating or stalling out. For what you said you will be doing get a sliding compound miter saw. I bought a.craftsman 10 inch and it is goodbfor a weekend hobbyist woodworker like myself. it was $250 . |
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If this is the company that wants to mandate that all saws come equipped with their device, then fuck them.
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Get a SawStop with the cart. Table extensions if you want those. I saw a demo of one of those things. Amazing. (and cheaper than a second mortgage) Yup... The best safety device on a tablesaw is between your ears. |
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Just looking for something to put in the garage for home projects. Planning on building a shed out back, probably going to replace carpet with wood floors. Possibly build some cabinets. I've got a Bosch 4100. It will do every thing you listed and you can store it out of the way under a work bench. |
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I know zip about quality, I personally know only how to induce kickback and gracefully fly across woodshops.
That said, there was a time not so long back when schools around here started getting rid of their wood shops. There were Delta table saws available for a pittance and the effort to move 'em. Delta Delta Delta, that's all I saw. Helped a few friends pull and move 'em. |
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For what you mention, don't rule out the possibility of a Track Saw with guide rails. A Track Saw and a sliding compound miter saw would work if space is an issue. I agree. You don't even want to try to cut large sheet goods on a small saw. Get a good track saw, a decent miter saw, and some good saw horses. Look at Dewalt, festool, and Eureka zone. Add a decent router and you can do a lot. |
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Depending on where you get your sheet goods you can get them to cut them to size if you know ahead of time on their panel saw. For stuff like building a shed and other household stuff (except cabinets) you can get away with a guide and a circular saw. I have a cabinet saw but built a shed this spring and didn't use anything but a good guide clamped to the plywood and a circular saw with the right blade. Same thing for building my teardrop trailer that I have a build thread on here. For most of the stuff I just clamped an aluminum guide to the plywood and used a good circular saw. For cabinets and finish type work that's visible you'll want it cut with a table saw or a track saw. |
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Just looking for something to put in the garage for home projects. Planning on building a shed out back, probably going to replace carpet with wood floors. Possibly build some cabinets. A good portable saw coupled with a modular station might be handy. Set it up then store it out of the way when finished. http://www.normstools.com/episodes/9908.shtml http://home.roadrunner.com/~thundereagle/sawstation.html |
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The fence is the saw. Make sure yours is the t-square configuration that locks only to the rail. This. Bessemeyer Fence is what you want. http://toolsandmore.us/images/products/detail/78902.jpg Beyond that it really depends on what you want. Portability, go with a contractor saw. Otherwise you want a cabinet saw. I have a DeWalt hybrid but if I were going to buy another saw today I'd probably get the 5 H.P. Delta. http://www.rockler.com/rso_images/Delta/29899-03-500.jpg True. Powermatic seems to work. I'd say atleast 5hp if you are doing any serious work. May be able to find one used in good shape. A 5 horse saw is overkill even for a lot of serious woodworkers. A 3 horse motor running on 220V is more than adequate in 10" cabinet saws for most any project. There are some cheap saws on the market that claim to have a 3 horse motor (running on 110V). That's not a true 3 horse motor. I have about $1k in this 1980's Unisaw. I replaced the bearings, belts, realigned the table and had the motor rebuilt. I built a cabinet, extension table and mobile base for it, then added a nice router lift. I put an extra long cord on it to reach my dryer outlet until I get around to running 220V in the garage. This saw will easily outlast my lifetime with proper care.It has a 3 horse motor (weighs over 100lbs) and will easily cut through damned near anything without slowing down. The saw itself weighs over 600lbs. 
The nice thing about the original Unisaw is that Delta/Rockwell made the same saw from 1939 until the mid 2000's. Most parts on these saws are interchangable....and a ton of them were made. The PM66 is another classic cabinet saw...and they are very nice, easy to get parts for and are said to be a notch above the Unisaw. The new Unisaw is American made with US made castings and is said to be a great saw. Information about the older saws is available on the owwm.org site. I've done a lot of work with cheaper contractor saws and Hybird saws. Good work can be done on these. These saws can be found on Craigslist, lightlty used for a few hundred dollars or less. If this is the OP's first saw and he wants to get his feet wet with some smaller projects I would suggest he go with a used Hybrid style saw or a contractor saw. The last Hybrid saw I owned was a Hitachi..it was halfway decent and I made some nice pieces with it. I just got tired of dinking around with cheaper saw and decided to upgrade to a real cabinet saw....like the one I used in highschool shop classes. Whatever saw you go with, dont be afraid to spend over $100 for a good combination blade. Forrest makes the best I have seen IMHO. Freud makes some decent ones as well. You can send your Forrest blad back to the factory in NJ and they will resharpen it back to factory specs for a nominal fee. I also suggest the OP take the time to go on Youtube and watch some videos on tablesaw safety. It's the most dangerous tool in a shop and can easily injur you if you dont know what your doing. However, if you know how to use it properly and respect it, it is a very safe tool to use. |
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Unless you're going to be ripping a lot, I'd suggest a radial arm compound mitre saw over a table saw. Table saws suck for cross cuts, IMO.
For what I've cut with a table saw, I wouldn't recommend anything too expensive or way oversized. I have a cheap Skil table saw and it's a little weak, but still works fine on everything I've run through it. |
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I would try doing a search on Craig's List in your area. Go to the tools sub "forum", type in "tablesaw" or type in some of the more common quality manufacturers:
Delta Powermatic Rockwell Jet Yates Boice-Craine Walker-turner Porter-cable Dewalt You might get a cabinet style saw, that new retail would run $1,500 to $3,000, for $400 or less. Just make sure it has a single phase motor. And give it a test drive before you plunk down the cash. |
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Maybe I'll look at a compound miter saw for now. It might be a better fit for what I'm looking to do right now. I just saw this post. That's what I was meaning to say instead of radial arm saw in my previous post. I bought a Hitachi 12" slider to build my post and beam house and it did an outstanding job. this one: http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-C12LSH-12-Inch-Sliding-Compound/dp/B0009MGOSG |
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Unless you're going to be ripping a lot, I'd suggest a radial arm compound mitre saw over a table saw. Table saws suck for cross cuts, IMO. For what I've cut with a table saw, I wouldn't recommend anything too expensive or way oversized. I have a cheap Skil table saw and it's a little weak, but still works fine on everything I've run through it. So how does one rip a few 6/4" x 12" x 12' boards down to 3" width on a compound miter saw? |
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The fence is the saw. Make sure yours is the t-square configuration that locks only to the rail. This. Bessemeyer Fence is what you want. http://toolsandmore.us/images/products/detail/78902.jpg Beyond that it really depends on what you want. Portability, go with a contractor saw. Otherwise you want a cabinet saw. I have a DeWalt hybrid but if I were going to buy another saw today I'd probably get the 5 H.P. Delta. http://www.rockler.com/rso_images/Delta/29899-03-500.jpg True. Powermatic seems to work. I'd say atleast 5hp if you are doing any serious work. May be able to find one used in good shape. A 5 horse saw is overkill even for a lot of serious woodworkers. A 3 horse motor running on 220V is more than adequate in 10" cabinet saws for most any project. There are some cheap saws on the market that claim to have a 3 horse motor (running on 110V). That's not a true 3 horse motor. I have about $1k in this 1980's Unisaw. I replaced the bearings, belts, realigned the table and had the motor rebuilt. I built a cabinet, extension table and mobile base for it, then added a nice router lift. I put an extra long cord on it to reach my dryer outlet until I get around to running 220V in the garage. This saw will easily outlast my lifetime with proper care.It has a 3 horse motor (weighs over 100lbs) and will easily cut through damned near anything without slowing down. The saw itself weighs over 600lbs. http://oi39.tinypic.com/karaqv.jpg The nice thing about the original Unisaw is that Delta/Rockwell made the same saw from 1939 until the mid 2000's. Most parts on these saws are interchangable....and a ton of them were made. The PM66 is another classic cabinet saw...and they are very nice, easy to get parts for and are said to be a notch above the Unisaw. The new Unisaw is American made with US made castings and is said to be a great saw. Information about the older saws is available on the owwm.org site. I've done a lot of work with cheaper contractor saws and Hybird saws. Good work can be done on these. These saws can be found on Craigslist, lightlty used for a few hundred dollars or less. If this is the OP's first saw and he wants to get his feet wet with some smaller projects I would suggest he go with a used Hybrid style saw or a contractor saw. The last Hybrid saw I owned was a Hitachi..it was halfway decent and I made some nice pieces with it. I just got tired of dinking around with cheaper saw and decided to upgrade to a real cabinet saw....like the one I used in highschool shop classes. Whatever saw you go with, dont be afraid to spend over $100 for a good combination blade. Forrest makes the best I have seen IMHO. Freud makes some decent ones as well. You can send your Forrest blad back to the factory in NJ and they will resharpen it back to factory specs for a nominal fee. I also suggest the OP take the time to go on Youtube and watch some videos on tablesaw safety. It's the most dangerous tool in a shop and can easily injur you if you dont know what your doing. However, if you know how to use it properly and respect it, it is a very safe tool to use. That extension table/mobile base is pretty freaking sweet. At this point I have no idea what to get. |