All,
I am getting ready to purchase my first table saw. I am a remodeler and with the type of work I get I have a need for one about once a month. I also want to make use of it for home projects. I do not mind spending money for a good quality saw because I would rather put some extra money up front for it than have to replace it a few years down the road. I am looking in the $400 to $500 range.
Can you provide suggestions concerning what type of saw I should look into and where I should look for it (especially internet sites as I have had very good luck making purchases on the web).
Thanks in advance,
dlb
.
Replies
I bought the Rigid saw from HD, the cheaper one with the stamped metal wings rather than the cast iron wings. I have been happy with it for the past 3-4 years building furniture and doing projects. I have a really cheap ($99) benchtop that I toss in the back of the truck for small jobs, and it has been very good. When the cheapie dies, I will probably get a more expensive benchtop, one with a decent fence.
Do it right, or do it twice.
I too owned a real cheepie one (I think mine was on sale for less than $80 at the time).
It did everything I asked of it and took a ton of abuse.. I bought a new blade and that was even better..
spend $20 bucks getting the blade sharpened once in a while and you will be very happy with it..
I still have it although I don't use it anymore.
I later got a Delta Contractors saw .. what a P.O.S. $80 bucks against $1200 bucks and the$80 dollar one made me happy & the $1200 one made me so mad I gave it away..
Frenchy
If I paid $1200 for a delta contractors saw I would be pizzed to, BECAUSE you can buy them all over for about 4 to $500.
Doug
It was the Platinum and I bought a bunch of junk with it.. some of which I later found out was included in the price of the saw.. I still have a whole bunch of ten inch blades, which do me no good since my currant cabinet saw is a 12 inch and the compound mitre saw is also a 12 inch..
I lead with my wallet instead of doing the research..
I tried to sell it to the second hand tool store but they had plenty and would only trade me out of it.. One day getting ready to do some work on my timberframe I needed the space it occupied and called my nephew over and just gave it to him.. (even helped him load it in his pick-up.)
Hey uncle Frenchy. Why don't you ever call me? Your favorite nephew Gunner when tools get in your way?Who Dares Wins.
Uncle Gunner, why aren't you on speed dial?
If you expect me to give ya stuff ya better not make me look up your number!
Yea sure, You're just trying to get my number so you can call me up anytime you feel like yelling at someone. I'm on to you buddy.Who Dares Wins.
But Gunner "ol buddy,,
you aren't very active defending your boy bush on the liar liar thread. Gotta reach ya somehow! <G>
LMAO. He's not my boy. I haven't even looked at that thread, I knew where it was heading, and don't have the time for it. I only dabble at political argueing around here. Who Dares Wins.
Anybody wants my POS Dewalt can have it. Im in the LA area. My phone is 626.447.4944
Bing
L.A. is too far for me. But just out of curiosity. What is wrong with it,that would make you want to give it away?Who Dares Wins.
Gunner,
if it's anything like my Delta I can tell you the saw goes out of alignment with the fence.. and then you have to get under there and realign it.
when it does that the boards pinch and burn and are a general pain in the posterior.. It seems like the saw has no power. kick backs happen too often and you find yourself in awkward contortions just to keep out of the way of potential kick backs and out if the sawblade line, while keeping your eye algned with the cutting edge..
When it happens every other day as it seemed to with the Delta, it seems like you spend more time with a dial indicator then cutting wood. At first I thought it was just lose bolts, but they were torqued to spec and still everything changed requently. eventually they were over tightened and that help a bit.. (it took 4 days to get badly out of alignment) finally they pulled out and I had to get underneath and put helicoils in.. At that point the factory used that as an excuse to stop helping me.. claiming that I had modified the tool..
Well if you call putting repair helicoils in a modification, then yes it's modified..
I've got one of those cheap Deltas. It works pretty good for what it is. I use it for light duty cuts around the garage, that's all it's built for. I got it through a trade for a drafting table from a buddies wife,( It was her saw). If it hadn't of been for that I would probably have a better one. I need to get off my butt and go find a good mid size one. Who Dares Wins.
The fence gears are out of kilter and I cant seem to find any way to fix. Of course, it did this just as I needed a table saw so I bought the Makita 10" with the Roussel extension tables and now I am a happy cabinet maker.
I also have a Delta cheapie 10" saw that's driving me crazy.
Fence is always out and the table is not flat.
I'm trading some labour in my own house for it and an old Jig saw. I'll probably get either a DeWalt or Bosch, depending on what comes up on sale first when the need gets ultra-critical.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Frenchy
I have the platinum series delta contractor and I havent had a problem wih it. It comes with a 2 year warrarnty so you could of gotten it taken care of. I think in your post you said your tired of going underneath it to align the fence? What was the problem. Going underneath sounds like you were aligning the trunion not the fence unless you couldnt get the saw blade aligned paralell to the mitre slots? Waht kind of fence was it the beis or the uni?
Darkworks: No Guns No Butter squilla and the bling bling.
Ron,
that's exactly the problem.. the trunions kept moving and while I had the factory rep out a couple of times it took so long for him to show up that I wound up doing it myself..
The third time I called the rep he said that he was going to get it replaced.. in the end it never happened.. excuse and then a differant guy took over and he said that he could adjust it ,.... but he'd have to charge me for his time since it's not covered under the warrantee. argue with Delta and finally he came out and readjusted it.. three days later I called and got his voice mail, he never returned my call.
If this were my only issue with Delta I could be a lot more tolerant.. I had issues with them over a bench top planer that came without the handles in the box..
Six weeks went by and in the end the only way I got that corrected was to tell them I was taking it back to Home Depot where I bought it.. the next day they'd overnighted a new one to me.. I wish I'd bought the table saw from Home Depot...
yea I know like you first hand that they been having some problems, Thats why I bought a Jet jointer. But for them not to honor their warranty well thats not like them. But it does all depend who ya get as a customer service rep.
Darkworks: No Guns No Butter squilla and the bling bling.
If your talking about the portable default TS Rousseau makes a aftermarket fence and table for it and the bosch. a might want to look into that. I know the feeling Ive bought tools I thought would be the bomb onlyafter using them they bombed big time .
Darkworks: No Guns No Butter squilla and the bling bling.
Frenchy: IM going to let you in on a little secret,but don't tell no one else..ok..
You can use those left over 10" blades on your 12" saws..
ToolDoc
PS~ ~ I won't squeal over at Knots that you weren't aware of that..LOL
da trouble is they won't cut thru a 4x4, 'sides,, I've bought a full alotment of of 12 inch blades.. from 24 tooth to 96 tooth.
I use my Ryobi BT3000 every day and it goes in the truck every night and out every morning ( I can carry it meeself!). It's not the top of the line but it cuts what I ask of it, the fence is resonably good and I can cut to the center of a 49" sheet good. It runs quieter than other saws on the jobsites (mine is belt drive) and most other people on the jobsite use my saw and they say its OK. It gets a sharpened blade every month (provided it doesn't hit something- which is rare)
It also has a sliding miter table that can be placed on either side of the blade. I don't use the feature as I usually have the scm saw set up anyway, but I have used it in the past and it worked good for short pieces and I was able to get nice square cuts with it
Would I buy another- I haven't had need to look for another saw......
Good luck....
The 10" Dewalt has an incredible fence. It is a little heavy but not to bad. My company has two of them and so far no problems as far as durability. I think you can get them from Tool Crib ( amazon.com) reconditioned for around $400-$420, brand new for about $500 ( you get free shipping). You get a nice collapsable stand with it.
I also have the 10" Makita. It is great except that the fence is a little lacking ( have to make sure that it is aligned square to the blade, only able to rip to ~12 or 13"). I like the blade adjustments on it ( bevel and height), able to cut material up to 3 1/2" thick ( I think this is the only bench top one that can do this, rest do about 3" I believe). It is pretty light so makes it easy hauling in and out of the truck. Harbor Frieght (harborfrieght.com) had these reconditioned for around $220 ( free shipping on orders over $50.00). If you get the Makita, think about getting an after market stand like the Rousseau or Skil.
I have never used one so cant comment on the quality, but the Hitachi 10" seems to have some nice features. Saw that Lowes had them for $270 last time I was in there.
If I would buy just one saw, I guess I would pick the Dewalt ( I love that fence). If you are only going to be using it once in a while, the Makita is just fine. If you get an after market stand w/ the Makita you get the extra ripping capacity and a more accurate fence. But by then your paying about the same as the Dewalt and you have one more thing to lug around and set up.
Hope this helps somewhat.
If I could have my dream saw I would put the Dewalt fence on the Makita saw.
m2akita
dale, I made a similar post a couple months ago, and after careful evaluation and input here, I went with the Dewalt and have been happy thus far. There are a few indiosyncracies with all I looked at. Part of my decision in the end was getting one at OSH when they ran one of their no sales tax weekends; thus a $40 savings.
I'm just a DIY'er, and bought a Crapsman cuz it was on sale!
All in all, it's not bad. It's a benchtop model, but I bought the stand for it.
The fence is easy to cock if you don't check it, but whaddya expect. Only real complaint/regret is not buying one with a larger table, I am looking at the fence extensions now. I am just finishing a cheapo wall unit and it would've made life easier.
Mike
Mike, while I'm thinking of it - that Chevelle is gone. Sorry.
Excellence is its own reward!
Ahh well, thanks anyway. I'm not on the hunt for one, just keepin my eyes peeled. They're still out there, maybe when I hit lotto I'll have a nice rust-free one shipped in from Cali or Ariz.
Mike
I use a Craftsman (Sears) portable saw. Cast aluminum table. Light weight. Extensions slide in & out. Accessories ride on-board.
Paid about $170 for it.
After aligning the fence, I think it works great. I have a lot of uses for it on the job site. I often make my own firring strips and custom cut finish strips on it, apart from the regular uses.
I bought a Dewalt about three years ago and have had great luck. Fence stays true, cuts nice and straight. with a few add-ons you can do wonders with it. It's a little heavy but not too bad. For cutting lots of sheet goods? Make friends with someone who owns a good panel saw.
I've got the Delta Platinum Contractor's saw with the 30" Biesmeyer fence. I've been very happy with it and have used it for everything from rough carpentry to cabinet making. I've got to disagree with the other people that have had problems with it going out of alignment. I've never had any problems with mine. If I were to get another saw, I'd probably look at either the Jet SuperSaw (little more HP than the Contractor's saw and an enclosed motor) or a full-blown cabinet saw. Whatever you do, try to get a saw that's belt drive. They last way longer than the universal motor direct drives, have more power, and are much quieter.
Thanks! Great advice.
dlb
I agree with tickboy,
The BT 3x00 Ryobi is hard to beat for your needs. It comes with lots of extras and a loyal fan web site where they share alot of their tricks, jigs, projects, etc. as pertaining to this particular saw. I bought this to use in place of the standard contractors saw to take with me doing weekend projects for others. I got tired of having to shut down a project early because what I wanted to do couldn't be done neatly or efficiently with circular saw,jig saw or what ever you brought with you. I have a Delta Unisaw which is fantastic for cabinet work or doing stuff at my place but it's not at all portable. As I started to actually make some money off these other people, I couldn't continue wasting time going home to cut whatever it was that needed cuttin. Not to professional. So I started researching all the available saws in the $400 and below price range and it became apparent that the others Rigid, Delta, DeWalt, Mikita, et al weren't even close to this one, in my opinion...(I know someone out there will hammer me for that)
Here is a good web site to check on this: http://www.bt3central.com/forum/default.asp
It’s $300 with lots of stuff the others charge extra for. I mounted mine on a 2’x4’x ¾†BC, cut down some old folding table legs and mounted those underneath then put some 10†wheels ($7.00 a piece) on it and made it portable. Works great and easy to haul.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
Dan