Tablesaw woes

[Jason Wall]

For a while now I have been working out of a shop with a decent sized tablesaw, I think the capacity was 23.75". Which is good for sheet goods. I was able to make inserts and I like that feature alot. Most of the benchtop tablesaws i have looked at don't have those. Now I am faced with the fact of dropping down to a much smaller sized shop... 8x8. So I was wondering if there is anyone else in a similar situation and had any luck with small benchtop tablesaws with wood inserts.

[Stephen Cherry]

8x8 is a pretty small space, but an Inca 259 would fit right in. If you are making big sheet good projects, it's not the saw for you, but for small stuff, it is hard to beat. They used to be very pricey, but now they are just pricey. The one I have has the sliding table, and mortising attachment.

[Jim Rimmer]

Could you use a mobile base on your TS and keep the one you have rather than downsizing? Moving it against a wall or out in the driveway to give you more room?

[Jason Wall]

I probably should have mentioned that the larger saw isn't mine. The shop space I have now is a prefab plastic shed. It was on the property when I moved in. My aim is to use primarily as scrollsaw and carving space. Sadly a full 4x8 sheet wont even fit in the door! I think I am going to just settle for an inexpensive benchtop/jobsite type saw.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Festool track saw. I don't own one, but there are a lot of additions (even more bucks) that allow you to rip boards of equal widths. A contractor friend of mine swears by it and no longer brings his jobsite TS. It's worth a look.

[Jason Wall]

Well after beating myself up for a while over which saw to buy I decided to just get the mini $119 saw from the depot. Before I left the house I checked craigslist one more time and saw an ad for two table saws. I couldn't believe my luck! One of the saws had a 24" capacity and removable insert. I am glad that I waited because the old saw was only $120, all steel and cast iron, and it slides under my shelving just like it was supposed to be there. The only drawback is it weighs a ton. The other table saw the guy had was probably from the 50's. I wanted it so bad, it was green and crome with a wooden top and the motor was mounted behind the saw on a wooden stand. Lack of space blah! No more woes!

[Curt Harms]

It sounds like you're living right :cool:. I'd expect a mucho more solid feel from steel and cast iron than from a $119 borg job site saw. Are the arbor & motor bearings tight? Moving parts clean, not packed with saw dust? Aligned reasonably well? Enjoy it.