Table saws

[Jim Colombo]

I'm looking to buy a table saw to cut pieces of hardwood to be used in making segmented turnings. The wood & pieces will be small but the cuts must be accurate. Do you guys have any recommendations?

[Lee Schierer]

Most any properly tuned table saw with a good miter gauge can do the job. I cut the frame for this game board on a craftsman 10" saw with a kreg miter gauge. The fit of the frame was perfect the first time. You will need to fine tune any saw you purchase to get perfect cuts.

[David Thompson 27577]

Lee was absolutely right -- just about any properly-tuned table saw will do a great job.

Here's one more piece of advice -- the smaller, lighter-weight table saws will need that tuning MUCH more often than the bigger, heavier (more expensive) ones.

And yet another -- the quality, and the tuning, of your miter guage is just as important (maybe even more so) as the tuning/quality of the saw.

[glenn bradley]

I think we are over-simplifying our answers. I don't want to speak for Jim but, it sounds like he is after as little saw (and money) as he can spend and still get reliable, repeatable compound angle cuts. You can tune any saw but the amount of effort (or sometimes outright modification) required will vary.

I was able to tune my 1970's C-man contractor saw to respectable level. Like 99.9% of contractor saws, the alignment varied when it came to bevel cuts. This is just a design issue where leverage, the weight of the motor, capability of the support rods, strength of the trunnions and table all come into play. As David mentions, smaller lighter-weight saws (and poor bigger, heavier ones) will require a lot of ongoing fussing around to keep things predictable.

All that being said, an older used contractor may be the best bang for the buck. A high quality direct drive may be appropriate if the depth of cut is OK (probably is). So, about $100 or so for a used contractor plus whatever else you have to put into it (maybe another $150 in add-ons) or something like the Bosch 4100-09 for about $500 would probably get you a satisfactory machine. You will want to build sled(s) and / or buy a quality miter gauge for either. The fence? Well that could be a separate discussion but let's try to keep it simple.

You want a saw that you won't cuss every time you change from 22.5* to 33.3*. I am hoping some others who have owned smaller machines will chime in. For every generalized statement there is usually an exception out there. Maybe one of them will be just the fit you are looking for. ;-)

[david brum]

Making bowl segments is tricky because the pieces are small and must be 100% accurately cut. I tried a few methods and eventually made a sled similar to this one:http://http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=18063&r=3&TabSelect=Details (http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=18063&r=3&TabSelect=Details) along with a dropoff platform like this one http://http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=18063&r=2&TabSelect=Details (http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=18063&r=2&TabSelect=Details)
It works beautifully because the little segments are supported and the cuts are easily repeatable.

As far as the table saw goes, your requirements are modest. If you don't mind getting a used saw, craigslist is full of older contractor's saw for good prices. You can save a bunch on the saw, then splurge on a really good blade and cutoff sled.

[Jim Colombo]

Dave and Glenn;
You've hit the nail on the head as far as detailing and describing what I want and what I have to do. I was leaning toward the Bosch 4100 but I can't find the difference between it and the 4100-09 beside the price. I'm not familiar with table saws so I was pretty confused when I went to Craigslist.
Thanks all.