Looking for a table saw

[Dan Mages]

Hello everyone! I want to get my father a new tablesaw for his birthday and father's day. He currenty has this Skil piece of junk that is a real safety hazard. So... I am looking for a new table saw that is in the $250 to $350 range. He only does honey-do projects and other home maintenance, so his needs are minimal. Does anyone have any reccomendations on a good table saw for him?

Thanks!

Dan

[bill simonsen]

have you thought about a ryobi bt3000 or bt3100? cool, very useable tools. do you know bt3central.com? or other links? many and resourcefull. bill s.

[Todd Davidson]

Hi Dan~

IMHO the Craftsman Professional Job Site Saw (model # 137.218300) would be a good choice. It's treated me very well on job sites and in my shop when I was in between saws (my '54 was forced into retirement and it took awhile to find an affordable replacement). The April 2004 issue of "Workbench" rated it a Best Value and on par with the more expensive Dewalt and Bosch. The C'man has a left tilt arbor, 24" ripping capacity (with slide out right extension table), comes with a dado insert, and has a nice varity of features - the retractable cord is great. One person can fold the stand and wheel it into a corner where it takes up little room. I know a couple other SMC folks have them so maybe they'll volunteer some feedback. Sale price is usually $330 and you can get another 10-20% off between coupons and Craftsman Club membership. The saw is made by a UK company, Rexon (who also make the Tradesman line), via Taiwan.

Good luck in finding the right saw for your Dad.

[Lynn Sonier]

I have been using a BT3000 for a few years and really love the saw. I have a reather small shop and it fits in neatly. They are available only at Home Depot.

[Doug Shepard]

Dont know if the Ryobi that Bill and Lynn recommended are the same one, but my uncle really likes a Ryobi that they have at his job - which is maintainance at a golf course. He's got a Unisaw at home so he's got something to compare it to. He's commented more than once on the Ryobi as being a nice saw.

[Corey Hallagan]

Ryobi makes a job site saw with wheels that sells for 299.00 - that is probably the saw that your uncle uses on the job site. The BT3000 and 3100 while nice saws,are not recommended for job site moving. A BT 3100 might fit the bill for Dan's dad, I would check it out at HD first to see if it's what you want. For the money, I would by the Craftsman jobsite or the Ryobi jobsite, both would be great for around the house work and can be moved out of the way easily when needed.
Corey

[Doug Shepard]

I'm guessing it is the 3000 or 3100. They have a small shop on the grounds and the saw stays there. It's not something they wheel around the golf course.

[Dan Mages]

I will check out the 3000 series at HD, as much as I hate to give them my money. Any other suggestions? Anything worth checking out from Delta?

Dan

[Tim Morton]

Hello everyone! I want to get my father a new tablesaw for his birthday and father's day

That is a very generous gift, but I have another suggestion. Would it be possible that your dad might be wanting a contractor saw? But the 5 hundred bucks is too much for him to spend, so if you take your $250 and his $250....FWIW.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Tim has a very good suggestion. I would try to bring up the topic with him. If he seems like he would like to go to a contractor saw, maybe you can pay for half of it. If he just seems like he wants to upgrade to the jobsite saws, then you will be able to get it.

FYI on the Craftsman jobsite saw. There are two different job site saws, one is a hunk of crap, the other one is pretty good. Just make sure to get the one that costs around $250 or more not the one that is under $200. Also, the Sears Craftsman club days are coming up later this month. If you join the club, you will recieve 10% off the saw.

Good luck!

[Carl Eyman]

I've only used it once, but have watched him use it and seen the work he's done. I can't see how anyone could ask for a better saw for the money. In fact, the reason I used it was with its sliding table it was able to do a job my contractors's saw couldn't.

[Dan Mages]

That is a very generous gift, but I have another suggestion. Would it be possible that your dad might be wanting a contractor saw? But the 5 hundred bucks is too much for him to spend, so if you take your $250 and his $250....FWIW.

Good thought in concept, but he is quite content with the $100 POJ that he has right now. I will give him the option of trading up, if he wants to spend the extra money.

Regards,

Dan

[Maurice Ungaro]

Dan,
Go to HD, and check out the deal they have on the Delta Contractor model, I think it's the 36-675. For what it is, it's a great deal, comes with Delta's T2 fence, which counts for a lot. Price was around $550, now $399.

Hey, it's Dad. Splurge, because you may not have him around for ever, you know?

Maurice

[scott spencer]

Dan, Go to HD, and check out the deal they have on the Delta Contractor model, I think it's the 36-675. For what it is, it's a great deal, comes with Delta's T2 fence, which counts for a lot. Price was around $550, now $399. Hey, it's Dad. Splurge, because you may not have him around for ever, you know? ... I agree with Maurice....get him something really nice that you wouldn't mind inhereting when the time comes! ;-) The 36-675 is really a great deal if you can find one. Some people have been getting an additional 10% or so off.

Another option is a good used saw. Your price range can be a really nice used CS.

Nice gift! Good luck....