Portable Table Saw Advice

[Jeremy Krohn]

Hi,

I’m looking for a worksite table saw to replace an old craftsman unit that died. My current “shop” is the furnace/utility room in my basement (roughly 10’ x 13’) so I need something decent that I can use for 3-5 years until I have a larger, dedicated workspace where I can get a cabinet saw or sliderJ I need a relatively small unit I can lug up and down the stairs to the driveway as needed and collapse to roll out of the way when not in use. For the most part I make smaller items from solid wood. If I’m working with sheet goods I lug the saw outside to the driveway to break them down.

I’m leaning toward the Dewalt 10” (DW744XRS) or the Bosch 10” (4100-09) and am favoring the Bosch. Both appear to be of similar build, quality, features etc. Thoughts/comments on either of these from current/past users or are there any other suggestions I may have overlooked? I’ll be buying the next time they come on sale.

Thanks,
Jeremy

[David Hawxhurst]

have you considered a track saw and portable cutting table. the tables collape down to about 2' x 4'.

examples of portable tables
http://www.garymkatz.com/chartsdrawings/assembly_table.html
http://www.garymkatz.com/chartsdrawings/tom-c_assembly-table.htm

[John Schweikert]

Jeremy,

I have had the Bosch 4100 with gravity rise base for several years. Completely happy with it. I would have no reservations buying it again. Via Amazon with prime shipping it's the best price out there for it, but since you are in Canada, you may have to source it there. If you have any specific questions about the saw, I'm happy to answer them.

[James Conrad]

I've had the Bosch 4100 for about 5 years now, it has held up well, not a huge fan of the fence as it doesn't always lock down square when makeing small adjustments. But overall it's the best out there for job site saws. Being in Canada you might want to consider this General http://www.general.ca/products/1_general/50_tablesaw/50-090.html it's belt driven as well.

[Joseph Tarantino]

ridgid 4510. same gravity rise stand as bosch and it may be registered for ridgid's LSA. also, the last time i saw a comparative portable TS test (WOOD magazine, i believe), the ridgid bested the bosch. find a HD that will honor harbor freight's "20% off any single item" coupon and the saw may be had for $400.

[peter Joseph]

I work out of a 90 square foot shop and do mostly handwork but purchased the Bosch portable saw as soon as I bought my house, now 5 years ago. This saw continues to amaze me as I often task it with jobs that would bog down most stationary TS's. Its biggest test came this past weekend when I was ripping some 16/4 red oak for the top of my Roubo bench. Granted I had to take 2 passes but I couldn't believe how well this saw handled the task at hand. I have also worked with the dewalt portable TS and have not found it to be as accurate or powerful as the Bosch. Paired with the gravity rise stand, you cant go wrong.

[Josh Michael]

The Kobalt portable table saw at Lowes will be on sale for $180 this Friday.

[Jacob Reverb]

This saw continues to amaze me as I often task it with jobs that would bog down most stationary TS's.

What with all the good reviews, I had to check out this saw. On the Amazon site, it (unhelpfully) claims:


saw generates a maximum 4 HP

http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/eek7.gif

Now all I gotta do is find a 30A extension cord (and install a 110V/30A circuit on my breaker panel)! http://www.weldingweb.com/images/smilies/dizzy.gif

Why don't they just say it "develops 250 hp"? Same difference...http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/lol8.gif

[Malcolm Schweizer]

+1 for the Ridgid 4510. It is a workhorse, accurate, and it folds quickly and easily. I even made a router insert and fold it up with the insert mounted- table extended. (Insert mounts in the gap when table is extended.) mine lives on the porch in the tropics and there are few ferrous metal parts to rust- a big plus for me.

I mostly use use tropical hardwoods and figured maple and it breezes through them.