Table Saw

[Aaron Kline]

What is a good compact (bench top preffered) table saw for under $300? Mostly just want it for ripping and crosscutting but it needs to be accurate and compact. Thanks.

[Corey Hallagan]

Man, that is a tough one. Not to many benchtops even in that price range that I would be willing to spend money on. Better are the jobsite portables. Craftsman has one that is around 299.... I can't vouch for the quality of it though. The Bosch, Dewalt and Ridgid all make job sites but they are in the 499.00 area or more. I think the Hitachi portable is around 299. as well. Very similar to the craftsman. Porter cable and Makita make portable / benchtops but I think they are 300.00 plus as well. Try some pawn shops, they always seem to have some portable and other table saws around... also other good used equipment might be available locally. Good luck and let us know what you ended up with.

Corey

[Walt Pater]

Aaron, Makita's portable TS is usually around $300, and is adaptable to many Rousseau aftermarket whistles and bells, like outfeed extensions, fences, etc. which you can add on as your budget allows. I've used the Makita several times and it is a nice, powerful saw, although I ultimately sprang for Bosch's, which is the best portable benchtop saw, hands down, period, no questions asked.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Walt, if you need to go that direction, Makita has a good rep, but the Bosch BT3100 would be a better bet if you can kick in a little more funding.

[Bob Mooney]

I recently purchased the Ryobi BT 3100 and for my purposes (not to mention my skill level), its been very good. It goes for $300.

Bob

[Corey Hallagan]

The Ryobi BT 3100 is owned by many and I have seen alot of great work made with it. If what you are needing is for your saw to be mobile in your shop, it would work on a mobile base, but if you are needing it to be portable from location to location, stick with one of the true jobsite or portable saws like those mentioned before. The BT3100 is great but it isn't meant to be transported all over. It is a pretty lightweight saw with alot of aluminum.

Corey

[Aaron Kline]

I think I am going with the Bosch 4000. Now I just need the money. If anyone would like to donate to the Aaron Kline foundation for a compact table saw, shoot me a PM and we'll talk. I think it would be tax deductible:D :D

[Corey Hallagan]

That will be a great saw in your shop. Good luck, hope you find the cash soon!

Corey

[Andrew Ault]

I have the Bosch table saw and have used it for a couple of years. Mine has been a good saw and I'm happy with it for the most part. It was part of my flawed "shop that folds away into the corners of the garage" scheme.

Shortcomings:

- Not enough space in front of the blade to easily crosscut wide boards. This is not really a flaw in the saw. It is a problem when using a portable saw as "your main squeeze" because you want to, perhaps...say...park your car in your garage.

- The blade height does not stay fixed when using a stacked dado. Note that there is no lock for blade height. I now hang a C clamp from the adjustment wheel to help this.

-The blade can be trickly to change until you Dremel out a triagle of plastic in the dust guard. Then, it is a snap! This mod has been made to countless Bosch 4000s and has resulted in a significant decrease in the total amount of cursing and gnashing of teeth. Let me know when you are ready to modify your pretty new saw and to improve shop decorum.

Nice Things:

- The saw is precise with minimal blade runout. With a Woodworker II it cuts perfect rips and cross cuts with zero scoring, a much better surface than my jointer, for instance.

- I have the side and rear extensions and they are good.

- For a long time I stored it on a shelf in my garage. It is pretty heavy and the shelf was at head level, so it was a minor bear when tired. I purchased the new Gravity Rise wheeled stand at it is excellent. No effort to use. Big wheels. Stable. Well made.

- The blade guard travels up and down with the blade. This permits the foolhardy and adventurous (I rise and look sheepish) to replace it with a shopmade riving knife. For those amonst us that have a certain distaste (or even open hatred) for the Great American Blade Guard with attendant anti backlash sharp thingys, this allows the actual use of a safety device instead of just winking at it while running naked bladed and careful of finger intactfulness.

- The fence works very well and stays square. Anything up to 24" is a piece of cake. The scale works just fine.

- When a vacuum is applied to the saw dust outlet sawdust is sucked right up neat as a Corvette on show day.

Digressions:

Recently I purchased a used Unisaw with 52" fence. I've been making more furniture and I'm getting ready to remodel our kitchen. I've completely given up on the idea of parking my truck in my garage (though my wife's pampered sport sedan shall keep it's indoor digs :) ). So, my workshop does not pack away as much, but I can cut sheet goods and make perfect dado cuts. My wife, a gracious and nearly sainted woman who seems to enjoy my obvious and numerous flaws and ugly mug, likes the idea of a workshop added over the garage...with a lovely view of San Diego. Now I mearly need to convince the City of the merits of my little plan. This would facilitate the space for the (entering nefarious dream realm) Cobra I'd like to build...my poor truck, it seems, is doomed to outdoor living. But I digress.

Good luck on Saw Trust Fund. If that comes about I'll be watching and taking notes with a mind to my Shop in the Sky Fund and Cobra Creation Fund. :)

Andy
From the World Domination Headquarters and Garage

[Jim Dannels]

The Ryobi BT 3100 is owned by many and I have seen alot of great work made with it. If what you are needing is for your saw to be mobile in your shop, it would work on a mobile base, but if you are needing it to be portable from location to location, stick with one of the true jobsite or portable saws like those mentioned before. The BT3100 is great but it isn't meant to be transported all over. It is a pretty lightweight saw with alot of aluminum.

Corey
Corey is right on the money on the BT3100. I have one and it offers a lot for the money. I`ts modular design offers alot of options to customize for your personal style. Some of it`s features like the Sliding miter table and splitter are only available on much more expensive saws. It is accurate and holds it settings very well. Cuts very clean and has plenty of power.
It`s not a machine you want to horse, but a good machine for the $300 price tag.
I move it around the shop often, but as Corey said, its advantages could be a detriment if throwing in the truck to move to sites.
I have a Delta Bench Saw I keep for that, but have never been please with the rip fence on it.
Sure I would like to have Massive Cast Iron, but this saw does pretty good.