3rd car garage - Which table saw option works best?

[Robert Merikle]

I am finally making the move from a two car garage that has two cars in it along with my workshop to a three car garage where I will be setting up my first true dedicated shop in the third spot. Right now I have a nice Dewalt miter saw on the bench that runs the back part of my garage and a nice Bosch portable table saw I have to drag out when I want to use it. Naturally I have a portable table saw because I don't have dedicated space for a table saw currently but I am thinking that will change in my new garage. My question is with a third car garage setup what do most people find that works best for them. I tried doing some searches, but I guess I am not able to pinpoint threads that are helping me. I don't want to say money is not an issue, but I have no problem plunking down a grand or more for a really nice saw that would outlive me, but I am thinking while space won't be as much of an issue as it use to be space will still be somewhat of an issue especially for my dream cabinet saw.

What is everyone's recommended setup and naturally if you have a specific saw you would recommend I would love to hear it.

For bells and whistles I would love to have both the table saw and router in one table. And at least currently I don't have a lot of additional larger tools such as a drill press or lathe so I don't foresee the problem of trying to cram in a bunch of other tools into this area. For the most part beyond tools that fit in the cabinets I am a miter saw, table saw, router type of guy.

Thanks in advance

[andy bessette]

I added an old cast iron table saw top to my principle Unisaw and mounted a 3-1/2 hp Stanley router beneath it. The Unifence services both saw and router.

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i414/yo-andrew/shop-1_zpswjliawky.jpg

[Doug Landphair]

I just sold my Jet cabinet style table saw. It was on wheels and came equipped with an extension table that I could mount a router on. I think a saw of this type would work well. Unfortunately, I've never seen another Jet saw like it. Jet does not now offer that option. However, you might be able to modify the extension and turn it into a router table. A good used Jet goes for $1200 to $1500 depending on where you are, age of machine, condition, etc. BTW, I would definitely budget some bucks for a dust collector and an air cleaner to keep wood dust off of your cars and out of your garage.

[Simon MacGowen]

I don't want to say money is not an issue, but I have no problem plunking down a grand or more for a really nice saw that would outlive me, but I am thinking while space won't be as much of an issue as it use to be space will still be somewhat of an issue especially for my dream cabinet saw.

What is everyone's recommended setup and naturally if you have a specific saw you would recommend I would love to hear it.


Thanks in advance

Do you hate SawStop or its inventor for any reasons (the reasons don't have to be logical or reasonable)? If the answer is yes, skip the rest.

You want a saw that would outlive you (at least until a better cabinet saw comes onto the market), get the SS. The SawStop is the dream saw for many people (who didn't answer yes to the above question). If you don't have the budget yet, use whatever you have been using and wait until you have the budget and get the SS. It is worth the wait!

It isn't 1 grand (but you said 1 grand or more), but it will be an investment you won't regret. I am not just talking about the finger saving technology, its quality from sawing to dust collection is the best you can get for hobbyist woodworkers. Get the Prof. model, the upgraded fence and the overarm dust collection (and the hydraulic mobile base if you need to move it around), and you will never need a second tablesaw.

I have used the SS for almost 7 years now and it has never failed me.

Simon

[andy bessette]

If you continually find it difficult to stay focused, if your mind constantly wanders while running power tools, if you have extremely poor hand/eye coordination, if mechanical things confuse you, if working with tools has always been a mystery to you, if you are constantly injuring yourself on the simplest tasks, get the Saw Stop. :)

[Dave Lehnert]

I am set up in one stall of a three car garage.
I have a JET cabinet saw with a 52" fence. I have it placed about 6 feet from the tip of the saw blade to the back wall. This allows me to crosscut a 4 foot wide plywood and room to stand. The saw is also on wheels if I need extra room like ripping a 8 foot sheet of plywood. I almost never move the saw.
At the end of the left side of the saw I have my JET 6" jointer. Also on wheels if I need to move it. The jointer I do move often as it sits higher than the saw and gets in the way.

[Dave Lehnert]

I added an old cast iron table saw top to my principle Unisaw and mounted a 3-1/2 hp Stanley router beneath it. The Unifence services both saw and router.

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i414/yo-andrew/shop-1_zpswjliawky.jpg



I like the scrap plywood storage under the saw. May have to use that idea.

[andy bessette]

DL--I can't bring myself to throw anything away. :)

[Ben Rivel]

Draw up a to scale floor plan of your new space and include the tools your considering purchasing and start maneuvering things around. Use Microsoft Visio if you have it.

[Ryan J Carpenter]

I have had great luck with my used Delta Unisaw with a router table I attached. It seems like the flood of sawstops has really driven the delta pricing down to a reasonable number. A 3 horse motor is a great perk when you jump into the cabinet saw world. Being in a small garage hobby shop like you, I ended up loping off a good chunk of my fence (herecy, I know :) ) so I only have 40" capacity. This probably kills the resale value, but I can now actually move around the shop. It is also pretty rare I need to saw something wider than 30" for the projects I do since I end up breaking down sheet goods outside with a circular saw where there is more room. Good luck with the saw shopping!

[Simon MacGowen]

Forget to add in my recommendation that SS has excellent resale prices compared to many other cabinet saws. Non-SS haters are easy to find on Craiglist or Kijiji.

Simon

[Brian Tymchak]

With 180?-200? sq ft, I would recommend that you make your table saw and all other power tools mobile, which ever brand you buy. There will be times when you need to wiggle things around to accommodate what you are working on. I highly endorse the idea of putting a router in the top of your table saw to save floor space.

Make sure you make room for some dust collection gear.

[richard poitras]

A Grizzly cabinet saw would be your best bet if you are trying to keep in budget and they are a good saw at that price point. SS are good but are over twice the price. So keep in budget or go big.

[Andrew Howe]

I am in a similar situation in my basement. I sold my jet table saw and use a bosch portable saw and just purchased some festool products. I feel this along with a 17" band saw, router table, and ridgid miter saw will work well. I do not think a traditional table saw is warranted in a small space. There are many other ways to accomplish work.

[Rod Sheridan]

If you continually find it difficult to stay focused, if your mind constantly wanders while running power tools, if you have extremely poor hand/eye coordination, if mechanical things confuse you, if working with tools has always been a mystery to you, if you are constantly injuring yourself on the simplest tasks, get the Saw Stop. :)

Or if you're just human and don't want that once in a lifetime incident to result in people calling you stumpy, buy the SawStop.

If I were to ever buy a North American style table saw again (which I wouldn't do), I would buy a Saw Stop.

If you do have the money to buy a SS cabinet saw, consider a Minimax or Hammer slider instead, much greater accuracy capacity and capability than a cabinet saw, in a similar footprint........Regards, Rod.

[rudy de haas]

A couple of other things to keep in mind:

1 - you will need 220V lines; and,

2 - dust collection is a must-have for this and will restrict your ability to move things around.

Combine those two and what you will probably end up with is a fixed position (or nearly so) for your table saw and a plan to move at least one car out when you need to use a large mobile device like a planer, jointer, or shaper - just put those on wheels and park them near the door on "your" side until you need them.

Further.. if your garage is long enough you might consider running a fixed work bench with drawers along the whole front - this will give you storage space and still let you work with at least one car in the garage.

And, incidently, don't let the sawstop pro or con people influence you too much - it depends on how careful you are and whether you need to buy insurance because others are going to use the saw. Sawstop is worth its weight in premiums.. and the extra cost if you're the only user can be thought of as a premium you pay to protect yourself against yourself.

[Brian Henderson]

If you continually find it difficult to stay focused, if your mind constantly wanders while running power tools, if you have extremely poor hand/eye coordination, if mechanical things confuse you, if working with tools has always been a mystery to you, if you are constantly injuring yourself on the simplest tasks, get the Saw Stop. :)

Meaning you shouldn't be a woodworker in the first place.

[Adam Petersen]

I'm with Andrew on this. I jut sold my Rigid contractor saw with the out-wing having a router mounted under it and bought a good jobsite saw. I then rebuilt my router table and made it a folding table off of a Workmate I had that was collecting dust. I hang it on some heavy duty wall hooks when not in use. This has opened up my space considerably. While the full size saw was nice, all I really need a table saw for (need?) is ripping. I have a 12" sliding miter set up for cross cuts and a 14" bandsaw for every other cut. I only miss the cast iron top for the Maglock featherboard. Otherwise I'm very happy with my setup.

[Cary Falk]

Put everything on wheels. This is 1/3 of a 3 car garage. There is a grizzly cabinet saw in there.
362824

[Mark Canada]

The mass an rigidity of a cabinet saw is certainly warranted depending on what you're doing. I couldn't wait to get rid of my contract saw to get my cabinet saw. I'm only in half a 2 car garage (other half is either the car or spray booth) but i still have plenty of room to move around my 52" 3hp tablesaw, 14" bandsaw, 20" drill press, compound mitresaw, CNC router, 89" edge sander, 2hp dust collector and router table with two decent sized work benches. It was a challenge to figure out the layout, but I wouldn't go back to a contract saw for the work I do.

I buy all my hardwood lumber as 8/4" 10' lengths 10-15" wide, and need to resaw these down to 1" and 1/2" sections. The bandsaw was great, but at only 1hp it got bogged down pretty easily, and the surface finish wasn't that great. With the 3hp table saw I can just bog it down if my wife is pulling on the lumber as I'm pushing it, running a 12" blade. The saw doesn't vibrate and shudder as I do this, every contract saw I've used wouldn't cope with half the wood.

From there I start doing very fine bevels, veneer re-saws, etc needing 0.003" or better accuracy - again, contractor saw's I've used won't give me the accuracy I require.



Perhaps Rudy can give us more details on what he wants to use the saw for?

[Robert Merikle]

Adam, my current setup is very close to your setup. My issues (which may be overrated) is that I long for a good ???? table saw that is more accurate then what I have.

And to be clear I can get pretty darn good cuts from my job site table saw, but it is a lot more work then I would like. Also just having that nice big solid table would be so nice.

Thanks for all the input. This helps trying to figure out what is the right table saw for me.

And in regards to the SS talk. Yes they are beautiful and safe. Tried one out at a show and it truly was nice, but they are pretty expensive insurance.

[Jim Becker]

With a small space, mobility is your friend...and you can accomodate that with the cabinet saw of your choice, a mobile base and a router table wing, such as one of the cast iron products or something made of composite materials. That gives you a lot of functionality and accuracy, but lets you spread things out while working and pull things back to accommodate the perceived expectation that the other bays will contain vehicles "from time to time". That said, your dust control system should also likely be mobile to accomodate this flexibility, too...until, of course, you say "the heck with this 'garage for vehicles thing' and take over more space permanently. :D