Broke woodworker needing a table saw......

[Josh Goldsmith]

Hello everyone!!! I am in the market for a new table saw. My cheap portable saw needs to be upgraded bad. I am thinking of spending no more than $600ish. I want your opinions on what saw is the best for the money. I was looking at Craftsman table saws but i know there are alot more out there. The only thing i know to look for is a strong fence setup. I am fairly new to woodworking so any tips i would appreciate. Thanks Josh

[tod evans]

used powermatic/delta and don`t be in a hurry the second you write a check the deal of a lifetime will come knocking. .02 tod

[Rob Horton]

Josh,

Grizzly has some pretty decent saws (in my humble opinion) on their site. I would check them out. Sometimes too you can find a decent entry-level saw at the BORG or Lowes.

Mainly though, just do your research well by checking threads on this site, reading articles and reviews. Eventually you'll end up going with your gut, your budget and whichever saw seems to "find you".

Hope that helps a bit. And welcome to the creek!

[Bob Winkler]

You might try your local Lowes and see if they have any of those discontinued JET contractors saws for cheap. Some Lowes' had them on clearance for a good price (not mine unfortunately).

For the record, I have a 25 year old Craftsman TS that still runs great. Can't see replacing it, regardless of the Craftsman kidding I've endured over the years.;)

Bob

[Brian Austin]

Hello everyone!!! I am in the market for a new table saw. My cheap portable saw needs to be upgraded bad. I am thinking of spending no more than $600ish. I want your opinions on what saw is the best for the money. I was looking at Craftsman table saws but i know there are alot more out there. The only thing i know to look for is a strong fence setup. I am fairly new to woodworking so any tips i would appreciate. Thanks Josh
I've got a Craftsman TS with an Incra TSIII fence listed in the Classifieds here. Not sure where you're located but delivery in the Southwest or southern CA is a possibility.

Overall, I was unimpressed with some of the Craftsman quality. The fence was pretty bad. I replaced that with the Incra, rebuilt the motor and changed the belt to a link belt. Overall, it's a much different saw. It's about five years old.

I recently upgraded to a Unisaw and don't have room for two saws.

[Vaughn McMillan]

I was in the same boat a bit less than a year ago, and I went a bit against the grain and bought the Ridgid TS 3650 (at Home Depot). For the price, it seemed to be better equipped than the Deltas, Jets, Grizzlys, etc., and I've had no regrets whatsoever, but I do realize I'll probably upgrade to a full-blown cabinet saw when the time is right. Until then, I expect the Ridgid will give me many years of service. Fence-wise, I've been very pleased with the one on the Ridgid. I've played with (but not used) the Biesemeyer fence favored by most here, but to me, the Ridgid fence is a bit easier to move and adjust, and is just as solid as the Beis once it's locked down. Zero deflection is zero deflection, regardless of who makes the fence. ;)

Tod's suggestion to go with a used, but higher grade saw for about the same price range is also a good approach. There are some good deals to be had if you can find them.

You've started down a slippery slope Josh. I hope you brought skis. :D

- Vaughn

[Bill Fields]

Josh:

I agree with all the advice above--especially do not hurry. You said $600ish, and for just a little more you can get a "Hybrid" saw that will perform as well as some of the low priced cabinet saws.

All the brands mentioned above have sales--some quite spectacular. ANd I would not rule out Craftsman. Their better saws are built in the same factories in Taiwan as some of the "brands". I've seen some of their better TS's at well under $900.

I was in the same boat as you about a year ago and I chose a Hitachi C-10FL over a Jet contractors saw--both for $500 at Lowes. SInce that time I have regretted not waiting and doing a bit more research.

Nothing wrong with the Hitachi--it's a real deal for the money. BUT, I have had to put a ton of time into modifications and improvements and I still have stamped steel wings!

Good hunting!

Bill Fields

[Jarrod Nelson]

I have a Delta 36-441. I don't remember exactly what I paid for it, but I think it was in that range. So far, I've been very happy with it.

If I had it to do over, I would look at a similar quality Grizzly to save a few bucks.

[Neil Bosdet]

The better saws and floor machines we use will, for the most part, out live all of us. My advice is always look for used on this type of machinery if money is at all tight. Look at local classifieds and "Buy and Sell" type publications. Deals are there to be found although you may need to drive a bit but it will be worth it.

[John Shuk]

I think you would be doing real fine with the ridgid contractor saw. I haven't heard a bad thing about it.

[John Branam]

I will second the Ridgid 3650, I have one and it is a real nice contractor saw. The reviews from several different ww magazines have rated the best in its class.

[Scott Donley]

Hello, first ? would be, do you have 220 volt in your shop ? if not would you be willing to go through the expence to upgrade to 220 ?

[Lynn Sonier]

You will hear some major hooting when I tell you this but the Ryobi RB3100, for $300 at Home Depot, is a very good saw. I have been using one heavily for about 5 years now and have had no major problems. One of the points I like is that the 10 inch blade will cut through a 4 x 4 in one pass, it has a sliding miter table, and has a rock-solid fence.

[roy knapp]

Take a look at the Dewalt DW 746x.

Its a hybrid tablesaw and thats about 1 step under a cabinet saw.
I have had one now for about 2 years and its heavy well made saw that is well machined and accurate.:)

[Jack Hoying]

I'm not sure where you are located, but I have a Rockwell/Delta Contractors saw in Western Ohio that I'll be selling in a week or two (As soon as I get my Unisaw set up). It has a Biesmeyer type fence with a 50" reach. Extension tables on both sides and setup for an undercounter router. The standard V-belt was replaced with a 6-grove, serpentine type belt and pullies, which reduces vibration. I'll be asking around $500.00 for it.

Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, Ohio

[Dominick Giarraputo]

Josh, I have the craftsman version of the Ryobi RB3100 that Lynn has and I can vouch for what he said. It's a great saw & fence system and the sliding miter table is wonderful. It also doubles as a router table, nothing like a full size table mind you, but it's works well enough for small projects. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Steve Evans]

For those people looking for a good deal on the Ryobi, Home Depot has it for $200 and a $50 rebate, making it $150 after rebate.

Steve

[Josh Goldsmith]

Wow thanks to everyone who responded with there .02. I live in California. San Luis Obispo to be exact. I did look at the ridgid table saw at home depot for $569 or something close to that. A couple of you mentioned a hybrid saw? What exactly is that? I don't mind buying a used saw as long as it is on the newer side and not damaged. Thanks for all your imputs. Josh

[Corey Hallagan]

I think that Lowes sale on the Jet contractors saw is the best deal going right now. That is a lot of saw for $299.

Corey

[Tim Palmer]

Josh,

I have a cabinet saw, but I have been looking at the table saw market to help a friend who wants to buy a table saw and he has the same price range as you do. I found that most any of the newer contractor type saws from the major manufactures are great. The newer hybrids saws are also very nice, and there are serveral great deals on cabinets saw out there. The question you need to ask yourself is what do I think is important in a tablesaw. Good fence, adequate power, price, dust collection, adaptability, footprint size. These are all viable questions. In my opinon most all of the major brands make table saws with good fences, adequate power and are adaptable to most situations. So that leaves you with Price, Foot print, and dust collection. Imho I think that for the price you stated that one of the Craftsman Zipcode saws gives you the best footprint and the best dust collection for the price and all other things mentioned being equal. I do not know the actual part number but the middle priced Craftsman Hybrid saw has the abilty to adjust the fence rails to the right giving you approx. 36" right of the blade for your cut. This is the one I recomended to my friend. I am sure the other more experinced members of this forum could give you many more suggestions. Good luck in your search Have fun.

Tim

[roy knapp]

Well i think i can sort of explain it.

A hybrid saw is if you to part of a contractors saw and part of a cabinet saw and they made one tablesaw out of it. its not a cabinet saw but close to it.

on a contractors saw the motor hangs off the back of the saw and on the Hybrid saw it is inside like a cabinet saw.

the trunion (spelt wrong) assembly is much larger on the Hybrid saw than the cotractors saw. (this used for the blade arbor and bearing and the tilt and elevation)

if space in the shop is a issue the Hybrid with the motor inside will allow it to be moved closer to a wall.:)

[Marcus Hutchison]

Hello,

Sunhill Machinery just emailed me an ad for a clearance sale they are having. They have a 10" cabinet saw on sale for $695. It has a 2hp motor, a left- tilting arbor and a built in mobile base. I don't know anything about the saw other than what I've seen in the ad, but my brother has bought a few things from Sunhill and they seem to be made about like the Grizzly stuff. The model number of the saw is CT-250T. Here is the page it's on http://www.sunhillmachinery.com/Hot%20Deals.htm. Hope that helps.

Marcus

[Brian Austin]

Okay, one more shameless plug:

Five year old Craftsman contractor saw, solid cast iron wings, rebuilt motor, link belt, Freud thin kerf blade ($50), mobile base, with Incra TSIII fence. All manuals included. NO safety guard, however. Saw was originally $799 (their highest end model at the time), fence was originally $379 (added six months later). $450/best offer.

E-mail me at bjaustin68@yahoo.com if you're interested. I can e-mail detailed pics. I'll be in Southern CA (Escondido) on the 14-17th and can meet you in the LA area if you give me directions.

/Shameless plug :D

[Kelly C. Hanna]

If you are like me you'll go cheap and buy a used saw (I got a Delta 36-670 for $225), a good used fence (I got a Beis foir $80) and make a cabinet for the saw yourself. I have a little over $400 in mine including the router table extension, cabinet and used Bosch 1617 router.

[scott spencer]

Hi Josh - I upgraded an excellent GI contractor saw for one of the new Craftsman 22124 hybrid/cabinet saws last spring and have been very pleased with the switch. The 22124 is typically beyond your stated price range, but the 22114 has many of the same advantages....cabinet mounted trunnions for easy blade alignment, tons of mass & stability, enclosed motor for excellent DC, and a smaller footprint than contractor saws. The 22124 isn't quite on par with a full blown 3hp cabinet saw, but it's a good compromise IMO...especially if you don't have 220v.

http://www.epinions.com/content_184778395268