new member--table saw question

[allan cripe]

I am excited about being a member on this forum! As a novice woodworker, I have many questions for all of you!!

I am well aware of the shortcomings of the "cheap" bench table saw...however i have a budget of about $250, and my needs are primarily for furniture for my 6 year old daughter (captain's bed) and later a kitchen nook/pedastal table. I have a few modest peices under my belt, I am on the fence as to wait on the table saw and continue with my circular, and miter saw for now.

the saw I was leaning toward was the JET model, (their cheapest one)...I cant remember the exact model now (I'm at work;) ). but I REALLY like the idea of the belt drive.

I've heard that the blade has a tendency to ride down a bit during use..Is this common among the lower tier saws??

I expect a flood of feedback!

thanks

Al

[Zahid Naqvi]

Allan, welcome to the creek. I am not much of an electron burner, but I would suggest you keep an eye on used tools. I have seen several Delta contractor saws going for close to $300/$350 range. These are good saws and very popular among hobbyists. A new one around $300 would probably be a "job site" type saw which is really not worth it.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Get into the used saw market.

The things that wear out are easily replaced at low cost.
This is true with one exception - the Tracks ( the "ways" really) in which the miter fence slides.

If it's worn out don't buy that saw. You will always be fiddling with ways to compensate for a sloppy fence ways.

[Andrew Williams]

Not sure if this is useful info or not, but I am not a big fan of buying tools more than once. I am on my second tablesaw and am buying my third (and hopefully last) one soon. As you might predict, their relative value increased quite a bit as I began to do more intricate and precise work. Once I realized that my woodworking was expanding into larger pieces like antique reproductions, I knew that the current saw (which is not a bad saw, just smallish table and lacking in some areas like the fence quality) was going to eventually just make a lot more work for me.

If I had your budget to deal with I would look for something used, old, heavy, and from a good name manufacturer.

[Don Bullock]

Al, welcome to the "Creek." You've come to the right place for information. There are some here who can let you know the options that you have. Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the contractors saws you are asking about. I'd like to make three suggestions.

First, do a search of this forum for threads that have already been posted on table saws.

Second, consider a used saw. While I have never gone that route, I know that others have and they have been very pleased with the saws they have bought. Craig's List may be a good place to start. On a quick check that I just made on the Austin Craig's (used "saw" as my search word at the top of the page) list I saw a nice Delta ($95) and a rebuilt Dewalt ($250) as well as a very nice Craftsman 12" radial arm saw ($350). I'm sure there are more.

Third, haunt Amazon. Check it several times a day. There is a was to also set up a "price watch" on products offered by Amazon. I'm sure that someone will tell you how. Some of the deals that people have found there this year have been amazing. I know that there is a post on the furum stating that these deals seem to have stopped, but we never know when one will crop up.

[Prashun Patel]

I tried looking for a good used saw to little avail 3 years ago.

I settled on the Delta TS250. It's a low end belt drive. Got it mainly for being quiet.

Shopmaster has a bad rep, but my shopmaster miter saw and table saw have performed very well and very accurately. I've made several thousand cuts on each with happy results. One drawback of this saw is that the motor's a mite piddly at 1hp, so if you're planning to rip a lot of 2x stock, then don't use it. But if yr mainly looking at it for ripping thinner stock and panelwork then it's fantastic. Other drawback is poor accessories: the fence is ok (I give it a B) but the mgauge and blade guard stink.

The TS250 has been plenty heavy and stable. You might consider buying a saw like this and then spending a little money on a good fence, outfeed table, m-gauge.

Although, i gotta say, that space has become a big concern for me. The tsaw is smack in the middle of my shop and will always be there. If you are space constrained, consider the Bosch or Dewalt bench saws. besides small decks and loud motors, they are great portable saws for the pro and permanent saws for the homeowner (IMHO). They also have great fences out of the box.

[Dennis Peacock]

Welcome to SMC Allan!!!!

Buying a TS for your shop should be the one item you do not go cheap on. The TS is one of the primary workhorses of your shop and you want to get the best one you can swing....or you'll do like many of us have done....buy, sell, upgrade, buy sell, upgrade.....I'm almost in the market for upgrading again and I have a JTAS-10XL Cabinet saw. ;)

[allan cripe]

I appreciate the responses. I am in my garage and a larger contractor ts is just not an option space wise. Are there other options for a belt driven portable style saw besides the JET, which is on amazon for 199? I assumed that a belt driven saw is much better than all the direct drive saws in this price range. Again, I have realistic expectations for my budget, and I am just looking to make my projects a little easier.

Al

[Don Orr]

Welcome to the Creek Allan, good to have you on "board". I'm a novice in flat work too so I'll not burden you with what little I know about table saws except to reinforce what others have said and get the best you can now and look at used tools. Good luck!

[Prashun Patel]

Belt/induction not always better than direct motors. Belt motors tend to have longer lifespans and are quieter. BUT, in the cheaper end of the range of belt drives (like my Delta Shopmaster or your Jet (I'd bet)) the direct drives are puny and can bind under moderate loads.

This means y'll have a bugger of a time cutting thicker and harder stock on a dd unit.

IMHO, it seems like a nobrainer for you to buy a good portable saw, since space seems to be yr #1 concern. That being said, buy good. The Bosch unit is well made. Makita used to make a great portable table saw, but word on the street is that about 5 yrs back they switched a lot of parts to plastic and it's now a different, lesser beast.

Proper outfeed, a miter sled, and quality blades will make even these saws perform quite well for you. IMHO.

[Tim Dorcas]

I'm sure I will get heckled but my first saw was the Ryobi BT3100. It comes with a decent blade but is probably worth the investment of something a little better. I didn't have much much money or space so I created this (http://responsetolight.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=490). And honestly it wasn't super expensive to build (with the exception of the router lift).

If you decide that woodworking is your life, you will definately want to invest in something with more capacity. However, I always thought it was a good, innovative saw for the money.

[Randal Stevenson]

Also a fan of the BT3100/Craftsman 21829 series. I bought mine due to shop size and planned projects. But since the BT3100 is discontinued, and the Craftsman falls to over your budget (but not by much), I would look at either used tablesaws, and/or one of the guided circular saw systems. I have a friend who started out with an OLD circular saw table adapter kit, and I hope to achieve his caliber of work someday and I have MUCH MUCH MUCH better equipment.

The tools help, but craftsmanship comes from the head and heart.

[Daryl Brayman]

, I am on the fence as to wait on the table saw and continue with my circular, and miter saw for now.

Al


Take a look at the EZ Smart forum, here on the creek. A lot of those guys are ditching there table saws. I have the EZ Smart and love it, but I'll never part with my table saw. You already have the circular saw, I think you could get all set up for under $200.

Regards, Daryl

[allan cripe]

thanks for the responses, guys.

[Don Bullock]

...I didn't have much much money or space so I created this (http://responsetolight.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=490). And honestly it wasn't super expensive to build (with the exception of the router lift)...

HeyTin, that looks like a great set up to me. It's very inovatine and handy.

[Charles Jackson III]

Welcome to the sawmill creek, I have a Delta SM200L table saw its a decent I am planning on getting a better fence and table for my saw. And also some better blades.

[Eugene A. Manzo III]

Alan Welcome to the Creek

I've found people in the Creek to be Honest Inteligent and Ethical....

1. Try and persuade the wife to give you another $100.00 bucks for your saw and purchase a nice portable saw for now Bosch,Makita or Ridgid
look for a good used one. Next tell the wife you need most of the garage space to save your family huge money on what you can make in your shop :cool: .

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

larger contractor ts is just not an option space wise. Are there other options for a belt driven portable style saw besides the JET, which is on amazon for 199? I assumed that a belt driven saw is much better than all the direct drive saws in this price range. Again, I have realistic expectations for my budget, and I am just looking to make my projects a little easier.

Yah. If Space and $$ are your problems consider making your assembly bench also your saw / router bench and get a nice hand held circular saw and a good router (or four).

Make your bench with a dead flat top. ^There are some good techniques to accomplish this.

Build it so that you can establish straight edge guides that you can clamp in place for your circular saw that you can position anywhere on the table.

Deal with the cut-through by using cheap disposable Homosote as the actual bench top surface. When you get too many cuts in it you replace it cheaply.

Then while the years tick by save your pennies for a nice Austrian slider.

You could do this with the Festertool guide system but I think it, all by itself, is pretty pricey

[Rod Sheridan]

Eugene, I liked your idea of supporting the saw purchase by explaining how much money you would save by building things.

My wife still laughs about our $3,000 bird feeder. It's the first thing I built after purchasing a General 650 and Excalibur overarm guard!

I don't think I'll ever live that one down.

Regards, Rod.