Jon Nelson
11-02-2007, 9:27 AM
I hope you'll forgive yet another table saw question, but I need some help deciding between these two saws. This will be my first table saw. I have both but one has to go back. Here's what I like about each:
Jet:
* It's a smaller contractor's-type saw and is fairly portable (I have the model with legs)
* It has miter slots (although they're non-standard size)
* It has side extensions that give you 55" of table width
* It has a rear outfeed for ripping longer material
* The power switch is on the left side (my preference)
* It has a left-tilting blade
* The fence, while light, is pretty accurate and slides easily
* It's $150 less than the Craftsman and has a five-year warranty
Craftsman:
* It has a sliding miter table (but no slots)
* It collapses on a nice wheeled stand for storage
* It has a riving knife
* It has a nice dust collection chute
* It has a built-in router table
* It's essentially a Ryobi BT3100, which a lot of people like
I work out of my garage, so I full-size contractor's saw isn't an option at this point. I don't expect either saw to be my last; I just want to good, reliable saw that will get me through the small to medium size furniture projects I'm doing now.
Thanks for your input.
Jet:
* It's a smaller contractor's-type saw and is fairly portable (I have the model with legs)
* It has miter slots (although they're non-standard size)
* It has side extensions that give you 55" of table width
* It has a rear outfeed for ripping longer material
* The power switch is on the left side (my preference)
* It has a left-tilting blade
* The fence, while light, is pretty accurate and slides easily
* It's $150 less than the Craftsman and has a five-year warranty
Craftsman:
* It has a sliding miter table (but no slots)
* It collapses on a nice wheeled stand for storage
* It has a riving knife
* It has a nice dust collection chute
* It has a built-in router table
* It's essentially a Ryobi BT3100, which a lot of people like
I work out of my garage, so I full-size contractor's saw isn't an option at this point. I don't expect either saw to be my last; I just want to good, reliable saw that will get me through the small to medium size furniture projects I'm doing now.
Thanks for your input.