Two Table saws in one shop????

[NICK BARBOZA]

what are your thoughts on having two table saws in your shop? Currently i have an OLD craftsman contractor saw. I set it up with a Biesemeyer fence and i have it dialed in pretty well but my skills are outgrowing it... I am planning on getting a PM 66 with the next few months. I am also moving my shop into the basement of my recently purchased house. this will offer a rougly 450sf shop vs the 288sf shop i had been in previously. Thus, much more space to work in.

i am thinking of placing the craftsman saw on the far right of the PM (52" rip) but on the back side to act as an outfeed as well. The craftsman would run perpendicular to the PM and both share a laminate topped outfeed. this would ultimately create a HUGE work surface. my thought is to keep a dado blade in the craftsman most of the time to save me from switching them very often. it would also allow me to have two precise setups going at once.

am i too attached to this ancient saw?

thanks!

[Lee Koepke]

i will watch this thread for the opinions as well.

my 60s Rockwell had some issues that resulted in me buying my new Grizzly, at some point I plan on fixing the Rockwell and maybe setting it up as a dedicated dado saw ???

I like my old iron ... I cant part with it either.

[Von Bickley]

There have been many times that I wished I had a 2 TS set-up.

If you have the room and the saws, go for it.....

[Mike Cutler]

No, you're not too attached. If the Craftsman saw still serves a purpose, keep it.

I have two table saws also. I have a General 50-220 that feeds onto my old Jet contractor saw. It works okay for me. Right now I have them back to back, but that hasn't worked out exactly the best for me. I'm thinking of changing the arrangement to one like you mentioned. I very rarely use a dado, so I want to set one up for rip,and one for crosscut
If nothing else the Jet will still continue to act as an out feed table. I can't buy or build one that would be better, for what I could sell the Jet for.

[Lance Norris]

I have seen it done for exactly the reason you give. One saw for dados and one for general purpose. If you have the room, there is no reason not to do this. Only you can decide if the sacrifice of floor space is worth it.

[Norm Roberts]

Nick,
I once owned a Delta Unisaw and in a quirk of fate I ran accross a Powermatic 66 for $800. It was only a couple of years old, but the owner was retiring and moving out west and was selling everything in his shop. I couldn't pass it up and came home with it. Wife said, "Tell me you're going to sell one of them." I responded, "Think of it like the guy who has two Corvettes in the garage; just because you can only drive one at a time doesn't mean you sell one of them."

I kept this set up for several years. Ripped and crosscut on one and did all of my dado work (as well as other things) on the second. Ulitmately, I sold them both to buy a Mini Max slider. I miss my dado capacity and second saw so much, I am saving up to buy a second smaller saw again.

Just one persons opinion. Shure was convenient having both saws. I did a lot of dado work making cabinets, bookcases, etc.

Also consider what you can sell your used saw for and how much to replace it if you change your mind later. Give both a try, if you find the second saw is a waste, you can always sell it down the road.

[Robert Waddell]

I've got two saws as well. I've got a sled and a crosscut blade on the old contractor saw and keep a general purpose blade on the Unisaw. I did build a box/cabinet under the contractor saw for improved dust collection. Go for it. It'll make your shop so much more efficent.
Rob

[David G Baker]

In my opinion a person can have as many table saws as they want, afford or need. In the past I have had two table saws, one I kept set up for dado blades and molding cutters, the other I did my sheet cutting plus any other standard cutting. I still have the second saw boxed up from my move from California to Michigan. It is there if I need it.

[Peter Quinn]

Worked in a shop w/ 2 table saws...1 for rip. 1 for crosscut..big workspace was great for ripping panels, never had to change blades, could hold 2 setups throughout a work process. Nice idea if space allows. But be careful, I had an old catfish in a small tank once, bought a golden Koy to keep it company, Koy ate the catfish the first day! PM may just eat the Craftsman.

[Dwayne Watt]

Nearly 60% more floor space in your new shop area will seem like utopia at first, but 450 sf isn't oversized by any means. If you feel you can afford using the floor space for a 2nd saw then do it by all means. After all, it is your workshop. You can always get rid of one later. This isn't a permanent decison.

[Norman Pyles]

Would have two, if I had the space. Just for the cool factor.

[Ben Grunow]

I have a Sawstop and an old Robland combination machine with TS and a small slider and it means no more crosscut sled which is a blessing. I would go for that setup in a second.

I saw a pic of someone's shop with two TS's next to eachother a long time ago and I cant remember who it was (they were wing to wing with common fence rails and two fences)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have my old Contractor's saw and have considered pairing it to my slider as a secondary op saw. I have also considered using it as a two blade tenon cutter. The arbor is long enough I can get two blades on it with a spacer.

[David Duke]

I'm gonna go against the flow a little bit on this one. I did exactly the same thing about 7 years ago. I got a great deal on a Delta cabinet saw and decided to join it with my Craftsman making a huge work surface for both saws, I haven't used the Craftsman to speak of since I did this. The main reason I don't however is because I am still using the cruddy fence that came with it and the Unifence has me spoiled. However since your saw has been upgraded to the Beis fencethis may not be an issue.

I'm thinking about removing the Craftsman and building in its place another router table, I find that I have more issues in changing router setups than TS setups plus I have inherited my dad's router lift, 7518 router and Incra fence so most of the cost is taken care of.

[Joe Chritz]

It isn't unusual especially if you do a lot of dados or other time consuming set up tasks.

My shop is a bit bigger than 450 sf (690) and I couldn't fit another saw in there to save my life. Unless you are into production of something that requires two I wouldn't keep it unless you know it will get used a lot.

Joe

[John Thompson]

I kept mine when I picked up a Uni-saw and attached a permanent dado blade on it. It sits in my rear shop and gets rolled up when I do dadoes. But... I recently started cutting dadoes with a Milwaukee plunge router or my router table with a fixed Milwaukee. I love it and consider it safer and the dadoes are cleaner.

So... the 2nd saw will be parted out and sold or I may just give it to an entry level to get em up and running.

Sarge..

[Dave MacArthur]

Interesting... I have a Delta contractor w/ a 52" bies fence and router in the R extension, replaced by a PM66 set up the same-ish. I haven't sold the Delta for 8 months now (sooooo hard to part with it!), thinking the same as you--dado on the Delta, and 2 router setups? Good thread. I haven't used the older saw YET, but then I've not done any work like cabinets that was production and dado intensive.

[Bob Feeser]

Funny you should mention it. You even have the models down right. :) My Dad's Sears saw circa 1950's put to good use.

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/3896/2457906590100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/97/2093926870100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/5033/2876155690100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/4251/2918871520100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

When you think about the Sears saw as a good base to attach up to 3 router stations, you are actually compressing space. Multiple router stations is a real time saver, so you can keep settings, on each of the bits for making raised panels for example. On a movable base, it can roll up against a wall when not in use. I got a charge out of your post, with the 2 saws that I use, and was asking myself the same question in 04 when I bought the PM66.

[Wayne Ashing]

I bought a Jet cabnet saw with w/ 52" rails, couldn't get what I wanted for my Delta platinium contractor saw. Replaced the table to the left of the Jet with with the Delta. Takes up the same space as the one saw.
Can't decide if it is a Jelta or a Det??? Both are the same color. I do wish I could have found one of the Bies deals so I could have two fences, or maybe some one swaped their Jet Premier fence out and would like to get rid of it?? Still it is very handy if have the room.

[John Mihich]

I have two Craftsmen side by side - bolted together. Besides the convinence of having one with a rip blade and the other cross cut I like the larger work surface. I have one extension between the two. I was able to fix the fnece system so I can use the fence on either saw. Makes for a large capacity. The rip blade has not come off the #2.

When I got my second saw the plan was to get rid of #1. When I saw that they would bolt together I decided to keep them both.

My brother also has 2; both UNI's. When he bought his second (5hp) he was going to get rid of #1 (3hp). I convinced him to keep both; he's glad he did. His are both on wheels but he does use them both. I sould also say that he's a pro. The extra saw helps speed up his construction time.

[NICK BARBOZA]

Funny you should mention it. You even have the models down right. :) My Dad's Sears saw circa 1950's put to good use.



http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/97/2093926870100733997S600x600Q85.jpg



and that is the exact craftsman saw that i have... i like it but its just under powered...and also the miter slots on a craftsman are different than industry standard... therefore you must shop at sears (which is quite painful...)

thanks for the support guys. i think im gonna keep it!

[Bob Feeser]

Nick,
You are exactly right about the power, and the miter track dimensions. The motor on mine, after removing the wiring cover on it, it has directions for converting it over to 220. You just have to move a couple of wires around, and change the plug, and outlet, and of course plug it into a 220 line. That improves it, but the frustration of smoking wood, and breakers, or the motor reset button popping doesn't go away with thicker hardwoods.
I was doing a door job for a customer, was cutting 1 1/2" oak, it was burning the wood, and then I needed to run a dado along it's entire length, which would be the glass insert area. I ran the kerf, then measured the depth, and oddly enough, I was getting the proper setting on the ends, and the center was off. I couldn't figure out what the problem was, then I took a long straight edge, and placed it front to back, across the table top, and saw a sway back mule center on the saw. The weight of the motor, all these years, which is attached to the top, caused the top to develop a valley. After all of the frustration I experienced, with the power, etc., I went in the other room, and ordered the PM66 and never looked back.
I keep the Sears saw, even with the sway back top, it works great for rip cuts, but I do not use it for any bevel cuts. If the piece is short enough, then it works fine for bevels also. I use a Makita slider for all of my miter cuts anyhow.
To me, if I set up the PM for making Dado's for example, then if I need to rip another piece, I know I can go over to the Craftsman, and get a good straight 90 degree cut. No problem there at all. Meanwhile it makes a great foundation for a router station platform, and doubles as another saw. I have sentimental value in it also, my Dad used it for all of those years, started me out in woodworking as a youngster with it. He build our basement, with all finish work, mohogany, and T&G cedar. Funny how prices have changed since then. He bought it used, with a jig saw, and a vise, for only $100. It really does come in handy when doing dados on the big saw.


and that is the exact craftsman saw that i have... i like it but its just under powered...and also the miter slots on a craftsman are different than industry standard... therefore you must shop at sears (which is quite painful...)

thanks for the support guys. i think im gonna keep it!

[Michael N Taylor]

I have 2 saws and I set the smallest and oldest for dados. I have it setting to one side of my main saw so it wors as an outfeed table for larger pieces.

[Louis Rucci]

You aksed about having two saws. I have a Jet 10" TS with Incra's TS-LS fence system. A Jet midi lathe, Delta 16" drill press, Delta table BS and 16" MiniMax BS. When you include my Shopsmith and EZ system, I end up with

3 Table Saws ( Jet, Shopsmith, EZ system)
3 Drill Presses (Delta, if you include the Shopsmith double duty drill and horizontal press)
2 lathes (Jet and Shopsmith)
2 Bandsaws (Delta, MiniMax)

I may have two routher tables if I buy one to attach to my TS in addition to my Jess-em table.

So two, or even three, is not that outlandish.

[Dan Bussiere]

I have my Delta contractors saw with Beis fence in the shop and my old Ryobi BT3000 in the garage. I push the Ryobi out in the driveway (weather permitting) to cut sheet goods because there is more room than trying to manage sheet goods in my shop. Also, most of my sheet material comes onto my property through the driveway anyway so it's just easier to use the Ryobi saw to break it into managable material. Originally I was going to sell the Ryobi but it became very useful where it is. Because this worked so well, I positioned my radial arm saw next to the Ryobi so I can cut long boards in the driveway or garage instead of in the shop. Best of both worlds for me.

[Bill Wyko]

I am a firm believer that if you can have one set up for dado and one for cutting, you are golden. If I had the room (and the extra saw) I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

Two here. Delta 5hp setup with power feed and rip blade...just for ripping. Second is a 3hp that is used for all panel processing and crosscutting that is not done on either the dbl mitre, jump saw, or mitre saw. Of course, it helps having 5000sq ft shop.

Doug

[Chris Padilla]

Two here. Delta 5hp setup with power feed and rip blade...just for ripping. Second is a 3hp that is used for all panel processing and crosscutting that is not done on either the dbl mitre, jump saw, or mitre saw. Of course, it helps having 5000sq ft shop.

Doug

You sound like a pro, Doug! ;)

I actually have 3 SawStops all bolted together with some long 3/8" threaded rod that I do a myriad of cuts on. Then again I also have a 16" MM J/P combo machine but also a 13" lunchbox planer and 6" jointer along with all the Performax drum sanders and a really big 50" drum sander that dims the neighbor's lights (doesn't impact mine :confused:) when I run it plus 14", 16", 17" and 24" bandsaws and all the TS and BS are fitted with powerfeeders. Behind my shop is a forest of perfectly straight maple, walnut, and oak trees where every 4th one has highly-figured grain and they manage to fall down and split into perfectly stickered stacks of the precise dimensions I need and they are all dried, too!

...then I woke up from my dream.... :p

[Keith Beck]

Shoot, here's a guy with a five saw set-up: http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=4290

Keith

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

I did have a commercial shop Chris, made frames...haven't even been in the shop for a year now....maybe someday I'll get the urge to again.....have been thinking about a lathe...and did just get a nice box of ironwood....

Doug

[Chris Padilla]

Shoot, here's a guy with a five saw set-up: http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=4290

Keith

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[NICK BARBOZA]

ok good alot of you are on the same page as me. so now my other question:

with 2 table saws, is there any point in bringing the ol' Craftsman radial arm saw into my new setup??? i have one collecting dust in a friends garage, but i don't know that it is worth using....


what do you think?

[Bob Feeser]

Nick,
I too have 2 table saws, and I have the Craftsman 10" radial set up as a permanent kerfing station with a 1/4" dado blade. What a relief to not have to convert the table saw over every time I want to notch out a kerf. Of course for doing long dados across sheet goods, the table saw is necessary, but for a majority of dadoes, the craftsman is a breeze. Here is a link to a post, where I elaborated on it some more. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=753660#post753660


ok good alot of you are on the same page as me. so now my other question:

with 2 table saws, is there any point in bringing the ol' Craftsman radial arm saw into my new setup??? i have one collecting dust in a friends garage, but i don't know that it is worth using....


what do you think?