First tablesaw for weekend warrior

[Aaron Poindexter]

Looking for my first tablesaw to build bookcases & other home projects. Need non-biased opinion on what tablesaws to look at under $1000. I want it to last & I don't want to have to upgrade in the future. Would a contractor's saw be sufficient or should I go with an entry level cabinet maker's saw? Should I buy a saw because there is a dealer close by? Can I get like service purchasing from someone across the country? HELP! :confused:

[Scott Haddix]

If you want to spent under $1k and don't want to upgrade in the future, I believe you are limited to finding a good hybrid on sale or finding a good used cabinet saw locally (or within driving distance). I don't know much about your part of the country or how active the Craigslist community is there in the Tools section, but if you are patient and watch daily (if not several times during the day), you'll probably find a good saw come available.

If you aren't comfortable purchasing a used cabinet saw, than I'd go with a good hybrid table saw as my next recommendation. I haven't used a hybrid myself, just heard a lot of good things about them from reviews on this forum, from FWW, and other magazines.

Good luck! Whatever you decide, you're now obligated to post a picture of whatever you end up purchasing once you have it all setup... :)

[Joe Mioux]

Looking for my first tablesaw to build bookcases & other home projects. Need non-biased opinion on what tablesaws to look at under $1000. I want it to last & I don't want to have to upgrade in the future. Would a contractor's saw be sufficient or should I go with an entry level cabinet maker's saw? Should I buy a saw because there is a dealer close by? Can I get like service purchasing from someone across the country? HELP! :confused:

emphasis mine....

that won't happen here. ;)

find a good used cabinet saw.

entry level cabinet saws will be all you would ever need. Grizzly has the 1023 with extremely high customer satisfaction and even better customer support.

A contractor saw will do everything you need except it will never be a cabinet saw.

Joe

[Lance Norris]

Aaron... Good advice from Joe and Scott. Look for a used cabinet saw. If you cant find something, another good option is the 1023 new, from Grizzly. With shipping, it will be slightly above your budget of $1k. If you dont want to go this route, a good new contractors saw will fit into your budget with some to spare. Grizzly, Ridgid, Delta, Jet, General, and Powermatic are all good names to look for. Remember, dust collection and accuracy will be better with the cabinet saw. Good luck.

[Mike Sandman]

You shouldn't need service from a dealer on a table saw. There's some careful setup to do, and you should check the settings, but in 23 years I never service or help (apart from unloading it when I bought it or moved it).

I started in 1984 with a very cheap Sears 10" table saw and quickly realized that was a mistake and upgraded to a Delta contractor's saw. If your budget tops out at $1,000, buy a contractor's saw for $700 and spend the rest on a good aftermarket fence. Biesemeyer and Vega are mentioned frequently here. Also consider Incra. I have an Incra TS-III, purchased in around 1990. Their newest design is here: http://www.incra.com/product_tsf_lsts.htm. You don't need to buy all the extras, as you can add them later.

One problem with contractor saws is that you may need to cut the back rail that's supplied by Incra in order to re-install your splitter and guard. Make that cut -- you're a lot safer with the guard in place. (Or meaure your saw and I'll bet Incra or a dealer like www.woodpeck.com (http://www.woodpeck.com) will cut it for you.)

Then spend another $150 (that is, go over your budget just like the rest of us) and buy an Incra 1000SE miter guage (or a Kreg) and add a high quality carbide saw blade. At that point if you've set your saw up carefully you'll be able to do a lot with it.

One problem with a contractor saw - it's not easy to do efficient dust collection. But a dust collector should be your second purchase, and you can rig up a plywood shroud to improve collection. Look on these forums and on review sites like www.newwoodworker.com (http://www.newwoodworker.com) for help.

Have fun.

Mike Sandman

[Bruce Pennell]

Aarron take a while and check out Craigs List in your area. If your by a major city it won't take to long. I've seen cabinet saws for $600 -$1000 all the time. I picked up some great shop equipment on the cheap that way. Most of my major equipment was bought through Craigs List. This was my best buy;
I just purchased; 5hp Left tilt Shop Fox cabinet saw, with; run off table, Bies. fence and over head dust and blade guard, 3 WWII blades, Freud dial-a-datto, ext. table,anti kick back rollers, 3hp dust control Grizzly with 2 remotes, grizzly 6" jointer,Rigid 13" planner with stand and DC, Dewalt 12" miter saw, dust hoses and fittings (filled the back of my truck), Jess-em miter gauge, and some other wood, oak and Zecote (sorry don't know the spelling). 17" Grizzly GO513 Bandsaw with a box of 12 blades,Rigid table top sander, About $1200 worth of veneers and mohogony. Plus new in box vacuam press. For $1600 The equipment is less than 3 years old and probably has 20 hours use. 3 of the 4 saw blade where new. Just saw the price on the Bies overhead guard $699. I was shocked, the guy's wife wanted her garage back and just wanted to get rid of the stuff. Also got 10- 3/4" pipe clamps and some cheap HF clamps. Probably forgetting a few things. I will be selling a few items soon, I'll post pic's after I get the shop reset. This started as, "I think I'll make some new shop cabinets". Figured on a 4-5 day job, its turned into might as well upgrade and build more cabinets (now a month or 2 job). Just called my guy to have him drop in a couple of 220 lines. Can't wait to get the excess out of my way, and start playing again . :D Can't seem to get that smile off my face. Sometimes even handicap old farts get a good deal...This was a nice way to step up thanks CL.....
My latest addition is a Delta 46-450 Lathe, with about 15 tools, 6 mounting plates, 8 live centers, #2 to #1 morse taper, 20 drill bits, 4 chucks, and some stuff I haven't figured out yet. He was a machinist and had just replaced all the bearings, it also came with an extra head.

Good Luck be picky and don't be afraid to make a low offer, you can always go up. Have fun Bruce

[Terry Teadtke]

I suggest looking at a Delta Contractor's saw with a Unifence.

Terry

[Matt Schell]

A well equipped contractor saw can go a long way for a hobbyist. Full time guys definitely need the additional power of the cabinet saw but my contractor (bridgewood) has met all of my needs as a hobbyist. Personally I love seeing how well some of the creekers have set up and accessorized (butchered that word, but its ok I'm a math teacher) their contractor saws. To me thats what being a hobbyist is all about taking a modest budget and squeezing all of the efficiency and accuracy you possibly can out of it.

[Tom Henderson2]

Hi Aaron-

You have gotten some good advice about saws within your budget.

Don't forget about the Sears 22124 saw; you can get it on sale peridocially and it gets good reviews. Shopping Craig's List is a good idea, but depending on where you are and how far you are willing to drive, it may be a long wait. I looked at CL for a couple YEARS looking for a good cabinet saw. They generally go very quickly so don't be shy. And be carefull as sometimes the asking price can be very high, and the condition very poor.

Are you well-equipped for woodworking other than needing a saw? For many bookcase and other houshold projects you will find you wish you had a lot of other stuff... clamps, drills and bits, router and bits, more clamps, good blades, a good dado set, more clamps, a planer, a jointer, a good square, a pocket-hole jig or bisquit cutter, etc. etc etc. If you spend the preponderance of your budget on the saw and don't leave enough for the other stuff, you may be in a pickle.

SO -- consider a different tactic... buy a used contractor saw on CL for $200 or less. Spend the rest on the other stuff. Decent Craftsman or Delta contractors saws are usually available everywhere, and should be more than adequate for cutting sheet goods for bookcases, etc.

If you find you really like this woodworking stuff, you can upgrade to a first class saw in a year or two, and all the first-class blades etc that you bought will work on the new saw. OTOH if you decide you really don't enjoy it, you can sell the CS for what you paid.

Lots of ways to skin that cat. But be realistic about all the other stuff you will want/need to make furniture. The saw is just the tip of the iceberg.

Enjoy the hunt.

-Tom H.