benchtop table saws

[Lou Koestner]

I'm fairly new to woodworking & need some advice. I'm in the market for a table saw but because I have to share our one car garage with my wife's car I think benchtop tools are going to be the way to go for me. Specifically, I'm looking for some advice on a benchtop table saw. I want to do good, accurate work but I'm not going to be creating anything for resale nor will the tool get daily workouts. I'm on disability income so price unfortunatly is also a factor. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Michael McCoy]

My first "saw" was a Delta bench top many years ago. It isn't accurate and I consider it very unsafe but I did do a complete kitchen remodel with it. I later picked up a portable Ryobi that was a little better and a little safer (and more dollars) but outgrew that one within a year or so. If you can find a good deal on a used job site portable you will probably be much happier in the long run (and still have all your fingers).

[Matthew Voss]

Lou-

You might consider the Jet benchtop saw. This is a direct drive but the arbor shaft is belt driven so the cuts are smooth and relatively quiet for saws in this class. I bought this saw for jobsite use as it is much lighter than the Bosch I was using. Its also about 1/2 the cost of the Bosch/Ridgid saws that are often recommended. I've had the saw for 18 months and it has performed flawlessly. I have the saw mounted in a Rousseau stand, but this picture should give you an idea:

http://www.amazon.com/JET-708315BTC-JBTS-10BT-3-Benchtop-Table/dp/B000CFH3A8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1218474479&sr=8-4

[peter de tappan]

My own experience with benchtops extends to the Makita 2703. Crappy miter gauge and non standard miter slot so you can't buy a better miter gauge to replace it. Even crappier fence that's never parallel to the miter slot. Out of true arbor that I could not adjust. The Makita 2704 addresses some of the 2703s issues but I've never used it.
From what I've read, Bosch is the best, followed by DeWalt.

[Lou Koestner]

Thanks Matt. I never considered Jet because I automatically assumed they were out of my price reach.

[Pat Germain]

Craftsman contractor saws are cheap and plentiful used. They don't take up much more room than a benchtop and you can add an aftermarket fence and miter gauge. You can even built a portable "bench" for it and bolt it to the top. This would probably be less expensive than buying a new benchtop saw and a little better in the precision and power categories.

That's my suggestion.

[Dan Bertenthal]

Hi Lou,

I use a Bosch TS4000 and have mixed feelings. My workshop is a 5' x 6' shed so I need something that I can carry outside and then stow away. The Bosch has an aluminum table which is light weight but not entirely flat which sometimes causes problems with joinery (the saw is designed for precision-minded contractors rather than space-constrained cabinetmakers). Aside from joinery, it works pretty well. Adequate power if you use appropriate blades for the task, reasonable work area if you use the pull-out extension bars, and I was able to convert the blade guard to a nice riving knife without too much effort (someone has posted instructions for this modification somewhere on the web).

Bosch has a newer model which I haven't used, the 4100, though my understanding is that they've improved the blade guard/riving knife so that the modification isn't necessary. I don't know whether they've improved the flatness of the table, though I would doubt it given that cabinetmakers are not their intended market.

My final thought is whether you might do better with a contractors saw that you could roll out of the way when you don't need it. As long as you don't need to lift it off the ground, I'd go for something with a cast-iron table.

Best of luck with your decision and with setting up your new shop,

Dan

[Joe Von Kaenel]

Lou,

I've used several table top saws. As stated in the previous posts they are very inaccurate and you are very limited on the size of material you can cut, and dangerous.
Maybe a used Shopsmith would work with your limited space. This would give you a table saw, lathe, drill press, disc sander and horizonatal boring machine in one small space. Just a thought

Joe

[eric auer]

Lou-

You might consider the Jet benchtop saw. This is a direct drive but the arbor shaft is belt driven so the cuts are smooth and relatively quiet for saws in this class. I bought this saw for jobsite use as it is much lighter than the Bosch I was using. Its also about 1/2 the cost of the Bosch/Ridgid saws that are often recommended. I've had the saw for 18 months and it has performed flawlessly. I have the saw mounted in a Rousseau stand, but this picture should give you an idea:

http://www.amazon.com/JET-708315BTC-JBTS-10BT-3-Benchtop-Table/dp/B000CFH3A8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1218474479&sr=8-4

That looks nice, good price and features.

[eric auer]

I'm fairly new to woodworking & need some advice. I'm in the market for a table saw but because I have to share our one car garage with my wife's car I think benchtop tools are going to be the way to go for me. Specifically, I'm looking for some advice on a benchtop table saw. I want to do good, accurate work but I'm not going to be creating anything for resale nor will the tool get daily workouts. I'm on disability income so price unfortunatly is also a factor. Any advice would be appreciated.

The EZ system could work great for you as well, check out the EZ Forum here on SMC, a bit further down.

Eric

[Eric Franklin]

Check out the TS2400 from Home Depot. I have one and it has worked really well.

[scott spencer]

Hi Lou - If price is the primary reason for going with a benchtop, I think you'd be better off with a good used full size contractor saw. The full size saws have the advantage of a larger table surface, quieter motor, better stability, resale value, and are very upgradeable as funds allow or as desired. Check the classifieds in wwing forums, Ebay, and Craigslist. I see old Emerson made Craftsman contractor saws for $100 pretty regularly.

[Joe Spear]

Lou,

I've used several table top saws. As stated in the previous posts they are very inaccurate and you are very limited on the size of material you can cut, and dangerous.

Joe


That's an oversimplification. I used to have the Bosch 4000. I could do very accurate cuts on it. It was more limited in the size of material I could cut on it compared to the Ridgid 3612 I replaced it with or the Jet Xacta cabinet saw I have now. But I made some large bookcases (7 feet high x 8 feet long) with it and didn't find it any more dangerous than my later saws. There are some really scary benchtops, but there are also some excellent ones, the DeWalt and Ridgid portable to name two.

[Jim Becker]

Every single one of the finish carpenters that just worked on our major addition used a Dewalt. It actually has an accurate fence and that was important to them.

[Jim Summers]

I used a Dewalt for many years in my garage. It worked very well. Sorry but I can not remember the model, it was one of their the direct drive models. It was accurate enough. I had a metal stand for mine that the saw bolted to. It was a little unstable when cutting sheet goods, but I think with some extension tables and stuff it would have been better.

HTH

[Lou Koestner]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm very tempted to get the Fox saw simply because of price. The contractors saw (used) is very appealing but storage floor space is virtually non-existent in our garage, hence the bench model. Wouldn't I be able to increase work area by making some outfeed tables or is that not feasible w/ bench top models?

[Jim Becker]

Lou, you can make infeed/outfeed setups or opt ($$$) for something like the Roussau table/fence setup. But still consider a hybrid saw on a mobile base. Better machine and still doesn't take up a lot of room in your gara....errr....shop...when it's being used for, well, "alternative storage" for things like vehicles. ;) Even the best of the so-called benchtop saws take up space and are pretty limiting in many ways.

[Brent Ring]

I own the Ridgid TS2400 on a mobile base, and while having been pleased with its work, is not up to the detail that I would like. It has been accurate, but not perfectly flat. And if I had to lift it onto a bench to use it, that would get old quickly and probably take the saw out of adjustment. The fence is good though.

I would take Jim's advice and get a hybrid on a mobile base. Give up space that might be dedicated to other tools, such as a router table, and make room for a mobile hybrid. You will be much happier in the long run. My plan is to hold out for that or a SawStop.

[Lou Koestner]

Scot, price & SPACE are the primary considerations. Since I last posted I ordered the Jet benchtop saw. It looks like it will do for now. I'm in the process of building a stacking storage setup fir it & my miter saw. I;m also drawing up a rolling workbench which will accept both saws interchangably. My wife's happy cause she'll be able to get her car in the garage. I want to thank you and everyone else for your good input.

[Matt Ocel]

Dewalt DW744. $499
My .02