Table Saw Choice for Cabinet Building

[Justin Jones RDH]

This is my first post and I would like to thank all of you upfront for any advice.
I have limited wood working experience but my goals and ambitions are sky high. My ultimate project in terms of cost and equipment size, like many, is a full set of custom kitchen cabinets. I have several years before I start this project but I also have a lot of learning to do in the meantime.

As the title suggests, I am in the market for a cabinet table saw. I have my eyes set on grizzly for price/value reasons. I am not sure what size to get for a cabinet project (in regards to rip capacity). I know that I will be building face frame style cabinets and I would like to stick to standard cabinet dimensions. I plan to primarily break down sheet goods with a circular saw then transfer to the TS. I have a few books on building cabinets that I am working on right now and it looks like the largest cut i will have to make is 30.5" for a base cabinet. Is this correct?

I was considering the G0690 but it looks like the maximum capacity for that saw is 29.5". Would this force me to go with a 52" capacity saw?

I should note that I have a few classes I am taking to get me started with this project and my kitchen cabinets WON'T be the 1st serious project i attempt.

[Lex Boegen]

If you want to rip and crosscut sheet goods on the table saw, then you'll need the 52-inch rip capacity. Personally, I'm not comfortable with working with full sheets that way. 3/4 inch ply weighs 75 pounds for a full sheet, and MDF and melamine weigh even more. In addition to the wide rip capacity, you'd also need large and sturdy infeed and outfeed tables to work safely. I prefer to do my initial cuts with a circular saw, then cut to final dimension on the table saw. If you have the space and budget for the large cabinet saw and support tables, then go for it. You'll save yourself some time and effort in the long run.

[scott spencer]

Welcome to SMC!

The classes and a book or two on woodworking and wwing tools are always good idea.

A good TS is the heart of most traditional shops. While a 3hp cabinet saw might be more than the bare basics, it's a purchase you're not likely to ever regret because it'll be more than capable of just about everything you'll encounter, will do a great job, will be a pleasure to use, and will maintain value well.

Grizzly has a solid reputation for value. Since the G0690 is a left tilt saw, it's not likely that you'll ever need the rip capacity on the left side of the blade. It's possible to rob capacity from the left side and move it to the right by sliding the front rail over by a few inches. It's a pretty simple 10 minute task...The front rail is a two piece system consisting of a mounting angle bracket and the actual rail tube that the fence glides on. You mount the angle bracket to the saw as directed, but slide the front tube over to the right by the distance of one bolt hole (so no drilling is required), and simply bolt the rail down using one less bolt, creating 10" more rail capacity. You'll need to relocate or replace the measuring tape, and fill the gap between the front and back rail to the right of the wing with some sort of extension (a router table in my case). Leave the back rail completely stock. You may also want to build some support legs, but the given the weight of the saw it'll likely be very stable even with them. I've done this to my last two saws and have gained about 10" rip capacity to right as a result, netting 40" and 36" rip capacity.

I typically have my sheetgoods rough cut at the homecenter, then trim them on my TS.

[Justin Jones RDH]

Lex-
I understand why someone might buy the 52" but I will be breaking down ply with a circular saw. I am basically asking if there is any way to make a shorter fence work for a cabinet building application.

[Justin Jones RDH]

Scott- thanks for the reply.
Do you have any pictures of your TS modification?

[glenn bradley]

Justin, I have done as Scott describes with my Biesemeyer fence. I found that the stock 30" was frequently NOT enough. I have found that the new 40" reach has met my needs with only 2 exceptions since I did it. Oh, and its free.

The fence tube used to extend to the left of the mounting rail:

fence-30-2-40-001.jpg

Now my fence reaches to a comfortable 40". I have 3 cast iron wings to the right of the table but you can build the supporting surface from any stable material. My old saw had a framed MDF table to the right as it came with stamped wings that were useless.

fence-30-2-40-002.jpg

[scott spencer]

Scott- thanks for the reply.
Do you have any pictures of your TS modification?

I do have some pics that are not specifically of the mod but they should give you an idea...it's really a minor mod.

Here's a look at the left side of the front rails on my former 22124.
Before:


This pic shows where it sat in relation to the bracket after sliding the rail.
After:


Right side wing and router table extension:

[Justin Jones RDH]

Thanks for the pictures guys. I appreciate the post

[Bruce Page]

Justin, welcome to SMC. There are always work-arounds but if you have the space I would recommend getting the 52”, the price difference between 30” & 52” will be soon forgotten.
I have a 50” Biesemeyer setup and while I don’t use the full capacity often, it is sure nice to have when I do need it.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Cabinet sides are usually 34-1/2" high, so you can't cut them with a 30" fence. At least not easily.

[Mike Wellner]

Panel saws or track saw for sheet goods are safer and easier for one person.

[John A langley]

go with the 52'' you won't be sorry this is from a cabinetmaker

[Paul Ryan]

Justin,

If this will be one of your only cabinet jobs, and if you dont have a ton of space in your shop. Then I would go with smaller fences. 36" is real nice size. I had a saw with 30" and that was a little small at times, but for some reason 36" has been perfect. If you have a larger shop and you can handle 52" then spend a few extra bucks and get the longer. Larger is almost always better. In my case I dont have room for the extra 16", it would cause lots of issues that I dont need to fight with. The grizzly is the way to go if you can shift the fence when you need to and move it back when you are making furniture. I mostly just make furniture have done very few cabinets. When I do, I break them down with the circular saw and go to town on the table saw. But if you can spare the extra space and will be making more cabinets in the future, go with the larger fence.

[John Thompson]

Once you break the sheets down.. around 40"-42" should be sufficient for cabinets. I would definitely go with 52" if you have the space for that once in awhile situation. But if you are very limited and the extra lenght ties up a traffic pattern as it would in my shop... I simply pulled out the saw-zall with a metal cutting blade and took 10" off my end rails so I now have a rail to accomodate 42".

I mainly work with solid wood and could get away with shorter the vast majority of time but... better to have it than not and need it even on rare occasion as stated...

Welcome to the Creek...

[John Coloccia]

The other option that is normally overlooked is to simply have your local mill/lumber yard do the handful of cuts you can't make at home. For example, I routinely have my lumber yard break down wood for me, or cut to size. Just a couple of months ago I had them flatten a table top for me on their wide belt sander. Cost $15. I had them cut sticks for stickering wood for me...about 50 of them. Cost $15 + materials. They're fast, accurate and cheap.

Just a thought. Except for bandsaws and hand power tools, where bigger can be a compromise sometimes, bigger is almost always better, but there are other options if cost and/or shop footprint is a problem.