Table saw recommendations for ~$650

[lsiberian]

That's almost full list price. Look at Rockler- they sometimes have it for a lot less. If you have one, get on their mailing list for the coupons and sales. I only go to the one here when I need specific things and they're on sale. I don't remember the last time someone at that store had a decent answer for my questions. They're usually too busy complaining about working there, management or some meeting they have to go to.

If you think you'll be buying one and need other things, check out The Woodworking Shows. They run every year and Forrest is always there with specials. They usually have some good seminars, too. http://cms.thewoodworkingshows.com/cms/

They kick off this year in Dallas, too-Oct 23 through the 25th. It's best if you know the going prices before you get there because not all of the dealers have good deals. Some rely on the feeding frenzy.

We have a rockler store in the area. I went there before to check out stuff. I'll have to see if they have some blades.

The woodworking thing seems pretty neat.

http://grizzly.amazonwebstore.com/Forrest-H4744-71434-x-5834-30t/M/B000OMRSBS.htm

Is the best price I've found so far.

 

[highfigh]

We have a rockler store in the area. I went there before to check out stuff. I'll have to see if they have some blades.

The woodworking thing seems pretty neat.

http://grizzly.amazonwebstore.com/Forrest-H4744-71434-x-5834-30t/M/B000OMRSBS.htm

Is the best price I've found so far.

Rockler carries these blades but I would think hte variety will be determined by demand, like anything else. I would also recommend buying a utility blade, fro wood what may have metal or other things that sound damage your good blade. I use an Oldham but a basic Freud is a good choice, too. If you fo to any of the woodworking forums like the one DaveHo and I linked to and see someone whose screen name is CharlesM, he works for Freud (at least on the www.taunton.com forum). At that forum, you can look at older threads about saw blades and see various comments and arguments about which is best, etc.

You're looking at the 10" along the side, or for a smaller blade? I have seen the 10" for not too much more than the 7-1/4", though. If you can wait a bit, go to the Woodworking Show and see what they have. They always have a guy cutting wood to demo it and if you'd expect to see rough edges and tooth marks, you'll be disappointed. The surface is so smooth it's shiny.

 

[WmAx]

If you need a portable saw, the Bosche portable contractor units are the best available right now. I looked for a long time and came to these. They have superb fences also, that always lock to absolute perfect square(unlike most stock fences). The stock fence system does not need to be replaced. The table has some great extension accessories available(which I recommend as necessary, not optional) to increase the right side and rear side area for larger stock stability. The saw's right side extends/slides out to make very wide cuts(and maintains the dead accurate on saw measure indicator while extended). You can get a digital option that gives absolute accurate digital read out values for the cut (once you calibrate it of course). The stock analog indicator is great as well. Build quality is great and the motor is very strong. The quality of the fold up cart is one of the best, if not the best out there. Almost all other contractor units are toys in comparison; the only one that comes close is the premium Rigid contractor saw. But the Rigid's fence is not great (does not true up to perfect 90 degree easily) and the measure indicator on the Rigid is horrible (it shifts easily; as it's a loosely rabbeted piece of tape measure over rollers, that extends out when you extend the right side of the saw - but it shift about 1/16" either way(!)).

-Chris

 

[Rickster71]

A lot depends on what it will be used for, and the level of accuracy needed.
Will it be for 'home owner' use or daily contractor use?

IMO The best saw in your price range? (Notice I said, "in your price range")
Bosch 4000-09 Worksite Benchtop Table Saw

 

[jinjuku]

A lot depends on what it will be used for, and the level of accuracy needed.
Will it be for 'home owner' use or daily contractor use?

IMO The best saw in your price range? (Notice I said, "in your price range")
Bosch 4000-09 Worksite Benchtop Table Saw

I would like to finish making some of my speaker boxes and then some normal bookcases and storage cabinets.

My only concern with the Bosch is that the motor is encased. I killed a table saw with a dust collection bag by using MDF. Just totally gummed up the motor. That is why I want to look at something with a motor outside.

The Bosch is totally feature rich however.

 

[Rickster71]

I wonder if you could rig up a shop-vac for dust collection and be able to use the Bosch?

 

[highfigh]

I would like to finish making some of my speaker boxes and then some normal bookcases and storage cabinets.

My only concern with the Bosch is that the motor is encased. I killed a table saw with a dust collection bag by using MDF. Just totally gummed up the motor. That is why I want to look at something with a motor outside.

The Bosch is totally feature rich however.

Most saws have a TEFC motor. TEFC stands for Totally Enclosed, Fan Cooled and they survive being surrounded by dust. My table saw (Grizzly G1023S, which now has a side extension table, 7' rails and is on a mobile base) has the enclosure for the motor and I have had zero problems with it. I bought a 2HP double bag dust collector from Harbor Freight (it's the same as the Delta, PowerMatic, Jet, etc) and that removes the vast majority of the dust from inside of the cabinet. For a small job, a shop vac works but the fine dust will clog the filter really fast. For a jointer or planer, it's not a bad way to go but a real DC moves more air and uses the cloth bag(s) as the filter, just not with the same amount of vacuum, due to the smaller diameter of the hose.

 

[lsiberian]

Rockler carries these blades but I would think hte variety will be determined by demand, like anything else. I would also recommend buying a utility blade, fro wood what may have metal or other things that sound damage your good blade. I use an Oldham but a basic Freud is a good choice, too. If you fo to any of the woodworking forums like the one DaveHo and I linked to and see someone whose screen name is CharlesM, he works for Freud (at least on the www.taunton.com forum). At that forum, you can look at older threads about saw blades and see various comments and arguments about which is best, etc.

You're looking at the 10" along the side, or for a smaller blade? I have seen the 10" for not too much more than the 7-1/4", though. If you can wait a bit, go to the Woodworking Show and see what they have. They always have a guy cutting wood to demo it and if you'd expect to see rough edges and tooth marks, you'll be disappointed. The surface is so smooth it's shiny.

I have a small portable Ryobi table saw I picked up for around 10 bucks, but I have to replace a couple parts before I use it and it's not really ideal for large rips anyway. I got it for the deal. I have an accu-rip device I picked up a while back from Lowe's designed for circular saws. So the plan was to get a better blade for it. It's a 7 1/4" and I have an alright blade, but wouldn't mind a much cleaner cut. As you know my main hobby is speaker building so glue lines are king to me. I really want a saw and blade that gives me a nice straight clean cut that I can glue up with little sanding.

I'm really itching to get sawing again. It's been so long for me and I really want to get back in the speaker building saddle. I'm going nuts not being able to use my tools.

 

[highfigh]

I have a small portable Ryobi table saw I picked up for around 10 bucks, but I have to replace a couple parts before I use it and it's not really ideal for large rips anyway. I got it for the deal. I have an accu-rip device I picked up a while back from Lowe's designed for circular saws. So the plan was to get a better blade for it. It's a 7 1/4" and I have an alright blade, but wouldn't mind a much cleaner cut. As you know my main hobby is speaker building so glue lines are king to me. I really want a saw and blade that gives me a nice straight clean cut that I can glue up with little sanding.

I'm really itching to get sawing again. It's been so long for me and I really want to get back in the speaker building saddle. I'm going nuts not being able to use my tools.

For the circular saw, I would also make sure the bearings and arbor are in great shape. Nothing ruins a cut like blade wobble caused by worn parts. For cleaner edges, although it makes a lot of dust, you could use a router, too. If you end up making a lot of the same box, jigs really make repeatability easier and more accurate.

 

[highfigh]

Who wants a 20% off coupon from Rockler? PM your e-mail address and I'll forward the e-mail.

 

[highfigh]

I have a small portable Ryobi table saw I picked up for around 10 bucks, but I have to replace a couple parts before I use it and it's not really ideal for large rips anyway. I got it for the deal. I have an accu-rip device I picked up a while back from Lowe's designed for circular saws. So the plan was to get a better blade for it. It's a 7 1/4" and I have an alright blade, but wouldn't mind a much cleaner cut. As you know my main hobby is speaker building so glue lines are king to me. I really want a saw and blade that gives me a nice straight clean cut that I can glue up with little sanding.

I'm really itching to get sawing again. It's been so long for me and I really want to get back in the speaker building saddle. I'm going nuts not being able to use my tools.

Did you buy the Forrest blade? They have another 20% off coupon, if anyone is interested.

 

[sparky77]

I use one of these on a daily basis doing fishis carpentry work, very reliable and easy to use portable table saw. What they dont mention in the description is that it has a dual rack and pinion adjustment system so the fence is always squared up, all you have to do is turn a dial to adjust the rip distance, just don't rely on the measurements on the scale, depending on the blade your using, it could be off an eighth inch. The only downside is the limited 24 1/2 in rip capability, which in my experience seems to only be about 23 3/4 with the blade we're using, but if you measure carefully, you can rip from the opposite side of your stock.

 

[highfigh]

I have seen photos of portable table saws built into a large roll-around base that allowed cutting large pieces but more for smaller dimensional lumber and sheet goods. That way, it was still removable to be put on the stand and taken to a jobsite.

 

[fredk]

As long as your contractors saw is well constructed (little to no runnout etc.) you can trick it out to a cabinet saw over time. Once you are into belt driven, I wouldn't call it a contractors saw anymore anyway.

 

[WmAx]

I use one of these on a daily basis doing fishis carpentry work, very reliable and easy to use portable table saw. What they dont mention in the description is that it has a dual rack and pinion adjustment system so the fence is always squared up, all you have to do is turn a dial to adjust the rip distance, just don't rely on the measurements on the scale, depending on the blade your using, it could be off an eighth inch. The only downside is the limited 24 1/2 in rip capability, which in my experience seems to only be about 23 3/4 with the blade we're using, but if you measure carefully, you can rip from the opposite side of your stock.

Now, I love DeWalt, and I have many of their commercial quality tools. However, that contractor portable table saw made by DeWalt is nowhere near the quality/build of the Bosche unit recommended a few times prior in this thread, yet they are priced similarly. I doubt there is a better portable saw than the Bosche today. I looked extensively and purchased the Bosche based on it being the best overall portable unit I could find. Set up properly, the Bosche's measurement scale (even when the table is extended out for wide cuts) is accurate to at least 1/32", reliably. The fence is superbly designed and always squares out perfectly. The only thing I hate about the Bosche is the miter tool. But these suck on most saws. One can purchase an accurate/effective unit such as an Incra that is incredibly good (and far beyond anything OEM you get with a saw) for just over $100. Note: Of course, you must set up/calibrate the fence, blade alignment, measurement gauge etc. when you purchase the saw and assemble it.

-Chris

 

[lsiberian]

Now, I love DeWalt, and I have many of their commercial quality tools. However, that contractor portable table saw made by DeWalt is nowhere near the quality/build of the Bosche unit recommended a few times prior in this thread, yet they are priced similarly. I doubt there is a better portable saw than the Bosche today. I looked extensively and purchased the Bosche based on it being the best overall portable unit I could find. Set up properly, the Bosche's measurement scale (even when the table is extended out for wide cuts) is accurate to at least 1/32", reliably. The fence is superbly designed and always squares out perfectly. The only thing I hate about the Bosche is the miter tool. But these suck on most saws. One can purchase an accurate/effective unit such as an Incra that is incredibly good (and far beyond anything OEM you get with a saw) for just over $100. Note: Of course, you must set up/calibrate the fence, blade alignment, measurement gauge etc. when you purchase the saw and assemble it.

-Chris

Hey speaking of mitering I'm gonna need to miter a screen frame at some point. What is an Incra?

 

[highfigh]

Hey speaking of mitering I'm gonna need to miter a screen frame at some point. What is an Incra?

It's a brand. They started by making an indexing router fence system and added a miter gauge.

http://www.incra.com/

Here's a comparison:
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/miter_gauges.shtml

FYI- a screen frame is generally made using a combination of mitering (what's seen by looking at the face and also mortise & tenon (what actually gives it its strength). This is called a 'mitered bridle joint', as seen in the link:
http://www.geckosboxes.com/mbj.htm

This picture frame spline joint can be used for a screen frame, too:
http://sawdustmaking.com/About Joints/image.gifmiter spline

 

[sparky77]

Wmax, I was only speaking from personal experience, with a unit I had used. I would have to agree that the bosche machine is probably better, but at least I told the truth on what the downsides were. After your mention, I would probably go witht the german engineering. Thats what these forums are for, civil debate. Thanks to your recommendation, I'll have to check them out for myself......

 

[lsiberian]

Wmax, I was only speaking from personal experience, with a unit I had used. I would have to agree that the bosche machine is probably better, but at least I told the truth on what the downsides were. After your mention, I would probably go witht the german engineering. Thats what these forums are for, civil debate. Thanks to your recommendation, I'll have to check them out for myself......

I'd suggest you stick to what you like. Everyone has preferences.

 

[jinjuku]

Bing!

Found a Jet 708301K JWTS-10JF

For $350 on Craiglist! WOOT!