table saw

[snorvet]

I'm getting back into woodworking. What table saw do you guys recommend for woodworking on a hobby level?

[Stanger]

My delta table saw has been good to me. I have only used it to cut MDF for sub boxes though. It was a little over $100 IIRC.
Grant

[rickairmedic]

I have a nice craftsman with an expandable top I picked up off of craigs list for $50 bucks everything was there including a new replacement blade it is a 10" model.

Rick

[timgr]

I want the Jet 'portable' table saw, but I haven't been able to justify buying it yet. http://www.amazon.com/JET-708315LSB-JBTS-10LS-2-Benchtop-10-Inch/dp/B000CFH3AI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/104-2422845-8120755?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1198359854&sr=8-3

[T56 Impala]

The Jet Super saw is nice. I have looked at these for a few years now. I just don't have room at this point.

Take a look a the Grizzly web site. They have a few nice "Contractor" grade saws that are very good. The G0575 is a good 110 saw. If you have 220 then the G0576 is the sam saw just set up for 220. Any of these saws beat the heck out of the new Cman stuff on the market. Its not as good as Jet or the like, but its good for a hobbiest.

[Jeeper]

I bought this one from bosch:

http://66.77.255.87/Images/BOSCHTOOLS/4000_09/WEB_PD/4000_09_pd.jpg
http://www.boschtools.com/tools/tools-detail.htm?H=175981&G=54932&I=58462

Love the thing. Haven't used it enough to justify the cost but i had gotten a promo a few years back, decided to splurge. Figured that I'd have the saw forever. Has come very handing laying down flooring, making shelves, all sorts of stuff. The saw is very high quality and the stand is top notch.

[Vicegrip]

Delta Contractor is a good entry level table saw. 80% of the saw is the fence. Delta Uni fence is good for the money. I have been abusing one for many years and a wide range of projects and it keeps on giving good work. You will be able to sell for much of purchase price if you move up to a full on pedestal type saw. Powermatic makes a very nice one but you pay for it.

[SteveU]

If you will be working with dimensional lumber like 1x or 2x4,6,8,etc. a contractor saw will work. If much 3/4" plywood or MDF is in your future I would get a cabinet saw such as a Grizzly, Jet, Delta, or even a Powermatic. Contractors saws are not that stable when trying to push a 80lb sheet of plywood or 100 lb sheet of MDF or melamine over them. I have a PM 66 on a mobile base & I can't visibly rock it no matter what I put over it, the fact that it is 600 lbs is why. Also, if you are going to rip a lot of hardwood such as Oak, Hard Maple, Hickory, etc. the larger & more powerful motors on a cabinet saw won't work near as hard, bog down & trip breakers & such. Typical cabinet saw comes with a better & more accurate fence which makes ripping much easier because you don't have to check & adjust both ends multiple times with a tape measure plus makes it a LOT safer by reducing the risk of a kickback. They have better dust collection and are easier to upgrade to something like a Woodpecker TS III fence also. Main thing a contractor saw has over a cabinet saw is that it is portable & can run off 110v. Tabletops are not suitable for any type of sheet material (or much of anything else) & have generally poor fences, power, & the trunions are very light duty compared to the other styles.

[Danglerb]

I would watch the Craigslist, table saw bargains show up from time to time, and you might not only get a good saw for cheap, but all the stuff that goes with it.

[89Vette]

If you can afford it, a Powermatic cabinet saw. No vibration, a good fence, lots of power and excellent dust collection. I have a Craftsman myself with a cast iron top, but I have upgraded the fence to a Vega, use a Forrest WWII blade with a zero clearance insert and added a link belt. Once I have enough money for a new saw though ..............

[l_bilyk]

Depends. If you are buying a portable, then you should look at the bosch TS4000 or TS 4100 (new model). If you are looking for a contractor saw, then you can't go wrong with the ridgid TS3650. If you have the room and don't have to move it, then buy a hybrid. I would strongly consider the sears zip code saws or the steel city version. Actually steel city also has a new model of hybrid coming out, including a true riving knife setup and an optional granite table.

[Vicegrip]

You can get past most of the wobble factor some by building a good solid pedestal base from 2X4 and plywood. Helps with the dust too. Good feed in and out stands help as well. By "contractor" I mean one that is belt drive, metal framed and has metal deck and wings. I found the small portable direct drive saws frustrating for any kind of accurate work. Good for site work but for hobby and cabinet making not up to the task. I used treadmill decking for my side table as it has a Delrin surface layer and the work slides well on it. Glossy Formica works too. Throw some saw dust sift on it and a sheet of MDF or 3/4 plywood slides well. A good table saw and very good fence is the center of a wood shop.

[snorvet]

Thanks for the suggestions! I went to Sears but didn't like the looks of anything there. I'll check out all the brands mentioned above. But what is a "hybrid" saw?

[l_bilyk]

At one time the hybrid saw was something in between a cabinet saw and a contractor saw. The motor didn't hang out the back like on contractor saws, but the trunions were not case mounted like on the full size saws. Good examples of hybrid saws would be the delta 36-717, jet proshop, or dewalt DW746. But now you can get saws in this price range with cabinet mounted trunions such as the steel city 35601 or craftsman 22124. These two are probably pretty good for a hobbyist, especially the craftsman if you can get it on sale or clearance

[MarkH]

Avoid the light saws. I have a light Craftsman(85 lbs), I got it since it was heavier than my fathers and that was way too light at around 40 lbs. The under 100lb ones are way too light for anything except light wood. It worked great cutting engineered wood floors but with heavier boards it wanted to tip.

I still use it until I can get a heavier used one, but I have anchors in the floor I use to tie it down to keep it upright and to prevent operator injury. Before the anchors I put a couple trays I could tie cement blocks on it. When you live in the middle of no-where and cannot just run down and get something better since there is no place to run to you make some strange modifications to make things work.

[Uncle Buck]

The Craftsman saws and for that matter virtually all of their stationary tool line went to hell a few years back, however if you can find one of the old ie anything up to the mid 1990"s cast iron 10" table saws in decent shape they are usually great saws and do not command a very high resale. Just my two bits!

[ed_v]

The Delta contractor saw at Lowe's for $449 (without fence) is a great saw for the money.

Ed

[Coach James]

My buddy and I each bought one of these about three years ago.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00924884000P?vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&sName=Table+Saws

He used his to renovate a 100+ year old farm house. Used it to cut flooring, paneling, shelving, cabinets, etc.

I have used mine to cut everything from small pieces of 1/4" paneling to 3/4 inch plywood. I use a box for an outfeed table and have had no real problems. The saw has performed quite well. One drawback is that I had to tweak a featherboard to fit the miter channels and it only takes a 6" dado stack.

Coach

[timgr]

A table saw with a big table and outfeed supports makes cutting panels (plywood) possible, but you can cut panels nearly as well with a circular saw. You need a good fence (like aluminum channel), or else you can screw some dimensional lumber to the scrap side of the panel to serve as a fence... setup time is longer than with a table saw, but as long as you aren't doing production work a circular saw works fine.

All the portable table saws (except the Jet) are essentially an upside-down circular saw in a lightweight table. The Jet saw is said to be superior because it uses a separate arbor for the blade and a drive belt, like a cabinet saw. The inexpensive saws cut costs on the quality of the fence and table, and are said to make inaccurate cuts (ie the blade wanders, and the fence and table are sloppy).

If you have the room, a big old heavy cabinet saw from Craig's list or such should make accurate cuts and will come with a heavy fence, an iron table and iron extensions that will stay square. Note that it takes a lot of room to cut 4x8 (or larger) sheets with a table saw and an outfeed table or rollers, and the bigger saws require a lot of room for storage, even if you can wheel them around.

[Coach James]

Last year I replaced the combo blade on my circular saw with a 36 tooth thin kerf blade. It made cutting plywod much easier than using the table saw. I use a 48" drywall square as a fence and it works quite well.

Coach

[Rockhouse]

A year ago I bought the 'TS3650' from HD. It is awsome. Lots of power and it has wheels to roll around too. I've used it on hardwoods, sheet goods and it will run an 8" dado blade as well. Has a large outfeed table, cast iron tops and a really nice fence system. I would not hesitate to recommend it if you have the room.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100007962

[Uncle Buck]

A year ago I bought the 'TS3650' from HD. It is awsome. Lots of power and it has wheels to roll around too. I've used it on hardwoods, sheet goods and it will run an 8" dado blade as well. Has a large outfeed table, cast iron tops and a really nice fence system. I would not hesitate to recommend it if you have the room.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100007962

I used to work at HD some years back, I do not know if it is still hold true but at that time the HD saw that you pictured was made by Emerson Electric who as some may already know used to be one of Sears old mainstay suppliers for their stationary tool line before Sears kicked Emerson to the curb and decided to bring their stationary tool line from across the pond! In fact, at that time I think the full HD stationary line of tools was made by Emerson! I do not know for sure if that is still the case. Sears stationary line shows the lack of quality so much more than the hand tools; it is simply sad. I don't look for any stationary tools new from anyone anymore; I find the old stuff and rehab it like many at www.owwm.com as long as you do not exceed your limitations it is the way to go.

[snorvet]

Well I better get to it and buy one soon. I have 3 projects ready to start. In all of this excitement, I figured I better a get a drill press as well.