Smaller table saw or smaller blade?

[TinkerLogic]

Afternoon y'all!

I was decent in woodshop over 20 years ago, but I'm now older and ... I tend to think wiser but the verdict is still out on that. I'm figuring out a list of tools for my next shop. On that list is a table saw but for what projects I do I don't need a $5k cabinet saw like the one I was fortunate to use back then.

Whatever I decide to buy I would like to make a little safer. That's why I was thinking about one of those contractor saws with the smaller 8 inch or whatever size it is blade, OR just buy a regular 10 inch blade saw (depending on deals) and put a smaller blade on it. I would think a smaller blade would cut faster defeating the point of smaller blade on a motor designed for a 10 inch blade.

I've never had kickbacks (knock on wood) and I'm trying to keep that win streak. Most of the projects I've done over the years have been everything from birdhouses to ported subwoofer boxes and a few other miscellaneous projects scattered in there, so the usual thickness being 1/2" sheet to ripping or cross cutting a few 2x4's... I don't think I've ever had a use for thicker lumber than previously mentioned.

I've never used a smaller blade saw and I've heard that finding certain purpose blades for them can get a little few and far between type of situation.

Any thoughts on this is appreciated

Have A Good'n!

 

[rlitman]

The tip speed of a smaller blade would be SLOWER. I'd expect it to be more grabby.
That being said, I have an 8" 200T blade I use for cutting acrylic on my 10" saw.

 

[MoonRise]

Use the blade size that the tool was made and designed to use. Slight exception for using a dado blade.

Saw made for 10" blades? Use 10" blades. See above line about dado blades.

An 8" blade in a saw made to use 10" blades will have a slower tip speed than the designed-for 10" blades. And reduced cut depth (from the reduced blade diameter and from the blade height mechanism limits), and more of a blade arc in the cut (smaller diameter blade after all).

Table saw safety includes paying attention. To you, the tool, and the work piece.

Safety? Use a splitter or a riving knife, use hold downs and such (feather boards, anti kick-back pawls/wheels, etc), push blocks and push sticks, and pay attention.

IMHO, get a table saw that takes 10" blades. Plenty of blade options in that size. That size machine is usually pretty capable for a 'home' (or even a shop) machine. And almost no one ever says 'Gee, I wish I had gotten the smaller and less powerful and less capable machine'.

 

[subroc]

I don't see the logic of using a smaller blade on a 10" saw. You certainly haven't made a case for such a thing. A little safer? Make sure the saw has a riving knife and a good, functioning blade guard. Make sure the saw has a solid, reliable fence and miter gauge. But as important as all the rest make sure your saw has a proper right sized outfeed setup to provide good support for whatever material you plan on cutting. Deciding what is enough safety features is up to the individual user. BTW, my 67 year old Craftsman Floor Model Table Saw doesn't have a riving knife or a blade guard. If you look at the image of my saw in the avatar, you can see an outfeed table attached.

 

[Toolfool]

If safety is your concern, invest about $2k in a Sawstop contractor saw. Utilize the riving knife and blade guard. Add a dedicated outfeed table and something to support long materials on the infeed side. You will still have ten fingers when you give up woodworking. (The size of your blade has nothing to do with safety.)

 

[ez-duzit]

I don't see the logic of using a smaller blade on a 10" saw. You certainly haven't made a case for such a thing...

This.

Plenty of good, used, 10" contractors and cabinet saws out there for way under $1k.

 

[tyyost]

I picked up a Delta 10” contractors saw earlier this summer for $150. It has the older fence, but cuts great. I also have a Bosch 4100 10” saw on a gravity rise stand. If you have been away from using a table saw for a while the convenience of a riving knife is a great safety feature.

I have Grizzly 1023 cabinet saw ratholed for now as there is no 220 and a severely limited electric service at the current shop. While I occasionally miss the power of it, especially with dadoes or 8/4 hardwood, I mostly miss the T-square fence.

What kind of budget are you working with?

 

[Maui]

I found a Delta 10" table saw with an integral motor earlier this year that didn't run. And the guy who advertised it didn't know what was wrong with it. He listed it for $20, but that was just to keep the junk dealers from bothering him. When I showed up he gave the saw to me for free. I spent an afternoon going through the wiring which had some issues, and also discovered that the on/off switch was bad. After replacing the switch with a new one and fixing the wiring problem, it sprang to life. Christ there was an awful lot of sawdust in that motor! I thought that I had blown it all out, but when it started running it sprayed it everywhere. This saw is LOUD. I guess that is the result of the integral motor. So you can find used table saws for reasonable prices, or even for free if you are lucky. But you have to look around.

 

[Renegade1LI]

With any table saw the first thing you should do is either make or buy a set of feather boards. I make my own to fit my set up, I like them long enough to really guide the material. Keep steady pressure down on the work piece & against the fence & you'll never get a kick back. Only takes a couple of seconds to set up the feather boards & not only is it safer but your cuts will be much more accurate. If you don't mind spending a few bucks get a powered stock feeder, no exposed blade & great cut quality.

 

[rlitman]

With any table saw the first thing you should do is either make or buy a set of feather boards. I make my own to fit my set up, I like them long enough to really guide the material. Keep steady pressure down on the work piece & against the fence & you'll never get a kick back. Only takes a couple of seconds to set up the feather boards & not only is it safer but your cuts will be much more accurate. If you don't mind spending a few bucks get a powered stock feeder, no exposed blade & great cut quality.

+1 to featherboards. They make a huge difference for many cuts and are to me as much a must-have as push sticks.

I'm not a fan of plastic as its a bit slippy and can scratch your work. Home-made wood is good, but the FeatherPRO made from foam is better. It's the grippiest featherboard I've used, with the least damaging contact to boot. If you make your own from wood, select a relatively soft (not brittle) hardwood with a very straight grain. Maple or oak are good options.

I don't want to write it all up again so here's a link to my own setup. Post 4 covers my FeatherPRO done on the cheap using 3/4" plywood cut to fit replacement foam inserts. I traced the foam and cut it on the scroll saw in just a few minutes. You don't need to cut it perfectly and tighter is better. It's foam, so like that poorly fitting puzzle piece, feel free to hammer it in.

 

[ez-duzit]

Contrary opinion. For doing repetitive work feather boards make sense. But doing one-off's there is little need for them and they mostly just take up valuable time.

 

[TinkerLogic]

I picked up a Delta 10” contractors saw earlier this summer for $150. It has the older fence, but cuts great. I also have a Bosch 4100 10” saw on a gravity rise stand. If you have been away from using a table saw for a while the convenience of a riving knife is a great safety feature.

I have Grizzly 1023 cabinet saw ratholed for now as there is no 220 and a severely limited electric service at the current shop. While I occasionally miss the power of it, especially with dadoes or 8/4 hardwood, I mostly miss the T-square fence.

What kind of budget are you working with?

For now I'm thinking under a $1k, that should be plenty for a 110v unit. I really don't have a reason for a 220v monster lol.

Around Christmas last year Delta came out with a 110v hybrid or something for like $500 and I was being cheap and decided to wait. That saw now hovers around $650 if not higher last I checked.

I'm still looking for another place so that $1k may not be enough by time I move LoL.

 

[rossddvm]

If safety is a major concern look at Sawstop. more mone but should put your mind at ease. Normal 10" contractor saw with riving knife, guards and push sticks, push blocks etc. You can be safe-if you use the equipment and follow safety rules

 

[rlitman]

Contrary opinion. For doing repetitive work feather boards make sense. But doing one-off's there is little need for them and they mostly just take up valuable time.

That's why I use a magnet. Minimizing the inconvenience (in this case setup time) of safety equipment is the way to get yourself to use safety equipment the most.

To be fair, at most I use a featherboard on 50% of my cuts. But I couldn't imagine ripping 8' stock without it.
As for repetitive work, I recently ripped some scrap 2x4's into 3/8" furring strips, and every new cut required a reset of the featherboard. Sure, I ripped each board once, then reset, but it really want a big deal.

 

[haveissues]

I have a gravity rise bosch that I really like. It does everything I need it to do, folds up and rolls away.

 

[tyyost]

For now I'm thinking under a $1k, that should be plenty for a 110v unit. I really don't have a reason for a 220v monster lol.

Around Christmas last year Delta came out with a 110v hybrid or something for like $500 and I was being cheap and decided to wait. That saw now hovers around $650 if not higher last I checked.

I'm still looking for another place so that $1k may not be enough by time I move LoL.

Tablesaws often pop up for sale near me in that range on Fb or Craigslist. I’d suggest two things when looking for a used saw: a t-square style fence and a belt drive motor. If the price is right the fence can be an upgrade, you can add a splitter from microjig, but upgrading a motor is always a headache.

 

[ez-duzit]

...You can be safe-if you use the equipment and follow safety rules

You can be quite safe if you simply follow rule #1
"Thou shalt never touch the spinning blade."

 

[Renegade1LI]

Contrary opinion. For doing repetitive work feather boards make sense. But doing one-off's there is little need for them and they mostly just take up valuable time.

Really depends on how you set your saws up, i have a beisemeyer fence with auxiliary fence that has a tslot. One feather board in fence one in table slot, adjustable within seconds.

 

[PBCampbell]

Board buddies are another antikick back option.

 

[tarbellb]

If safety is truly your biggest concern then stop pinching pennies and buck up- SawStop. There is no substitution

Want a good cheap solution and use basic safety practices, buy the jobsite industry standard - 10" jobsite with Rack-n-pinon fence (read Dewalt)

Or get a cabinet saw, the heavier then better = stability = safety- get the most expensive heaviest cabinet saw you can afford/space for


Anything beyond this you are just spinning your wheels or shouldnt pick up woodworking

 

[tyyost]

Want a good cheap solution and use basic safety practices, buy the jobsite industry standard - 10" jobsite with Rack-n-pinon fence (read Dewalt)

Anything beyond this you are just spinning your wheels or shouldnt pick up woodworking

I think I get where you are going, but your description leaves out a ton of very serviceable saws, ranging from used cabinet saws, real motor hanging off the back contractor saws from Jet, Delta, Powermatic, and even Grizzly. Unlike the DeWalt these saws often have full size iron tables, solid fences, and for a hobby shop can be run like a cabinet saw. Maybe if the OP dialed in his location we could do better than this - https://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/d/raleigh-rockwell-delta-10-table-saw/7511935587.html
Heck, I’m surprised the track saw guys haven’t stopped in yet…

 

[tarbellb]

I think I get where you are going, but your description leaves out a ton of very serviceable saws, ranging from used cabinet saws, real motor hanging off the back contractor saws from Jet, Delta, Powermatic, and even Grizzly. Unlike the DeWalt these saws often have full size iron tables, solid fences, and for a hobby shop can be run like a cabinet saw. Maybe if the OP dialed in his location we could do better than this - https://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/d/raleigh-rockwell-delta-10-table-saw/7511935587.html
Heck, I’m surprised the track saw guys haven’t stopped in yet…

Track saw quote is great, color me surprised as well
-----
There are (very) few contractor saws that I would deem a good fit for the OP, or anyone really. IMO they are the biggest compromise of the them all, big footprint, but not substantial, typically similar or worse working metrics as a jobsite saw.

At least with a jobsite saw you can build a table around it making a very nice setup, whereas contractor saws you are stuck with the crappy stamped base and typically out of whack wings.

 

[rayra]

Hard to find a jobsite saw in 10" anymore.

I just bought a new Delta 10" contractor, very big, sturdy, heavy but rolls easily and has a fantastic big fence on it. Couldn't be happier with it. Especially after 11yrs of using a smaller 'consumer' grade Craftsman tablesaw on a spindly 'portable' stand.

"I would think a smaller blade would cut faster defeating the point of smaller blade on a motor designed for a 10 inch blade."
Unless you meant to say 'slower' instead of 'faster', I completely disagree with that statement.

Better a bigger blade raised higher so the angle cutting into the wood is steeper, more downward, than trying to set the blade as shallow as possible and getting more arc buried in the wood and trying to lift the wood up and back at you.

Lastly, the Delta Contractor is about 220#, very stable. And cost under $700 brand new. Least expensive cabinet saw I've seen starts in excess of $3000. And pricing climbs sharply from there.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

I like the Sawstop with job site stand.

 

[TinkerLogic]

The main reason I took up wood shop using "stationary saws" is because i thought at the time I didn't have the hand strength to use track saws or anything of that nature that wasn't bolted into some kind of a table. Over the years I realized I have nerve issues due to some genetic issues and being hard on this body.

I realized I was great at moving the wood into the saw instead of the saw into the wood. I had a great instructor way back then that eventually made me his shop assistant. Unfortunately I don't remember that much from then other then I was great at keeping my fingers and no kickbacks.


I'm just being extra cautious and see what's available before I go happy happy joy joy on buying stuff after I move.

I will of course review a bunch of safety vids as well and research before I start fiddling with anything to remind myself of what's what being it's been a long time

 

[seber]

Putting an 8" blade on a 10" saw means the teeth will spin slower. That increases the chance of kickback and burned wood. It also means the exit angle is greater which causes worse chipout. That is why the blade should never be much higher than necessary for the thickness of the work. Always use what the saw is designed for.

 

[TinkerLogic]

Hard to find a jobsite saw in 10" anymore.

I just bought a new Delta 10" contractor, very big, sturdy, heavy but rolls easily and has a fantastic big fence on it. Couldn't be happier with it. Especially after 11yrs of using a smaller 'consumer' grade Craftsman tablesaw on a spindly 'portable' stand.

"I would think a smaller blade would cut faster defeating the point of smaller blade on a motor designed for a 10 inch blade."
Unless you meant to say 'slower' instead of 'faster', I completely disagree with that statement.

Better a bigger blade raised higher so the angle cutting into the wood is steeper, more downward, than trying to set the blade as shallow as possible and getting more arc buried in the wood and trying to lift the wood up and back at you.

Lastly, the Delta Contractor is about 220#, very stable. And cost under $700 brand new. Least expensive cabinet saw I've seen starts in excess of $3000. And pricing climbs sharply from there.

That looks very similar to the Delta saw i was looking at around the holidays last year when it was around $500.... I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on it. If i remember right there's a Ridgid version as well for about the same price as the Delta

 

[Legion Prime]

You can be quite safe if you simply follow rule #1
"Thou shalt never touch the spinning blade."

And rule #2
"Thou shalt not keep your balls in any position behind the stock being fed into the blade"

 

[tarbellb]

Grizzly hybrid- $1200
Grizzly full cabinet 3hp- $2100
Sawstop contrator- $2000

Those are brand new, nice units. And the used market is even better. $3000 gets you pro level stuff...

That Delta looks fine, just saying for similar money and footprint you can have a much more substantial (safer) saw