Table saw suggestions

[mds5951]

Hey guys looking to upgrade my table saw and get a little deeper into woodworking (as a hobby) keeping that in mind I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg. I’m currently using one of those ryobi portable jobsite saws.

Mainly looking for something I can put a dado stack on comfortably and hopefully have standard slots for upgraded miter gauges or any other gadgets I may come across....any thing else I should keep an eye out for?

Any model suggestions? Would also like to keep it 110v (I know, I know)


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[ARFLY]

I have Skilsaw worm drive and like it. I have cut a lot of ply on it and had no issues.

 

[txvwnut]

I have an older Jet and am quite happy with it, I dont know anything about the quality of the current Jet stuff.

 

[Notgrownup]

Buy the best oneyour wallet will let you buy. Don’t look back. Evenused higher quality ones on CL or local marketplace.

 

[1Garageman]

The table saw is the main machine in doing woodworking. Get what you can afford, and do look on Craigslist, and auction sites for some good deals. I have a Craftsman, and it is pretty good. I do which I had a bigger and better one, but I got a great deal on this at a yard sale.

Make sure you get at least a 2.5 or 3 horsepower motor!
What is your price range?

 

[Honkey84]

What is your budget?

I know ridged made a decent table saw that was available from Home Depot for around $500-600, but there was some issues with get the blade aligned to the fence cause a dangerous pinching of the material that lead to kick backs.

I bought a Laguna Fusion which is a hybrid table saw, I believe I paid $1200 or so for it new.

If I had it to do over again I'd buy an older used machine. A Powermatic 66 would've been my choice, but the older Delta Unisaws are great too!

Heavier built, larger motors, better fence designs, etc are all standard fare on older USA made machines.

 

[thin_concrete]

I have a Sawstop contractors saw and love it. Very minor adjustments required out of the box.

 

[Boilerhouse]

The table saw is the main machine in doing woodworking. Get what you can afford, and do look on Craigslist, and auction sites for some good deals. I have a Craftsman, and it is pretty good. I do which I had a bigger and better one, but I got a great deal on this at a yard sale.

Make sure you get at least a 2.5 or 3 horsepower motor!
What is your price range?

Agreed! Look into older heavy USA made ones then go onto Craiglist and see what is available. Older used tablesaws seem to be a dime a dozen, they never really wear out and they can be every bit as good or better than anything made now.
Craftsman, Rockwell, Delta, Powermatic, etc

 

[gungatim]

look for a used contractor style saw, with 1 or 2 cast iron wings if you can find one. Delta, Jet, PM all made great contractor saws. Craftsman I would shy away from as most were direct drive, but there are a few models that were belt style but they usually had stamped or webbed wings.

 

[seber]

If you can find a used cabinet saw for a good price you will never need to worry about upgrading later. If you buy a contractors saw you will soon be looking again.

 

[Showkey]

The operator makes the difference far more so than the saw. Almost any saw can be tuned into accuracy. The myth is the high end cabinet saw doesn’t need that tuning is just pure fantasy.

Google “table saw tuning”. Dozens of quality articles and videos on the topic.

I would not be concerned on direct drive vs belt. Quality table and base helps......But guys make amazing stuff witha hand saw and guide system.

 

[Maui]

I'd recommend looking at local estate sales. You can often find them at these sales for reasonable prices. I picked up one at an estate sale recently for an excellent price. You can read about it here:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=406439&highlight=maui+table

It turns out I already had an additional set of aluminum extension wings for this saw sitting at home too.

Maui

 

[jonshonda]

dozens and dozens of threads on this exact subject with lots of good info in them. Do a search for table saw and start reading!

 

[cgrutt]

Pretty much agree with everything said above.

Cabinet saw beats contractor saw which beats portable saw...

But there are tradeoffs. Cabinet saw is big and heavy requires alot of space and 220 feed. Portable saw will give worst cut and may in some ways be more dangerous to work with but can be stored on a shelf and taken to your jobsite.

Really boils down to your budget and what you're planning to do.

I have an older Powermatic 66 which is a great saw. Moved recently and can't really use it. Recently using a Rigid portable with good results. Have used Bosch and DeWalt jobsite saws as well as older Craftsman saws each with good results. Biggest advantage with cabinet saw is ease of set up and consistency with repeated cuts. It also handles larger, heavier woods and sheets more safely than smaller counterparts. I'd also say it handles very small and delicate pieces better as well. With that said pretty much any cut can be done on any of the machines.

You may also want to consider spending a bit more on blades and accessories. Forrest blades are the best IMO. Their dado stack will set you back more than the cost of some portable saws lol. Good fence and miter gauge is key. Make sure saw has standard t-slots. Saw should allow you to buy or make replaceable throat plates to minimize tearout on underside of cut.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Bretny]

I have an older ridgid contractors saw. Its got a large cast table and 1.4hp or so motor. Its very very heavy but will cut almosy anything i push its way very accurately.

 

[guy48065]

Pay almost as much attention to the fence as the saw. I have a Unisaw and normally would recommend it but the odd shape of the Unifence makes attaching guides, clamps & jigs a challenge. The standard Delta fence is just meh.
The Biesemeyer is the gold standard.

One feature I WISH I had is a riving knife. My guard collects dust on the shelf 98% of the time because it's just in the way and doesn't offer that much extra safety BUT a riving knife is a huge improvement and not nearly as "in the way" as the older style upper guard.

 

[gungatim]

Pay almost as much attention to the fence as the saw. I have a Unisaw and normally would recommend it but the odd shape of the Unifence makes attaching guides, clamps & jigs a challenge. The standard Delta fence is just meh.
The Biesemeyer is the gold standard.

One feature I WISH I had is a riving knife. My guard collects dust on the shelf 98% of the time because it's just in the way and doesn't offer that much extra safety BUT a riving knife is a huge improvement and not nearly as "in the way" as the older style upper guard.

I have a Unisaw with the Unifence, but I have an aftermarket fence attachment on it. you take off the original rip fence and the replacement which is square extruded aluminum just slides right on. it has a replaceable UHMW strip on the face, and slots on the top and sides for bolt heads to slide in for attaching jigs. very handy and highly recommended.

best part it was almost free; I cut the original rip fence into 3 equal pieces. kept one for a short guide fence when doing cross cuts with the miter gauge (gets you started but stops short of the blade). I sold the other two on ebay for $35 ea. net cost to me was only around $15 and EXTREMELY versatile.

43" Uni-t-fence Table SAW Fence By Peachtree Woodworking - PW1113
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LYHYH6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Robinson1]

Depends on budget.

If you want new and have some money to blow it's hard to beat a Powermatic 64B. They run around $1700 and can be wired to run on 110 or 220

Cheaper option

Dewalts DW745 is highly regarded and has the best fence system of any small portable saw on the market. I've got one in my tool trailer that sees alot of finish work. I've even built a few cabinets with it on site. Runs around $350 can usually find on sale for under $300. Be warned the miter gauge it comes with is junk.

 

[exmaxima1]

I paid $275 for the unisaw, 3 hp, 220 volt, with correct commercial type wiring/switch, and Biesmeyer fence, a good blade, and excellent condition. I had to buy a miter gage for it, and will buy a good shark guard for it soon. It will be a great saw for under $600 total.

You got a helluva deal on that Unisaw

 

[ScottsGT]

I was in the same exact boat last month. Went with the Dewalt 7491 and sold the portable fold out cart. Paid $506 after tax where Lowe's had a sale on them. Got $100 for the fold out stand. I'm working in a garage and have to store away the tools when it is actually needed as a garage.

Standard dovetail slots on the surface (745 has square slots) Dovetail locks in my tenon jig.
Kick *** fence system
Holds a Dado blade
Smaller than a full size table saw.
Built in dust collectors a shop vac hooks up to. I use the Dust Devil.

 

[cmandp]

I was in the same exact boat last month. Went with the Dewalt 7491 and sold the portable fold out cart. Paid $506 after tax where Lowe's had a sale on them. Got $100 for the fold out stand. I'm working in a garage and have to store away the tools when it is actually needed as a garage.

Standard dovetail slots on the surface (745 has square slots) Dovetail locks in my tenon jig.
Kick *** fence system
Holds a Dado blade
Smaller than a full size table saw.
Built in dust collectors a shop vac hooks up to. I use the Dust Devil.

Hey ScottsGT, how does your Dewalt do as far as making accurate cuts or cuts where you just need to shave a little bit off of a board?

And how does it do cutting hardwoods (say maple or cherry which burn easily if the saw doesn't have enough power)?

 

[ScottsGT]

Hey ScottsGT, how does your Dewalt do as far as making accurate cuts or cuts where you just need to shave a little bit off of a board?

And how does it do cutting hardwoods (say maple or cherry which burn easily if the saw doesn't have enough power)?

Shaving a board is real easy. I did swap out the blade with my Diablo 60 tooth I had on my old saw. Cut down some pine 1X4's the other night and got a paper thin strip off the edge.
The fence on this saw is absolutely a joy to work with.

Have not tried hardwoods yet. So far just plywood (Baltic Birch and Lowe's builder grade), pine 2X4's and Western Red Cedar that is very soft.

EDIT: I did do a cut on a 1X4 red oak board now that I think about it. I don't remember it struggling, but I'll pay more attention next time I'm cutting hard wood.

 

[PugetDude]

My Choices, in descending order...

1. Old Unisaw
2. Powermatic 66
3. Dewalt or Bosch Contractor saw
4. Grizzly Hybrid Table Saw
5. Almost anything else
99. Makita 10" portable table saw.

 

[00pewter]

I have the Grizzly G0691 52" saw. It's a beast to say the least. I will say that with any saw you get, make sure to tune it up to get everything nice and square. It doesn't matter what saw you get, if it isn't tuned correctly, it's not going to perform well. I would suggest getting a good blade to match the saws performance too.



Good Luck!

 

[AZ Pete]

a cabinet saw with a good, accurate fence (Biesmeyer or Unifence), and a good, accurate miter gage.


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[dv8customs]

I have the delta saw Lowes carries. I am no proffesional but this saw has worked great for me over and over again.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DELTA-10-in-Carbide-tipped-13-Amp-Table-Saw/50081568

 

[theoldwizard1]

Hey guys looking to upgrade my table saw and get a little deeper into woodworking (as a hobby) keeping that in mind I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg. I’m currently using one of those ryobi portable jobsite saws.

If you are on a budget, you can not beat one of the older (70s-90s) high end Craftsman 10" table saw. 2hp - 3hp. Front motor, belt drive. Get one that has TWO cast iron table extensions. The standard fence is "adequate".

They did make a 12" model but I think that required 240V.

 

[Showkey]

If you are on a budget, you can not beat on of the older (70s-90s) high end Craftsman 10" table saw. 2hp - 3hp.

They did make a 12" model but I think that required 240V.

Correct on the 12” it’s 240v. I have one, it’s over 40 years old, large right side table, with after market fence, miter and homemade sled. Some, including mine are direct drive no belts. Cast iron top with either cast or sheet metal extensions varied with model.

 

[ar2stp48]

I started with early 70's model belt drive Craftsman. Still have and use it; keep it tuned and maintained. Has been a good saw. For $125 added a Delta contractor model with 1 1/2 hp motor and upgraded the fence. Couple of years ago an auction produced a vintage Unisaw for $100; it needed a lot of cleaning a a little TLC. Have no problems with any of the three; I do like the Uni

Watch estate sales and auctions. My opinion, the older models are better quality than the newer ones. Often the older saws sell very reasonably. a recent auction netted two older Craftsman belt drive models for less than $50; for both saws. Bought one for the 50's pedestal base and the other for two cast iron table extensions

 

[rharman]

If I had the space, there would be a SawStop cabinet model in my garage. But, I keep using my ShopSmith that I've had for 30+ years. Just don't do any bevels on it...

 

[Unruh]

I have the delta saw Lowes carries. I am no proffesional but this saw has worked great for me over and over again.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DELTA-10-in-Carbide-tipped-13-Amp-Table-Saw/50081568

I’ll second this. Mine has been great.

 

[cnttxmdc]

Like others have already mentioned, there are a LOT of options, and there’s no way we can know all your needs.

I ended up finding a Craftsman Professional cabinet saw that can be wired for 120 or 240 from a Sears outlet store for around $450 in Dallas. It has a granite top, and I can literally stand a dime on edge, start/run/stop the saw, and the dime will still be standing. I love it, but it would’ve been a horrible decision if I had a small shop due to the size/weight (currently I have a 30x40 with half for the car lift, half for woodworking).

The Delta and Powermatic saws mentioned are also great saws. When you’re budgeting this, don’t forget about a dust collection system. They are absolutely worth the cost.

Best of luck!

 

[Habrot]

I have the Bosch 4000 portable. Very accurate fence. If you use a thin kerf blade like the frued 24 tooth it will rip thick stock pretty well.

 

[ez-duzit]

Unisaw or PM66.

 

[guy48065]

I have a Unisaw with the Unifence, but I have an aftermarket fence attachment on it. you take off the original rip fence and the replacement which is square extruded aluminum just slides right on. it has a replaceable UHMW strip on the face, and slots on the top and sides for bolt heads to slide in for attaching jigs. very handy and highly recommended.

best part it was almost free; I cut the original rip fence into 3 equal pieces. kept one for a short guide fence when doing cross cuts with the miter gauge (gets you started but stops short of the blade). I sold the other two on ebay for $35 ea. net cost to me was only around $15 and EXTREMELY versatile.

43" Uni-t-fence Table SAW Fence By Peachtree Woodworking - PW1113
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LYHYH6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I have that, too-- and it's a real game-changer for a Unifence.
BTW you can replace the UHMW rub strip with an extrusion from 80/20.com that fits exactly and allows fixture attachment to the face of the fence.

 

[AndeiH]

these are on sale.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-...Portable-Table-Saw-with-Stand-R4513/100090444

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hitachi-10-in-Carbide-tipped-15-Amp-Table-Saw/1000178999

 

[mvusse]

Unisaw or PM66.

.

I have both (actually I have 2 66s). The Powermatic model 66 is far superior to the Unisaw. Same with shapers, I had 4 PM shapers, then bought a Delta trying to save some $$$. Not very impressed with the Delta.

 

[marinusdees]

I have two (old) Craftsman table saws, cast iron, etc. For sale. Estate sale finds. I am in Washington state. I have no idea where you are.

 

[FANTM58]

Do you need it to be mobile or have the ability to be folded
Up ? If so I’ve researched this and I’m going to purchase the Skill
Worm drive 10” with the collapsible work stand . About $500. On line.
There is a good comparison online and this model came up
On top !

 

[inline five]

Do you need it to be mobile or have the ability to be folded
Up ? If so I’ve researched this and I’m going to purchase the Skill
Worm drive 10” with the collapsible work stand . About $500. On line.
There is a good comparison online and this model came up
On top !

I'm in the same boat, which Skil were you looking at? The compact or heavy duty?

I'm looking at the Ridgid R4513 now on sale for $369 at HD or the Skil worm drive.

Thoughts on either?

Ridgid is available locally, the Skil must be shipped and doesn't include the stand. Quite a bit more $.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-...ickid=w1iWbDxqAy:k2ZmV5NTh9QTeUkgUAv3tT3pnUw0

Vs

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SKILSAW...oth-Diablo-Carbide-Blade-SPT70WT-22/206688625

Or

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SKILSAW...ith-Stand-and-Diablo-Blade-SPT99-12/303066915

Also the HD Skil is on sale now at Northern Tool for $499.

I don't need the rolling stand and appreciate the light weight of the smaller Skil but also like the long term potential of the HD one...

Ugh...