I used a Craftsman contractor saw hard, and safely, for 40 years. It was a good saw, but lack of sufficient power was always a frustration for me with that saw.

When it retired I replaced it with a SawStop professional cabinet saw. They are exceptionally well made saws. Nothing replaces common sense and care for safety, but just like the airbags in your car, having that safety feature there is peace of mind. I have a friend who was a product liability legal investigator and he has a LOT of saw injury stories from operators who thought it would never happen to them.

The smallest SawStop jobsite saw is outside your budget but if resale value is a consideration it may not seem so far out of reach. If I were looking for quality at your price range I would be looking at older, used professional grade saws. Do what the budget, and your desire for quality, will bear.

I have a Powermatic contractor saw and love it. The fence was parallel to the blade right out of the box. I did upgrade thr fence though with an Incra fence system. Cast iron extensions on both sides. I plan on getting a router extension for the saw one day.
I have had mine for over 20 years now. No problems.

The Sawstop is a good saw. You cut cut wet wood otherwise the cartridge engages. Also you need a couple cartridges on hand just in case and theyre not cheap.

For the price, You can't beat a Delta Contractors Saw---Or, If money is not a problem, A delta Cabinet Saw with biesemeyer fence.

Like anything ~ review the features and benefits and not purely on brand only.
Every brand has crap models, value models and many higher end/quality models.

In a table saw three things I view as important.
1) surface that is solid, large enough and smooth for feeding
2) a good motor and generally belt drive not direct drive
3) items you may need to get aftermarket but important are the rip fence and the cross cut miter gauge.

THEN compare models and brands vs price and service/parts if necessary.

They don't make them like they used to now days but I have a Craftsman table for around 35 years and only needed to replace the motor.
I did buy an upgraded quality Incra miter gauge recently and it is wonderful.

I did buy a motor from Grizzly recently for it too.

YMMV

For a stationary saw check out the Grizzly. I have used their 2hp for a long time. It is heavy.

A GOOD table saw will be big, heavy and expensive (unless you need something for on-the-job contractors)
It needs to be ~ it is the workhorse of the woodshop.

CHECK Craiglists and local for a good used machine ~ these are not easy to sell because of the size/weight so bargains can be had.
You will be hard pressed to find something really decent for under $500.
YMMV

I just went through this myself. I wanted something portable, and it came down to the Hercules from Harbor Freight and the Dewalt 7485. I went with the Dewalt after much internal debate. As others have mentioned, big yellow can be found at construction sites everywhere. There's a reason for that. Good luck in your search. OfferUp has a ton of used saws in my area, that may be an alternative to cragislist.

In general terms: Old hardware that can be reconditioned will yield better results than new hardware at the same price point.

I've a vintage Delta 10" Contractor's Saw. (So old the stand has the splayed legs, rather than the straight ones.) I replaced the stamped steel wings with cast iron ones, painstakingly flattened the entire table, and aligned the entire saw with a TS Aligner Jr. If I was careful setting the Jet-Lock fence it would cut as neatly and accurately as any $1,000 saw.

Recently I put it on a mobile base, upgraded the fence to a Delta 36-T30 T3 "T-Square" fence and replaced the simple on/off toggle switch with a big paddle switch, mounted to the underside of the new fence, I can turn off with my leg, if necessary.

Cuts like a dream.

I do need to tear it down and replace a bearing, though. When it's cold the saw screams like a banshee.



Probably have invested $500-$600 in it over the years.

Yeah, that's some discoloration from rust you see over on the right side of the table. I got careless about keeping it covered one time and the next thing I knew...

In your price range I’d go Delta all day. Hell, my dad has a Delta that he’s had for 25 years or so and it gets regular use, it’s never skipped a beat, I agree with stretching the budget and getting the next tier up or just go get a saw stop. But if 800 is your max then you can’t go wrong with the delta

I have the Ridgid. I think its's model R4512. I had to get a dial indicator gauge and adjust the blade to the miter slots. Also, the fence is garbage and you'll have to make sure you clamp the fence down square to the blade. I just recently ordered a Incra TS-LS fence system for it.

Other than that its a good saw.

I just upgraded my ridgid TS3650 to a NIB 20 yr old Delta unisaw. If you buy an older used saw, make sure you get some sort of riving knife put on. (Sharkguard or Microjig have aftermarket setups that are similar in functuon.) Riving knives have been mandatory on new saws for at least 10 years. That is what will help to prevent kickback.

Woodworking forums point to a lot of motor problems with the new Delta contractor saws. I would probably go with the ridgid. My old ridgid is a great saw and while their new ones had issues a few years back, I havent seen much negative lately.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
I bought one of these last fall. I can't say enough good things about it. Dust collection is amazing. I never imagined using a table saw in my basement without making a huge mess. The stand is well worth it too. Very easy to use and even get up and down stairs.

The features were beyond most saws. My only wish was if they made a spot for blade storage.

https://www.dewalt.com/product...ling-stand/dwe7491rs

This wasn't originally on my short list but as I've thought about it and looked at the size of my old Craftsman, I realize that semi-portability is important to me, and both of the other saws are well over 200 pounds.

One concern I do have with this one is that it doesn't appear to have a lock for the blade height. Have you had any problems with the blade not holding height when doing dado cuts?

I was also hoping for belt drive, but I don't think I'm going to find that in a lighter weight saw. How is the noise and vibration?

I have a Rigid and it has worked fine for me. I'm in the DIY category, not a cabinet maker. And I've not had problems with my fence.

I recommended the Unisaw a bit earlier. It is what I have at home and is a great machine. I will never wear it out and never need another.

That said, I have used the Saw-stop machine in the classroom (I am a shop teacher) and in that situation would not use anything else. As noted, wet wood and pressure treated wood can activate the stop mechanism. It works, it stops the blade in a very fine fraction of a second and it will (and I expect has) saved numerous fingers from nasty cuts. Working with inexperienced operators this is the only way to go.

It will also cost about $100-200 to replace the mechanism and then the blade gets replaced as well. They change in a few minutes. Keep a spare on hand. Maybe $400+ total cost - whether it saved a finger or the wood was a little moist.
If it saved fingers, it was certainly worth it. I think the ambulance ride costs more than that.

Finally, I have two short fingers. Have been using a tablesaw for about 45 years. Neither one was lost to a tablesaw. Do not multi-task when using these machines. They bite.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
You could not give me a saw with the "saw stop" safety installed and as someone stated it is Not cheap to re-activate the saw to working status. the best safety option is the "operator headspace". To many people would use it as a excuse to do unsafe practices. Over 35 yrs as a cabinet maker and used all sizes from the small portable table top size to large sliding top saws capable of 4x8 plywood sheets one handed control. ..................... drill sgt.

I thought the brake was 79-99 depending on if regular or dado. Is there more to it than replacing the brake? If not, the safety would seem worth it.

Have the 24" portable DeWalt, which is very similar to the one listed above.

Nice features and its been a nice saw.

Don't believe they offer a dado set for the portable unit.
I have used the blade to make repatitive cuts to create a dado and it stays put.

The height has never moved unless I turn the adjustment wheel.

quote:

Originally posted by dar185:

I thought the brake was 79-99 depending on if regular or dado. Is there more to it than replacing the brake? If not, the safety would seem worth it.

The blade also gets destroyed in the process. Still, a couple hundred bucks in parts is less than the insurance deductible for an ER visit for sutures (if you’re lucky and don’t amputate).

I have cut a lot of PT lumber on my SawStop. There is a key interlock on the switch that allows you to disable the sawstop brake mechanism so you can saw wet/pressure treated lumber without activating the brake. When you switch the saw off/on it automatically re-arms. The single blade brake replacement is $79, the dado brake replacement is $99. I keep a spare cartridge in the drawer just in case but have not needed it. If you get an activation of the brake from contact with skin, SawStop will replace the brake cartridge at no charge. But your blade is kaput. Total cost of activation depends upon the cost of the blade.

Glad to hear the cartridge/brake/mechanism hasn’t gone up in price. Think my source was $100 and that was 8 years ago.

We did have a cartridge activate without warning or skin contact. Not sure what set it off.

It is rather easy to change. A little harder than changing the blade, but not much.

I went with the DeWALT.

I'm very happy with it.

I do have one small complaint. I was afraid that without a lock for the height adjustment, the blade would want to drop when doing dado cuts. It starts dropping as soon as the saw is turned on. Luckily, I was able to fabricate a sort of clamp for the adjusting wheel to hold in in place.

Everything else on the saw is extremely well thought out. Would it have really cost them that much to add a lock for the blade height?