Sawstop left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths when they tried to get OSHA to mandate their patented design be installed in all tablesaws.


http://www.finehomebuilding.co...-rules-for-tablesaws

^^^^^^^

I was aware of that when I bought mine, but my fingers mattered more than the politics.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
I am going to step out of line here a little bit.

Not at all.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
If you are a hobbyist there is pretty much no need for a table saw. ...

That's mostly where I am at. I would like to have a table saw around. A cabinet saw is way too much saw for what I want or need.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark123,

You have to be realistic about the precision you can accomplish with a contractor's level saw.
I have a Ryobi. Don't get a Ryobi.
The Rigid looks pretty nice.
Bigger, heavier, and more expensive generally really is better. So plan accordingly.

The Saw Stop table saws look impressive. I don't use my table saw much and it is a Ryobi BT3100 and has done well for me over the years but If I was going to be using a table saw a lot I would get a Saw Stop. Also be very careful ripping wood as it can shoot out at extreme high speed if pinched by the blade. There is safety equipment on the table saws to minimize that but I always stand off the the side of the board when ripping.

I have a DeWalt portable saw, it works quite well. For small projects, it would fufill your needs. However the Bosch Contractors saw is larger and if you have room for it, I would buy that.

Finger injury is mostly about being careful and following the rules.

Now that Black has widened the conversation I too really like track saws for their bang for the buck.

Possibly start with one if those and see how well woodworking fits you. You can then add a cabinet saw if you demonstrate the need.

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
Now that Black has widened the conversation I too really like track saws for their bang for the buck.

Possibly start with one if those and see how well woodworking fits you. You can then add a cabinet saw if you demonstrate the need.

But you can't dado or rabbit with a track (not well anyway).

quote:

Originally posted by shiftyvtec:

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
Now that Black has widened the conversation I too really like track saws for their bang for the buck.

Possibly start with one if those and see how well woodworking fits you. You can then add a cabinet saw if you demonstrate the need.

But you can't dado or rabbit with a track (not well anyway).

Yeah, this first table saw project includes dados and rabbets.

I use a Grizzly cabinet saw. 220 power and it will rip a 2x4 like cutting butter. It's a heavy saw but very stable. I have it set up so I can rip 4x8 sheets of plywood by my self. This is too much saw for you. Have you considered a good sliding miter saw. I find myself using one quite a bit. A miter saw and a router can perform a lot of tasks.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmnut:
I use a Grizzly cabinet saw. 220 power and it will rip a 2x4 like cutting butter. It's a heavy saw but very stable. I have it set up so I can rip 4x8 sheets of plywood by my self. This is too much saw for you. Have you considered a good sliding miter saw. I find myself using one quite a bit. A miter saw and a router can perform a lot of tasks.

I actually have a sliding miter saw. Up until now it's been my main saw.

Oh, that brings up another thing, I don't have 220v capability in the garage yet. The electric box is full and is in need of an upgrade to 200A.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by shiftyvtec:

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
Now that Black has widened the conversation I too really like track saws for their bang for the buck.

Possibly start with one if those and see how well woodworking fits you. You can then add a cabinet saw if you demonstrate the need.

But you can't dado or rabbit with a track (not well anyway).

Yeah, this first table saw project includes dados and rabbets.

Pretty sure there is a trenching head for the Festool that will take care of the Dados.
Not sure about Rabbits.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by shiftyvtec:

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
Now that Black has widened the conversation I too really like track saws for their bang for the buck.

Possibly start with one if those and see how well woodworking fits you. You can then add a cabinet saw if you demonstrate the need.

But you can't dado or rabbit with a track (not well anyway).

Yeah, this first table saw project includes dados and rabbets.

A good router mounted in a router table will do them and a thousand other tasks as well. I have a 3HP Dewalt under a table and a couple of 1.5 HP Bosch routers for free hand work. Also can get various router clamp on guides for large scale work. Your router can be your best friend.

I've read good things about Sawstop's jobsite saw so I doubt you'd be unhappy with it. I've got a Sawstop PCS with the industrial mobile base and it's a great saw but it's not portable or small. I also have a Festool tracksaw and love it but it's really better suited to sheetgoods. You can rip lumber with it and I have ripped lumber with it but it doesn't replace a tablesaw for me. While you can work lumber with a tracksaw it's not really the right tool for the job.

Don't really need 220. Just make sure whatever you decide on is 110.

If you are not sure woodworking is going to be “your thing” I would suggest the Bosch saw already mentioned. Usable for some projects, may not be exceptionally accurate. Think I used a similar Ridgid saw recently and that was pretty good too. If you may not pursue the hobby further, the price of the saw is negligible. The SawStop is certainly more expensive in comparison. It can save fingers and in one accident it will probably pay for itself in the trip not made to the emergency room. I have taught shop for some years and wouldn’t have anything else for a public school age group. There is a cartridge that “fires” when the blade stops to prevent an accident. I think they run about $100 a pop. The blade is also scrap at that point.

My tablesaw, in my home shop, is a 10” Delta Unisaw. It is a great, accurate machine. I have had it some 20+ years and have used it safely 99.9% + of the time. I have not sacrificed any fingers to it. It weighs several hundred pounds, weight being an asset.

For safety, in your minds eye, ALWAYS know where the blade is and know you don’t want your hands there. Use a push stick. Keep loose items, tools, wood scraps, etc. off the table while cutting. Do NOT work with a power tool if you are distracted by “multi-tasking”.

If I was in the market now for a table saw I would still buy the heaviest 10” I could find. I would not buy the Saw Stop. A weakness, in my mind, is it can fire without reason. It can fire if you are cutting moist, pressure treated wood. Any moisture can set it off. So no, I wouldn’t buy one for myself. As a Shop teacher I know the hazards and respect my machine. I can use it safely.

For the OP, if the wife says to get one, get the best they have. Even if you need a neighbor to help move it once in a while. My advice, while good and based on 40 years of experience, may only be worth what you paid for it. Your wife would not be pleased if you trimmed a finger based on my advice.

How many fingers do I have? About 9 1/2. Jointer got part of one, router part of another.

quote:

Originally posted by cne32507:

quote:

Originally posted by XLT:
Size matters always go with the bigger one, I have never used a saw stop because they are a bit small for me, but have seen the demo a few times at the woodworkers show.

here is my saw cost about 32k

XLT's Altendorf F-45 has built-in casters and can be moved by one person....

As to mark123's dilemma, heavy is better, even adding weight such as sandbags.

it doesn't have casters, only way to move it is with a fork lift the whole bottom floor is poured in some special German concrete substance. this saw is so smooth I can stand a nickel on edge and start the machine and it wont even move.

quote:

Originally posted by rsbolo:
All good advice here. I'll make a prediction, you'll buy a contractor saw and then upgrade to a cabinet saw shortly thereafter!

The difference between the two is startling. Both work, one works MUCH better and IMHO is safer to operate.

XLT, your shop is too clean. What kind of lathe do you have in there? Nice rack....on the moose.

I don't own a lathe the machine in the back is a busellato jet 3006 cnc router it only weighs 10 thousand pounds.

I'd recommend this saw.

It'll do a lot, and it's the best portable saw I've used, and I've used nearly all of them.

I wouldn't recommend Saw Stop.

I'm also no fan of table saw guards, I haven't found a system yet that doesn't needlessly get in the way. I much prefer to use pushsticks and other safe practices, and always be able to see what I'm doing.

I've had a Bosch contractor (on a frame with two wheels) for about 7 years now. Has served me well and is reasonably portable. Not up to the quality of the large precision expensive crowd but more than sufficient for my building projects.