Update 10-19-17 for a new question. Local Craigslist has a Sears Craftsman Professional model # 22116 for sale. (This is probably, maybe, the best saw I've seen listed locally).
It has a granite top, which I've never heard of before in my meager experience. A google search shows the saw weighs close to 500 pounds, and has a 230V motor. Is a granite top durable? I thought granite was easy to break. Asking price is $350.00, and man that would be a real big pain to move 500 pounds. What do yall think?
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I need some education, ideas, comments and suggestions for a table saw.

I'd looking and learning about buying a table saw for home use. I haven't used a table saw since high school shop class, and that wasn't recent. BTW I do have a miter saw that I am very satisfied with.

My intentions are not for high end furniture, etc, but rather average home owner repairs, simple easy remods, smaller projects, as well as hopefully some cabinets and drawers for garage storage.

My issue is space and price. I have the typical 2 car garage, the car stays inside the garage at night, the truck stays outside in the driveway, so space is an issue. I have to be very efficient in the room that I have, so that rules out a typical cabinet style table saw. My budget is $600 for a saw.

I've been looking at the so called contractor style that sits on a stand which folds up into a smaller footprint and rolls away for storage.

I've looked at all the models at Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc. The ones priced at $300 or less seem awfully flimsy and cheaply made. Continually checking Craigslist yields nothing but junk. I've watched a lot of reviews on Youtube. Seems like every model offered has pluses and minuses, so that makes it difficult.

My concerns are decent quality, good construction, good fence, decent miter, flat surface, and consistent repeatable good cuts.

It will have to have the availability to use a dado blade set.

Also, most of the miters seem to be not very sturdy, and some seem to have proprietary sized miter slots, so the ability to get a better replacement miter is important, if needed to do so.

FWIW, I keep going back and looking, comparing, learning, and I keep thinking the Dewalt DWE7491RS might be best suited in the price range.

Thanks in advance.

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

Looks to me to be a good choice! Looking at one of the pics, it looks like it can handle dado blades, which, IMO, is an important function if one is going to do much wood working.

I have a floor mounted table saw that I have had for more than 30 years. Have made a lot of cabinets, chests, etc over the years, and a dado capability is paramount for such work.

Just a suggestion.

The smaller contractor saws that you are describing are not really designed for fine furniture.
You most likely will not be able to use a dado set with them. They wont have a long enough arbor to get more than say 1/2" stackup and they dont have the power to spin a full size set. The fences are also not up to furniture making tolerances.

quote:

Originally posted by PeteF:
The smaller contractor saws that you are describing are not really designed for fine furniture.
You most likely will not be able to use a dado set with them. They wont have a long enough arbor to get more than say 1/2" stackup and they dont have the power to spin a full size set. The fences are also not up to furniture making tolerances.

Agreed. I paid $1100 when I bought my table saw, not counting the stuff like stackable dado sets.

I'd keep checking Craigslist. The best saw I've had yet was a '70s still-in-box which I had to assemble.

In the mean time, a cheaper contractor $80-$110 saw sitting on the garage floor will get your chops up. And get you through a few projects. These are not hard to find in new-used condition for $40-$50.

Good luck with the search! I'd love the luxury of a better saw!

DeWalt makes a good product, cannot comment on of it can handle a dado set. I suggest you check out the owners manual, or call the company. I will suggest you get something with some heft, I mean weight. Too light a saw will walk across the floor when you rip an 8 foot 2X6.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
My intentions are not for high end furniture, etc, but rather average home owner repairs, simple easy remods, smaller projects, as well as hopefully some cabinets and drawers for garage storage.

I've used a neighbors that is very similar to the Dewalt you listed and I made the built ins for my living room. It's just simple box frame construction, but everything was cut square enough that it glued up very well using biscuits. It's looks professional enough for my needs. I did use a dado with it for a couple shelves that I wanted at fixed positions to add rigidity to the structure and it did fine with a 3/4" dado. The saw I used did not have the folding stand, just a fixed one, but I did bolt it down to a piece of plywood to add some sturdiness to it. It wanted to tip when ripping the plywood.

I've got a real cheap (~$100) ryobi that I was gifted years ago and for really small projects, it'll get by, but I usually end up cursing it a couple of times during use. When I first used the DeWalt I'm lucky to have good relationships with my neighbors, we all seems to have complementary tools are are borrowing from each other all the time.

I kept looking and looking until I found a well-used, and I do mean well-used, Delta Contractor's Saw for a price I could afford.

Had rust on the table and all the anti-kickback parts were missing.

I bought all the missing parts, replaced the stamped steel wings with cast iron ones (Christmas gift), then painstakingly flattened the table and trued everything using a TS Aligner Jr. (Tuned my Makita 10" combination sliding-table mitre saw with it, too.)

It took dozens of hours to get that saw tuned.

End result was I was able to cut surprisingly large sheets of plywood so accurately they'd be perfectly square within my measurement ability. (E.g.: 4' x 14" panels cut so accurately they had less than 1/32" of difference corner-to-corner, with corners that appeared to be perfectly square when checked with a precision square.)

IMO you're better-off with an older, higher-end saw that you can tune, than a brand new saw.

One thing I never did on my saw was upgrade the fence. Even the less-expensive ones are expensive. Maybe, now that I'm retired, I'll spend more time on that kind of thing and it'll be worthwhile to do so.

Warning: Steel and cast iron and garages means constant maintenance.

I've also been looking at table saws for the last couple of weeks to replace my early eighties Craftsman. I need the space saving and portability of a job site saw and the Dewalt DWE7491RS seems to have both, along with dado capability and a 32 inch rip on the right. Some of the reviews I've seen and/or read had complaints about the table not being flat so keep an eye out for that possible problem. I've been doing my usual over researching that I have been accused of quite a bit and have found a few interesting models but I keep coming back to the Dewalt. My new-home-owner son is happy. He'll be getting my old Craftsman.

Here is my table saw only 35 k perfect for the home shop.

Since space is an issue, why have a dado requirement for the table saw? This usually means a larger, more expensive saw. Don't know how often you need slot cuts, but why not use a router instead? That way you could go with a 10" table saw. A little more time to set up a router cut, but equal quality without a large cabinet saw.

quote:

Originally posted by XLT:
Here is my table saw only 35 k perfect for the home shop.

Awesome! Dust extraction! What are you using that big honker for?

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

IMO you're better-off with an older, higher-end saw that you can tune, than a brand new saw.

This.

I serviced/repaired industrial woodworking equipment for many years and I'm a woodworker. Have had my hands on countless table saws.

A older Delta Unisaws or Powermatic 66 is what I would suggest to try to find. My stationary machines are at least 30yrs old.

Here's an example of a Colorado Craig's list ad. Lots of these out there, closed school shops, cabinet shops, lumber yards.... The motor is 3 phase which wouldn't work for you and most. The advantage to these 3 phase saws, you can get them cheap and simply swap out the motor for a single phase motor and sell the 3 phase motor. Put it on a mobile base. Absolutely no comparison between these older saws and similar priced made somewhere new contractor saws.

https://denver.craigslist.org/...-old/6322114368.html

This is what I have and it's great. It folds up and out of the way in my packed garage. I have no need for dado stuff so I don't know if it's capable. But the fence is smooth, it's got plenty of power, and it's very easy to roll around the house for projects in various locations or even to load into my truck. I'm sure it's not as good as the older stationary ones but I'm not a professional, never will be, and space is a bigger concern to me than the best saw.

I paid $200 on Craigslist and feel it was a steal. I'd be just as happy if I paid what new is at HD

I'm afraid used is going to be your best bet. What isn't junk these days is almost unaffordable. Also, try to forget about the portable contractor saws. They have their place but from your description of your needs, they're probably not what you really need.

Keep looking used.

I can't help with the saw but have an excellent accessory to help with storage issues. DeltaMachinery.com then click on accessories and look for the universal mobile base. Part # 50-345. Very sturdy and well made. My dad has a drill press, table saw, and planer on these in his 1/4 sized garage. He used aluminum instead of wood for the rails and everything gets tucked against the wall and rolled out when needed. The tools are quite stable when the wheeling lever is retracted.

Dan

I have a Grizzly 3hp that is several years old. Made a lot of cabinets and tables using it. Little more than your budget. Mine is used in the garage and is on rollers. Stored on the back wall, just roll it out when needed. Sets out about 3 feet from the wall. I have a fold up leaf mounted on the back side and an extension mounted on each side. Has a nice rip fence. Can handle 4x8 sheets all by myself. Get the best you afford because a good one will last you for years. With a sharp blade it will rip through a 2x4 like butter.

If I were looking for a table saw today, I'd try to find a Delta Unisaw or a Powermatic 66. They are not as portable as a contractor's saw, but I think you'd be happier with it in the long run.


I have an early 90's Craftsman 10" contractor table saw with a steel top and a 3 HP motor (one that can run on 110 or 220) and have been reasonably happy with it. The 3 HP is more than capable of running a dado blade, though I do think I'll switch the motor over to 220 at some point. I hated the original fence so replaced it with a Vega Pro 50 fence - that made a world of difference.


I see used Craftsman models similar to mine (a bit rough, would need some reconditioning) on CR locally for $75-$200. That coupled with a good fence might work for you.

quote:

Originally posted by PeteF:
The smaller contractor saws that you are describing are not really designed for fine furniture.
You most likely will not be able to use a dado set with them. They wont have a long enough arbor to get more than say 1/2" stackup and they dont have the power to spin a full size set. The fences are also not up to furniture making tolerances.

+1
Just emphasizing this. You need to be very realistic about what you hope to accomplish. You can do a lot of home carpentry with a very inexpensive contractor's saw, but if you really want cabinet-making precision the cost goes up exponentially fast.

That Dewalt DWE7491RS looks like a pretty sweet one for general home projects. The similar Rigid ones also look good.
I have a Ryobi that I bought to do hardwood floors, that is adequate....but barely.