Table saw recommendations

[Jeremy Sanders]

Hello everyone this is my first time posting on here. I have enjoyed reading through post y'all's projects and advice. I am fixing to be in the market for a table saw my budget is 500 to 750 I need one that can be moved with ease since I will be working in a small shop. So have been throwing around the idea of a contractor style saw. Does anybody have any opinions or suggestions on a good saw with in my price range. Thank you in advance for all of your time and advice

[Hugh Clare]

I've been running with a Delta contractor saw for several years now and I am happy with it. I added a router table extension to it and have built some quality furniture with it.

My best advice is "don't shortchange yourself on research". Decide which features are important to you and find the saw that best fits your needs. Find the owners manual online and read through it before you buy. Make certain the trunnion can be adjusted if necessary. This is more for safety than saw capability. If you find that what you want is slightly out of your price range, wait until you can afford it. I don't think there's much worse than spending that kind of money only to discover it didn't fit the bill.

[Ken Darga]

Other good choices for contractor type table saws include:

Bosch

Dewalt

Makita

The larger models---

feature folding and mobile stands.

They are great when your primary use is for construction framing purposes,

transporting to job sites, as well as in the shop, when one has adequate space to store it or move it around.

The mobile stand make its nice for moving the saw outdoors and cutting on your driveway or patio.

The larger saws will accommodate making 3/4'' dados.

An alternate to making dado's is with a router.

If one has limited space in their shop and one desires portability,

the smaller size job-site saws are handy.

Good models include:

Bosch

Porter-Cable

Dewalt

Makita

If you need to make dado's, the Bosch and PC saws will accept up to a 1/2'' wide dado cut.

I've added the Bosch to my saw arsenal.

Very useful when I don't need a big table saw.

It's a nice and compact size, easy to carry and tote around.

Can be readily clamped on a work stand, saw horses, or the like. 

If you only need to make a few and simple cuts, this unit can be set-up on the driveway, patio, walk, tail-gate of a pickup, or the like.

When I need to cut larger size pieces, sheet goods, and the like,

I make the cuts using an edge guide and a circular saw, set-up on a saw horses, work stand, or the like.

Happy saw shopping.

[ray vile]

I have the Ridgid 4512 it comes with a mobile base,  was 449.00 at Home Depot. I really like this saw it was easy to assemble and set up.

you can get zero clearance inserts from woodcraft

[David Dean]

Well here's the short part of it. if your going to be doing alote of wood working get your self a biger saw and not these hobbie saw's you see on the site and as for Delta and Dewalt are saleing out so parts are going to be hard to come by. so that leves prota-cable they got a table saw for $600 and it has a 30" deck and you have craftsman they make a good table saw as well. 

[Ken Darga]

Ray,

That's a nice saw.

Forget to mention it in my previous message post.

Great for the money.

ray vile said:

I have the Ridgid 4512 it comes with a mobile base,  was 449.00 at Home Depot. I really like this saw it was easy to assemble and set up.

you can get zero clearance inserts from woodcraft

[Jeremy Sanders]

Thank you all so far for the responses you have given they are all helpful. I have been looking on the net and I ran across the grizzly table saw and I was wondering if anyone knows anything about them or has any opinions on them? I really appreciate any info you'all may have thank you

[Scott]

I too have a pain in my Awesomely Small Shop!

The saw to buy is the Sears 21829!!!!!!

This model is descended from the Ryobi BT3xxx series of saws, that has features only found on much more expensive offerings:
* Sturdy folding stand!! Unplug, hit the toe release and your saw wheels into a 2' d x 3' w space!!
* Wide rails that slide side-to-side to allow for 33" rips!
* Integrated router mounting plate and accessory kit! The convenience of having the router available all the time is truly valuable
* Sliding Miter Table (SMT) - The ability to handle cross-cuts of 21" depth is fantastic! You should spend some extra $$'s for a quality blade, and with easily made miter fence extensions, you have equally quality cross-cuts as your rips. I make a lot of cabinet and shelves these days, and having the ability to get such clean cross-cuts on pieces 42" long by 21+" wide is the best.
* Dust control is fabulous! A standard shop vac hookup catches 99% of ALL dust.
* Accurate, precise cuts! Do your initial alignments of the fences, the bevel (mine didn't require any - came solid gold out of the box:)) and this machine will HOLD! I straight-lined some rough the other day, and I had an 8' long piece of cutoff that was ~ 1/8" the entire length. That's possible with a great saw with a middle of the road blade that has many many miles on it (Diablo combo blade about $38)
* Powerful 15 amp motor - handles all the 2x ripping that I throw at it (and that's a lot)

Lots of accessories are available because most of them from the BT3x saw fit this model. The zero clearance throat plate took a bit of tweaking, but the add-on miter gauge slot bolted right on. Extra parts are also readily available through machines that are being parted out - extra tops come in real handy - keep an eye on CraigsList for parts machine (I got one for $60 last summer)

There's an enthusiastic owners community at bt3central.com where you can get lots of firsthand experience feedback and research. Tons of help & plans for making enhancement modifications too.

By the way, these machines are manufactured by Emerson Tools, who also have the Milwaukee & Ridgid brands. The Ridgid R4510 (mobile folding base) and the also mentioned R4512 get rave reviews. The R4510 even shares a few of the same great features of the Craftsman.

Be sure to check out the pictures of the 21829 - and get a feel for just how small a space it occupies when folded up - that's a value beyond words for us sharing our shops with stupid things like cars and such.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-professional-15-amp-10inch-portable-...

At only $540, you should have enough budget left to pickup a good blade, a bottle of CMT blade cleaner, and maybe even toss in a decent router too boot!

And one last word of advice: no matter what saw you invest in, the first thing you do is build an OUT-FEED TABLE for it! My everyday one is a $6 desk top from Ikea with hangers to the saw's back rail and one of those fold-up flip-top support stands ($35 @ Lowes). Takes me 30 seconds to set up.

My SAFETY factor went up 1000% the day I added the out-feed! That eliminates the tendency to lean over the blade when dealing with any cuts longer than a couple of feet. No matter how cautious you are, when that 3' long board starts to fall off the back of the table, your instincts over-ride your brain and you want to reach for it.

Needless to say, I am an enthusiastic Craftsman 21829 (and Ryobi BT3000 & BT3100) owner :)

Scott

[Leslee]

 I have the craftsman job site table saw. The one that was in one of  the issues of Wood magazine. I have had this saw for about two to three years now and  I like this saw. It has a front extentsion and a right side extention too. It also has a blade guide when you are tilting the blade right on the saw deck. It is very acurate in the cuts it makes. I would do some homework read the comments on the saws you look at and compare them. The job site also folds up too. 

[John Schaben]

Hi Jeremy - Grizzly has a pretty good reputation. Even though most of their products are mfg off shore they seem to have been able to hold quality and stand by the product if they do miss. You need to post the model number you are considering if you need anything more than generic comments.
 
Jeremy sanders said:

Thank you all so far for the responses you have given they are all helpful. I have been looking on the net and I ran across the grizzly table saw and I was wondering if anyone knows anything about them or has any opinions on them? I really appreciate any info you'all may have thank you

[Jeremy Sanders]

So I have taken the comments made on this post into consideration and I have also gotten my hands on the craftsman 21833 10 inch contractor saw and the ridgid r4512 10 inch contractor saw. I have to say I find them both pleasing to me. Can get some opinions on which of these saws Is better. Thanks for your time.

[Ken Darga]

Jeremy,

Re contractor job site saws:

My #1 choice is the Bosch---service is the best.

#2 Rigid.

Some things to consider:

Before you buy, check the OEM warranty and service policy.

Availability of service parts.

OEM service location in relationship to your residence.