miter or table?

[duane ribron]

Hi everyone, I am kinda new again to woodworking, having returned after some time. My tools are limited, a small bandsaw, drill, router and table, and a miter that belongs to my brother in law. We'll he and my sister are planning to move in two months so he has asked for his saw back. So now I am going to have to buy something new or used.

 I am wondering if I should go with a miterr saw that has served me well, or a table saw. With the exception of ripping which I rairly ever need done, I feel that a miter saw serves most need better than a table saw. Well that and a router whjich I also have. Having said that I am wondering what all of you think might serve better a miter compound saw or a table saw. Keep in mind that I am limited to around 400.00 but no more.

 Thanks, Duane

[duane ribron]

There is a guy here in my town that is willing to sell me a RAS pretty cheap. It is a Dewalt I belive. I have been kinda tossing the idea of it back and forth. But may pick it up tomarow.

[Shellby Hendee]

I have a nice Ryobi portable table saw which was just a tad over $200. Did a lot of research on it and it was top-rated by a consumer magazine. Good-size table, back and side extensions, onboard storage and folds up like a wheelbarrow. Pair that with a Ridgid or DeWalt 12-inch compound miter also for about $200 and you're all set.

duane ribron said:

That would be fine but the closest Sears is about 50 miles from me.

Gary roofner said:

The company that makes that mitersaw I been told was a well know industrial manufacture.
General machine company went out of business and sears liquidating there miter saws. I bought that and a mitersaw table with extentions and stops this helped me out a lot with getting pieces the same size. Look at this way your pieces have to be the same size so you have to have good stops. You can be off by a 1/6 of an but all pieces are off by a 1/16 it's still square. The stops are the key. Cut all pieces that are the same together square your fence to your stop. Cut a test piece and measure make sure its right if not adjust and cut another till its right some times takes couple cuts. Like they show in the one krig video after cutting flip the piece over is still tight fit. I'll take a picture of the setup. If you don't have a lot of money this mitersaw for $139 is good. I do not work for Sears. I believe this one of the best buys in tools. This is a sliding mitersaw.

[Kevin Skarbek]

A sliding compound miter saw or a radial arm saw would be a pretty good comprimise. Definatly check reviews and try to key in on what people have to say about the accuracy of the cuts/angles and easy of squariing the fence to the blade. If possible don't skimp on the saw. You don't need fancy things like laser cut lines and what not, they are more hassel to make sure they are set correctly than they are worth.

If down the road you have the cash or could instead buy a good jigsaw and save for awhile, good quality table saw is a great tool to have. Skip the contractors saws. Look for a whole floor unit or one that is desgined to go into a large table. With a big working surface area, there are so many more things that you could do with a table saw like dados and for me, buying larger stock at a cheaper price and ripping it into smaller working stock or using it to square pieces of lumber.

If you lived this long without a table saw then you don't need one yet.

[Tony Peters]

The big boy Table saw will always be the first purchase if you have the room. You can do so much more than a chop saw. I had to put mine on wheels. Try finding a 'GOOD' used one locally. Walk in on some of the wood mills and local jobbers and ask around. They will usually put you on to a good deal. I did this when looking for clear pine and bumped into the 10" sears contractor I have, someone wanted to go to a cabinet saw. Good Luck........PT

[Roy Greto]

I think you need both but buy the table saw first to not buy cheap tools

[Steven Akers]

I have a Kobalt 10" sliding compound miter saw and a Skil 10" table saw. I have about $300 in both. Lowes. I would hate to pick between them. They seem to be equally important.

[Gary L Palmer]

Ridgid Tablesaw TS 2410LS........retails for 499.00(seen it for $450.00)....It will do everything you need to start out and make you very happy doing it.This will also make you forget about a good miter saw(did you say Dewalt?) for awhile until your rathole fills up again...Good Luck.....Chips and Dust to you..........Gary

[Ryan Bruzan]

Hit the list, the other "Kreg," Craigslist, that is. You can find some good deals on tools and might just get both. You'll need them both.

[DENNY HYDE]

HI DUANE, I KNOW THAT YOUR BUDGET IS A PART OF YOUR DECISION AS TO WHICH SAW TO BUY, YOU SHOULD HAVE BOTH. THEY EACH HAVE THEIR PRO'S AND CON'S. ONE THING YOU MIGHT CONSIDER IS, YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING ON A TABLE SAW THAT YOU CAN DO WITH A MITER SAW, BUT YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING ON A MITER SAW. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND WAIT FOR A TABLE SAW. ALWAYS BUY THE BETTER QUALITY EQUIPMENT, YOU WILL NEVER BE SORRY.

[justin waldron]

Check craigslist for Table saws. I'm at the point where I just use my miter saw to rough cut lumber. I cut all of my miters on the table saw and all of my other squaring cuts. You can reproduce exact cuts on a tablesaw over and over again with certain jigs and it will serve you better in the long run.

[Frank Cannon]

Try going to auction sometimes you can get lucky and get both for the price you want to pay

[Antoine boyd]

I have both, so lets look at the pros and cons. Compound miter is great for doing cross cuts and trim work. So the table saw provided that it is well tuned and have good jigs. The miter can not rip and is restricted at to the width of wood cut. The table saw can use many types of blades. The dado blades, ripping, cross cut, and combination blades. I can make jigs used for making duplicate parts and cuts on the table saw. If you are strapped on cash. Try to find a used one and add the extensions or make them your self. Contractor saws are very good to build around. I saw one that was inserted into a table like a sewing machine used to rip sheets of plywood. My first T-saw was an old Craftsman contractor saw and it served me well. Check out WWW.Craigslist.org for deals.