Hi All,
Want to buy a new circular saw for around $150. I do a LOT of ripping, and wonder if there is a preferred brand or model that does a superior job fixing and holding its rip fence. Any views on this? Thanks, Dennis
Hi All,
Want to buy a new circular saw for around $150. I do a LOT of ripping, and wonder if there is a preferred brand or model that does a superior job fixing and holding its rip fence. Any views on this? Thanks, Dennis
If you're talking table saw. all you get for $150 is junque. The wussey aluminum tables get all scratched and scarfed up and mark the wood badly (like maple floor planks, for example). Pay $600 or so for a decent Delta or Grizzley left tilt and it will last you a lifetime. Do a little sleuthing over in rec. woodworking to get the real lowdown. Obviously, if you rip a lot of lumber, you don't want a cheap toy saw. If you're not ready to buy a decent saw yet, find an old Craftsman radial arm saw on eBay that for sure will fit your budget and set it up pemanently to do your ripping chores. Good luck.
Joe
You're talking about a hand saw, right? And the little rip guides that attach to same?
Skill & practice in using is the best answer. If you do a LOT of ripping with them you might try modifying one or making your own. They would be improved much by being longer (24" +) and attached to both front *and* back of the saw. I could see making one like this...
Now you can slide the wood fence along the rods to whatever rip width you want and hold it there by tightening the fixture knobs. The length and two point attachment to the saw should assure pretty good rips.
Or you could just buy this...
on 9/3/2007 1:16 PM Dennis said the following:
If you are talking about ripping small width pieces, the blade guide supplied with the saw does a pretty good job. My Craftsman saw's guide width is fixed with a set screw. I cut about 8 1/2" x 4" x 8' strips from a piece of 4' x 8' plywood with no trouble. For wider pieces, I have built two T shaped fence guides from plywood. 1 about 50" long by 5" wide, and the other 8' x 5" with a 2" wide x 8" long plywood strip glued and screwed squarely on the end that butts against the work (similar to a drywall T-square). When using the 8' one on 8' work, it is short by the width of the butt strip (the T top end), but not enough not to accept a clamp, and the blade will cut the work as long as most of the saw's plate still contacts the guide. I haven't done it, but you can tack the measuring tape of a carpenter's tape measure (you probably have a broken tape measure that you can steal the tape from) along the top of the guide to measure a saw stop point within the work, or make your own markings.
Thanks fellas, this has been all useful information.
Dennis
Delta contractor's saw, paid $600, new, industrial supplier (the home center Delta CS is more cheaply built) Cuts better than most Powermatic 66's I've seen. That's AFTER I spent time fine tuning it.
Buy a package deal, including upgrade fence. I have no experience with the Unifence, but have only positive things to say about Biesemeyer. Could have saved $200 if I bought it with the saw.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.