Choosing table saw

[Ray]

I am looking for a mid range table saw. I am 70 so this will be the last one that I buy. I don't want to go through the hassle of buying a used one (been there done that in spades). The two that I am looking at are the Porter Cable PCB270TS at Lowe's. It is fairly recent and has gotten a few good reviews. The other is the Ridgid R4512 at Home Depot, again fairly new with a few good reviews. It is very similar to the Craftsman 21833 at Sears the has gotten mixed reviews mostly to an alignment problem which may boil down to some missing instructions and needing some better washers at a critical point.

I have been doing woodworking for about 65 years, starting in kindergarten. I am sort of an intermediate wood worker who has very inexpensive tools. My present saw is a Delta tabletop with a broken miter gauge. I looked at the portable contractors saws and it looks like for a few $ more I can get a very substantial beast. For examples of some of my work look at

[Lee Michaels]

with the "wild" grain.

As for the saws, I don't know anything about porter cable.

What is the price range you are going for?

[knuttle]

If you just want to replace you table saw because you can, forget this message. ;-)

If not, why don't you just replace the miter gauge?

There are a lot of good mitre gauges at places like Rockler, Lee Valley, etc.

[Leon]

Dang Ray, if you consider yourself an intermediate then advanced has not yet been achieved by "anybody". I was going to advise you to look a little larger scale for your TS's but you obviousely know your skills and what you can do with what.

I will tell you this however, Porter Cable and Craftsman are now what they used to be 20-40 years ago. Craftsman has been going down hill for 15-20 years, maybe longer compared to what some people have experienced.

Porter Cable & Delta seriousely are not what they used to be. I highly suspect that many of their products are manufacutred along side other less know brands in Tiawan and China.

That said there is some value in those products if you are willing to work around certain features that are now well thought out.

If you want your last saw to be a good one, and SAFE. I would strongly recomend the SawStop brand. Pricey but you know as well as anyone that an accident can happen at any time, the SawStop removes much of that risk.

Good luck with your hunt!

[GROVER]

JoeG

[Larry Blanchard]

Ray, Porter-Cable and Craftsman have gone way donwhill from what they used to be. If the Ridgid is made by the same folks that make the Craftsman I'd be leery of it as well.

I've heard good things about Powermatic, General, and Steel City. I don't know your price range but Steel City has a small cabinet saw that runs on 110 for about a grand. General offers a lifetime warranty if not used commercially. Powermatic may be too expensive but they're hard to beat.

And a little lower in the price/quality range don't forget JET. I think they're good value for the money. IMNSHO they've been getting better at about the same rate Delta has been getting worse :-).

[dpb]

Not terribly long ago Fine Homebuilding did a review--unfortunately, I can't tell you otomh what was in the review nor who "won" or "lost" as am not in the market so didn't pay much (as in any :) ) attention. But, their reviews are, I think, pretty fair and reasonable so might see if you can find the issue online.

I've got to run right now, but if I get a chance and no joy on the web prior, I'll see if I can find it in my back issues and either post either synopsis or at least Vol/Number/Date...

If'en you're doing that kind of work with the saw you have, perhaps as somebody else noted, maybe some $$ could go to a quality miter gauge and fence for the saw you have and any left over to mini-lathe or something else to expand your facilities...just a thought.

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[Rich]

.

Think that saw has a smaller miter grove then most full size table saws. The after markets can only adjust to the larger grove.

[Rich]

Nice work!!!! I have that little Delta I use out in the field, not a bad saw for a mini. I believe Lowes use to sell Jet table saws, you might take a look at them too. Don't think you can get an after market miter for the mini saw because the miter grove is smaller then your full size saws. Rich

[Lew Hodgett]

When it comes to a table saw, you buy the best fence you can find and let the saw take care of itself.

IMHO, Lowes, Home Depot and Sears are not in the serious table saw business.

About all they have to offer is price.

I'd take a look at Grizzly or SawStop if safety is a primary concern.

Grizzly is offering a 10" hybrid for about $800 delivered that may interest you.

Have fun.

Lew

[dpb]

...

Then I'd wonder what is broke and if'en I couldn't fit the head from another to that bar as a starting point (unless, of course, I was adamant that "I really, really want a new saw..." :)

--

[Bill]

I just want to join those who are impressed by your work in saying so. Do you have any suggestions or advice you might share?

Bill

[Larry Jaques]

Nobody in their right mind would consider SawStop in the "medium price range", Lew. That's what he asked about.

Right you are. The Griz G0715P was what I was going to get before I decided to build a CNC router table instead. I've not enough dough for both. I'm still in research mode, reading a couple of DIY CNC books.

-- Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. -- Storm Jameson

[aquaboy]

I think that

is also an excellent place to look for Quality tools and reviews as well as hope you find what your looking for :-)

Thanks for sharing your wonderful work.

[RonB]

value for your bucks.

I personally have owned a Grizzly 1023s for about ten years and I love it. I was looking at saws that were 30-80% more expensive when I bought it (Unisaw, Jet, Powermatic); but I have all of the utility they could provide and it has held up well under fairly heavy home use. Their current 1023RL is probably a close comparison; and their new Polar Bear G0715P also appears to be similar (except 2hp vs 3 hp). Right now you can get Polar Bears at a good introductory price. I just bought one of their Polar Bear versions of the G0453 planer and it duplicates the green version except for paint and a better switch/ switch mount.

You might also look at their contractor's saw. However, the cost of some of them can approach the Polar Bear cabinet saw above. They used to offer a version similar to the G0438 and our son owns one. I used it for 3-4 weeks while we were helping him finish his house and it is a nice machine. It uses an aluminum version of the steel Shop Fox fence, but after using it for a while I seemed to be pretty similar to mine in utility.

Here is a link to their saws page. However, you might also want to look at their catalog link (bottom of each saw's linked page) because several of their contractor's saws aren't on the site.

[Ray]

Thanks to all for the kind comments on my woodworking projects, and thanks for the input on saw choice.

The Delta bench top saw has served me well, but I want to move on to something better. I first looked at the mobile contractors saws such as the De Walt 745. It got very good reviews. It sells for ~$300. I also looked at the Ridgid R4512. It sells for $529, but since I am a veteran I can buy it for ~$475. For 50% more money I get a saw that will accept dado blades, has separate elevation and blade angle cranks, has a nice fence, has stand, cast iron top, and weighs 5 times as much. Seems like good value. Reviews seem mixed in this price class with common complains about blade alignment being off by .003" and table top being off flat by .019". This class of saw seems to be an order of magnitude more than what I presently use, and since I tend to be a sawdust maker rather than a tool collector I wonder if this is good enough for me? The next step up seem to be the Grizzly etc. which are about double the Ridgid and with other exotic saws costing about what my first house cost. My son has a Shop Fox in the $1K class. It is a nice saw. Will I really see much difference between the $500 and the $900 saws since I am stepping up from a rather basic saw?

On re comparing I think I like the Ridgid better than the Porter Cable because of the fence and ease of adjustment of the blade.

Thanks

Ray

[Larry Blanchard]

Another reason to not buy Craftsman.

[Larry Blanchard]

Yes. In general you should see smoother running, better ability to hold an adjustment, and closer tolerances. And I'm sure I forgot something.

It sounds like the General and Powermatic that I suggested earlier are a bit more than you want to spend. But take a good look at this Steel City saw:

A contractors saw with a riving knife *and* table mounted trunnions - worth their weight in gold. $600 with free shipping from Amazon.

I don't pwn one of these saws, but I was working at Woodcraft when they were carrying them and I was impressed with the quality for the money.

Tip: If you do get a contractor saw without table mounted trunnions, be sure to get the PALS adjustment system:

I did have one of those on my last table saw and I loved it.

Just to be fair I must point out that the above are my opinions. You can put 3 woodworkers together and get 4 different opinions :-).

[Robatoy]

=A0 =A0 -- Storm Jameson

That is good to hear. It is a whole new world out there once you get to tell your router where to go and what to do. CNC machines are as varied as the operators which is especially true with home-built devices. One word of advice which was offered to me and I want to pass along: Focus on getting a spindle rather than a regular router. Then buy the right software. Two things I am happy I didn't skimp on.

[Lobby Dosser]

Home Depot discounts for vets?