I'm 45 and just a novice woodworker and have finally got some extra cash to rid myself of my "bench top" table saw that the wife got me for Christmas 8 yrs ago....boy I think I did things on that thing that would amaze even you pro woodworkers. The wife says I deserve an upgrade (gee thanks hunny..lol) Anyway I've checked at my local Harbor Freight and to be honest their selection was way less than what I thought it would be. I checked at Sears and of course they stock the CRAFTSMAN brand name, and have what I thought to be a pretty good selection in my price range of about $500.00 but not more than $600.00....now they do have what they call the "professional" model at $1000.00 but I really don't want to spend that much....wow. Anyway, if you guys/gals could give me some sort of guidance on this I'd love to hear the pro's and con's.of what you think, or your suggestions. You can mail me directly of post here and I'll check for replies....thanks so very much for your help.
At that price range I would suggest looking at Grizzly.
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Lot of machine for the money and excellent support. I am sure there are others, this would just be my first suggestion. I am pretty sure you will be hard pressed to find anyone here that would speak bad of Grizzly.
Better yet, if you can keep an eye on Grizzly they do have some pretty significant sales from time to time.
You are not ready for an upgrade. If you are considering stuff from Harbor Freight, you are not in the market for a piece of quality equipment. Neither is your budget.
What you will get for that money is a saw that is better than what you have, but will leave you want in more in a year or two, maybe only a month or two. Save a bit more and get a Delta, Jet Grizzly, etc with a Beisemeyer or Unifence or equal. That will be the saw you will be using 25 years from now. Plan to spend $750 and up for the last saw you will ever buy.
You need to get upwards towards a thousand dollars ready to go. IMO Grizzly is the best bang for the buck, right now, but that can be legitimately debated. Watch the fence. The Shop Fox fences are adequate, and will give good service, but if you could scrape together a bit more money, I'd upgrade to Biesemeyer or a one of the clones.
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Hint: I have the 1023ZX. It ships at right at a 500 pounds. The sheer mass of that saw dampens vibration, and allows even smoother cuts. However, as long as you jump to the "cabinet" saw nomenclature, you're probably going to get better performance over the "contractor" set up. That said, the high end contractor's saws will give essentially the same performance as a good cabinet saw, but they end up costing essentially the same, too.
Hint: Figure out where you're going to set that saw and then take the time to stabilize and level it perfectly. You can buy trolleys to move them around, (I have one), but a solid, well stabilized saw really is the goal.
Hint: The saw blade is a limiting factor on any saw. The better the blade, the better the cut, and while it's not always a direct relationship (!!!!!!), generally the more expensive the blade the better the cut.
Matching the blade to the cuts to be made, is worthwhile, too. I have one super-dooper odd ball blade, specifically designed to cut plastics and melamine. It works marvously on those materials. (It's some kind of triple bevel setup. With care feeding of stock, I can get perfectly smooth results with little or no chipping.) Doesn't handle everyday crosscut/rip duties worth squat. The top line blades are probably going to exceed $100 in cost. You can get by with less and I certainly do, but I keep one or two of the top line blades in reserve when the job calls for it.
Hint: I like blade stabilizers. They're cheap.
Hint: The best fences invariably lock down, ONLY in the front. That way, you can add extensions to the outfeed, at a later time. The Shop Fox locks in both the front and back and while my SF fence always locks parallel and straight, it's still a PITA because I can't figure a way to make a outfeed extension without some serious work.
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This is a helluva of a system, but it still suffers from the same shortcomings as the Shop Fox fence, i.e. front and back lock. On the other hand, I have a Incra miter gauge that is worth every penny, I paid for it.
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I'm going out on a limb here, but this is probably the "gold standard" in fences, right now. (Alternate opinions are certainly possible here. In fact, I'd welcome some alternate opinions.)
While I don't know where, there *has* to be some kind of commercial relationship between Shop Fox and Grizzly.
James... It's free advise, so you know what it's worth......nothing.
I have to rethink my original answer. I think the others are saying the same as well. There is a huge difference between another contractor saw, and a cabinet saw, and your price range is a little low for a cabinet. I thought it was close to a 1023 Grizzly, but my memory is getting weak. At that price you are still looking at contractor style saw. There are plenty of options out there, and Grizzly is still one of them. Grizzly does seem to prevail even more when it comes to cabinet saws.
I would use what you have now and save for a cabinet saw, or look for a used one local. For your price range you could get a decent used cabinet saw. FWIIW cabinet saws always seem to have a higher resale value if you plan to bail.
If you are really going to use the thing, a cabinet saw is the way to go.
Raise your price range and you will be happier in the long run. Be prepared to spend $750-$1000 and be done with it! spend less I will guarantee you will be either upgrading parts of the saw you buy, (the fence perhaps), or just simply replacing it all with yet another saw! I went through this a few years ago and bought a Delta contractors saw. I am pleased with the saw for the type of work I do and don't believe I will ever replace it. The down side is that same saw in close to $1000 now. Greg
I've read some of the other responses. Sure, if you want to wait a while until you can spend $1000 and get a cabinet saw, that's good advice. However, if you're like me, the budget is the budget and even six months from now it's still going to be $500-600 because that's the amount that you're willing to spend. If that's the case, go with a contractor saw but be sure to get a name brand and investigate the specifications carefully. Jet, Delta, Powermatic, General, Grizzly etc. Check out the Grizzly G0444Z. You can get it for about $600 including shipping. Google that model number for lots of discussions from me and other folks. The fence alone will rock your world after using the benchtop and 2 HP is enough for most of us.
There are a lot of very accomplished woodworkers in this group with extremely well equipped shops that are perfectly happy and do incredible work with a contractor saw. I suspect many of them used the money they saved on another machine or some exotic hardwood.
Grizzly offers this in both a 220v 3 hp motor or the 2 hp 110v I would think for my needs the 2 hp would be enough, or for the same price should I go ahead and get the 220v 3 hp ? Sure am glad I checked with you guys first and thanks to all of you for the advice.....alot of money, but sounds like it will be worth it in the long run. Paul
The standard SF fence that came with my 1023SL locks only in the front. There were discussions here about the differences between the "standard" and "deluxe" fence. IIRC, most felt the standard was better in that the deluxe was too fussy to keep right. I am very happy with the standard - it is rock solid and true.
Get the 3HP and don't look back. Do it right and be done with it. I got the 3HP on my 1023SL. With a good blade (like the Forrest WWII which I finally sprung for), that saw goes through 8/4 oak like "butter" (sorry).
I have the 3hp and am happy with it. Although I have a buddy who has the
2HP version and is more than happy with it. I think he just wimped out on running the 220v. He does have some trouble keeping the breaker from popping. More than reason enough for me to get the 3hp 220v version.
The Grizzly is a good choice, and you will never need to buy another saw again. In fact, your descendants can keep using it long after you are gone. Jim
Whether you want to buy a $250 used contractors saw or a $600 used cabinet saw depends on your budget and workshop. I have bought a used table saw, radial arm saw, jointer, biscuit joiner, and a whole mess of smaller shop tools. I am very satisfied with all of them. (Sadly I had to buy a new planer; they just don't seem to be available used in decent condition) I have also bought 3 used houses, and even a used diamond in my wife's engagement ring. Sounds cheap? Well she kinda enjoys it when everyone's mouth drops open when they see it; and only she (and now all of you) know it is used and cost 1/3rd the price of a new one.
Can't quite bring myself to buy a used car. The warranty seems more important than the small price break.
As you can see, there are many replies. All good advice too.
I will take a 2HP single phase 220 volt saw over a 3HP 3-phase if the
2HP has a good fence and runs vibration-free and has a flat top. Precision is more important to me than power. A cabinet saw with a Biesemeyer is what I would buy. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a cabinet saw is easier to set up for dust collection? The contractor saws often have stamped steel wings.. or the open-webbed type of cast iron wings. I don't like those. I absolutely hate the look of the stands. Which brand of cabinet saw? After all the stuff I have been reading from this credible bunch in this news-group, I would not hesitate to buy a Grizzly. Personally I'd buy a General, but that's because I'm a flag-waving damn proud Canadian. In other words, don't listen to me. General does build a quality product. No doubt it's worth that little extra money.
I to am going to jump on the Grizzly band wagon here. I purchased mine about 3 years ago ( a 1023s) and am very happy with it. I also had a tight budget at the time and thought I could get a decent table saw for 300 to 400 dollars....heh, silly me. Then I found the wreck and read many of the same replies you are getting now. Save a bit longer and get a good cabinet saw. took me about 3 hours to assemble the Grizz. It also passed the nickel test on the first start! And yes, you can believe Grizzly's marketing.
I have a Delta contractors saw I spend around $300 on. Works like a champ. I'm willing to bet the stuff (finished furniture) that comes out the other side of my saw is better if not equally good as those that own $750 saws.
I have been to some websites of woodworkers that have the $750 + saws and all they make is CRAP.
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