I am considering purchasing either the Ryobi BT3100 or the Delta Shopmaster TS300. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Both of these are 15 A machines and I am assuming that they will therefore be fine on a dedicated 15A line.
I have yet to hear anything good about any of Delta's Shopmaster line of tools.
The Ryobi BT3100 is exactly the same saw as a Craftsman model that I have. One of the big selling points with this saw is the sliding miter table. I am not a big fan of it - it is difficult to get it set at a specific angle, there are no stops for common angles, and the cutting capacity is way too small when cutting miters. The reason for the small miter capacity is that the miter table is pretty wide, so the miter gauge pivots about 6 or 7 inches away from the blade - with the miter gauge set to 45 degrees, buy the time the workpiece gets to the blade you are at the end of the table's travel.
Another thing to consider is that the saw does not have a standard miter slot - so you cannot replace the sliding table with a standard miter guage. I was able to purchase a small miter slot extension table from Sears, but the slots in it are sloppy and don't end up working very well.
Also, the table top on the saw is pretty small - once you start using the saw a good bit, you will wish you had a bigger table.
If I were you, I would take a look at the next step up in saws. Have you looked at the Rigid saws at Home Depot? I think that if you spent another $75 - 100 on a better saw you would be MUCH happier in the long run.
Let me know if you have any other questions about the Ryobi saw.
Mike
You can do better for a few dollars more. Also consider the Ridgid, Grizzly, Jet and Delta full sized contractor saws.
A 15A machine should be on a 20A line.
Aren't both of them direct drive machines? If so, avoid both.
However, if I were to buy either, I would either follow the instructions in the fine manual or put the machine on a 20A line. They do draw far more current on startup than just 15 A.
Jim
Keep saving your money. For "around" $800, you can get a decent saw(contractor) with a excellent fence.
For $1200, you are getting real close to a big Unisaw or a Jet.
Be patient with your money. Bigger is better in this case.
Go here and peek around at saws:
snipped-for-privacy@masonjar.com wrote: > I am considering purchasing either the Ryobi BT3100 or the Delta > Shopmaster TS300.
I wouldn't.
If you buy either one, you will be disappointed within 6 months.
Lew
What is the price of those saws? I'd recommend a used conventional contractor saw (induction motor, belt drive) before either of those choices. I've seen some people post that they like the BT3100 but personally I don't find it appealing. If you can't find a sued saw in your area check out Grizzly, or god forbid, I believe I'd even take a good look at HFT's contractor saw before I'd get a universal motor direct drive saw.
While the BT3100 does not come with a mitre slot, it is possible to add one via the accessory kit. It looks like it's also possible to order[1] just the mitre slot via part number 4060310.
[1]:
I doubt it'll take six months, it'll just take the first project where the saw bogs down trying to saw through anything or you actually have to cut something decent sized and find out that the saws are completely worthless for just about any woodworking project.
Just a bit of experience I gained the hard way- be very leery of Delta's "shopmaster" line. Don't get me wrong, they'll work- but they are not what you'd expect from Delta by any stretch (much closer to Black and Decker, IMO)
I don't know what kind of price the TS300 is going for these days, but if you watch the sales carefully, and maybe try to snag a display model, you may be able to upgrade to a low-end Delta "industral" contractor's saw. You'll be much happier with it in the long term, if it's possible to squeeze it into your budget.
I don't know about the Ryobi, just that the TS300 is a benchtop saw in contractor's clothes. If you're looking for a price point, and want to get the best performance you can, I've heard some very nice things about the Bosch jobsite table saw- IIRC, it's in the same price catagory as the ones you're contemplating, though you would have to build a table for it if you want to make it into a stationary tool.
Either one should be fine on a dedicated 15amp line.
That's not entirely true.
I had a TS200 for several years, and putting a thin-kerf blade on it and setting up each cut carefully allowed me to do many projects- even using 8/4 hard maple.
The downside of the shopmaster line is in the materials, IMO. After two years of careful use, the plastic handles were stripped out, a lot of the paint was worn off the fence, the indicator guage on the fence was gone (the screw stripped out almost immediately, and there was no repairing it,) and the cam lock handle on the fence bent.
It was always too light for what I was doing, and I had to make a stand for it that had a bar along the bottom in the front so that I could place my foot on it while cutting to keep it from tipping.
And no standard accessories fit on shopmaster tools. The tables are odd sizes, and so are the miter guages/slots, and there is no way to upgrade them.
The problem wasn't the amount of power it had- that was sufficient, considering what it was. Nor was it that it was not enough saw for the money it cost- it was. The problem was that I outgrew it, and it was never made for the long haul in the first place.
If a shopmaster is what a guy can afford, then it's certainly better than no table saw at all. Saying that is useless is more than a little harsh- those little saws have their place, and a guy can do a lot of nice work with one. It's just good to try and upgrade out of that line if possible, to save yourself a few headaches.
Do yourself a favor.
Forget all the anti-Sears bias on this newsgroup.
Go to Sears and look closely at the 22104, 22114 and 22124 hybrid saws. I've had one for the past 2-3 yrs. Best money I ever spent.
Plus, you can often catch them on sale.
AAMOF, I bought my 22114 for about $425 after discounts, coupons, etc.
Try here:
Seriously, these saws are VERY good. They are made by Orion, which, as I understand, is composed of ex-Delta employees. Unisaw throat plates and accessories fit just fine.
Even the stock fence is good - the micro-adjuster is pretty much worthless, but not needed anyway.
I have no connection with Sears, just a happy owner.
Good Luck
Hmmm, that's an interesting comment. Have you actually used one?
I've had its predecessor, the BT3000, for 7 years, completed many projects, and have absolutely no complaints.
Yeah, the table surface is a bit on the small side but apart from that it's a great package for the price.
Now, admittedly, I was seriously tempted by a Ridgid just the other day on clearance.
Brian Henders> >
My brother-in-law's wife wanted to surprise him for his 60th brithday with a new table saw. She asked for my help.She was willing to spend up to $1000. I looked at Delta, Jet, and General at the local Woodcraft store. There was a possible problem with delivery time. I also looked at the Craftsman Professional all where about $1000. I then checked Grizzly. Got G0478 Hybrid for $695+$90 freight into Boise,ID took three business days out of their center in Bellingham,Wa. I assemabled it at my house. An excellent saw for the money. Made me jealous. We have my wife's ancient Craftsman. I'm holding out for a 12" cabinet saw. BTW he was surprised. Jim
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