ISTR an ad several years ago for a tablesaw that tilted both left and right. It sticks out in my mind because I was just starting to enjoy creating sawdust in earnest and making useful items from the non-sawdust portions. ;-) For stationary power tools all I had was a Delta single speed scroll saw. I checked out a table saw book from my library & read it cover to cover. One section discussed (of course ;-) right vs. left tilt saws. One phrase sticks in my mind: "Some saws tilt left. Some tilt right. No table saws tilt both ways." Shortly thereafter I saw an ad for a saw that tilted both ways. It struck me because it was so different from the knowledge I'd recently gotten from the book. "Here is a saw that tilts both ways!" It was expensive so I requested no info from the manufacturer.
I bought a bench Delta 10" table saw and used it for a couple years. Eventually -- and it took quite awhile -- I needed a TS with more capability and accuracy. (My inaccuracies were far greater than the limits of its direct-drive, marginal fence and small table size. )
I upgraded to the bottom-of-the-line Grizzly contractor saw. It was heaven! With a good middle-cost blade I used the stock miter gage to cut a bunch of thin cutoffs from the end of a scrap pine 2"x4". They weren't quite thin enough to read through, but I did gather up samples and send them in snail mail to relatives. In the letters I wrote, "This is what my new table saw can do. Notice how even and thin the 2x4" cutting is. If it's broken that happened after I dropped it in the mailbox. They were one piece when I put them in the envelope. For now the saw is much more accurate than I am. Someday, if my woodworking stills improve enough, I'd like to get a saw that is able to make cutoffs half as thick as these. You'd be able to read through them."
I used the Grizzly a lot. Initially I was completely satisfied with the stock fence. But my woodworking skills continued to improve and eventually the small, random difference of the clamping of back edge of the fence affected the cuts I was making. I bought a used "Shop Fox Original" fence on the internet, expecting it to be an upgrade in accuracy from the Grizzly stock fence. To make a long story short, IMO the Shop Fox Original fence doesn't work nearly as well as the ads would have you believe and I'd like to replace it. A good new fence is a major portion of the purchase of a new saw, so why not look for a good new or used saw?
So I'm thinking of upgrading from a contractor TS to a "real" table saw, a
220v contractor saw. Which way do I want it to tilt? Both! If I'm cutting an angle from the left side, I want that doggone blade angled away from me. If I'm ripping an angled cut from the right side, I still want that blade angled away from me. I've had two TS kickback accidents. The first was completely my fault -- a cutoff I didn't bother to take off the table got into the blade and came spinning back. The second was (probably) also my fault and wouldn't have happened if I'd been using a splitter as wide as the blade. (The stock splitter is very thin and may not have prevented the kickback had it been installed.) The second kickback occurred on July 20, 2003 (I wrote the date on the ruined piece and keep it in the shop as a safety reminder.) The wood grazed my left hand as it spun off the TS and hit the freezer behind me. Standing there bleeding on the saw and the floor, I counted my fingers and was rejoicing to find 10 of them still attached to my hands. More than 3 months later my left hand still has scars from the accident. I hope the scars last another 100 years as a safety reminder.I'd really like for the table saw blade to always be tilted away from me when making angled cuts. If I had the space a solution would be to have both a left and right tilt table saw. But in my single-car garage shop I don't have the space.
Do table saws that tilt to both left and right exist?
Thanks!
-- Mark