table saw obsolescence

[Electric Comet]

firmware and lawsuits

the perception of the danger of tables saws the statistics of tables saw injuries more and more safety features while insurance and liability costs can only go up

seems to lead to the conclusion that they are on the way out fewer and fewer people want to use them

i will always have one i think but

cnc is moving pretty fast and now there are other technologies like water jets and ultrasonic cutting

how long until table saws just stop becoming an integral part of the shop

i give it 15 years or less as cnc moves into the affordable range due to market saturation and more used machines and cad and cam allowing for more streamlined manufacturing of the parts for cnc

consolidation will be first and we see that already then there will be fewer models available then there will be fewer brands then it will become a niche then the prices will rise then alternatives will look even better

[clare]

I don't expect to see the table saw obsolete in my lifetime - but I could be wrong. I could live past 100.

[krw]

Now I know you're nuts. ...and a wimp.

[Puckdropper]

Electric Comet wrote in news:o82qe5$ap2$ [e-mail]:

CNC is already in the affordable range. It's just not particularly well suited to the tasks the table saw can do. It will take me more time to position and tie down the board on the CNC machine and enter G0 Y10.5, zero coordinates, G0 X48 than it will to position the fence and make my cut.

Plus, getting an exact width like you can when you cut multiple pieces on the table saw without moving the fence is harder. You have to deal with positioning the boards on the CNC bed exactly in the same place, and that's harder to do. (Even stops sometimes give more than you'd like.)

CNC will be an addition to the shop, but all it will be a replacement for is template routing. You might be able to do some cool joinery too. I used my little Taig for finger joints and finished up with a chisel.

Puckdropper

[Trenbidia]

Hello pot, meet kettle.

[bnwelch]

I would bet that track saws replace more table saws than CNC and electronic fabrication techniques in the not too distant future...I think there will always be a table saw in the shop of most woodworkers...

[Keith Nuttle]

I agree with the above. Put a dado head on a CNC, cut a rabbit, etc.

[krw]

Oh, my. Another sockpuppet unearthed.

[Trenbidia]

Yep - not me. Note the lack of signature line in his/her post.

[krw]

Track saws are great for breaking down panels into usable sizes but they're not so great for the other 99% of the things one does on a table saw. Table saws aren't going anywhere. OTOH, SS technology may become standard in a small number of years.

[krw]

Yes, you. Idiot.

[clare]

Generally I find trac-saws CLUMSY.

[Bob La Londe]

I tend to agree. I tend more towards metal working than wood working, but the same principle applies. I've got three drill presses and two mill drills in the shop. I've also got 4 CNC mills and parts for more along with one small CNC wood router. I use the manual machines every day, and have no plans to get rid of any of them except maybe to replace them with a better quality unit. And if I had a CNC lathe I wouldn't get rid of my manual lathes. Some things are just so much faster to setup and whip it out on a manual machine.

As to stops moving.... well that happens on any machine. I've seen table saw fences slowly walk across the table a little bit each time a ham handed helper slammed a sheet of ply up against it, and the stops on most miter saw stands I've used are a joke. They are more of a "slow down" than a stop.

[woodchucker]

Bob, what part of the country are you from? Me Central / Western NJ, right near PA.

[Bob La Londe]

Yuma, Az

[woodchucker]

Equipment stays nice and dry , not a lot of issues with humidity. I was going to say when you get rid of a mill to let me know, but too far to haul it back..

[Bob La Londe]

Too bad. I've got an old RF-30 and a smaller mill drill I've been thinking of getting rid of and picking up a G0704 or BF20L to replace them along with another drill press or three.

[Jack]

Nothing in his message is nuts, nor wimpy? Do you think Leon is wimpy because he has a Saw Stop?

I think you're nuts and have some bazaar attraction to the Comet..

[Keith Nuttle]

I have been following this thread and commented early on about a table saw. My comments were based strictly on the table saw, with little knowledge of CNC except the perception it was expensive, and more computer control tool.

Today I searched CNC and was shocked at the price, so think I may have been mistaken about the actual meaning of the abbreviation.

As I found in my search CNC means "Computer Numeric Control" which is the language of an automated system of manufacturing. These things are very expensive, and if this definition is correct out of the budget of the average wood worker.

Could some one provide a definition of CNC as has been used in this thread?

[DerbyDad03]

Computer Numeric Control

Depending on what you are using the technology for, it can reasonably priced or very expensive.

Reasonable:

Expensive: