Considering a new table saw

[Curval]

Not long ago I bought my first table saw but I'm already considering upgrading. My issues with it are:

Lack of accuracy
It's hard to get the blade at 90° to the table. You have to turn the dial a bit beyond where it wants to stop and then lock it. It's also hard to get the fence to stay parallel - it feels flimsy (as I guess I'd expect for a cheap saw) and any pressure up against it can move it out of whack. I can adjust it to be parallel to the blade, but there's enough play in it that I don't trust it and end up having to brace it with something clamped on the other side if I want it to stay put.

Non-standard T-track
The built in T-tracks are a size that don't seem to match anything. I've not got much experience with this but it seems like there are two common sizes for such tracks and these are smaller than either of them. I bought a bit of extruded track of the larger size and my cheap Titan bandsaw has the smaller size - the featherboard I have has got attachments that fit both - but none fit the table saw.

I'm considering spending up to £400 on a replacement. I'd like it to have a standard T-track size and a reliable fence. I don't need cordless, though I have Makita batteries. I'm just doing this as a hobby and the main focus so far has been end grain chopping boards, but I'd like some flexibility.

Is there something I should consider within this budget? Or am I better off waiting?

 

[Etaf]

I was looking into table saws a while back , and around £400 are a few i was considering
Dewalt DeWalt DWE7485, BUT at a 210mm blade , i have a SMS 250mm with a lot of blades and so hoped to get the same in a table saw - BUT they stopped the one i wanted , and this size went way above budget
Bosch - BOSCH GTS10J2

then i get blades from saxtonblades

Or am I better off waiting?

waiting to increase the budget

 

[spiritburner]

Not long ago I bought my first table saw but I'm already considering upgrading. My issues with it are:

Lack of accuracy
It's hard to get the blade at 90° to the table. You have to turn the dial a bit beyond where it wants to stop and then lock it. It's also hard to get the fence to stay parallel - it feels flimsy (as I guess I'd expect for a cheap saw) and any pressure up against it can move it out of whack. I can adjust it to be parallel to the blade, but there's enough play in it that I don't trust it and end up having to brace it with something clamped on the other side if I want it to stay put.

Non-standard T-track
The built in T-tracks are a size that don't seem to match anything. I've not got much experience with this but it seems like there are two common sizes for such tracks and these are smaller than either of them. I bought a bit of extruded track of the larger size and my cheap Titan bandsaw has the smaller size - the featherboard I have has got attachments that fit both - but none fit the table saw.

I'm considering spending up to £400 on a replacement. I'd like it to have a standard T-track size and a reliable fence. I don't need cordless, though I have Makita batteries. I'm just doing this as a hobby and the main focus so far has been end grain chopping boards, but I'd like some flexibility.

Is there something I should consider within this budget? Or am I better off waiting?

I've just bought my new one and have got after nearly a year of searching, reviewing listening to people the DeWalt 7492 QS which is a 250 mm/10 inch saw , if you go for the 8 inch version of this saw then it will limit the depth of cut if you want to use a crosscut sled.

I really went into a lot of detail on this saw because over here in spain they are more expensive than in the UK and getting a secondhand one here is virtually impossible as is importing one since Brexit

I am waiting on delivery of the saw this week but I have no reservations about what it can do and just how accurate it is and how excellent the rack and pinion fence is, those two items are what sets this saw above so many others unless of course you delve into the realms of cast iron bed saws which are a different league altogether.

Obviously this is a site saw at heart so its designed to be portable, Ill be building a workbench to install my saw into as I dont need the portability, the other reason I went for this saw is I can not get a large cast iron saw into my workshop due to 2 concrete pillars being in the way so I only have a standard door width but that's fine for me and what i want to build.

The only comparable other saw in this league I found was really the Bosch 10 XC and although more expensive accuracy and the fence seem to let that saw down and is a common complaint despite it having some extra features like a built in sled (carriage) and additional supports, it also has a larger footprint overall.

I am sure I will be very happy with my purchase and if you take a look on Youtube youll see what the general market feeling is on the DeWalt saws.

The DeWalt doesn't have a soft start and its quite loud , you can buy an aftermarket box of tricks to remedy the starting for about 20 gbp. which I would recommend adding as it will protect the motor more.


If your budget doesn't stretch to this then look at the Evolution saws as they seem to have fairly good reviews, just ignore any reviews where people are paid to do them either by money or freebies as there are a lot of dross reviews out there.

I managed to get the DeWalt on special offer using a plugin for amazon and eBay called KEEPA that tracks the pricing of items that youre interested in, its embedded into the Chrome web page so you can see at a glance the last 12 months pricing on any item in those 2 stores , set your price, link it to Telegram or your email and when the items drops youll get an instant message.

Also if you live in the UK you should quite easily be able to pick up a good secondhand one or a open box.

Cheers

Neil

 

[Curval]

The DeWalt saw sounds good, but it looks like it goes for £800-900 here and by that price point I figured I'd be looking at a second hand thing that's more substantial and not portable (I've no requirement for portability). Some of the things I've seen in the for sale section here look great and like they'd last an incredibly long time, but they and the DeWalt saw are twice what I'd be able to spend and these things seem to retain their value really well.

 

[Sachakins]

No connection, but was browsing market place for woodwork tools and came across some saws.
Seen your thread so thought I'd mention them.

This one
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/355392093962371/

And this too
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/298975762613430/

I've no connection to sellers, just looked OK for price.

 

[Bingy man]

The dewalt is well worth considering imo . The problem with the cheaper saws you have already mentioned in your post . Accuracy, depth of cut , fences that move etc . Unless you have the space and the funds for a cast iron pro saw ( used ) then you will have to most likely increase your budget or opt for a used machine . My only issue with my dewalt is it’s loud but I use it outside . I also spent weeks/ months researching and ended up with dw 745 lx. Max depth of cut @90 deg is 77 mm. I also wanted a standard mitre slot and was amazed how many manufacturers don’t take this into account when designing their products.

 

[Ttrees]

To mention below, for consideration of others considering such...
as no need reply to me, just sayin...
Portable tablesaws?...
I've not seen someone use two, 450mm long... push sticks with one of those
machines and look confident doing such.
Not even with an infeed, well any that I've ever seen.

And to address the portable aspect, watch that video below,
Tablesaw it is not, but the same thing can happen, though possibly worse.


Lots of really good threads from the pro's here, who've now left.
Read the archives up the top right corner, from when there was
good debates,
Lots to read about that, about half a weeks worth to get ones head around, at the least,
if you wanna get schooled up on things.

Keep away from the Yankee videos, well if you must, only one channel is worth talking about,
(I've seen them all) Gwinnett woodworkers association, the oldest long video, the best you'll find.

If ye don't have a few hand planes or planer, and work real timber, not boards,
then one shouldn't even consider such a cutting machine.
All the best with the table saw
Over and out.
Tom

 

[TimV]

With constraints on budget, portability, size etc you're always going to have to compromise. I was replacing a similar model that you are and ended up with Bosch GTS 635-216 (£430 from Axminster) that just pipped a similarly-priced DeWalt. I'm only a hobbyist so use it only occasionally, and on that basis I'm pleased with it, but there are well-published annoyances (also mentioned above) around ensuring the fence is parallel to the saw, the mitre guide being unusable etc. that would become unbearable if you were using it every day. You can get 3d-printed bits that make these tolerable.
Do however heed all the advice around safety mentioned above and in many many other places on this forum.

 

[DavidConnelly]

The DeWalt saw sounds good, but it looks like it goes for £800-900 here and by that price point I figured I'd be looking at a second hand thing that's more substantial and not portable (I've no requirement for portability). Some of the things I've seen in the for sale section here look great and like they'd last an incredibly long time, but they and the DeWalt saw are twice what I'd be able to spend and these things seem to retain their value really well.

You can't go wrong with an evolution Rage5s which come with the standard blade which cuts everything but there's an offer just now which includes a fine cut wood blade. I've had mine for around three years. I wouldn't change it. £350

 

[Curval]

You can't go wrong with an evolution Rage5s which come with the standard blade which cuts everything but there's an offer just now which includes a fine cut wood blade. I've had mine for around three years. I wouldn't change it. £350

I'd considered this one, how sturdy is the fence on it? Does the fence lock at both the front and back? Are there any niggles that you've found with it?

I'm also looking into that used DeWalt above but am wary of used stuff following some bad experiences (half my machines were bought used on facebook marketplace - of those, half were excellent and nearly new, the other half died after a very short time).

 

[DavidConnelly]

The fence is ok. It compresses to lock. I check that it's square before cutting anything that I need to be absolutely accurate. I love it. I bought an aftermarket zero clearance plate but they now stock them. I use their shop vac with it and it does a good job. The standard cut everything blade is phenomenal. I regularly cut mild steel. I have several different blades but the original is still very good

 

[Curval]

The used DeWalt seller above didn't get back to me or I'd have had that one - instead I've gone for a new DWE7485 with the rolling stand. I'm really impressed at the quality upgrade over my previous saw, especially that thought has been put into the workflow.

 

[RupertV]

The used DeWalt seller above didn't get back to me or I'd have had that one - instead I've gone for a new DWE7485 with the rolling stand. I'm really impressed at the quality upgrade over my previous saw, especially that thought has been put into the workflow.

I think you will be happy with this saw, I've had one for a couple of years. It needed a bit of 'fettling' to get it as accurate as I wanted but a joy to use, especially with the rolling stand. Previously I had an elu TGS172 from new but that had lost accuracy from constant use and was becoming increasingly harder to carry around as I've got older. The rolling stand on the de walt is a joy to use and well thought out. Incidentally the lack of depth of cut compared with the larger de walt I find is seldom an issue and when it is, you can reverse the timber to get over 5'' at 90deg. Enjoy.