Finally got a table saw! Good price??

[Dalejones]

So I been scouting eBay and gumtree for months for a table saw for my workshop, finally picked this TS200 up yesterday locally, it was the full cut with extention table sliding carridge and trolley base that the owner had modified for better dust extraction

Cost £280 for the lot, which I thought was very reasonable only being 6 months old

Is there anything I need to do to it before I start making cabinets etc?

 

[Bodgers]

Check alignment of the blade to fence and mitre slot would be the first job. It is the mk2 so you shouldn't need to look at the fence mods that could be done on the mk1.

If it was me, I would ditch the terrible pressed steel extension table with some plywood or MDF.

Consider making a zero clearance insert plate with a supported left side - the plate on the TS200 leaves a huge space between the blade and plate.

It might just be the pictures, but what concerns me about the photos is that I can't see the riving knife...is it there?

 

[PAC1]

A riving knife and crown guard are essential. I would also make a zero clearance plate so that there is no enormous gap between the blade and table.
You will probably need a finer blade

 

[Dalejones]

It came with a zero clearance plate already and no it didn't come with the riving knife and crown guard where can I get one from?

 

[davem62]

Hi you can get spares direct from Axminster , I ordered a replacement knife from them £4.92 + £1 for postage
Regards David

 

[Bodgers]

It came with a zero clearance plate already and no it didn't come with the riving knife and crown guard where can I get one from?

It comes with one new, so the original owner should not have removed it! Shouldn't really use it without it really.

 

[artie]

Is there anything I need to do to it before I start making cabinets etc?

Apart from getting and installing the previously mentioned parts.

Sit down and repeat 1000 times. "I must be careful when using this saw"

I have been doing woodwork daily for over 16 years, and apart from an incident with a nail gun.

All my injuries, thankfully minor, we occasioned on a table saw.

IMO, the most dangerous piece of equipment in a wood shop.

It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, all my minor injuries were the result of me doing something I shouldn't or being inattentive.

SO, be careful

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

it's an accident waiting to happen using a saw without a riving knife and its illegal to sell one in the UK without one fitted

 

[Ttrees]

IMO, the most dangerous piece of equipment in a wood shop.

It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, all my minor injuries were the result of me doing something I shouldn't or being inattentive.

SO, be careful

Here's some frightening statistics involving tablesaw accidents in the USA,
Taken from another forum...

According to the CPSC, in 2007 thru 2008, there were about 79,800 accidents which resulted in emergency room visits or about 39,900 per year.

86% involved ripping

40.5% involved a kick back

66% had no blade guard

30% people were 65 or older.

It is contained in the "Survey of Injuries Involving Stationary Saws" by the CPSC.

There is a lot of interesting information in it and dispels a lot of commonly held ideas about table saw accidents.

And there's always a huge number of people getting hurt every year
Be safe and good luck !

 

[Richard863]

Yet another tip, increase depending on age. "Measure up 4 times cut once"
Good luck with it, oh and PC incorrect.
Merry Christmas

Richard

 

[david123]

Same saw as I use, I also have the sliding carriage which I Haven't used for a long time as my workshop works better, space wise without it. I made a crosscut sledge which I use for most of my work, easy to remove and hang on the wall.
As has been mentioned, the saw is only as good as you make it, I always check all the alignments before starting a project.
There are lots of threads on the TS200
Love them or hate them. For the type of woodwork I do it is a cracking piece of kit.

Good luck with it.

I know the crosscut sledge looks massive in the picture, it's the camara angle that makes it look that way

 

[Steve Maskery]

All the above in spades.
Plus make sure you adjust that rip fence properly. Pull it back short for ripping timber, keep it long for cutting sheet materials.

But don't even think of switching it on until you have fitted a proper riving knife and sorted out good guarding. You can get guards that attach to the RK and are convenient but a little restrictive, or you can build an overhead guard like mine which needs a bit more care in use but give me more options. But if I were you I'd go back to the seller and ask nicely where the RK and guard are. If it really is only 6 months old they cannot have been lost (although I suppose it is possible that he has thrown them away).