NormanKing
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- Joined
- 9 Mar 2004
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I recently sold my TS2000 and hadn’t initially intended to replace it, but in the end I did.
At this years Alexandra Palace woodworking exhibition I was very taken with the new Record TSPP250 and that’s the one I ended up buying.
The TS2000 is a great saw (but I wanted something a little bigger) and in this mini review my comparisons with the TS2000 is made because its the only other saw I can personally compare it to.
Assembly
This thing is HEAVY. Despite Record stating “Tail Lift Required” on the delivery note the courier obviously decided to save a few quid and put it on a transit van. Needless to say the poor driver and I couldn’t move the pallet so we had to unpack it and carry it into my workshop one piece at a time – good job I was there because my wife couldn’t have done it on her own.
Although I assembled the saw on my own another (strong) person would have been useful.
The steel base is assembled first by bolting its four sides together. At this point don’t forget to attach the sliding carriage mounting bracket to the back of the stand (Fig 1) before putting the saw on top of the stand otherwise you’ll have to disassemble it later when you discover your mistake.
Once the saw body is bolted to the top of the stand the main cast table is put on and bolted to the saw. The two cast iron table extensions are then bolted onto the side of the main table one at a time (see Fig 2) and aluminium fence runners are bolted to the front and the back.
The sliding assembly is quiet easy to fit. It is supplied with two cast iron jigs to correctly position the sliding carriage pole on the saw before everything is tightened up. Two 6mm holes need to be drilled in each end of the main table using pre-drilled holes in the carriage pole supports as guides (see Fig 3). Metal pins are then inserted into these holes so that the carriage never moves out of alignment (I guess they figure the three bolts in each support aren’t enough on their own). When this is done the iron jigs can be removed and discarded. The carriage support arm is then bolted onto the steel base and the carriage itself slides onto the pole. The rest of the carriage assembly is very straight forward.
Once fitted the sliding carriage is extremely ridged and MUCH stronger than the TS2000.
Quality of Finish
Very impressive all round. The quality of the cast iron is very impressive. It is extremely smooth and the joints between the main table and the two extensions are almost undetectable when you run your finger across them.
The paintwork is very good all round. Where plastic has been used (rise and fall wheel) it is easily comparable to the Scheppach so I don’t foresee any problems there.
Calibration
The fence alignment and saw blade 90/45 degree positions were spot on out of the box but the sliding table needed to be calibrated. This (unlike the TS2000) is very quick and easy to do within a few minutes.
In Use
The fence is brilliant. It slides very smoothly and locks solidly both back and front. Like the TS2000 it has a reversible sub-fence to allow really close cuts to the blade.
Also like the TS2000 the sliding carriage fence has an inner extension to expend its length to more than 2.2m (Fig 4). It can also be repositioned in seconds to fit onto the front or the back of the sliding table making it possible to use it with 8x4 Sheets (Unlike the TS2000 whose sliding carriage didn’t have enough travel).
The mitre gage is also very good. It is accurate and slides through the cast table effortlessly. It also includes a hold down clamp (Fig 5) which is used to hold stock when using the TSPP250 as a pull saw (maximum 220mm travel). Like Sheppach this mitre also goes to 60 degrees both ways.
Gripes
The sliding carriage fence lacks the accurate mitre of the TS2000. Instead you have to rely on a scale for angles. (Fig 6)
On delivery the riving knife stands proud of the blade making it useless for rebating, but a few minutes with a file to lengthen the slot easily solved that problem.
Summery
Overall I’m really pleased with the saw. Its motor is plenty powerful enough for the depth of cut and at just £799 for the complete package (including delivery if you can find a Record open day/exhibition) it really is excellent value for money and if you have the space for it you won’t regret your buy.
Sub Note
It’s worth noting that this saw is also being imported under the FOX brand. On the face of it the FOX looks cheaper then the Record but on closer inspection you only get one cast iron extension with it instead two and you don’t get a five year warranty so I think that tips the balance in favour of Record.
At this years Alexandra Palace woodworking exhibition I was very taken with the new Record TSPP250 and that’s the one I ended up buying.
The TS2000 is a great saw (but I wanted something a little bigger) and in this mini review my comparisons with the TS2000 is made because its the only other saw I can personally compare it to.
Assembly
This thing is HEAVY. Despite Record stating “Tail Lift Required” on the delivery note the courier obviously decided to save a few quid and put it on a transit van. Needless to say the poor driver and I couldn’t move the pallet so we had to unpack it and carry it into my workshop one piece at a time – good job I was there because my wife couldn’t have done it on her own.
Although I assembled the saw on my own another (strong) person would have been useful.
The steel base is assembled first by bolting its four sides together. At this point don’t forget to attach the sliding carriage mounting bracket to the back of the stand (Fig 1) before putting the saw on top of the stand otherwise you’ll have to disassemble it later when you discover your mistake.
Once the saw body is bolted to the top of the stand the main cast table is put on and bolted to the saw. The two cast iron table extensions are then bolted onto the side of the main table one at a time (see Fig 2) and aluminium fence runners are bolted to the front and the back.
The sliding assembly is quiet easy to fit. It is supplied with two cast iron jigs to correctly position the sliding carriage pole on the saw before everything is tightened up. Two 6mm holes need to be drilled in each end of the main table using pre-drilled holes in the carriage pole supports as guides (see Fig 3). Metal pins are then inserted into these holes so that the carriage never moves out of alignment (I guess they figure the three bolts in each support aren’t enough on their own). When this is done the iron jigs can be removed and discarded. The carriage support arm is then bolted onto the steel base and the carriage itself slides onto the pole. The rest of the carriage assembly is very straight forward.
Once fitted the sliding carriage is extremely ridged and MUCH stronger than the TS2000.
Quality of Finish
Very impressive all round. The quality of the cast iron is very impressive. It is extremely smooth and the joints between the main table and the two extensions are almost undetectable when you run your finger across them.
The paintwork is very good all round. Where plastic has been used (rise and fall wheel) it is easily comparable to the Scheppach so I don’t foresee any problems there.
Calibration
The fence alignment and saw blade 90/45 degree positions were spot on out of the box but the sliding table needed to be calibrated. This (unlike the TS2000) is very quick and easy to do within a few minutes.
In Use
The fence is brilliant. It slides very smoothly and locks solidly both back and front. Like the TS2000 it has a reversible sub-fence to allow really close cuts to the blade.
Also like the TS2000 the sliding carriage fence has an inner extension to expend its length to more than 2.2m (Fig 4). It can also be repositioned in seconds to fit onto the front or the back of the sliding table making it possible to use it with 8x4 Sheets (Unlike the TS2000 whose sliding carriage didn’t have enough travel).
The mitre gage is also very good. It is accurate and slides through the cast table effortlessly. It also includes a hold down clamp (Fig 5) which is used to hold stock when using the TSPP250 as a pull saw (maximum 220mm travel). Like Sheppach this mitre also goes to 60 degrees both ways.
Gripes
The sliding carriage fence lacks the accurate mitre of the TS2000. Instead you have to rely on a scale for angles. (Fig 6)
On delivery the riving knife stands proud of the blade making it useless for rebating, but a few minutes with a file to lengthen the slot easily solved that problem.
Summery
Overall I’m really pleased with the saw. Its motor is plenty powerful enough for the depth of cut and at just £799 for the complete package (including delivery if you can find a Record open day/exhibition) it really is excellent value for money and if you have the space for it you won’t regret your buy.
Sub Note
It’s worth noting that this saw is also being imported under the FOX brand. On the face of it the FOX looks cheaper then the Record but on closer inspection you only get one cast iron extension with it instead two and you don’t get a five year warranty so I think that tips the balance in favour of Record.
