Specific Table Saw Advice (I know, I know).

[Bramis25]

Morning guys,

I know this is yet ANOTHER Table Saw advice thread but I am very new to this and am just about to embark on buying specific tools for the new garden room/workshop.

After all the horrific weather I have managed to get it all finished and the electrics will be run in next week.

Time to get started, I have built a 3m x 5m room with double opening French doors. I plan on building a large moveable outfield table and now I am in need of a good quality Table Saw that I can use to not only rip down sheets but be accurate enough to do some repeat cuts and cabinetry as well as make some items for the home.

I have been researching on you tube really like the look of a lot of varied items built out of plywood and after I have built some fitted wardrobes, a new bed, some side tables and possibly some chest of drawers I will be looking to make some plywood cabinets, tables, tv stations etc...

I was looking at site saws and specifically the dewalt745 but after reading A LOT of suggestions and thread on here I am probably going to move away. The room is at the end of the garden but I would still like a fairly quiet but ultimately accurate Table Saw.

Budget is around £500-600

Thanks for reading and hopefully I have been fairly clear, if you need specific information or if I have made an error please let me know. Thanks again for any advice!!

 

[Co1]

I’m in a similar boat so will watch with interest. The Charnwood saw in that price range looks like good value so would be interested in the opinion of others.

 

[Bramis25]

Thanks buddy, I know I am came to the right place so we can both have our problem solved. :0)

 

[delboy47]

There's one for sale on here at the moment. Take a look in the Marketplace section.

 

[Marineboy]

If you are going to be working mainly with ply, have you thought about whether a track saw may suit your needs better?

 

[Bramis25]

I’m just worried about the amount of repeat cuts I am going to have to do?

I’m open to all advice.

To get the accuracy I want am I going to have to go up in budget for an accurate Table Saw??

 

[MikeJhn]

Quite a few people on here have this one: https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-h ... w-ax943888 If you go to the site at the right hand side is an options drop down, this includes the extension table, there is a thread on here on "Axminster TS-250 Modifications" that may give you some idea of its capabilities, about the best you could get for your budget.

Mike

EDIT: to add link: axminster-ts250-2-modifications-t102284.html

 

[Bramis25]

Thanks Mike, within reason what would be best for me if budget wasn't a problem?

 

[MikeJhn]

If budget was not a problem it would probably be best to go for an upright panel saw: https://www.axminster.co.uk/machinery/s ... panel-saws it would take up less room and can be as accurate as you set it up, failing that then one of these: https://www.axminster.co.uk/machinery/saws/panel-saws or something similar, but they would blow your budget wide open.

Mike

 

[Bramis25]

Ok, well that’s too much for me.

I just need something that can cope/excel in making the items I want to build as mentioned above.

I didn’t realise Axminster is the best make?!

 

[Adam9453]

I’m sorry to say but I don’t know of any brand new table saw within your budget that will give the accuracy level I think you’re expecting from what you have said, it’s also important to consider the quality of cut you can achieve. For example you’re mainly talking about dimensioning sheet goods, which is where a track saw excels if you don’t have a big budget for a very good panel/dimension saw. The track saw is within your budget, will give a superb cut quality providing you use the correct blade for the material and makes achieving long straight cuts easily achieveable by anyone. A Tablesaw actually requires substantial skill to achieve long straight cuts and is obviously more dangerous for someone inexperienced. I’d recommend the Festool track saw as the cut quality is professional quality, the dust extraction when connected to a hoover is superb and there are a range of different length tracks/rails available for the saw to run on. Upto you what you choose but I’d recommend seeing if someone local to you has a track saw and/or Tablesaw for you to try out and see how you actually find using the tool. Festool actually offer a rep service whereby they will come to your home and demonstrate tools so you can see what you think without any pressure to buy (the reps don’t sell at all and are very knowledgeable) so I’d recommend you take advantage of this as it’s free. I hope this helps you avoid ending up with an expensive tool from which you get disappointing results. If you’ve got any other questions feel free to ask

 

[MikeJhn]

Ok, well that’s too much for me.

I just need something that can cope/excel in making the items I want to build as mentioned above.

I didn’t realise Axminster is the best make?!

Bramis25

I was not advocating Axminster as being the best make, its just a very convenient web site to refer to.

My t'penny worth on tracks saws, they take an age to set up for each cut, they are slow and not accurate for repeat width cuts, cutting repeat widths the table saw is the obvious choice.

Mike

 

[deema]

The difference between a light saw and a heavy built saw is IMO chalk and cheese. I’ve owned a Startrite 275 which I thought was the bees knees. I then migrated to a Sedgwick LK which is slightly bigger and a heavier built saw. I thought I had got it made. I dabbled with Wadkin AGS and thought these were superb. However, I then fell upon a SCM SI 15F which I still have and is sublime. I was working out of a double garage at the time and was concerned about the size of the saw. However the saw is not really any bigger than the Startrite 275 with one set of extension bars and an obligatory small outfred table. The quality and accuracy of the cut is in a different stratosphere.

I bring this up because if your dealing with sheet material and don’t go down the track saw route a saw like the now obsolete SCM SI15F is an ideal choice. There are few saws I’ve researched that offered the same features. A 5 1/2” rip capability, Independant scribe blade and a sliding table in a fairly small foot print.

They are however 3ph but a fairly small Transwave will power them. I know it’s outside your budget but there is a suitable transwave and saw on auction sites. (£1450 total). You can pay more than this for a top brand track saw and track extensions.

I would potentially look at using a had saw (a secondhand saw is buttons) initially until funds would allow a really decent circular saw which a budget of say £1,500 will facilitate. I think you will surprise yourself just how quickly you can cut up sheet material or anything with a good handsaw (not a £5 hardpoint saw from a shed)

 

[Bramis25]

Thanks guys. I’m gonna take it all into consideration although my brain is a bit frazzled at the moment.

I’m thinking I may have set my sights too high.

 

[Adam9453]

It’s interesting reading your post deema, me experience has been much the same as yours and while I’m happy with my startrite 300ps, I’ve been spoilt by having access to a big altendorf dimension saw and better than that a computer controlled beam saw. Once you’ve experienced the ease of use, efficiency and accuracy of those bits of kit it’s hard not to look at the startrite without seeing all the ways it’s so inferior by comparison.
I’d seriously recommend people look at buying sheet goods cut to size by a company with one of these saws because the low cost per cut and time saved, plus improvement in accuracy makes it difficult to justify buying a low budget saw and spending vast amounts of time trying to match the accuracy and cut quality. I think Avon plywood offer a service such as this for a very reasonable price. Food for thought anyway

 

[deema]

I totally agree Adam, even with a good panel saw for ‘big jobs’ as a one man band it’s far better to get it all cut up to size on someone else’s ultra precise and u er expensive bean saw.

For a one man band, or an enthusiast I think something like a SCM Si15F (I can 4 square Edge on it [up to 50” in length - which is good for a lot of stuff] quicker than I can on my P/T and the quality of the cut is better with the right blade!) or similar is the bees knees, otherwise you can’t realky go wrong with either a Sedgwick, Wadkin AGS or a Startrite (biggest foot print to smallest)

 

[Adam9453]

It’s funny as we rarely use the standard planer thicknesser unless we’re having to reduce a big amount of thickness on a very large lump of solid timber. we typically buy the timber in close to finished thickness (fin thick +8mm for example) rip to rough width then put it through the big drum sander to smooth it down to finished thickness, the beauty of this is that it flattens, thicknesses and sands the board all in one operation which saves wasted time setting up lots of machines. Once it’s thicknessed we’ll often then either use the beam saw or cnc to trim to exact width (and of course perfectly straight) and length. Then just a case of cutting the joints using the tennoner (unless they’ve been done by the cnc during the trimming). Of course for small sections it’s quicker to throw them through the 4 sider then just trim to length 8)

 

[ED65]

Given the tight budget I'm a bit surprised nobody has mentioned the DIY route to a panel saw:

There are multiple free plans for these published originally in the American mags, and others on various forums and sites.

But if you absolutely had to you could cut sheet goods on the ground (suitably supported) using a circular saw run against a straight edge, or saw it by hand. In either case refinement to sub-millimetre accuracy could be done on a router table.

 

[ED65]

I would potentially look at using a had saw (a secondhand saw is buttons) initially until funds would allow a really decent circular saw which a budget of say £1,500 will facilitate. I think you will surprise yourself just how quickly you can cut up sheet material or anything with a good handsaw (not a £5 hardpoint saw from a shed)

I agree with the suggestion of using a hand saw to begin with, but I think your definition of 'good handsaw' might be a bit off here. I like sharpenable saws as much as the next guy, but sheet goods aren't their bread and butter and it will require (in relatively short order) that the OP either learn to sharpen saws, with all that entails, or find someone who can do it for them and as we know from multiple threads that'll amount to a unicorn hunt for most guys.

Hardpoint saws are not all created equal. Some are fast, cut straight and importantly their hard teeth stay in good shape and last cutting harder materials, while others cut jerkily, don't follow a line that well and the teeth seem to be too brittle and prone to having their tips snapped off. S&J Predators fall into the first category and they've been recommended on here by multiple members as being a good buy.

 

[Steve Maskery]

My t'penny worth on tracks saws, they take an age to set up for each cut, they are slow and not accurate for repeat width cuts, cutting repeat widths the table saw is the obvious choice.

I, on the other hand, couldn't disagree more!
With my track saw I can cut as many panels as I like, setup takes seconds and all the panels will be accurate and identical. I mean identical.

I use a setting gauge. It's the very first thing I published on DVD over a decade ago now and I know from what my customers tell me that it is a very popular gadget. I have one customer in South Africa who makes them as presents for all his woody mates.

In contrast, I would't dream of trying to hoist an 8x4 sheet of MDF onto a tablesaw, not even my Xcalibur, let alone a domestic-sized one. Apart from the weight, it would be too unwieldy working alone.

So unless you have space and budget for a panel saw, I suggest a good track saw, Tiddles' saw horses and my setting gauge(s) (I have one for cutting panels wider than the track and another for cutting strips narrower than the track). Then buy Matt's Xcalibur (it's bang on your budget). Then you can make anything in the world.

You can see me using the setting gauge in my workshop build thread, but I'm afraid I can't direct you to a particular page, it's too long. But look to where we are covering the outside with OSB.
Edit: Here you go