Table Saw~300-500GBP

[onlinename]

Hello there,

I am in the market for a table saw and a planer thicknesser.

Ideally I would like a combo machine but those are quite expensive and my workshop is very small.

I am in between these two saws but can't seem to find many reviews on them

Axminster TS-200 @ 429.00

Charnwood W619 8'' Cast Iron Table Saw @ 499.99

Please let me know your thoughts on these two or if you have any alternatives for a budget up to 500 GBP.

Also any planer thicknessers better than this one:

W588 8'' x 5'' Bench Top Planer Thicknesser @ 289.99

up to 300GBP

Many thanks guys.

 

[carlb40]

I have the TS 200 and while it is ok and others also have it on here. The charnwood is the one i would get. It seems to have a few added features the TS200 doesn't.
For the sort of budget you have, there really isn't a lot out there.

Looking at the planer / thicknesser. The tables don't seem that long. Plus it has a brush motor and will be very noisy when planing etc.

Maybe try and get something like this?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elektra-Becku ... 41715beba7

Or something similar from scheppach / metabo etc

 

[JakeS]

The charnwood is the one i would get. It seems to have a few added features the TS200 doesn't.
For the sort of budget you have, there really isn't a lot out there.

I'm curious what you're referring to here - with the exception of a few components (the particular extrusion profile used for the rails and the fence, the shroud around the stand) it looks identical to my TS-200. Literally identical, for large chunks of it - the sliding table looks the same, the mitre gauge looks the same, the tabletop looks the same, the crown guard looks the same...

 

[carlb40]

The charnwood is the one i would get. It seems to have a few added features the TS200 doesn't.
For the sort of budget you have, there really isn't a lot out there.

I'm curious what you're referring to here - with the exception of a few components (the particular extrusion profile used for the rails and the fence, the shroud around the stand) it looks identical to my TS-200. Literally identical, for large chunks of it - the sliding table looks the same, the mitre gauge looks the same, the tabletop looks the same, the crown guard looks the same...

If you watch the video, on it you will see you can remove the extension table and store it separately. Not something everyone would need / do, but it is a handy feature in smaller workshops

 

[JakeS]

If you watch the video, on it you will see you can remove the extension table and store it separately. Not something everyone would need / do, but it is a handy feature in smaller workshops

Could be useful, certainly, although I'm curious how they do it. I didn't see him releasing any clips or anything, and you could arguably do the same with the TS-200... if you didn't tighten up the bolts holding it on in the first place!

 

[onlinename]

Thanks for the input so far guys! Keep it going Any reviews of one over the other is great.

Yes, the charnwood would get a point in the dismantling as my workshop is tiny. Probably 2m wide x 4.3m long..

So in conclusion there is nothing else out there as good/better for this price range?

 

[carlb40]

If you are not in a rush to buy? A member recently purchased the charnwood and will be doing a review once he has had chance to use it.

 

[MickCheese]

Have you had a look at eBay.

There are a few on there in your price range but they need to be relatively to make them viable.

Mick

 

[onlinename]

Ok, so after a lot of reading I am thinking of getting the DeWalt DW745 with the additional DE7400 tray station.

I figured that on good days I could take it out outside the workshop if I ever need to cut longer pieces so portability was a plus.
In addition it seems to be a lot more compact than the charnwood in terms of surface area coverage.

I will be making a sled fence as well since the small mitre fence will clearly not do a very good job.

Do you guys think this is the right move? I have heard it's much sturdier and that the fence is almost always 90 degrees.

The only downside I see is that I am getting a lot less 'machine' for the same money.

Let me know your thoughts on the matter

 

[onlinename]

If you are not in a rush to buy? A member recently purchased the charnwood and will be doing a review once he has had chance to use it.

Do you know which member bought it perhaps I could pm him
Thanks!

 

[carlb40]

If you are not in a rush to buy? A member recently purchased the charnwood and will be doing a review once he has had chance to use it.

Do you know which member bought it perhaps I could pm him
Thanks!

JimD is the member

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www ... FIJW8kMRGQ

 

[RogerBoyle]

My take on it
The De-Walt saw is a brilliant bit of kit for site work and a small workshop it has a small footprint and is portable
The fence is solid as is the construction and the stand is excellent as well
But it is a noisy saw and it will only cut up to 16 inches wide
The top is an alloy rather than cast and as such is easier to scratch/damage
and if space is at premium the stand that you can get for it may not be the best way for you to support it

The charnwood I really cant comment on as I have never used it but I have seen it
I will say its not nearly as portable as the De-Walt but it was never designed to be
The top is cast and it appeared to have a solid fence
I also have No idea how well it cuts or what the noise is like
But it is only an eight inch blade where as the De-Walt is a 10 inch cut

If you really cant have a saw set up permanently and you can live with the limited cutting of the De-Walt then I would recommend that one for sheer portability and depth of cut

If you can have a saw set up permanently and you can live with the limited depth of cut then get the Charnwood

Roger

 

[carlb40]

See if this works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... BXaV3Mt2MI

 

[JakeS]

I also have No idea how well it cuts or what the noise is like

If it's anything like the Axi TS-200 that it looks identical to, then it's reasonably quiet, since it's an induction motor.

 

[JimD]

Hi all,

I've not had a chance to really test the Charnwood, but I did have a few issues when setting up. For example, I had to get the fence clamp replaced as it wasn't square. Charnwood were very good. They posted the new part without any quibbles and seemed quite open to discussing my other quibbles once I've had time to use the saw and see if they are worthy of rectification. Stuff like the saw blade being not 100 percent square to the slot (a few 10ths of a mil out) and the table not being 100 percent flat (again probably within acceptable tolerances and less than 1mm overall).

Main points to consider are:
The fact the extension table is NOT easily removable. There are 8 bolts to undo and 4 grub screws to adjust. I suspect it is no different to any other extension table. The video is very misleading.
Also there are no real instructions. I used those from an Axi 200. They are VERY similar.
The sliding table is a pig to get level and square but nice once done. Not sure how true it will stay over time as the bolts may slip in their slots.

The saw is quiet and seems solidly built. Its not portable. I got mine from poolwood for 429 plus the wheeled base so I can move it about. spec says its 90kg all in but suspect its more like 60 with the table saw being 45

Overall it's pretty much as I expected. I'll be using it this weekend so will post my official review next week sometime.

Cheers
Jim

 

[JimD]

Ps i also toyed with the portable saw option. I was leaning towards the bosch one that competes with the dewalt one mentioned but the noise put me off in the end. The induction motor makes a big difference and the cast iron table has a nice industrial feel rather than a DIY feel to it.

 

[JakeS]

Stuff like the saw blade being not 100 percent square to the slot (a few 10ths of a mil out)

As it goes, if you've not fixed this it's not impossible - there was a lengthy thread on here a while ago about fettling the TS-200, and I've managed with mine; you just need to loosen-but-not-remove a handful of bolts across the top surface and give it a bit of a tap. IIRC it was fairly obvious which bolts just from looking in on it from the underside.

 

[carlb40]

Jim the altering of the table to the blade is easy. If you search on here for axminster ts 200, you will get lots of threads on fettling the saw. Including how to adjust the top to the blade.

Now to the top itself. I have the axi ts200. When i checked mine it was out by 2mm. After speaking with customer services, i was told they would send a replacement top out. The new top arrived, but was the one for the sliding table. After speaking to the technical dept, i was told they don't stock the actual main top now.
However i had already taken the top off my saw in readiness for the new one.
What i found was the top itself was flat, it is the base that is out. So if you can live with the 1mm difference? If not you can loosen the 4 bolts holding the top to the base and pack up the top with washers. That is what i did with mine. Due to the fact my local Nuneaton branch had one left and was out exactly the same, and so where the ones in stock at axminsters warehouse.


PS
I was told that being 2mm out was within spec for that factory :shock:

 

[carlb40]

Stuff like the saw blade being not 100 percent square to the slot (a few 10ths of a mil out)

As it goes, if you've not fixed this it's not impossible - there was a lengthy thread on here a while ago about fettling the TS-200, and I've managed with mine; you just need to loosen-but-not-remove a handful of bolts across the top surface and give it a bit of a tap. IIRC it was fairly obvious which bolts just from looking in on it from the underside.

You can see them just as well by removing the insert plate, it is a fiddly job. But worth it

 

[JimD]

Thanks chaps. I'll have a play later his week and report back. Cheers