table saws?

[Anonymous]

Being new to woodworking I want to by table saw but not sure what to go for I have a budget of about £150. I was considering the Clarke cts10plm,
but am concerned about comments on this forum regarding Clarke drill stands does this mean their tools are suspect.Any thoughts or experience greatly appreciated

 

[sawdustalley]

I've got a £120 Ferm FZT 250 Table saw and I must admit i'm very impressed with it. It's great if your on a budget and havn't got a vast amount of space. (See it in the UKWorksdop review section)

With the £30 you have left over, if you choose this saw it's worth buying a good quality blade.

There's a model up called the Ferm FZT 250N, which is a slightly better model to the 250. thats at around £160 but again you'd want to replace the blade, as the factory ones are usually of poor quality.

I've been told to stay away from Clarke products. I've never brought one, so I can't sad REALLY bad stuff about them, but i'd stay away.

Hope that helps if it doesn't e-mail me. [email protected]

 

[Charley]

Hi Steve,

I've never used a clarke tool before so I can't comment on them.
James (sawdustalley) has a Ferm Table saw which costs £120 you can read his review here!

For £200 you can get the Record Select RSTS10 which got a good write up in Good Woodworking. It has an induction motor which you don't normally see in budget saws and is a major plus

The new Ferm FZT 250N looks very similar to the Record RSTS10 :shock: and also has an induction motor.

 

[Anonymous]

Steve,

The UK Woodworking folks will all chuckle but; Are you sure you want a table saw? If you're taking up woodwork 'cos of Norm then I probably can't sway you, but be aware that no saw in your budget range will compare with his Unisaw (? Is that right? I never can remember). Plus, if you eliminate all the dangerous joint cutting (which I would, if I was you, and liked having all my fingers) then it's not such an "all-rounder" as it first appears.

If you want to use a lot of sheet materials like MDF [shudder] and Ply then you'll probably do better with a good quality circular saw, a custom made straight edge and a cutting table. Take a look here for the set up I use. It's especially handy if you're short of space. You need plenty of room around a TS to use it properly and safely.

For accurate cross cuts you can't beat the chop saw, and you can get 'em so cheap now that they've pretty much become an essential, IMO.

In the long term, don't dismiss the bandsaw. (All right, you lot. Stop laughing) It'll rip stuff very accurately, will cut curves and will resaw boards to make you less dependant on standard timber sizes for your projects. The two biggest bonuses (boni?) as far as I'm concerned are: it's safer and it's quieter. I'd sooner you took away all my handplanes than deprive me of my bandsaw. (Take a look at my web site and you'll see this is no mean recommendation)

If I was starting again, I'd get the circular saw and a mitre saw to start with (the best quality I could afford) and save as quickly as possible for a 12" throat bandsaw. Now, what was the question...?

BTW, Clarke stinks. Run a long, long way away. Also, have a hunt in the classified ads in the woodworking mags, your local paper, Ad Trader etc for second hand. The cheap "starter" tools often get sold off after very little use when people upgrade to something better. You might want to think about why that is, and save up a bit more :wink: Anyway, food for thought, perhaps.

Cheers, Jester

 

[Charley]

Jester now whos forgot to use the <cough> tags?? :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Beg pardon, gov'.

#cough# :wink:

Cheers, Jester
Who thought she might have slipped one past you, but you're too good...

 

[Anonymous]

Just read the article on the circular saw. I agree that you can get some excellent results with some basic kit if you want. The biggest problem is watching Norm, and then wanting tools that you don't really need. Do you really need that expensive morticer if you have a perfectly good bench drill, or router. Dado blades would be good, but again what is wrong with your router. The router can, without doubt, out perform most machines in your workshop. Back to the saw. Just another slant on the table idea, no pun intended. It can be awkward to lean into the middle of a board comfortably. I have seen in an American mag, where the same principle was used, but the table was stood up with a rail along the bottom like an easel. Leaning back at about 15 degrees you can easily reach the complete sheet to be cut. I will try to dig out the mag for reference to get a back issue if anyone is interested.
PS has anyone seen this site before?
http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/dcd/ ... lans_Free/

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Since purchasing a bandsaw last year I haven`t used the tablesaw at all
I make tenons on the bandsaw and rebates with a router which gives me a far better finish.
Far less dust with a bandsaw, Iuse to take the machine out site to do any cutting as there is no dust extraction on the model I have.
One drawback that these cheap taiwan/chinese is the qaulity of the metal, it`s so soft and gauratee the woodruf key will shear in time as mine did the design of the key is to small and sheares quite easy
Save your money and get a good router and powered mitre saw

Oh interesting site Paulb added to the links on this forum

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everybody for the advice and suggestions, and I take your point about the band saw JESTER maybe I will add this to my Xmas list.
And like alot of people I have been swayed a bit by Norm and the NYW.

I have seen a FERM table locally to me for approx £94 so I will investigate that this weekend. I will contact you SAWDUSTALLEY if you don't mind.

Once again thanks to you all. One final note thanks for a great site lets all hope we can get some more input from like minded woodworkers

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Ask Sawdustalley if he still has the test report of the Ferm tablesaw which I e mailed him in jpeg.

I dont have anymore due to the motherboard on my machine frizzled away (£108 )

 

[sawdustalley]

Sorry i don't have it anymore either :x

 

[wood1000]

I found it on the site. Look in the reviews

 

[Anonymous]

STEVE

DID YOU HAVE ANY LUCK WITH YOUR SAW TABLE :?:

MICK B

 

[GrahamC]

Hi, I would always say that a good accurate table saw is the starting point for any good workshop. Unfortunately the Clarke table saws are neither good nor accurate, I myself purchased a Clarke and after not much usage I have now got myself an Elektra Beckum saw.

I used to work in a high school and had open access to good quality woodworking machinery, Startrite, i changed jobs and a few years later got the bug again to do some more serious woodworking (Thanks New Yankee). I got by for a while but decided I needed a table saw and assumed that a Clarke saw would be a reasonable buy for occassional hobby use.

I don't think I ever got the same cut twice on the Clarke saw, the rip fence moves and actually bows when tightened; the mitre guide has lateral movement in the table slot meaning no matter how well you set the guide angle you cant get an accurate cut; the motor has hideous vibration and the table is not even machined square.

As a newbie to woodworking it might not be a bad idea to get a bandsaw to start, a table saw can be a dangerous beastie and unless you are prepared to spend a few quid you are doing yourself an injustice.

Consider the Elektra Beckum range of tools, either table saw or bandsaw, they may cost little more but they are very good tools.

 

[Anonymous]

Graham
Not all budget table saws are the same, I use a b&q performance and it is fine , the fence is great, it has 80mm depth of cut came with a reasonable 950mm x 650mm top and only cost £80.
As for danger :? when a bandsaw blade breaks it can come out of the
machine and act like a wip with sharp teath
Mick B

 

[Anonymous]

I don't want to start an argument, but I have to agree with Graham. I too started with a clarke, to get started, only to be very dissapointed. I now own, like Graham, an Electra Beckum PK200. This is an excellent saw, and since changing the blade for a Freud it is even better.
Yes you probably can get some good cheaper saws, especially if you change the blade, but a better saw to start with will last you longer in the long run.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi FELLOW WOODWORKERS SEEMS I OPENED A CONVERSATION PIECE HERE
ANYWAY MICKBLEE YES I DID BUY THE SAW AT BMJs IN ILFORD FOR £93.99
AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE VERY FAVOURABLE. THE MITRE GUIDE IS A BIT FLIMSY BUT I MUST SAY IT DOES THE JOB QUITE ACCURATELY
AND GRAHAMC I DID CONSIDER THE ELEKTRA BECKUM BUT IT WAS BEYOND BY BUDGET I ALSO CONSIDERED THE KITY 419 BUT TO PRICEY
AND AS I SAID I'AM JUST STARTING OUT SO A BUDGET PRICED SAW WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR ( LIKE EVERYBODY PAY A LITTLE FOR A
REASONABLE PRODUCT ) BUT WHEN I HAVE A LARGER WORKSHOP AND MORE EXPERIENCE THEN MAYBE I WILL LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE A RECON STARTRITE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT
WELL ALL I HAVE TO DO NOW IS START WORKING ON ONE OF MY MANY PROJECTS TO GET A BIT MORE USED TO THE SAW :wink:

ONCE AGAIN THANKS FOR THE INTEREST IN MY QUESTION AND THANKS FOR THE ADVICE AND DISCUSSIONS THAT HAVE ARISEN ABOUT THIS

AND ISN'T THIS A GREAT SITE THANKS

STEVED

 

[Anonymous]

Paul
Sorry
I agree with you an Electra will be a lot better than a cheaper one :lol: .
the point that I was making is that the performance saw i have has been fine, Steve has said that he is new to woodworking and i think spending most (or at least a large part) of your budget on one tool that you may
not use as much as you think may not be best.
For me it would not be practical to buy the top of the range tools, for work I have to have not only carpentry tools but also plumbing, decorating, electrical, building and landscaping tools. the cost for this lot would be far out of my reach if i did.
Mick B

 

[Anonymous]

Steve
Have fun with it and enjoy your woodworking, thats the point after all.
Mick B

 

[GrahamC]

Mick,

It is good to hear that you have got a budget table saw that is not just an expensive sawdust maker. I didn't mean to generalise and say that all table saws were poor, I am sure that there will even be people who own and love Clarke saws too!!!

I understand your points about buying what you can afford weighed up against how often you will use it; unfortunately there is a lot of rubbish stuff out there that looks good value only to become an expensive waste of money. Sadly there is also a lot of expensive stuff that is also rubbish or over hyped, i.e. DeWalt

I guess that is why this forum is ideal, to share experiences with others that might save a few more of us from commiting money to the wrong tools, or saving a few bob by suggesting a good budget tool. I hope that this forum becomes well visited and used as these great sources of information seem few and far between in this country.