To buy a TKU or not to buy a TKU

[Jeb]

Please forgive me for asking yet another Table Saw question. I'd like to hear from as many of you as possible as to whether or not I should purchase a Scheppach TKU Professional (with all the stands) or continue to wait for a better saw to come onto the (used) market at a price I can afford.

I plan to use it to build furniture and other household type woodworking projects. This is going to be my first table saw and I don't want to have to turn around and have to sell it and buy another.

Thanks for your advice.

--Jeb

 

[Anonymous]

Jeb

I know nothing about the saw you name but know enough to say that you do not need the best table saw around to make decent furniture as a hobbiest, ( I am assuming this is hobby work, not to make a living) and money saved can be spent on more useful tools or on wood.

I have made furniture now for about 10 years using relatively cheap saws and the absolute bottom of the range (B&Q) are a mistake, however mid range are more than adequate. I have the kity 419 and it is more than capable of doing everything I need.

 

[Ulrich]

Hello Jeb,

the TKU is a tablesaw which is built more for rough cutting on building sites by carpenters. I doubt very much that you will be content with the precision of cuts when you are planning to make furniture. Furthermore Scheppach is just loosing its good recommendation in German woodworking forums due to rising quality issues and bad service. As it seems, the Scheppach production is more and more transferred to the Far East and quality standards there don't match the former standards in the German production. So I personally would not recommend a new Scheppach any more as I should have done still a few years ago. As

Ulrich

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Jeb

I agree with Ulrich about the TKU, but I'm saddened with the Scheppach news.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Alf]

Furthermore Scheppach is just loosing its good recommendation in German woodworking forums due to rising quality issues and bad service. As it seems, the Scheppach production is more and more transferred to the Far East and quality standards there don't match the former standards in the German production. So I personally would not recommend a new Scheppach any more as I should have done still a few years ago.

Hmm, that's interesting. Just recently I read a pretty negative comment on Scheppach over on rec.woodworking too - came as quite a surprise given the endless top billing they've had. From personal experience I wouldn't go with Scheppach either, for a number of reasons.

To expand on what Tony said, Jeb, I make furniture without a table saw at all. From choice. In theory I have one (the other half of the Maxi) but I just don't have the need. What kind of furniture d'you have in mind? Or perhaps even more to the point, what materials? Sheet stock or boards?

Cheers, Alf

 

[ike]

I have a TKU. It does what it says on the tin, ie. a site saw. Has little in the way of accuracy compared to a half decent table saw. I don't regard that as a big disadvantage since I can bring on accurate dimensions with the P/T.

It has a relatively powerful, quiet motor. The extra cutting depth I've found very useful for ripping heavy timber , included a lot of reclaimed oak and elm. The sliding table isn't bad at all. The rear table support is flimsy but still does the business.

Big capacity for the money relative to some of the 10" brush motor table saws. Obviously light construction for portability, BUT, if I were looking at a site saw today, I'd have a good look at the JET site saw. It looks much better value and sturdier, and has folding legs so you can still get it into an estate car or van if you ever needed to.

Would I change it?... maybe if I had plenty of cash to bung around, but in reality it does everything I require of a table saw. From a hobbyist standpoint, I'd rather bring in accuracy with the P/T, and using handtools - far more satisfying if time is not an issue.

Edited to add a note on quality, I think the Scheppach TKU motor/arbor unit is top notch quality, as it is whisper quiet and smooth running. Mine is over 5 years old , done a fair bit of work and it still runs as good as the day it came out of the box.


cheers,

Ike

 

[mark_h]

I have had a TKU for several years now and it has proven to be excellent. Lots of power, quiet, good capacity. I find the accuracy acceptable, particularly the sliding carriage, and I use my planer and thicknesser to accurately dimension timber.

Very disappointed to note the quality problems; i've never had any cause to test out customer service as it has never given me any trouble.

I was considering buying one of the new HMS2600ci planer thicknessers, on the assumption that they were German made and likely to be better quality than most of the other far east products on the market. I may well re-think now!

Mark H

 

[ike]

I was considering buying one of the new HMS2600ci planer thicknessers, on the assumption that they were German made

Aren't they still then?

 

[Jake]

The cast iron is made in China, or the far east at least. I think they are still assembled in Germany - that is what they were saying when the ci range came in, i.e. that everything remained the same apart from the sub-contracting of the tops.

 

[Chris Knight]

Jeb,

I believe that saw decisions especially but machinery decisions in general should first be addressed by thinking about available space. Certainly it is nice to have a good table saw and it can be put on a mobile base etc. etc. but assembly takes room and is very hard to do well in a cramped or confined space.

 

[ike]

Ah yes...Space - always the final frontier!

 

[Ulrich]

Hallo Ike,

as for the planer thicknesser I cannot say, where they are produced. I only know, that the planer tables are produced in the far east. I should believe that the planers are at least asssembled still in Germany. The complaints because of quality issues mainly referred to the Basato bandsaw series. In a discussion about these problems on our German woodworking forum www.woodworking.de a Basato owner also spoke of a very reluctant German Scheppach service. Furthermore the former well renowned Scheppach lathes were recently substituted by far east products. The same applies to some other machines, which only are sold but not produced under the Scheppach label during the last two or three years. I personally encountered problems with a Scheppach Tiger 2005 with badly machined guides for the grinding jig. Finally I remember in the discussions on woodworking.de experiences of forum members that spare parts were only available a short time - one or two years - after the production of a certain machine type had ended. Metabo for example guarantees that spare parts are available ten years after the production has stopped...

Naturally that all doesn't meant, that Scheppach tablesaws or planer thicknesser are not recommendable machines any more. But to me it means, that the Scheppach production policy has changed on the whole in a way, I don't like it, and I personally would hesitate to buy a new Scheppach. As for the older ones - these have a good reputation, but there might arise the problems of spare parts which are no longer available if machines of the same type are not still produced.

Ulrich

 

[ike]

Sad to hear Scheppach slowly losing their good reputation through 'badge engineering' bought in products.

iKe

 

[engineer one]

at the risk of adding to the fire, i still rate my DeWalt 744 for those who have a small workshop, and need to do sheet work.

i get the big sheets cut at the yard into useable multiples of what i
want to produce, then clean them up with the 744 with a cmt blade,
nice cuts, and little or no break out in mdc or veneered mdf.

the tku is definately a site saw, not realistically a "cabinet" saw.

all the best
paul :wink: