Thread: Anyone have an opinion on these?

I have opinions about most things!

Similar saw to the lower end Carba-Tec and Hafco (Hare and Forbes). Basically you get what you pay for. The trunions, bearings and so on may not be the est quality but for light and infrequent use it ought to be OK.

I have a Leda dust extractor that is pretty good and I have seen other Lada machinery in some workshops, so it can't be total rubbish,

Glad you have an opinion
I'm not going to be using it every day but it will get a run when I have projects on, nothing too excessive. I'm over my Triton 2000 setting it up and I'm sure it's not cutting truly square any more.

Hopefully I'll get a few more ticks against this saw and I can seriously think about getting it... That's if there's not one in same price bracket with the same capabilities.

Just on that I tried looking for second hand woodworking shops in the Sydney metro and had no luck - anyone know of any where I might pick up a good quality table saw for a good price?

Cheers

Just spotted this on ebay. Could someone who knows their stuff please tell me if this would be a good buy?

HAFCO 12" (305mm) Table Saw ST-12 | eBay

Far as I know that is a good unit!! The 12" blade will be an added bonus.

Good luck if you intend to bid!

Thanks artme. I intend to try and read other post on here about table saws to try and see what is considered a must on them but appreciate all the advice I receive in the meantime as there isn't long left on this auction.

I have the same H@F contractor saw that I bought second hand from these forums. It has done everything I have asked of it, lots of ripping salvage timber for building reno's and more detailed work including sheet materials. Definitely not a high end table saw, mine has an upgraded fence and the sliding table, makes it a good cheap usable piece of machinery.

Depends on what it reaches but I'd say the H&F is a much better thing. Never underestimate the worth of a 4" depth of cut. Yeah 12" blades are dearer but remember you can use that saw as an 8" jointer/thicknesser with a decent blade (irwin don't count as great only adequate).

Add a router wing and an incra and you've got a similar setup to mine and you'd be surprised how versatile it is.

Cheers guys. So it's a go-er then hey? Also What would be a reasonable price for it to go at? I don't wanna over bid and in the end get ripped off.

Thanks

Originally Posted by garfield

Cheers guys. So it's a go-er then hey? Also What would be a reasonable price for it to go at? I don't wanna over bid and in the end get ripped off.

Thanks

The Irwin blades are a waste of time so you should probably factor in 100 for a Freud or cmt combination blade. Whats the saw worth new? I bought my mbs 300 (12" saw) for 2600. Not sure how the hf compares.

I checked the website for hf and the St-12d is 1600.

It has a much better fence is what I first noticed and that's a big plus.

The table top looks rather rusty so that could be a problem I am surprised the seller did not spend the time to clean it ao may be it's permanent rust rather surface rust you can normally remove with a rust removal and scotch bright / wet dry sandpaper.

It's the stock mitre gauge which is a waste of time too!

The eBay saw has hand made mobile base the hf one includes a much better version

The wings are solid cast iron on the new saw.

So 1600
- 100 (mob base)
- 250 (good fence)
- 250 (iron wings - what I would value them at)
- 300 + wear and tear

Personally I would maybe pay 650 at most for the eBay saw.

I am no expert however

Do you live near ACT?

Thanks Pellcorp, I really appreciate your helpful comments. Feel like buying a new one instead now, but would I pick up a good TS for around the $800...

I'd like dado capabilities, I'd like to be able to rip wide pieces, have all that is considered a must on a quality table saw.

Ebay saw is the better of the two. costs of the 12" blade is a bit of a negative but of course the advantage of the larger blade goes without saying.

I would say you might struggle to get all that for 800 new. I think you need to save maybe another 500 and you would start to be in the ballpark for the kind of features you are after. Also wide panels is a more complex question - if you want a sliding table then you probably need to add 1500 to your price ( however what a lot of wood workers seem to do is rip down large panels with a straight edge and circular saw before cutting to final dimensions on the table saw.

1500 really starts to get you into the realm of a nice saw such as:

http://www.wwwh.com.au/webshop/EWWIt...118519%7C%7C32

Or

http://www.wwwh.com.au/webshop/EWWIt...118519%7C%7C46

Not the answer you were looking for and other forumites can probably provide better advice

One negative of a 12" saw is you can't get zero clearance inserts for them - even making yourself is a pain because the position of the blade leaves so little room on the right.

However I agree eBay saw is the pick of the two.

Pellcorp, I would be interested in your experiences with zero clearance inserts, I am about to try and make some for my 12 inch H&F SB12 saw