Thread: Workcentre 2000 any good?

To be fair, Ryan, it depends in which direction you think your woodwork will take you. Like any component system, it's as strong as its weakest part - in this case, the saw. If you have a weedy circular saw to use in it, then it will perform "weedily!" If you can find one of the Triton 9¼" 2400W saws, then you'll have yourself a good piece of kit.

Advantages include being able to fold it all down to fit into a car or hang it on the shed wall, plus having the circular saw for handheld use - can't do either of those with a TS.

Disadvantages include some fussy setting-up procedures and a blade that cannot be tilted in the table. The former only takes a thorough read of the manual and some patience to overcome. The latter can be overcome in crosscut mode, or via the Bevel Ripping Guide accessory (15 - 90 degree cuts). If you'll only need to do 45 degree cuts, the supplied fence comes with that included.

See here for pictures, more details, etc. Any more/further questions, fire away.

Ray

What Ray said but also if it had not been for Triton I would not be the woodworker I'm today. I started with the Mark 3 and now I have the 2000. It teaches you to overcome its limitations and discover new skills before you spend big bucks on a TS. And no mine is not for sale.

SB

Gday Ryano

The Triton videos may shed some light on what your looking at.
If you PM me we can see how close we are, I've got them on DVD's

What Ray said. My WS20000 has served me very well, and I made many successful items with it. However, my interest in woodworking has increased dramatically, largely because of this success, and now I am ready for an upgrade. The upgrade is NOT inexpensive. I bought a Carbatec Model 10HB Cabinet saw, a Woodpeckers Router table, a Triton 2400w router, and a Carbatec 2hp Tradesman Dust Extractor, as well as sundry other items. All this cost a great deal more than the WS2000.
I am now going to sell the WS2000. It is equipped with the Triton 235mm Precision Power Saw. It has all the standard features, including the assembly and operating video and manual. It also has the retractable leg kit, the dust collection system, including dust bag, dust bucket and hoses, the router and jigsaw plate, and a custom-made crosscut sled to suit.
It's for sale for $600. It's located in Ocean Grove, and can be inspected there. I go regularly to Melbourne, so delivery is a possibility.

I've had mine for 6 years and I am very happy with it.

I needed a portable saw because of space constrictions, and this is the best that I could find here in South Africa. I just push it in between my two workbenches to allow me to still park two vehicles in my oversized garage/workshop.

Cross cutting with the top in the lower position is a drag to set up, so I mostly do this with the mitre gauge. Once dialed it it remains accurate if you do not have slop in the slides.

I live on the Indian Ocean coast and have NO rust, not even a spec, which is impressive!

I am not that happy with the router table. Pressed steel does not give one a smooth, level surface, so I have solved the problem by putting a 1/4" (6 mm.) piece of MDF on the top. It does limit the height of the bits by that much, but I have learned to live with it.

If you can get a second hand one, I would not hesitate for a moment. They go very cheap here!

Good luck with the search!

Hi Ryan, I actually bought my ws2000 for similar reasons. The replies so far give a good idea of the pros and cons of the unit. My own perspective is that it has proved invaluable for jobs around the house that involved carpentry (eg, replacing the verandah floorboards, pickets for the fence, a raised garden bed etc). It's portability and fairly compact storage are assets. I have the Triton saw and think it a good idea to use in the table, and it does cut well. However, I am at best uncertain as to its suitability for cabinet-making, although I have made a workshop bench. Ray touched on the well-known set-up issues, and I have to say that I have never got mine 100% accurate. I know it can be done but I have not been able to, despite re-reading the instructions, watching the video and hours of trying. There is an excellent post by a former Triton employee on how to set it up - I haven't followed his formula yet because my unit is presently 1mm out and I can live with that. In the meantime I have joined a woodwork club so I make funiture there (not much help for you thought I admit). Another thing that was aggravating was the incorrect calibration on the protractor - the 90degree mark was not truly square so I have had to adjust it manually and practice with offcuts before proceeding.
At the end of the day though I am keeping it and working within the limitations as it offers terrific versatility. Also, I don't have room for a table saw!

I have had my WC 2000 for about 5 years and it has served me very well. It isn't a cabinet saw or even a contractor saw, but it does do a lot and has a lot of advantages. There are some other shortcomings that you do need to bear in mind in addition to those mentioned above -

1. it doesn't have proper mitre slits so you can't use an aftermarket mitre gauge or other sleds and jigs that use the slots - there are workarounds - eg sleds that use the edges of the table, but you have to use your ingenuity for them
2. the rip fence is not set to be parallel to the blade at all times - you have to set it up and lock it at both ends every time you move it - a good table saw has a fence which is set square all the time and you lock it down at one end only
3. the fence needs to be adapted if you want to add a higher fence, or a sacrificial fence to it or use it for a tenoning jig or other kinds of jig - WC 2000 users have come up with ways of doing this - many of the gizmo's are in threads here.
4. the dust collection is somewhat less than universal - the bag below is a bit of a pest and trying to convert it to 4" dust collection can be difficult.
5. you can't put a dado blade in the saw, so if you want to nibble out tenons, you have to do that more slowly.
6. it is noisier than a good TS

Having said that, I am not in the market for a new saw - I will replace the WC 2000 some time, but not yet. And even when I do, the portability features that have been mentioned already mean I will probably keep the WC 2000 just so I can keep those features for when I need them!

Triton has a few minus points but so does every other TS and piece of woodworking machinery. If you are serious about buying a WC 2000 I don't think you will better the one that adeben is offering in the above post..

Thanks to all so far for the insights and opinions.

Looking at the "new" prices from Carbetec, even flea bay there are some good deals, however I cannot help thinking for A$1000 - A$1200 I could pick up a makita MLT600 contractors saw and a decent CMS that could possibly do what I need, as cabinet building is on the cards for a few future projects.

However the triton does have practability of adding the router table (big plus) and of course being able to be stored .

There is a lot of food for thought.

Thanks,
Ryan

Ryan,

One other thing, my very limited experience with Triton routing table has not been good - there is too much flex in it as it is just thin pressed steel plate. I also need a router table but would not buy the Triton. There are other posts about this product that may be of interest to you.

I would be inclined to agree with the above - the router table is not brilliant - mainly because of the quality of the table surface itself - I had three of them before I got one that was flat to within the 0.5mm tollerance. However, the advantage is that it fits into the work centre and is built for the excellent Triton routers. It is also better quality than the cheaper range of bench top cast router table like the ones made my Ryobi and Machine Mart in the UK. For everyday work and with careful setting up and adjustment it is absolutely fine - and if you are just starting out I reckon it is fine.

As for the workcentre - a piece of design genius. If you have the money and space for quality standalone products then the workcentre will not compare. However, for the cost, space, flexibility and and a reasonable quality of finished work you cannot go far wrong. With time taken to accurately measure and test cut then the end product is very acceptable. Again, if you are starting out then this is a great choice.

Personally I would avoid the biscuit, jigsaw and planer attachments as they are expensive and probably not any better and often less flexible that the stand alone alternatives (I am sure people will disagree though). The routers are brilliant, except for the weakness around the micro adjuster which is tiresome and will become fatal if the supply of spares dries up.

The biggest of the saws is a beast but a sturdier, better quality circular saw you are unlikely to find for the money - I believe the new generations are not quite as good.

My advice would be - if you can find the kit reasonably priced then go for it. For weekend work and you first generation of projects I think you will be well pleased.

The tritonwork centre 2000 is good for weekend warriors and diy people.I have used one at Hornsby tafe woodshop when i did my 1 st tafe course was called wood furnshings it was a good course. Hornsby tafe have 2 both set up in router table setting one have a makita 2 hp plunge router and the other had a ryobi 2 hp plunge router and it is a pretty good unit.It is a muilti funtion machine and if you want more info on it here is the link Triton Tools | and i give the product 10/10 and hopefully this will be useful

Still using my Mk3.
Have cut everything from fine wood to pavers on it.

It is Ok but its greatest thing is that you can pack it up and put it away, or take to a job else where.

I started out one Mk3 and then got the 2000, which was a major improvement. I really enjoyed starting out with these, and built a lot of furniture with them. The portability was important then. I've since moved over to a 10" table saw, and have built my own router station. The Triton gear held its value reasonably well, and sold quickly when I advertised it.

While there are some downsides (listed in other posts), you can be up-and-running for well under $1000. A dedicated table saw will do a better job, but you'll need space for it, 15 amp power, and a dust collection system.

If you're not sure if you'll stay with it long term, get a Triton and have a go. It's a low risk way to go.

ajw