Thread: First table saw recommendations

At about the 1K mark the Dewalt springs to mind. Fence Furniture had a thread on here a few weeks back about his and was fairly happy with it.
As to portable stands those $20 fold up work bench things from bunnies are good. P!$$ poor as a work bench but good stands. I have 2 as stands for the grinder and the thicknesser and another is the base for my height adjustable outfeed table.
Regards
John

Much as I hate the Triton saw benches, some on here get very good results with them.

Originally Posted by orraloon

At about the 1K mark the Dewalt springs to mind. Fence Furniture had a thread on here a few weeks back about his and was fairly happy with it.

Thanks for that, looks like the compact/portable Dewalt Dw745 is about $850 and they have an offer on at the moment which includes a stand. I might have to buy it.

It depends on what you want to do with it. If you are mainly crosscutting then a drop saw is a good option. I had a triton mk3 and struggled to get accuracy. I bought a hybrid contractor saw, 12", and love it to bits. Like most I am space challenged so mine lives on a mobile base. If I had my time again I'd have spent the extra and bought a cabinet saw. You can always put a 10" blade on a 12" saw but not the other way around.

You can get good results with a hand held saw provided you are using good blades. They really do make a difference. A rail system improves accuracy. They work best on very wide boards and sheet goods.

For smaller work what about a router master ? they come up cheap sometimes....

The dw745 is my first table saw - it cuts well and the fence is awesome. On the downside it's very very loud.

Oh and consider second hand. Second hand saws are a fraction of new cost.

Originally Posted by orraloon

At about the 1K mark the Dewalt springs to mind. Fence Furniture had a thread on here a few weeks back about his and was fairly happy with it.

That was talking about the table I made for it, and also the saw.
Making my De Walt TS safer, and why I chose this saw

I haven't used the 745, but I eschewed in favour of the 7491 for reasons....I can't remember... (probably power and features - what else is there?)

The fence on the 7491 is very good indeed - much better than any of the competitors except perhaps Sawstop. Don't even bother looking at the Metabo - everything is good except the fence which is a giant useless embarrassment - a complete deal breaker right there (WHAT were they thinking?)

To be frank the DW stands are a sticky out legs pain in the butt, and you'll very quickly get sick of tripping on them. If you intend to use the saw outside on occasion then they are probably ok and worth getting. I paid $150 for my stand and it's been folded up and stored since a week after purchase....

How about a Bayer cost $320 only
https://sydneytools.com.au/bayer-bt2...m-10-table-saw

bt255_web.jpg

One of the weakest links of table top saws are their dust extraction capabilities. It may "look like" they're doing OK but the Makita I tested was pretty poor. Mind you, I can't think of any cabinet saw that has good extraction. If you want really good dust collection you have to be prepared to modify the dust ports and even the cabinets.

One of the few benefits of the contractor saw design is the bottom of the half cabinet is completely open and can be easily fitted with a large inverted conical / pyramidal hopper feeding straight into a 6" Bell mouth hood. Then you ditch the blade shroud and suck on the cabinet. Still don't like the motor sticking out the back though.

Originally Posted by reuelt

How about a Bayer cost $320 only
https://sydneytools.com.au/bayer-bt2...m-10-table-sawbt255_web.jpg

I would strongly encourage close, and careful examination of this unit prior to contemplating a purchase. It would also be strongly recommended to make this comparison to other name brands before making a commitment.

You truly do get what you pay for, and I would suggest there are reasons this unit has the price point it has. That isn't to say it doesn't have a place or a market, but it probably isn't for everyone.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

I would strongly encourage close, and careful examination of this unit prior to contemplating a purchase. It would also be strongly recommended to make this comparison to other name brands before making a commitment.

You truly do get what you pay for, and I would suggest there are reasons this unit has the price point it has. That isn't to say it doesn't have a place or a market, but it probably isn't for everyone.

Bayer BT255 have quite impressive specs.
Bayer is Sydney Tools' own direct import brand. I checked out the tablesaw when they opened a new branch in Melbourne just 1km from my house.
Very solid and much better when compared to Ryobi, Ozito, Einhell, GMC.
Comparable to Dewalt and Makita IMHO but probably not in reliability but as the 1st machine....


Features:
Extremely light table saw with trolley function for more mobility on the construction site
Very compact for comfortable transport and space-saving storage
Powerful motor with electronic overload protection
Motor brake for quick stop of the saw blade
Restart protection: prevents unintentional startup after power cut
Precise parallel guide with double clamping and quick fastening
Precise saw blade inclination via gear guide
Automatic resetting to 0 – 45 ° after undercuts
Easy saw blade change with spindle lock
Precise, extendable table width extension for extra large working surfaces
Dual port dust extraction for low dust working
Specifications:
Rated input power: 2000W
Cutting 0 - 80mm
Maximum cutting
90°: 80mm
45°: 55mm
Max cutting width at parallel guide: 643mm
No load speed: 5000 RPM
Blade diameter: 250mm
Blade bore: 25mm
Saw blade swivel range: 0° to 45°
Dimensions (L x W x H): 900mm x 810mm x 550mm
Weight: 20kg
Warranty:
12 Months Warranty

Includes:
1 x Carbide circular saw blade with alternately bevel-ground tooth (40 teeth)
1 x Parallel guide/ripping fence
1 x Mitre guide
1 x Table length extension
1 x Table width extension (right)
1 x Chip and dust extraction unit
1 x Push stick

bt255_1.jpg

I have not long got this
Home - Products - Powertools - Machinery - Table Saws - 254mm Table Saw - DEWALT
Really good saw, very well thought out machine. Great power, and the fence and rip capacity is debatably the best in class. Good power.

One downside is the coating on the table scratches rather easy but doesn't effect performance. Another is ( been mentioned previously about a different model) is it is a bit loud but its a table saw so i guess it isnt something that would stop me from buying it. But i guess thats personal.

I did a lot of research before buying, and this was the best option unless you go to a proper cabinet saw. Wouldnt bother with a cheap machine, you get what you pay for. A cheap one you are always going to have issues with accuracy, also power even if they show good specs its torque that matters and cheap saws usually lack that.

Good luck with your decision, the dewalt was in my mind the best. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Aussie Bloke

Really good saw, very well thought out machine. Great power, and the fence and rip capacity is debatably the best in class.

One downside is the coating on the table scratches rather easy but doesn't effect performance.

Agreed. Dust extraction is pretty ordinary as well, but I doubt any of the small machines are any good at DE.

I have a Makita table saw and the fence has too much movement in it to accurately cut board but fine for ripping. I have tried the Dewalt one and the fence locks from both sides so there is less movement than the Makita.
i later bought a Festool tracksaw and find that the combination of that and a drop saw is a more useful combination to have.
It all depends on what you are doing though as to which item is going to be of more value to you