Thread: Table saw VS Circular Saw VS Compound Sliding saw

US woodworking magazines & their writers seem to have a fetish about table saws, perhaps because they are pretty much the first big bit of machinery most US woodworkers buy, and they are pretty versatile.

The main place that table saws shine is in ripping - cutting a long piece into narrower long pieces. They are MUCH less use in cutting long bits into shorter bits.

Even though I have a nice Jet table saw with plenty of bells & whistles, I find myself getting out my old Triton table saw to rip sheet goods (ply, MDF) into strips and then cross cutting to length with my SCMS - its a 12" Hitachi and with a bit of sneaky technique I can safely crosscut up to 60cm (2 ft) - just turn the board over after the first cut & line up the saw cut with the stationary blade, clamp down then fire it up & complete the cut.

And for a $1000 budget you will find it difficult to buy a good new table saw in Australia that will keep you happy. My Jet Pro Shop hybrid cost me around $1000, but they are nearer to $1500 for a basic model now and this seems to be pretty standard across the board - the good product just goes up in price, the cr@p stays cr@p. The TSC-10 cabinet table saws from Carbatec are pretty good & take all the standard accessories.

With your budget, perhaps you would be happy with a really good circular saw and one of the new rail systems that will allow you to rip up round 2.5 metres? Carbatec have one from Pro-Grip in their paper catalog but not on their web site, and I've seen a bit of discussion on the Makita, DeWalt and similar rail & circular saw systems.

Otherwise, get yourself a good book on table saw tuning & keep an eye on the For Sale section, someone is always upgrading.

I have a table saw which I rarely use. I've been seriously thinking of selling it, then buying a compound mitre saw for accurate cross cuts, and a rail/saw system for long cuts.

Im still trying to decide if it would suit my work better, but I know it would give me space savings in a very small garage workshop.

how wide is the timber you want to cut? if it's over 305mm go with something like a table saw, but if it's 305 mmm or less go with a good sliding compound mitre saw.
Bosch have a good sliding compound mitre saw it cuts up to 305mm and is well priced and beeing bosch it should last for a while. here is a link http://www.sydneytools.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=1263&bc=no

!!!: I am in no way affiliated or advitising Bosch or Sydney tools.

Table saws are ok for crosscutting shorter boards but long stuff is a lot more difficult.

I have all three and find that the mitre saw stays in storage along with the circular saw these days even for long stock. Mind you, I have a sliding table for it. It would have to be the most used tool in my workshop after the jointer and thicknesser.

Perhaps in your case the rail and circular saw would be more use. I used to just use a straight edge and circular saw for sheets before the sliding table, it worked okay. The hand saw needn't be large, I have 7 1/4 makita and find that it is enough for anything that I do.

Just a thought.

Robert

I own a Triton saw bench and am happy with it, might one day buy something else. I also own a makita 1040 mitre saw and makita 7 1/4in power saw. Since owning the mitre saw I am using the other two less often. Its still good to have the other two there because they still come in handy to have. My triton I still find invaluable for certain tasks as does the hand held saw. IMO I think haivng all three works out for the best of all occasions.

Basically, assuming it's a good TS...

Pros:

• easily repeatable & accurate settings
• the best tool for accurately ripping long, narrow lengths of wood.
• you can join the ranks who thumb their noses at Tritoneers.

Cons:

• awkward for cross-cutting long, narrow, lengths.
• it's stationary... forget about taking it "on site" if needed.
• takes up a LOT of room in the workshop, beyond it's footprint, especially if you want to cut large sheets.

IMHO, you're better off having all three tools; then you can pick the best for the job at hand. But given a tight budget, I'd buy in the order of CS, SCMS and put the TS last. That way you can manage most jobs (although with more effort) from the beginning and buy the others as/when the budget allows for the added convenience and accuracy.

(I'm another Tritoneer & it suits me fine. Would love a good TS but don't have the space or justification. )

(I'm another Tritoneer & it suits me fine. Would love a good TS but don't have the space or justification.

I know exactly what you mean skew. Even when I get round to extending my shed its to make way for storage and my new bit will house what I have to move out of there. Still the plan is to maximise as much of it for ,me that I can cause I have convinced SWMBO that I need a bit more hobby space.