Thread: Buying my first table saw. HELP!

Originally Posted by Nrob1989

I want it for breaking down sheets of ply and for accurate cutting to be able to start some more projects.
I want to be able to do nice accurate long rip cuts etc.

I also want something that will do all I want for the foreseeable future.

Those 2 machines aren't even in the same league as each other.

IMO, the ONLY reason you would buy a portable saw is because you specifically need it to be portable. If you want accuracy and large capacity, you HAVE TO get a proper cabinet saw.

Index Woodfast Group AustraliaI’ve said it lots of times, and I’m saying it again, if you’re cutting sheet goods, and you want accuracy, you must buy a sliding table panel saw. At the moment, I have a Woodfast ts315, and I can’t rate it highly enough for the price, it’s a bloody beauty. Don’t even think about those contractor style saws they are toys.

That's a biiiiiig jump from $2k to $7k.

Nice if you have the money and the space, but that's not a viable option for a lot of people and a standard cabinet saw can be made perfectly serviceable for sheet goods with home made table extensions and decent rip and crosscut fence.

Yeah I would LOVE a slider but realistically they're far too big, expensive or both for most people. I have had Gumtree alerts set up for years and not one has fit both if these criteria. It they're cheap they're HUGE (ie. Altendorf etc). And the small ones like Minimax or Hammer are usually priced far closer to retail.

Around Christmas time i purchased the Dewalt but with hindsight I wish i'd saved up for the carbatec or Sawstop.

The Dewalt is not a bad saw and I use it a lot but not for breaking down full sheets. I think a track/plunge saw is better for this. Once you have pieces of a more manageable size i'll start using the table saw.

Good luck with it!

Get a good decent tablesaw like carbatec or sawstop (i love my sawstop)
build extention table to the left of it
table to be at least 500mm longer than saw in both ways.. so it protrudes on both ends by 500mm...
width of the bench.. at least 1500mm ...
so it can support 2400mm in cross cut...
good thing is.. you have extension table.. and a good workbench..

Perhaps you didn't express yourself perfectly, but your main criteria was to breakdown sheet goods. This is not easy on any table saw without a slider. A slider is what is on a panel saw. These are not only expensive but require a large area to live in, and may be 3 phase powered. On any other table saw, you find that cutting sheet goods is not that easy.

A much better, easier and cheaper route is to buy a track saw. I have the cheapest option, which is a Scheppach track saw. Although I'm not giving that one a glowing recommendation or anything. It works. There are other more expensive track saws.
You don't even need a table for a track saw. You can just lay foam mats on the floor and cut away.

Once you have the items cut to rough size with your track saw you might then use a table saw to trim them to precise dimensions. For that you want a cabinet saw with a good fence.

The two options you listed are not the even close to each other. The Dewalt is for use on a job site where it must be portable or if it's just for simple, rough DIY jobs around the house. You didn't specify what your projects are but I'm assuming you are talking things such as furniture etc. You would probably only go for a job site saw option if your shed/work space is the size of a shoe box.

Another time I've seen a job site saw, was when the woodworker's main saw was a band saw and the job site saw was not used a lot. In that case the woodworker didn't want or need a large area to be used up by a table saw when it was not often needed. So it does depend on what you mean by "projects". But most people will have their table saw as their main saw.

The Carbatec cabinet saw is a cabinet saw. This lives in a fixed location. This is the style of saw you want to give you those accurate cuts.
However before you buy it, go and feel what the fence is like. You will want a good fence.

Before you rush off and buy any table saw, start thinking about dust collection. Because you will need dust collection. Especially for a cabinet saw. And dust collection comes with all sorts of it's own options with pros and cons. (Hint: the dust collection machine is the cheap part). So best to budget or at least think about that before you buy the saw.

I second the track-saw suggestion. If you just want to break down sheet goods, and you have existing/other methods for handling it from there, a tracksaw would be cheaper and easier. You can even get or make a sled or guide for your existing circular saw. (FWIW, I have a table saw, but would still prefer a tracksaw for cutting down full sized sheets. Handling a sheet of 3/4" ply solo on table saw is tricky and potentially dangerous).

Yes I second that. For years I just used a circular saw with a long guide I made to cut up sheet goods. Even for bevel rip cuts. In fact I still have several of these guides in the shed as a backup option.

Trying to cut up sheet goods on a portable table saw is not only potentially dangerous but can be wasteful. I once tried to cut a large sheet of melamine. Even though I had help, the helper didn't know what they were doing, the saw was a light weight portable saw and we couldn't keep the whole arrangement straight. The rip cut was miles off and so I basically wasted a whole sheet of melamine and gave up.

Even after you have cut down the sheet, you want the cabinet saw. The job site saw is probably just too light. It might not have much more mass than the part you are trying to trim to size. Which means it might move while you are feeding your work piece into the blade. If you went with the job site saw you would have to mount it into a large table to give it mass and fix it in place.

As I mentioned earlier I have both the Dewalt table saw and a very nice track saw - they almost cost the same amount!

The track saw is fantastic but I still use the table saw more once a sheet is made a bit smaller - often I just cut it in half (which a lot of suppliers will do for you anyway).

My point is - I actually use the table saw far more often and although its a contractor saw it does a good job and it's easy to sit a table to the side, front or back to help support larger sheets. I reckon if you can get full sheets cut in half you can manage them on a contractor saw and don't really need the track saw. But its nice having both!

Cheers

I think we need to back up a little. Given your proposed options Im assuming you have a rough $2k budget?

How much space do you have? Are you only working with sheet goods or will you be doing other wood working as well?

Smaller panel type saws are available but with smaller crosscut capabilities. They are still a lot better for larger sheet goods than your standard cabinet saw.

For example
W688 - TS250RS Panel Saw | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse

If you have limited space you can get away with using the Dewalt saw if you get a little clever. This compact work bench is a nice design for smaller work spaces
YouTube

General rule, if the job is large introduce the tool to the job. If the job is small introduce the timber to the tool. Move the small bit.

I have introduced long and large items to my hybrid saw on occasion, but it's probably be easier using a handheld saw of some sort and clamping the job.

Track saws are the new trend. I bought a progrip 100" guide before carbatec stopped selling them. It doesn't come out often but when it does it's worth the price many times over. If you buy a track saw check the reviews here and get a good one. A bad one would be worse than useless....