Thread: Hare and Forbes Panel Saw - any good?

I bought a 200 mm jointer from H&F recently and have been disappointed in the quality of both the fence and the infeed table.

I have a lathe from Hare and Forbes and its fantastic. They have some Chinese products and some from Taiwan that are much better. Good luck with your purchase

so far it's been great.
It came to me partially disassembled, so some things don't quite make sense with the re assemble. I'm working through those, but it's not holding me up. I have the manual, it's a bit average as with every China sourced manual I have.
Note to self, must buy a another blade...the one I have is to much too fine for ripping...so make sure you get two whilst you are at it...

Originally Posted by Whistlingcoyote

Hey there,

Anybody have any experience with Hare and Forbes and their own brand of machines? Particularly their PS-1810 panel saw.

I've been to look at it in their shop and it seemed to be fairly solidly built, although it was hard to be sure as the sliding table did not run smoothly at all - the salesman told me it had been stripped for spare parts for another machine which seemed reasonable, but you can never be sure! Apart from this, in every other way it seemed well thought out and pretty well equipped, especially considering the price.....I'm an ex-cabinet maker (both the Australian and English sense) so have had experience with old and knackered Griggios and Wadkins to shiny new top of the line Altendorf, and while I know it's never going to compare with the likes of a 3 phase industrial machine I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw.

However, looking like a decent machine doesn't always mean it will be, hence the questions...

• Build quality - this saw, and Hare and Forbes in general? Is it built to last some moderate abuse?
• Accuracy of fences and angles - will i need to develop some elaborate system to guarantee I'm going to cut what I hope to cut?!
• Alternatives? single phase, similar spec and size, and somewhere around the same price point.

I'm looking into replacing my 10" Jet table saw for something a little more versatile and suited to cutting ply etc. Whatever I end up getting to replace it, it's not going to be flogged on a daily basis but it does need to be up to the job of machining a new kitchen every once in a while, with the odd bit of solid furniture in the meantime.

I did consider a used full size panel saw, but it becomes an issue of space, as well as the logistics and expense of getting three phase power into my shed....


Thanks to all in advance for any help and advice,

Cheers,
Simon.​

Simon, if you've used better equipment you will only be disappointed in the saw you are looking at. For a start, it's a cabinet saw with a sliding table attachment, not a true slider. And you can get some decent single phase sliders with a short stroke second hand for not unreasonable money. And as you know, you will need a scribing blade for melamine work that is adjustable for accuracy sake. A "decent" cabinet saw like a Powermatic or a Sawstop costs around $5K so you do the math. What you are looking at is entry level at best. But whatever you decide, good luck with the purchase.

Hi Simon have you looked at the Laguna brand equipment. There was a display at the Melany Woodshow last week. Some very nice features.


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