Thread: Advice on saw purchase sought

why don't u buy a bigger saw for the triton table?
eg the Triton 91/4" saw.

Try to save abit more and get a Contractors Tablesaw, then make a mobile base for it so you can move it out the way. Look for a nice heavy, flat top, with miter gauges on it, 1.5HP should be enough, 10" blade, a good fence.
Maybe some of the guy's can help you out with any special prices, if they come across them. I'm too far away (Japan).
Cheers. Gary.

Yes thats a good idea there seems to be a few about as cheap as carbatec's BTS-10PP 10" Table Saw w/ 2 hp Universal Motor $549.00.
right in my stated budget. There are a couple more within reach as well with induction motors.
There we go again at the bottom of the range but surely carbatec wouldnt sell it if it was crap??
or would they??

Go for an induction motor. Well, at that price you will be at around the bottom of the scale in terms of quality. That said, im sure there are some good contractor saws about in the lower price range. I think it'll suit your needs better than a SCMS. There'll be much more you can do with it.

1) Look for a good solid fence
2) cast iron top, with miter gauge.
3) induction motor
4) solid stand

You can always get them running better/smoother with some tweaking.

I think some of the guy's would be able to point you in the right direction to some of the better, lower priced contractor saws?
Cheers. Gary.

There's a couple at carbatec that look interesting.
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/ind..._450_3080_3100
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/ind..._450_3080_3100
or this one with induction motor its very cheap
http://www.gtp.com.au/cgi-bin/icomme...y=495&id=MT250

I still have not entirely discounted triton PTS with a bigger saw or even WC2000 at this point purely because of the versatility of the system.

I have a TSC10LB which I will sell for $700 firm.
It is in Townsville though so I suspect freight will be the killer.

Cheers, Jack

Old Picker,

I have sent you an email re the details of my saw for sal as requested

Cheers, Jack.

Originally Posted by old_picker

There's a couple at carbatec that look interesting.
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/ind..._450_3080_3100
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/ind..._450_3080_3100
or this one with induction motor its very cheap
http://www.gtp.com.au/cgi-bin/icomme...y=495&id=MT250

I still have not entirely discounted triton PTS with a bigger saw or even WC2000 at this point purely because of the versatility of the system.

Bunnies have the Workcentre for $498 with a bonus height winder kit and wheels for the unit. Purchase the 9.1/4" Triton saw and you will have the power and versatilty you require.

Just an opinion!

Eagle

Originally Posted by old_picker

I still have not entirely discounted triton PTS with a bigger saw or even WC2000 at this point purely because of the versatility of the system.

Versatility?? Don’t be fooled by such a clever term. If you want endless headaches and pay more than you need to then go for it.

Go for a better quality basic unit and make a stand to suit your needs. I think those standard lightweight pressed steel stands maybe OK for transport, but have a bit of a wasted space, especially if you have a small work area.
Make one to really suit you, for example: custom height; mobile with locking castors or wheels; enclosed with a hopper for dust collection; built in storage for spare blades and jigs. The stand can be made from timber/ply, or steel, or a combination.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by old_picker

but surely carbatec wouldnt sell it if it was crap??
or would they??

Yes they would.
No matter where you buy it's always a case of buyer beware. Have burnt my fingers on a couple of occasions.

Originally Posted by old_picker

The parametres are:
$550.00 budget
I make guitars [rip, dock and mitre 2" h/wood - maple mahogany - ash]
Frame swmbo's artwork
Very small 10'x10' workshop that is pretty full already

So as you can see I can't afford Makita benchtop TS and I don't have room for anything bigger. The triton PST seemed to be a great option as it folds down small for storage. Nice table with reasonable quality parts and a detachable power saw to replace the old Ryobi I bought 15 year ago.
But alas I don't think it has enough power to split a 2" board of mahogany or walnut.

I have a different take on this.
At your budget I don't think you will ever get a saw that will do what you want, especially accurate mitre cuts for SWMBO's artwork.

I think your best bet is to accept the accuracy limitations of contractor/ construction site power tools (never a perfect 45 or 90deg) and clean up the cuts using a shooting board and sharp hand plane. Yes it will take longer, but the system will fit within your budget and space limitations. Even those with access to professional grade power tools use tools like a mitre trimmer to get perfect 45deg mitres.


ian

Originally Posted by ian

I have a different take on this.
At your budget I don't think you will ever get a saw that will do what you want, especially accurate mitre cuts for SWMBO's artwork.

ian

Not true.

I have the bottom of the barrel tablesaw. I really mean that, ally table, universal motor, thin tube steel fence, the whole enchilada. It really is a POS.

Problem is that I can and do get 90* cuts that I can't fault with a big, precise 10" square.

I have even cut a hexagon on the thing, and got that perfect too. Zero gaps, till the weather changed.

I also have a shooting board for where a saw doesn't do it well enough or it won't fit on the saw. For work that doesn't need to be beautiful (my tools, jigs, etc) but still needs to be spot on, I have no problems.

I desperately wish to replace it, but the more I get used to the POS, the less urgent the need to upgrade becomes. The tools that support the TS, like the bandsaw (ripping), the planer (dimensioning) and router (joints, etc.) are all top end, which does help somewhat, and reduces the chances where the TS just can't cut it, literally.

If I was so inclined, a decent fence and tightening the thing are not impossible, and not terribly expensive, but why bother. A better saw won't need the attention to detail like this hunk of junk would.

But over here, a Delta contractor's saw with small table and basic fence is well over $800, and a proper cabinet saw is over $3,000. The Grizzly clones do not exist here to my knowledge.


Old Picker, I can give you two options.

One, make sure the tools that support the saw are the best you can manage. That means that for many situations, a lesser saw will suffice until you can genuinely afford to upgrade it. It's what I do, and my work definetly does not suffer for my poor saw.

Two, get the very best basic saw you can manage, and add to it later when finances allow. That means a good mitre guage (but maybe not), a good fence, etc. can all be bought later on, and prolly higher quality than would be included with the saw in a deal.

With a saw that holds the blade to the table accurately, a couple of carefully made sleds should take care of accurate mitres and crosscuts with ease. Heck, they really don't even need to be so nice either. Mine is a couple pieces of wood, some hardwood rails and a piece of 12mm MDF. A little care means it is spot on, every time.

Just my take on things.

Then again, looking at what Old Picker builds — guitars [rip, dock and mitre 2" h/wood - maple mahogany - ash] and Frame swmbo's artwork — he would probably be best off with a decent bandsaw.

ian