Thread: Detroit portable table saw

I've been looking for a basic table saw for a while was consigning myself to spending $679 on the Bosch as the lower end saw invariably are based on the same model with the terrible wobbly fence which is only locked down at the adjustment end and flex with the slightest push against it (even the Makita MLT100 is included in this!).

However I called past Total Tools yesterday to have a look at the Detroit table saw and ended up taking one home! I've only had time to put a few pieces through it however the first impressions are good! Firstly the fence is solid and is very similar to the Bosch which locked down at both ends which keeps it nice and stable and there is no flex. Top wise appears to be a alloy of some description since magnetics don't stick however it's certainly metal!

Since I own and inclinometer aka angle finder the first thing I did was to check the blade angle to the table when set at the "0 Degree" setting and found it was 1.4 degree (if I remember rightly) out - so with a minor change adjustment I got the blade at 90 deg to the table then set the fence for a test cut and ran a 1m length through it and trimmed the thickness of the blade off it and hey presto a very smooth near perfect cut - with about 30 seconds of sanding on my straight edge it was ready for jointing.

A quick summary from use:

Pros:
Fence - dual locking and sturdy - primary reason I bought it.
Clean Cuts
Large Table when extended
Price!
Built-in table

Cons:
Dust extraction ports use 25mm (I think it is) which doesn't allow for effective extraction - why any companies insist on tiny extraction holes I really don't know
The measurement gauges don't make much sense (not that I use them!)

Whilst I was in Total Tools the Bosch, DeWalt and Makita (MLT100) were lined up next to the Detroit so I gave them all a good once over before parting with my cash and I can't say that any of the others would of got the extra $300+ out of my pocket! The Makita is an overpriced POS - the fence is a joke! The DeWalt is so overpriced it's not funny! The Bosch is a nice piece of kit and at a good price - if I was going to be using it day in and out the Bosch is what I would of bought. However for my use the Detroit does everything I need.

** Reading the other threads about the MLT100 it appears it's even worse than I imagined!
*** If you don't have an inclinometer/angle finder/saw angle meter I would highly recommend them - I've used it to perfect the setup of my bandsaw, chop saw, the infeed tables on my thicknesser and along with many other uses - don't bother with phone apps they aren't as accurate and most don't have the required zero feature (I tried many!!)

I just thought I'd follow up after a month of ownership - since all new tools are the always the greatest thing you've ever used! But in all honesty my opinion in after a month of use has not changed - in fact I probably rate it higher than when I first unpacked it!

So in general:

The dust extraction is poor - I will probably look if I can adapt it to fit at least an 80mm to get some proper extraction going on - I only use it static not as a portable saw.
The measurement gauges regardless of how I try to use them still don't make any sense!

The blade provided cuts MDF, Hardboard etc perfectly but isn't so great for hardwood - this isn't a big deal for me I was intending to buy a decent blade anyway, virtually all blades given free with tools are crap anyway.

In terms of the cuts achieve able - I've run MDF through it and used it straight off the saw as a straight edge for routing straight edges with a trim bit - I can't expect more than that!

So all in all very pleased with it and glad I didn't spend $300 extra for the Bosch - this said if you are using it on site the Bosch build quality is far more rugged and would take far more abuse.

Ahhhhaaaa I bet you thought this was done with!

So 9 months on and today I finally got around to buy a Bosch Optiline 60T blade for the Detroit table saw - and WOW talk about night and day!

The table saw and all my wood working tools in general have sadly sat idle for the past 6 months due to so much other stuff going on - however finally being on leave for the past couple of weeks I have tidy out my work area and got a few unfinished/long overdue task underway. One of which is a picture frame - which sure you could buy some crappy framing material and knock one up in a few minutes but I decided I'd use the left over off cuts of Merbau I have lying around glue them all at 45º and then slice them into lengths . . . which would of been utterly painful with the POS blade that came with the Detroit (which I never realised was only 24T until I took it out!) hence I had to get the Bosch OptiLine, and it and the saw made EASY work of the Merbau. I barely knew I was cutting it.

So it's finished shiny, zero burn mark, zero blade marks and best of all as straight as could be expected! About 2 minutes with my straight edge and sandpaper and the pieces will be absolutely dead straight.

As would be said a picture paints a 1000 words - this pic is straight off the saw - no finishing whatsoever.

IMG_1256.jpg

So in short buy a Detroit but just make sure you add an extra $50 for a Bosch Optiline blade to go in it!

OH yeah - also in my desire to use my leave to sort things out I also tackled the improving the dust extraction of the saw as well - so there is 2 outlet - 1 from the blade guard and one from the lower inside of the blade housing. Both pipes have a 35mm inner diameter and for some strange reason the manufacturer decided to connect both to a T junction to a 35mm outlet, so obviously the suction for both tubes will never be optimal - so I designed a cap which I can attach to my dust extractors 90mm tube which has 2 35mm inlets and after a couple of hours wait for the 3D printer to do the do I had reasonable dust extraction! By no means perfect BUT FAR better the place is covered in fine dust after I use the saw now, sure some ends up on the floor but it's the fine stuff in the air which I wanted to stop.

I am sure I can improve the internal extraction further with a larger pipe and I'll need to print a large outlet port - once this is done I think even the dust that ends up on the floor will be cut down to very little.

Originally Posted by Mr Big

Hi all,

just ts wondering if anyone had seen or used the Detroit portable table saw from total tools.

Page Not Found | Total Tools

interested to hear people's thoughts on how it would compare to the other saws in its price range. Eg Mikita mlt100, Taurus, einhell, ryobi etc.

thanks
David

Just checking whether you actually bought one and if so whether you are happy with it? It looks like SJE is pretty happy, but I just wonder whether anybody else has one of these.
Thanks Rob

They don't seem to be on their site anymore.

Total Tools don't sell these any more. I picked up one a few weeks ago but was unavailable in several other stores. I picked up for $300, which is about all I can justify paying. Have set it up and it seems pretty good. The blade was a ripping blade so put on a 60 tooth Diablo, and it cuts beautifully. The blade was square to the mitre slot and this is an issue, only one mitre slot. I have built a sled and basically have the runners running against the sides rather than in the mitre slot(s). Works fine, with no lateral movement. Also have done a bit of work on extraction and now it only spits out a very small amount from the blade and through the blade height adjustment slot. The instructions were woeful, but read a reference to "Evolution Tools". I checked them out on the web, and they are a UK based company with an office in Melbourne. I downloaded a manual from their site and it is much better than what was provided. This is a reasonably well made saw. Certainly looks better than the Makita MLT100, but not as good as the Bosch GTS 10J...but was over $350 cheaper! The only issue I have encountered is that the blade angle is difficult to adjust to 90 degrees.It sits at 89 degrees and rally needs to forced to 90. Something to be wary of. Other than that, very happy with the saw. 10 times better than he Taurus table saw I had.