Thread: Hafco st-254 vs Carbatec 10inch cabinet saw?

I think many of these saws come out of the same factory with minor changes to things like motors, fences etc, and I think it is likely with these two.

I think a more powerful motor is important, although not sure how much extra it is worth.

Personally I like second hand for machines like these, although in this case it is not huge.

I think you will get some other useful advice here to assist.

Regards

Bauldy

Hi Mylo78,

I recently went through a similar process so can add a few comments on my experience, for what they're worth.

I can't offer anything on the Hafco saw except to say that the Perth shop didn't impress me when I had a look around. Many of the display items were poorly assembled and aligned, and several cast iron parts had more than a little rust. Even though I wandered the showroom for nearly 30 minutes no-one came to offer assistance. Maybe their stuff is OK, but I decided their lack of care might be indicative of something else.

I ended up buying a Sherwood 12" hybrid table saw from Timbecon for $1599 - see page 2 of this thread for more info: Cabinet vs Hybrid, Arbor size, and a plea for help

After two months of intermittent hobby use I'm more than happy with this model and am happy to recommend it. It is solid. The bigger blade can give useful extra cutting capacity when using a sled with a 20mm base, and I intend getting a dado set when finances permit. The Carbatec saw won't take a dado set. Happy to answer any questions you might have.



Regards,
Len

Thanks all. Yeah it seems on this cheaper end it might all be pretty much the same. I'm just not sure at this stage I'm willing to spend $2000+ on a machine I'm using on the weekends.

Interested in a Laguna Fusion 2 but that's pushing right past the budget. Anyone had any experience there? The Sherwood sounds great but it's out of stock at the moment.

I will keep agonizing for the moment and do a little more searching.

Hi Mylo, While I can't comment on those 2 saws I did buy my first table saw earlier in the year. I bought the next step up carbatec ts250p , at this level of machine be prepared to do A LOT of fiddling/shimming to get the thing cutting reasonably square and true.
What I hadn't really considered was all the extra things I found I needed on top of the saw to actually use it, bit of a list below.
3 good blades rip, crosscut and combo $400ish
Mobile base $150, angle cube $60
Mitre gauge ( the one that came with saw sucked ) $260
zero clearance insert $150 ( with most saws I understand its pretty easy to make your own, not on mine )
assorted feather boards and dusty fittings
proper straight edge, see fiddling/shimming comment above ( I already had good combo and machinist squares )
Certainly not trying to put you off getting a saw and for some of the above I could have bought cheaper items.
Good luck with your decision

Thanks Barromonday. I have all my other equipment set up at a makers space and have alot of those bits that I have been buying already to use with their crappy table saw.
I am looking at a second hand Hafco St-250 and the seller is including 3 or 4 blades, sliding fence extension and extractor. Since you mentioned all the necessary extras and from a few other comments I'm starting to incline towards the second hand option.
It also seems that a good set of blades and a good time spent setting setup has some major advantages. Thanks for the advice.

Just thought I would let those that were interested know that is ended up getting a Carbatec 10" Cabinet Saw. It was brand knew and after reading several other post and similar queries I decided to spend the extra money and go straight to a better saw.
I am generally very happy with the saw though its has taken a bit to dial it in and now 3 months later I feel a little more adjustment here and there it will be great. Bear in mind I only work a few hours a week on it.
I am a newbie so a bit of a learning curve to get this dialled in right but now seems to be getting pretty close. Got to fix the 90 and 45 stops and that is about the last thing I think it will need.
Any other questions please ask.

I don’t understand why it is deemed “normal “ to buy a brand new machine, from a big reputable dealer, and then expect to spend hours adjusting and tuning it just to make it do the basic tasks it was built for. Everything should be set up perfectly from the time of delivery, like a car or whatever. I would imagine that if someone adjusts something incorrectly and it causes damage to the machine, it would be a difficult process claiming repairs under warranty. Also, if you buy a saw, it should come with a blade, mine came with two sets.