Thread: Leda MJ-2325F 1300 Sliding Table Panel Saw

Your images are more detailed than those supplied on the Leda website. looks to be a nicely made saw on the surface.

That’s a good little saw, very similar to the woodfast one I had on the big house project here on the river.
You don’t need to modify a riving knife for non through cuts, just take the knife off. Because you’re not cutting all the way through the timber, it won’t close up on the back of the blade anyway, we have done this for all my life and never had an issue, just remember to put the knife and it’s guard back on afterwards. Good luck and happy cutting.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

That’s a good little saw, very similar to the woodfast one

I think Hare and Forbes introduced it as the Record Power before rebadging to Woodfast. I wish I had been able to do a hands on comparison of both before purchase, but I had to rely on looking at the specifications and go with what was available in stock.

The Woodfast is a 2hp machine and the Leda a 3hp. Will the extra hp be noticeable? I don't know. Presumably because of the extra weight in the motor the mounting is quite different under the table. I have no idea which is better.

On the outside, apart from the different rip fences the Leda has a concertinaing cast iron arm support for the extension table mounting, where the Woodfast has what appears to be a steel arm that telescopes. Which one flexes the most? I don't know.

Compact-Panelsaw-MJ-2325F_16600159.h.jpg TS250RS-Panel-Saw-350-x-800mm-Cast-Iron-Table-254mm-Saw-Blade-Includes-1250mm-Sliding-Table_5385.jpg

There are quite a few good reviews for the Record Power in Europe. The reviews for the generic ST254, the basis of the MJ-2325, are mixed. I'm not sure which one I would have gone for if both were available in stock.

The saw i had was a ts315, bigger than the current one, I think it was a shop floor demonstrator and they virtually gave it to me at cost so i marched it out. It had two motors, main is 3 hp, scriber, an excellent solid fence,and a 1300 slider. We flogged it for 3 years and it performed faultlessly. It changed my thinking on Chinese built machines it was impressive. Leda machines have been around for years, most of the stuff we’ve had and I’ve used at various places of work have been Taiwanese made, and they’ve performed well.

I've had a Woodfast TS250 for well over a decade. Initially I wanted an economical small foot print psuedo panel saw, it has filled that role well and has been a reliable work horse. It is a tad under-powered for ripping, and you can easily trigger the thermal overload protection if doing a lot of ripping. I have run it for hours on end cross cutting small components for inlay banding with no issues at all.

Initially I spent a frustrating few days adjusting it to attain the accuracy I wanted for my inlay banding. Its certainly not perfect and never will be due to design constraints and manufacturing accuracy / precision, but certainly much better than delivered. However it offers excellent value for money imo. I use mainly table saw sleds attached to the slider and have achieved the accuracy and precision I was seeking and which is quite apparent in my inlay banding.

Dust extraction is average at best, the saw blade guard flimsy imo, and swapping blades, removing/reinstalling the riving knife a real PIA initially as the slider has to be removed to access the blade arbor etc. The removal of the slider is not difficult and only entails removing one stop then sliding it out but still a PIA if you have set up sleds etc. The blade must be removed first to remove the riving knife with my model. The new slider design is totally revised so not sure about accessing arbor nut etc on them.

The latest Woodfast / Record versions have many design revisions, most notably the fence & sliding table design, which imo would make it a far better saw than my version. The TS's design means that you may have to rethink how you proceed with some tasks. Only having one mitre slot in the cast iron table is one of those idiosyncrasies.

Moby, where do you think it suffers in accuracy for your purposes?

I’m unfamiliar with sliding table saws so forgive the question. Can the sliding table section be folded away/removed?

Originally Posted by Lappa

I’m unfamiliar with sliding table saws so forgive the question. Can the sliding table section be folded away/removed?

The sliding table extension is removable, but the sliding beam itself is the "left wing" of the saw. The minimum configuration of the TS250RS for instance is like this.
7_Shown-in-Standard-Confinguration.jpg

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Moby, where do you think it suffers in accuracy for your purposes?

Where would you like to start? Honestly the assembly leaves a lot to be desired and that is where most of the issues are found.

The most frustrating part was adjusting the slider to run parallel to the saw blade. The method given in the manual does not and will not work because as you adjust say the parallel running the table co-linearity changes, or you introduce twist into the alum section etc. You end up chasing your tail. One has to realize that the saw is designed to fit a market niche / price point so things like the aluminium section are robust enough for typical DIY use. I'm pretty sure the designers never envisaged my applications as a routine task for their product, I'm pushing it to its accuracy / precision limits.

As I like to think things through and look at other angles I quickly realized that there was a "better way" - simply adjust the support roller guides to take out the slop then adjust the supporting mount plate. Through constant use, the HDPE (?) support / guide rollers on the slider wear and require constant monitoring if you want to maintain accuracy / precision. That wear changes the slider height / parallel running / table-slider coplanarity (?) and introduces slop. But those issues are probably why they have discarded the slider support design and replaced it with a completely new setup.

The new design has a revised fence support but in the images I have seen still suffers the quirks of the old design in that it requires substantial modification to get the fence to actually sit flat on the table. As standard it requires a sacrificial face attached to the fence if you wish to rip / size thin sheets. btw the supplied saw blades are rubbish.

It's a moot point comparing my saws design with the current saw design because they are a very different beast now.

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

The sliding table extension is removable, but the sliding beam itself is the "left wing" of the saw. The minimum configuration of the TS250RS for instance is like this.
7_Shown-in-Standard-Confinguration.jpg

That is correct, but the photo is of the newer design table the old vs new setup looks like this. Not only do you get the revised sliding table design you also get the parallelogram panel support as standard I believe.

Overall I believe the TS250RS offers a pretty good value for money base package, certainly for the saws small workshop footprint.

New woodfast TS250RS Panel Saws up to 2.5m in NORTHMEAD, NSW (machines4u.com.au)

Record Power TS250RS 10" Table Saw With Heavy Duty Sliding Beam & Squaring Frame Sliding Beam - Bedford Saw & Tool - Tools, Accessories, Woodworking Machinery

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Where would you like to start? Honestly the assembly leaves a lot to be desired and that is where most of the issues are found.

The most frustrating part was adjusting the slider to run parallel to the saw blade. The method given in the manual does not and will not work because as you adjust say the parallel running the table co-linearity changes, or you introduce twist into the alum section etc. You end up chasing your tail. One has to realize that the saw is designed to fit a market niche / price point so things like the aluminium section are robust enough for typical DIY use. I'm pretty sure the designers never envisaged my applications as a routine task for their product, I'm pushing it to its accuracy / precision limits.

As I like to think things through and look at other angles I quickly realized that there was a "better way" - simply adjust the support roller guides to take out the slop then adjust the supporting mount plate. Through constant use, the HDPE (?) support / guide rollers on the slider wear and require constant monitoring if you want to maintain accuracy / precision. That wear changes the slider height / parallel running / table-slider coplanarity (?) and introduces slop. But those issues are probably why they have discarded the slider support design and replaced it with a completely new setup.

The new design has a revised fence support but in the images I have seen still suffers the quirks of the old design in that it requires substantial modification to get the fence to actually sit flat on the table. As standard it requires a sacrificial face attached to the fence if you wish to rip / size thin sheets. btw the supplied saw blades are rubbish.

It's a moot point comparing my saws design with the current saw design because they are a very different beast now.

I recently checked and adjusted my K3 Hammer and getting the correct toe out on the slider was the single hardest thing to do as it affected the table height and in the end more through luck than anything else I got it to the spec Hammer say it should be. The table height I have always had trouble with adjusting as the usual method is either 2 or 3 dial dial indicators or a straight edge and feeler gauges and I have never been happy with the result, it was fiddly and simply hard work trying to get it right. This time I lowered the sliding table below the cast iron table and set up a straight edge on the CI table sitting on a 4 thou feeler gauge and raised the sliding table until I could not see light under the straight edge and the whole thing took about 10 minutes and no swearing was involved. I will never use dial indicators or measuring with feeler gauges again. I used to spend hours doing the same operation and this time it too under 15 minutes for the whole thing.

Thanks for the discussion everyone. I’m in the process of setting up a workshop in a small space, so if I go for a sliding table/panel saw, it needs to be maybe max 2m slider section, and it needs to fit sideways within 3.5m.
I’ve considered:

locally badged “home” units such as
Hafco Woodmaster ps-1810
Leda ?ps-12

Upmarket:
- Hammer k3
- scm sc2

they should all (just) fit. I would likely aim to insert a router table in the table to the right of the blade. It would need to be on castors topull out from wall on occasion. The outrigger section on the slider would need to come off and hang on wall when not in use. I need really good dust extraction, and in the process of putting together a nice setup (hopefully).

i have seen quite a few Hafco/Carbatec unit’s going for maybe $2-2.5k in near new condition.
i can score a Hammer K3 with outrigger for maybe $6k near new
SCM SC2 rarely come up used, and new is up there ($9kor something). Ouch.

I’m a hobbyist, using almost always hardwoods. I imagine I’ll do most rips with a Fritz-Franz jig and the slider, so can’t see myself using the fence all he much. Need to be able to do mitres.

I can’t justify an SC2 at this stage (unless someone wants to do me a bargain in Melb on one!). So I am wondering thoughts from those who have used them. Should I just get maybe the Hafco, or should I splurge on the Hammer, or are there other options? I need to allow for a Bandsaw and a (maybe 300mm) combo planer/thicknesser, and it all adds up!

Whew!
Mat

Originally Posted by mat-with-one-t

Thanks for the discussion everyone. I’m in the process of setting up a workshop in a small space, so if I go for a sliding table/panel saw, it needs to be maybe max 2m slider section, and it needs to fit sideways within 3.5m.
I’ve considered:

locally badged “home” units such as
Hafco Woodmaster ps-1810
Leda ?ps-12

Upmarket:
- Hammer k3
- scm sc2

they should all (just) fit. I would likely aim to insert a router table in the table to the right of the blade. It would need to be on castors topull out from wall on occasion. The outrigger section on the slider would need to come off and hang on wall when not in use. I need really good dust extraction, and in the process of putting together a nice setup (hopefully).

i have seen quite a few Hafco/Carbatec unit’s going for maybe $2-2.5k in near new condition.
i can score a Hammer K3 with outrigger for maybe $6k near new
SCM SC2 rarely come up used, and new is up there ($9kor something). Ouch.

I’m a hobbyist, using almost always hardwoods. I imagine I’ll do most rips with a Fritz-Franz jig and the slider, so can’t see myself using the fence all he much. Need to be able to do mitres.

I can’t justify an SC2 at this stage (unless someone wants to do me a bargain in Melb on one!). So I am wondering thoughts from those who have used them. Should I just get maybe the Hafco, or should I splurge on the Hammer, or are there other options? I need to allow for a Bandsaw and a (maybe 300mm) combo planer/thicknesser, and it all adds up!

Whew!
Mat

If I were you I would go with a basic saw to get stuff started. once you have the basic tools you will know what you need, you might consider making stuff to sell like a side hustle, then you wont even look at SC2 or Hammer...

I went from Carbatec MJ2325 to Robland Combination NX410 to Griggio Unica 350, now SCM L'Invincibile si X.

That seems like good advice. I suppose as long as it’s reasonable quality to start with, then one can see how it all goes. I’m just wary of making sure I don’t get something that just annoys (as it’s always out of true/needs tweaking), but from what I’ve been able to find out, the offerings on sliders from the “hobby” end (carbatec, Hafco, etc) seem pretty good.
I e had a look in the flesh at the SCM, so I can appreciate the cost difference, but I’ve also played with a Hafco slider and it seemed ok (although rio fences were chalk and cheese...,)
Mat