Thread: opinions GMC bench saw

Originally Posted by chrise

Anyway I was looking for opinions from folks on here of this table saw, does anyone own one or had any experience with them.


Thanks

Chris

G'day Chris,
I own one, and have the following comments (which are not out of school as I have passed them on to GMC)
1. The mitre fence supplied is a really sloppy fit and even though squared up, it will cause crooked cuts if you're not careful.
2. The rip fence supplied sets up square everytime, but is really hard to move to different measurements. I've worked at this for two years and still no better.
3. The blade height adjustment and the blade angle locking screw interfere with each other. I've had them so jammed that they need a tap with a mallet.
4. The 0º and 45º setting adjustments are reversed in the manual. This may have been remedied for the newer manuals.
5. The machine is very noisy.
6. The anti-kick back blade guard is awkward and a real embuggarence and got relegated to the bin.
I replaced this with a crown guard.
7. I now use a cross cut sled (home-made) a mitre sled (home-made) a ripping fence with tenon attachment (home-made). They all work fine with a noisy saw.
8. The feed-out table supplied at the back of the saw does not have slots in it corresponding to the table slots. So I used it as a side table for the BBQ.
You may think I'm giving the GMC table saw a rubbish, but I use it everyday, and apart from the noise, its probably my most useful tool.

Don't get rid of your Triton though....or maybe you'd like to swap me for my GMC table saw ( with modifications)???

Smirk, Smirk.

Regards,
Noel

I'm no great lover of the triton thing, but it sounds like a big step backward to me.


cheers

You would be going from bad to worse

I would keep the Triton and not boither with the GMC. I have the Triton WC2000 and I love it. I have to say that for the price I am really happy with it. I use a Big Makita Saw permanently mounted in it and have a second Makita for freehand use. I took my time to set it up and for what I do it is fantastic. I have it set up with the extension table and it is acurate to 1 mm give or take. I can live with that variance.

I dont have either of the routers and I desperately want one but not sure which one at this time.

Pete

I've used one of these as an onsite saw. To be quite frank, it would be a waste of $99. Wouldn't have one now if you gave it to me. They are noisey, rickety, fence is too flimsy and I found the one I was using to be somewhat unsafe to use at times due to it's lightness. Only made for very light duty work. It was better than not having anything but it was always a pain in the @r$e.
Better off staying with the triton or buying something decent but secondhand. Saw a durden pacemaker in the paper for $300, now there's a saw.

I also have the cheapy GMC table. It is fine if you are just after rough cuts.

I haven't yet been able to get a straight cut from it.

The fence only locks down at one end and flexes when you put items through so you end up with a rip that is wider at one end than the other.

Like I said, rough rips and cuts and it is fine. Keep the triton for another use.

If you are looking for a saw table rather than your Triton you are better off paying the cash and getting a decent contractors saw or similar.

Turn your Triton into a router table maybe

Cheers

Pete

Keep the triton.

Keep the triton and save up for something better.

I have the equivalent of the GMC here, and if you can avoid it, do so.

Problem for me is this saw is $200, the next step adds about $1000. So, I have little option until I can find that much cash to get a better saw (And still nothing overly spectacular).


If you decide to ignore all this good advise and grab the thing, don't worry too much. You can get good work out of it, just that it's never going to be as consistant as a 'proper' saw.

I never do finish rips on mine, but I do finish crosscuts with a blade that cost half what the saw did. It can do good work, just don't blindly expect it to.

Thank you to all who replied and thank you "Watson" for an excellent reply as well.

I am not a fan of GMC at all and yes you do get what you pay for, the majority of my power tools are Bosch, Makita, Ryobi etc. I have also been looking at the Ryobi model bench saw for what I want to do in the future. Think I may keep the Triton a bit longer and re assess my work shop needs for the rest of the renos I am doing to the house.


Many thanks again to all


Chris

I wonder which is the best of the cheaper saw benches

I would use a piece of 2x1, 2 clamps and a circular saw in preference.