Thread: Table saw for under $1600 with a sliding table and crosscut fence.

What size sheets do you start with, or do you break sheets down to approximate size first and use the saw for finish cuts? Seems to me that the ability to safely handle material the size you need to would be an important safety issue relating to selection. I.e breaking down 2400 x 1200 sheets is easier with a saw and table setup big enough to support the sheets than on a small footprint table top saw. On the other hand, if you were breaking sheets down first, then doing accurate fnish cuts on the table saw, a tabletop saw set into a bench for etra support might be viable.

Do you need right angles or a range of different angles? A cheaper saw and a couple of sleds might be viable and offer better repeatability than a cheap slider if you only need to cater for a couple of angles, whereas decent sized cast table top and precision mitre guage/fence/stop setup would definitely outperform a cheaper slider if you need a wide range of mitre angles.

We get the 2440 x 1220 sheets cut down to a size of 1220 x 1210 so they are easier to handle, from there we cut them into the finished size. We do a lot of repetitive cuts in both plywood and the solid pine 40mm x 20mm and setting up a cross cut fence stop would be a lot quicker. We mostly do angles of 45, 22.5, and 30 degrees. At the moment we have bodgied up a Triton sliding extension table to the side of my Hitachi site saw and it works ok but now the saw is dying and business is getting busier we are going upgrade. There is a Woodfast from Hare and Forbes or a 12inch saw from Trade Tools we are looking at.

If you're a 1 person operation, you might find it worthwhile and safer to consider a track saw (eg. Makita, Dewalt - Festool is probably out of your budget if you need a table saw too), rail system and DIY fence/dog/jig to cut down the big sheets quickly to your standard sizes. Dust collection is pretty good, and if you're only doing 1/2" sheets one at a time you don't need more horsepower.

Get the best TS you can afford and build it into a table that supports the sheets and gives you good outfeed support. It would not be impossible to put slots into the table and use them like a proper slider. Just remember if this is a serious money making business inefficiencies and dangerous practises cost more than investing in the correct equipment for the job and sometimes you have to grit your teeth and fork out for the right tool for the job.

Thanks Chris we are looking at the Woodfast TS250RS it seems to have what we need, its a bit dearer then what we wanted but the only other 1 was the Trade tools 1 but it doesn't have the crosscut fence.

Haven't had anything to do with the Woodfast but thought it had a shortish slider travel range (around 1200). Might be OK if your material continues to come broken down to 1200 x 1200. Have seen one of the TT saws on display in Melbourne but think the slider is short (table depth) from memory. The one I saw was incorrectly assembled by store staff and the slider and router table were swapped side for side so the slider assembly was trapped inside the saw fence mounting rails and couldn't slide anyway.

For my money I would be looking toward an older cabinet makers panel saw if you had the room. Then you could handle full sheets and cut as required, instead of having to get bits out of part sheets. Typically 2700 or 3300 slider travel, rip fence, crosscut fence on slider frame, multiple stops on crosscut fence, lots going for them and often good industrial quality saws available around your initial price range. Generally three phase, but can be retro fitted with single phase motors or VFD.

Originally Posted by animalwoodworx

Thanks Chris we are looking at the Woodfast TS250RS it seems to have what we need, its a bit dearer then what we wanted but the only other 1 was the Trade tools 1 but it doesn't have the crosscut fence.

I've got the TS250RC & its not a bad unit to use a few niggles but good overall. The rip fence system is great but the sliding table only has approx 650mm of travel if you wish to use the sliding table fence system. You would definitely need some sort of supplementary table system to handle 1/2 sheets efficiently & would need to upgrade the sliding fence too. I see Woodfast have them at $1450 at the moment.

Thanks Mobyturns, I was hoping someone who owned 1 would reply. We are looking a the TS250RS W688 | TS250RS Panel Saw | machineryhouse.com.au. has a bigger sliding table it goes out to 1230mm so will handle the half sheets.