Thread: What can a Table Saw do?

"Simplicity is efficiency". The TS has a big flat table, a securely mounted tilting blade, and (should have) an accurate and positive fence. Coupled with some jigs, it's ability to perform accurate, repeatable cuts are limited only by the operator's imagination.

Anything else is a compromise. No offence intended.

Den

Good question. It seems to me that there is overlap in almost every tool that I own. I must have two handplanes that would do any particular job, just that one is optimised for the task at hand.

I think your question might evolve to "why not an SCMS as well as a table saw?.

I rip on my big bandsaw a lot, but that's because I also have a large-ish
planer to finish the sawn edge. On a table saw, with a good fence and blade, that step can be eliminated. Cutting panels is best done on a table saw too. (the alternatives include a vertical panel saw or a portable guided saw, like the Festool or similar systems.

All tools are of course kits, and all are improved with the construction of jigs and aids to get top notch results. A proper table saw (vs the Triton, for example) allows the use of cross-cut sleds for accurate and safe crosscutting. (The Triton has an outboard rail for fixing a rudimentary sliding table that improves things in this regard, somewhat)

I have been seriously spoiled by good machines in my shop, and I no longer see any of them as dispensible. My shop works as a system, and the function overlap is what makes it run smoothly. I have a combination machine next to my bandsaw, but on both of them there is a handsaw on a magnet for those quick trimming cuts. After a while the machines fade into the background anyway, as they are only there in place of apprentices to do the grunt work. All of the interesting and fun stuff comes later, in the fitting, assembly and finishing of a piece of work.

Greg

* Tablesaws have a much wider rip capacity than any bandsaw I've seen.
* You can do dados, grooves and rebates on a tablesaw. An SCMS has limited ability to cut dadoes (trenching). Bandsaws can only do through cuts.
* You can do coves on a tablesaw.

I've limited it to things you cannot do on a bandsaw or SCMS. There are things that I believe a tablesaw will do better than a bandsaw, such as ripping, but there are others who can get similar results on a bandsaw - this I put down to my impatience with setting the rip fence and the blade.

Should refrase it and ask "what is the most unusual (albeit safe) table saw practices you use" Ie; coving or cutting circles etc, as we all know the standard stuff

Sanding with a disc on the blade, I wouldn't do it but I have seen it done.
Circle cutting involves small straight slices and repositioning the timber slightly for each cut, not turning the wood through the blade as you would with a bandsaw.
Of course they do an excellent job of tenoning.

when i was bandsawless id put a ply sheet on the TS top and the board to be circle cut on that screwed in the center and (for Damien rough cut with jig-saw) then with the TS blad up 3 or 4 mill rotate the board then lift the blade again, continuing till the circle is fully cut. Perfect circle, better than a bandsaw and safe to do

Ahh, but a bandsaw will do a much better job of cutting a circle. The question was:

What can a Table Saw (Triton or dedicated Table Saw) do that can't be done on a Band Saw or with a Sliding Compound Mitre Saw (SCMS)? If a Band Saw and SCMS can cover most of a Table Saws jobs what are the advantages of the Table Saw?

So we need to find things that can be done on a tablesaw and NOT on a bandsaw or SCMS.

I think a bandsaw and a table saw both stand in their own right; I have not used an SCMS and I haven't got room or money for one right now.... but I recall someone here a month or so back saying you'd not need an SCMS if you already got a table saw. Regarding a comparison of a bandsaw and a table saw... you want to resaw something pretty thick and not too wide - bandsaw; you want to cut something wide and not too thick - table saw. Accuracy... I reckon big tablesaw any day. The other posts have said everything pretty much.

...or is the simple answer that a TS will do everything that a SCMS and Triton will do, and some of the things that a bandsaw will do?

BTW I ripped 200mm heart rimu boards with the Jet 14"BS on one pass.

Originally Posted by Manix77

What can a Table Saw (Triton or dedicated Table Saw) do that can't be done on a Band Saw or with a Sliding Compound Mitre Saw (SCMS)? If a Band Saw and SCMS can cover most of a Table Saws jobs what are the advantages of the Table Saw?Manix

In general. working with larger, ie wider or longer, timber than can be handled by the rescpective BS or SCMS.

Every tool has their advantage and disadvantage compared to others. The choice you may make as to which tool suits your needs will (should) be based on what you need to do. It is advantageous to have ALL three, BS, TS and SCMS. Each will provide a distinct advantage to owning them. For example, ripping timber on the TS to a required width then using the SCMS to trim to size or mitre to Xº WITHOUT having to set the TS fence and or mitre gauge between rips etc.

If you only have a BS and SCMS, then you can still do much of the same work, it is just not as convenient, especially with LONG rip lengths.

You will also already realise that niether the BS or SCMS can cut across or along sheet material. This is also a awkward task for a TS when LARGE sheeet material is in use (2400 x 1800) or 8 x 4 for the imperialists

Some form of additional table is needed to support the extra length that exceeds the TS table.

IMHO a panel saw is the way to go for such large sheets, but such a purchase is hard to justify if you do not cut too many large sheets. Ther are some VERY GOOD plans around for making your own panel saw. I would make one for myself if I had the space. You are in the same boat "space wise" according to your other posts

Personally I was and still am an advocate for the RAS (Radial Arm Saw) they seem to be almost none existent now. The SCMS has taken over from the RAS for many of the crosscut tasks of a RAS.

I have used my 12" RAS for all the tasks of a TS and more. I have even used it to rip those 2400 x 1800 sheets (I can rip to 26" wide) though I still needed additional table support to do this.

Anyway I digressed a little here from the original question.

HTH

A well set up table saw can & will enable you to
*rip consistently
*crosscut repeatedly & accurately
*cut tenons
*cut dadoes(trenching for ye olde timers)
*joint
*taper cut very accurately
*cut rebates
*inhale less dust than other methods
*face plate sand with the addition of a sanding disc
*cut mitres accurately like a pro
*if you're really adventureous you can even buy a moulding head for some arbor sizes & voilia the world of moulding is at you fingertips
*cut angles with a tilting arbored saw
* use the offside for inserting a cost efficent router table, using a common fence
*buy/make lots of "useful" accessories, like featherboards, pushsticks, grrippers etc
*impress your friends and neighbours with your prowess.

heaps more but I'm too lazy to list any more

Top list

quote=E. maculata

A well set up table saw can & will enable you to


*rip consistently
*crosscut repeatedly & accurately
*cut tenons
*cut dadoes(trenching for ye olde timers)
*joint
*taper cut very accurately
*cut rebates
*inhale less dust than other methods
*face plate sand with the addition of a sanding disc
*cut mitres accurately like a pro
*if you're really adventureous you can even buy a moulding head for some arbor sizes & voilia the world of moulding is at you fingertips
*cut angles with a tilting arbored saw
* use the offside for inserting a cost efficent router table, using a common fence
*buy/make lots of "useful" accessories, like featherboards, pushsticks, grrippers etc

ADD

* Raised panells
*circle cutting
*cove moulding

AND

A table saw is much quiter. Handles dust much better.

But, the biggest difference for me is the extra grunt of a good table saw. My 10HD has a 3 hp motor. Not sure what was in the circular saw mounted upside down on the triton, but it was much less than 3 hp. This is really noticeable when cutting hardwood, but I can also tell the difference with ply or soft pine.

Tex

Originally Posted by Manix77

What can a Table Saw (Triton or dedicated Table Saw) do that can't be done on a Band Saw or with a Sliding Compound Mitre Saw (SCMS)? If a Band Saw and SCMS can cover most of a Table Saws jobs what are the advantages of the Table Saw?

Manix
I'm going to expand your list by adding power saw and guide (either the Festool saw/guiderail system or the many alternatives)

Staying with the operations a particular machine can do, and the others can't or do poorly

Table saw — rip (including tapers) with a glue quality edge (PROVIDED you invest in a good rip blade, the saw has minimal arbour float or runout and the fence can be set securely). If you used a bandsaw you'd have to plane the cut face before glueing.
— angled (as in not 90° to the face) dados or rebates (ones at 90° to the face can be cut just as easily, and possibly more safely, with a router) Note you can't do angled dados or rebates with a Triton
— cove mouldings. But this is a fairly advanced technique. I suspect that the Triton table is too small for cove cutting

SCMS — dock to length or angle with no limit on the length of the piece. A Triton in overhead mode can also do this.

Bandsaw — resaw large sections, cut veneers, cut curves and intricate shapes like cabriole legs. A good jig saw with a quality blade can also cut curves and intricate shapes in sections less than about 2in thick.

Power saw and straight guide — break down sheet goods. Cut panels to length and width (though square cuts take a while to set-up). The big advantages are that you only need a little more space than that occupied by the sheet and the whole combination breaks down to occupy almost zero space. To use a table saw to break down an 8 x 4 sheet, you need 10ft in front of the saw for you and the sheet plus about 8ft behind the saw and up to 6ft one side (say a total space 20ft x 8ft)

Sliding Table Panel saw — would replace both the TS and most functions of a SCMS. (If I only had the space and moolah!)


ian