How much table saw do I really need?


chrisb

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I do miters on my Kapex...has to be dead nuts for that.  And you have to be square when using Domino joinery.  The headboard and footboard I'm currently working on are perfect examples.  There are tons of reasons you need accurate crosscuts.  Everyone has a different workflow, but in my shop it's important to get dead nuts angles on the miter saw, and my Kapex does it.  My old Dewalt chop saw?  No, not so much.  Deflection City and it wouldn't hold a position.

 

There are times when I prefer to do crosscuts on the table saw, but it's almost always when I have a piece that's too small to safely do it at the SCMS, or when I need to do a really goofy cut...in both cases using the crosscut sled.  For long boards there's no debate...the SCMS is easier and safer.what is an scms maybe I'm using the search feature wrong but I can't get results.

 

I think the SCMS naysayers are usually people who have a crappy SCMS or no SCMS at all.  Which is fine but they don't really know what they're talking about.  And the allegation that you can't get accurate cuts on a Kapex is ridiculous.

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==>i know this is a passing fantasy, but I am in love with the idea of a big bad bandsaw taking center stage in my shop and pushing the table saw off to the corner for cross cuts and maybe making tenons on the dado stack.  Maybe I am just trying to justify a big purchase.....

 

There are many accomplished craftsman/women with the BS at the center of their workflow... Actually, many experienced woodworking educators suggest purchasing a BS prior to the TS and making it the heart of your shop... You can Google these at your leisure…

 

TS/BS dominance is governed by your projects... When starting-out, most hobby-shops adopt what I’ll term a ‘rectilinear dogma’ with the TS as godhead... As a consequence, much hobbyist-activity orbits the Shaker and A&C styles. Why? Because a relative beginner can execute the ubiquitous Shaker side table and/or Mission coffee table with tools most hobbyists already have… When craftsman start exploring beyond Shaker/A&C to say MCM (Nakashima, Esherick, et al) or Studio Movement, the BS frequently gains parity or outright displaces the TS as top-dog…The TS doesn’t becomes obsolete – it’s still an important part of the workflow – it’s just not the linchpin…

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==>I wouldn't wanna live without either one.

Same here... I'm really discussing purchase order and relative position in the workflow... In an ideal world you'd have both tools from the get-go... But there's that little thing called money that always seems to get in the way...

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  • 1 month later...

Well, I decided on the G1023RL.  I received it the week before last and I have just started using it (ripping 4x4s for a workbench).  So far, I am really enjoy it.  I also went with the mobile base (my shop is a one car garage and I suspect my tools will need to rearranged a few times before I get my workflow figured out).

 

Thanks for all of the advice and for humoring another "help me pick a table saw" thread.

 

My next step is dust collection.  I have started reading Bill Pentz's website (as suggested by this forum).

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Well, I decided on the G1023RL. I received it the week before last and I have just started using it (ripping 4x4s for a workbench). So far, I am really enjoy it. I also went with the mobile base (my shop is a one car garage and I suspect my tools will need to rearranged a few times before I get my workflow figured out).

Thanks for all of the advice and for humoring another "help me pick a table saw" thread.

My next step is dust collection. I have started reading Bill Pentz's website (as suggested by this forum).

I have the popular Harbor Freight DC, with a homemade cart with Thein baffle. Works great, and in my case the cart is also doing double duty as a clamp rack.

Just picked up my first tablesaw too. I've been down the "you can do it all with hand tools" and "a bandsaw will suffice" paths. Ultimately, like many others I ended up getting a table saw.

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