Job site tablesaw recommendations?


SawDustB

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Hi everyone,

 

I've been getting into woodworking over the last year or so. I've made a few picture frames, bookshelves, and other miscellaneous items for around the house. My current table saw is a mastercraft job site saw, which is the Canadian Tire store brand (think low-end Craftsman, probably come out of the same factory). I'm looking to upgrade, since this saw has no riving knife, vacuum port, usable mitre gauge, etc.

 

I've seen all of the recommendations to get a stationary saw, and I would ideally have gone for something like the Ridgid contractor saw. Unfortunately, I just don't have the space for it, since my "workshop" (ie: garage) is not really something I can dedicate to woodworking all of the time. So, I think I'm stuck with a saw that can be folded up and stored away, but I'd like something that is safer and that cuts better than my current one.

 

The three main contenders I've been considering are:

Ridgid R4513 http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-15-amp-10-in-Heavy-Duty-Portable-Table-Saw-with-Stand-R4513/100090444

Bosch 4100 http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-15-Amp-10-in-Table-Saw-with-Gravity-Rise-Stand-4100-09/202242734

Dewalt http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-10-in-Jobsite-Table-Saw-with-Rolling-Stand-DWE7491RS/204512007

 

Anyone have experience with these saws? I'm in Canada, , but all three are available (albeit at a higher price than in these links). The Ridgid seems like pretty good bang for the buck, although I've seen some reports of the motor burning up after a couple years of use. The Bosch seems to have the most praise, but there are a few complaints of runout on the arbor causing the cut to be not as smooth. The Dewalt seems to have no real negatives that I can see, although it is the most expensive and I'm not sure how the rack and pinion fence would be to use.

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I have used the bosch and its fine for a job site saw, which means its miles behind even the most rudimentary contractor saw.

 

Have you looked at how much space a jobsite saw takes up compared to stationary saw? Its really only a few feet difference. A lot of folks get a contractor saw on a mobile base and wheel it out into the driveway to make their cuts then wheel it back in when they are done. The difference in space is pretty minimal.

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Thanks, guys. I would love to fit the contractor saw, but my garage is only a small single stall that I have to share with storage, strollers, the lawnmower, etc. I'm still going to take another look at my options. I'm posting the question in part because the industrial park near me has a once a year sale that the dewalt and Bosch service centers participate in (and it's usually pretty good deals). If I was going to get one of those saws, the sale is next weekend so I should decide what I'm doing before then.

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I've used the dewalt quite a bit over the last few years. I just got a cabinet saw so it's going into retirement. I have zero complaints with the saw, It performs extremely well for what it is, and the rack and pinion fence locks in nice and operates smoothly. Has fairly good DC for a contractor saw as well.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have experience with the other two to give you a comparison. 

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After graduating from a benchtop saw to a contractor saw w/mobile base, I would never go back! There is a huge difference in capability. This is a case where size really does matter. Honestly, a contractor or small cabinet / hybrid saw can serve as saw, workbench, and assembly table, so unless you have to pack your jobsite saw in the attic every night, try to avoid letting your perception of available space dictate what you buy.

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Hi everyone,

 

I've been getting into woodworking over the last year or so. I've made a few picture frames, bookshelves, and other miscellaneous items for around the house. My current table saw is a mastercraft job site saw, which is the Canadian Tire store brand (think low-end Craftsman, probably come out of the same factory). I'm looking to upgrade, since this saw has no riving knife, vacuum port, usable mitre gauge, etc....

 

 

Anyone have experience with these saws? I'm in Canada, , but all three are available (albeit at a higher price than in these links). The Ridgid seems like pretty good bang for the buck, although I've seen some reports of the motor burning up after a couple years of use. The Bosch seems to have the most praise, but there are a few complaints of runout on the arbor causing the cut to be not as smooth. The Dewalt seems to have no real negatives that I can see, although it is the most expensive and I'm not sure how the rack and pinion fence would be to use.

 

I bought the Dewalt contractor saw perhaps 12 years ago or so.  It doesn't appear to have changed much in it's design since then.  I also have a cabinet saw in my shop, but the Dewalt has seen a lot of use over the years. The rack and pinion fence has worked very well and has stayed square and true despite all the moving around the saw has seen.  The saw is capable of a surprising level of accuracy,even with long boards and full-size sheet goods, provided the operator--you--know how to overcome the limitations of the small table size. The additions I would suggest would be:

1. Put a good blade on it--something like a Woodworker II full kerf.  And use the Forrest vibration dampener disc. You'll be amazed at how good a rip cut you can get with this saw.

2. For smaller piece-work, replace the stock throat plate with a ZCI.

 

Proviso: I can't really comment on using this saw's miter gauge. Typically, if I'm using this saw somewhere, I've also got a 12" sliding compound miter saw with me and use it for miters and cross cuts.

 

Thus, my take, fwiw: I have no issues with the saw whatever. If you're really tight on space and can't make a cabinet saw work in your space, even if it's on a mobile base, I would have no reservations about the Dewalt saw.  I can't comment on the other two as I haven't used either.

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Thanks for the feedback. Janello, Foo, I appreciate the information on the Dewalt. If I do go with the jobsite type saw, I think that would be my preferred route. My main concern there was knowing how well its fence design would work, since it's pretty different from any table saw I've had experience with.

 

Shane, thanks for the welcome. I would love to have a SawStop of any kind, but it's a bit outside my budget at the moment. I've got probably $1000 I can spend on woodworking over the next 6 months, but that has to allow for buying some wood as well.

 

wtnhighlander, I noticed on one of the other threads that you have the Ridgid contractor saw. How do you like it? If I was to go with a contractor or full size saw, my local options for buying are pretty limited (in the sub $1000 market). I think there's that one and a contractor saw from Busy Bee (Craftex) that I could get easily.

http://www.busybeetools.com/products/tablesaw-contractor-10in-1-5hp-craftex.html 

 

The Busy Bee saw would be a no-brainer since it has all cast iron parts and looks to be very solid, but it's missing a riving knife. On paper, the Ridgid saw has everything I would want, but I'm a bit nervous about some of the alignment issues I've heard about. I might be able to manage for space if I also install my router table in one of the wings (and pitch a few things from the garage... I don't really need the winter tires, right?).

 

I may just see if there's any fantastic deals on the Dewalt saw next weekend. Otherwise, maybe I'll see about freeing up some space. I have to admit, spending the same amount of money (or pretty close) and getting a contractor saw vs a jobsite saw is pretty tempting.

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....

wtnhighlander, I noticed on one of the other threads that you have the Ridgid contractor saw. How do you like it?

I can't comment on alignment issues with newer Ridgid saws. Mine is a TS24241, at least 10 years old, and missing the blade guard, splitter, and miter gague as a result of its former life. I paid $250 for it and a 1.5 HP delta dust collector. Cleaned it, replaced the blade, and spent a little time adjusting alignment. Even with the original fence, I am very happy with the performance. I work in my garage too, and the mobile base makes it a breeze to stow in the corner when not in use. I slid the fence rails to the right, giving wider rip capacity, and allowing me to add a shop built router table without removing the cast iron extension wing.

The only thing I wish it had is a bit more table behind the blade.

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I had the DeWalt before I got my cabinet saw.  I bought it on the recommendation of my brother - he swore by its accuracy and ease of use.  I loved the saw, particularly the fence.  The rack and pinion adjustment was on the mark and I never had to adjust it. 

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I hadn't really considered grizzly because I thought they weren't available in Canada. Turns out I'm wrong in that, although by the time you add on freight, brokerage, customs, and the exchange rate they're getting to be essentially the same price as the busy bee cabinet saws (and look like they came from the same factory). I'm no closer to a decision, but this is all great information. I also noticed the local woodworking association has their swap meet next weekend, so I think I'll go see if anything turns up there.

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I had the Bosch and really liked it.  Dust collection was pretty good with a shop-vac.

 

That said, I now have a contractor saw, mostly because I wanted a larger table for working with sheet goods.

 

If I was in your position, I'd get a circular saw, build and make a straight line cutting guide. I'm doing a project with plywood right now and even with my 52" contractor saw, I'm making most of my finish cuts with the circular saw.  That plus a job site table saw for cutting smaller parts will get you pretty far.

 

A good rule of thumb is that for large pieces, keep the piece stationary and move the tool (circular saw).  For small pieces, keep the tool stationary and move the piece (table saw).  Of course, there are exceptions.

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If I could only have a job site saw I wouldn't own a "table" saw. I would probably jump into Festool with both feet. The biggest issue with space limitations is the ability to joint and plane. I know three home developers that have banned job site saws all together and the trend is growing.

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I have the rigid contractor saw and its a nice machine. The only alignment issue I had was the miter slots were misaligned with the blade and it took a fair bit of tinkering to get it all squared up. But since then it has been fine. Shame you aren't closer to me as I'm actually trying to sell the saw now. I finally decided to get the full size sawstop cabinet saw so the rigid has to go. But the rigid is plenty powerful enough to handle 8/4 maple as long as you don't try to feed it too quickly, the cast iron top is nice and stable, and the fence is pretty good, especially for that style of saw.

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@ OP if you are still on the fence about getting a job site saw this may help. I noticed that everyone that commented on how the job site saw they HAD was great they all upgraded later. I would make some space for a contractors saw and not buy two table saws (like most people do myself included). I just moved into the contractor saw world and you can't even compare it to the job site saw, they are not even in the same species.

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I appreciate the replies. I am still on the fence about the style of table saw, and am evaluating my space to see if there's anything I can do. The Festool system looks great for some tasks (certainly sheet goods, etc) but I just can't envision working without some kind of table saw, not unless I went totally down the hand tool route. I figure I'm stuck with S2S lumber or using hand jointing with a bench top planer (once I get one) for milling.  I'm leaning towards getting the Ridgid, Porter Cable, or Delta contractor saws if I can figure out any way to fit them. If not, I'm inclined to go with the Dewalt job site saw (understanding the compromise there, but it's still a LOT better than my current saw).

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I've read quite a bit about Festool being used in place of conventional machines, e.g. table saw.  I have both and find myself still going to the table saw for the vast majority of operations.  I prefer using my TS55 and MFTC for large panel work, but most everything else still runs across my table saw.  I don't do any work outside my shop, so I tend to go with what works best for me rather than having to consider portability.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So, after much measuring and mulling it over, I'm thinking about going for the RIdgid cast iron saw (R4512). Home Depot in Canada has a tool event on for the next two weeks that will save me $125 off the saw, so this seems like the time to do it. My only concern are the forum posts I've seen about the blade alignment changing with raising/lowering on some older saws. Anyone know how much of an issue this really is? This looks like the best option for me, provided I can get a saw that works.

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So, after much measuring and mulling it over, I'm thinking about going for the RIdgid cast iron saw (R4512). Home Depot in Canada has a tool event on for the next two weeks that will save me $125 off the saw, so this seems like the time to do it. My only concern are the forum posts I've seen about the blade alignment changing with raising/lowering on some older saws. Anyone know how much of an issue this really is? This looks like the best option for me, provided I can get a saw that works.

 

Google the issue. I recall reading of the problem still showing up sporadically on some of the newer ones. If you do go with that one, be prepared to exchange it if need be cause it can be a bugger to get fixed.

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So after reading everything I could online about the ridgid saw, I went in to home depot today and spent close to 45 minutes poking and prodding their floor model. What a sad sight, I don't think any of the bolts were properly tightened on the thing. The only issue I noted with alignment is that when initially applying pressure to the hand wheel to raise the blade, the back would tilt by maybe 1/32". As soon as the wheel was turned the other way, the blade returned to its previous position. Tilting the blade had a similar kind of issue. My opinion after looking it over is that this is a pretty minor issue, likely just happening because of some flex in the steel bracket holding these mechanisms. I think I'm OK with it, since it doesn't seem like it would affect my use of the saw at all (and it seemed easy to get the blade in proper alignment). To put it in perspective, my current saw is made of plastic, so everything flexes.

I still have to figure out how to get it home, now. I would have considered the new Delta (5000 series) but we don't have any stores that carry them around here.

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Fair enough. I considered going with the cabinet saw route (a few come up used) but I just don't have the room. It seems the alternatives in this size are either the saw stop (at 4-5x the price) or don't have a riving knife, which I am determined is a requirement for me. In my last post what I meant is that I don't think there is an alignment issue on the saw I looked at, just a bit of backlash in the adjustment mechanism (which seemed easy enough to deal with). And it is home depot - not that it wouldn't be a pain, but I can always return it if I have to.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

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