Looking to buy a first table saw with tax money


Valleyslim

Recommended Posts

Like title says im looking to add to my side of a 2 car garage a table saw. I was looking at the delta 36-735 for 599 but was wondering for a weekend warrior should i get something better?? i only intend to do diy furniature and weekend projects as i work full time and with a 4 year old can only musture such little time to do wood working. Tax season is coking up and also my yearly bonus from my job is coming up at same time so im looking at roughly a sub 2k (after taxes and i live cali) table saw for just diy projects was looking at laguna fusion 2 after i finally got a chance to visit a rockler store

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people spend a lot and a lot of people spend too little. It's  easy to get caught up in bigger and higher priced tools. Trying to figure out how much you intend to get involved In woodworking is a tough one. I would start smaller and work up. Too many smaller tools to buy along the way. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see anything wrong with the delta. I used a job site saw for a long time and it did the trick for me. Unless you know you really want to go all in save the money get the detla and put the rest to some good maple or cherry or what ever wood you like and try some projects. With the lower poer saws good blades are key. Go after the Freud Industrial or Forrest blades. Make sure to get a rip blade that's a low tooth count like 20 or 24. Then a combination blade for joinery and cross cuts. If you have 2 good well taken care of blades you'll forget your saw isn't 3hp.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

Or i guess i never asked if you have a jointer and planer. You could take the rest and get a 6" jointer and possibly a planer. Those 3 will go a long way to making woodworking easy instead of frustrating.

Or buy neither. You Need a lot of hand tools first.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for the replies, Maybe the delta and some other tools might make sense. I like the delta because the fence seems to be better than the rigid although i was looking at the rigid first. I have plenty of handtools, mostly mechanic. I would love to get a jointer and a planer though, any suggestions on those? browsing the forum everyone suggest the dewalt, but after researching youtube on the dewalt everyone says you need the 400$ upgrade on the helical blades because their only complaint is the dewalt blades not lasting that long

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Valleyslim said:

400$ upgrade on the helical blades because their only complaint is the dewalt blades not lasting that long

I have the Dewalt 735 and you don't have to jump at the helical head right out of the box.  I have had good life out of my original blades.  I have probably 10 to 12 major projects and the blades are still decent.  When I do change I will most likely go with the blades from Infinity which can be re-sharpened.  Also you have to think about how much you will be using the planner in the sense of hobbyist versus someone on youtube that is producing a lot of content and therefore using the planner a lot more then you would.  Start off with the stock blades on the 735 and see how it goes, you can always change out to the helical down the road.  You don't have to do it all at once and it would be wrong to not get the planner just because you think you have to change out the blades right from the get go.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I looked at specs for the Delta 36-735 and the Rigid r4512.

Two thing I see make me favor the Rigid. Although the actual drive mechanism on both is unlisted, the rpm spec seems to indicate the Delta is a direct drive, while the Rigid is a belt drive. I favor the belt for smoother, quieter operation.

Also, the Delta has a 2.5" dust port, where the Rigid has a 4" port. My experience is that the long curls generated from ripping boards will sometimes clog a 4" pipe, and frequently do so at 2.5".

The Delta offers 1/4" more cut depth, but the mobile base on the Rigid is generally considered a little better.

Regarding the fences: Delta offers a Beismeyer style T-square fence, which many folks love. And the square tube front rail makes many infeed support jigs and other accessories possible.

The Rigid fence uses a front&rear locking design, which has the benefit of zero flex during use. However, it does require the use to push forward on the handle end, to ensure the fence is square before clamping down.

Either saw will do the job pretty well, but the dust collection and mobile base lead me toward the Rigid. Certainly the Rigid, if it turns out to be belt drive, as I suspect.

The Rigid is also ~50 lb heavier, making it less prone to vibration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree the standard 735 blades are good. I upgraded to the HH for the noise but honestly the strait knives are good enough. There are some HSS blades from infinity tool that have been widely used by forum members that take some sharpening and last a long time. For a jointer I don't know what your local market is like but i'd watch for a stationary 6" unit. They pop up around me often and are 300-400.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   3 Members, 0 Anonymous, 49 Guests (See full list)

  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,757
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined