Table Saw Recommendations

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blades said:
MY world is primarily metallic, Want a giant over arm router - its called a knee mill ( bridgeport being a brand name) I can make cuts a couple inches deep by putting slitter blades on the horizontal mill. Between my tool and cutter grinders and mills I can make most any joint, just not in a timely manner. Due to rehabbing a home I am back to doing wood working so slowly acquiring quality wood working machines , old school heavy iron style at reasonable prices ( takes a lot of patience for the right price on some of this). Planner, jointer, shapers are another area where mass is good along with long or the ability to add in and out feed tables to minimize snipe. Yep, skitterd a few boards across the mills to get down to thickness needed. Takes a long time though. My 24" bandsaw is an old 2 range variable speed Du-All unit early 40's vintage Low speed about 16 sfm to a top end about 1600 sfm which is still slow compared to the 17" top end. One thing I do try to stay away from on old iron is Babbitt bearings. Their replacement has become a lost art now days. If I come across an old 16" radial arm piece of iron at the right price it will likely follow me home.
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While you are generally correct that most consumers should avoid babbit bearings in their used tool choices, repairing them is far from a lost art, though it may seem so on a regional basis.
 
Joful said:
16 - 1600 fpm is a good metal machine, but most wood band saws run 3000 - 5000 fpm! I see the Do-All's pop up in the local auctions... nice machines, on part with Northfield. Not often found cheap, though.

I went vintage Crescent. You can't beat the styling, and they're possibly the most solid and ubiquitous wood cutter ever made.
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Do-Alls, are metal working machines, though some models are capable of cutting anything from wood to stone, in terms of both band speed and rigidity.
 
If I were in the market for a table saw, possibly the most dangerous item a consumer can buy without a background check, I would consider nothing other than the self braking model which will not cut off your hand or fingers.
 
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lukem said:
Thoughts on this one:

http://tippecanoe.craigslist.org/tls/3833111524.html
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A 2 hp with a thin kerf blade will do ok. Price is good but if U want to build cabinets U can do better . I have seen Delta Unisaws go for $300
The fence on that saw is not the best but not all that bad. you could upgrade that.
A lot of good replies here, weight is great .
Wrestling 4x8 sheets on a TS is IMO not the best way,thats why I built my own panel saw ,a Safety Speed Cut clone, before that I used a hand held, and guide, break the panels down , allow for some waste, and then cut em accurately on the TS
My PM66 has a 52" fence , but I never use the capacity any more , a 30-36 would be fine.
Not the only good blades out there, but the best, and the only ones, I buy any more, Forrest Saw Blades, and can be purchased many other places , the WOODWORKER II is a GREAT all around blade, but not best for ripping thick stock.
 
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I would want one with a true rip fence. Cast is better than molded. Most important thing is getting really good blades for the material you intend to cut. Then save them for that purpose. Change your blades when you change the material to be cut.
Once you figure out that the blade is really important, you won't hesitate to spend $50 bucks instead of $20. I have a table saw, a radial arm saw and a band saw and they all have their purpose. I also keep an inexpensive Skil table saw (Lowes) in the garage so I don't have to run inside to the shop when I have just a few basic cuts for garden projects etc.
 
Great suggestions, if money was no concern, but the OP stated his budget, and a cabinet saw with Forrest blade does not fit. I just spent $213 on a single Forrest blade last week, and I think my Dado King blade was somewhere closer to $400. Stick with a mid-grade Freud for budget. Full kerf for stability and clean rips in thin stock, and thin kerf to make up for your lacking hp the thick stuff. Any table saw under 5hp is going to be a real struggle with 4" stock, so the thin kerf blade will be a blessing.

Those $300 unisaws usually need $500 in repairs and a full winter worth of restoration work. Also, max depth of cut on a Uni is 3", useless for 4" stock, unless you can rip 1/16" wide of the line from both sides, and clean up in planer.
 
PapaDave said:
Nice find HDRock.
I'd get the Sears with the Biesemeyer fence. Fence alone is worth what he's asking.
Offer $200, put on a link belt, and a decent blade.
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At $200 would be good deal ,and a good fence is a must have.
I had a link belt and turned steel pulleys on my contractor saw , made it run nice n smooth
 
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Guess I got a heck of deal on the PM66, polish rust off top and fence ( 98% surface just a few pits won't bother a thing), new power cord, lubrication of the trunion assembly. Bearings all good. Its humming along cutting true. Added a Kreg mitre assembly. I haven't exceeded $400 on it yet including the Kreg. Had a bunch of old blades that customers brought in that repair costs exceeded replacement costs. So fixed those up and have a reasonable selection to work with for now.
 
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Yeah, I'd call that a good deal. That saw was over $2500 new, and usually sells used around $1200 - $1400.
 
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I cleaned up my saw not too long ago; aligned the fence and blade, installed a new thin kerf blade, lubricated things.
I was feeling pretty good about my saw until this post came along.
Plodding along in ignorance (as I was) is not always a bad thing.
 
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Sorta like I was with my firewood cache and my chainsaws, until I found this forum.
 
All you guys/gals who use the thin kerfs ( I have one, on one of the chop saws) on the TS, do you notice any blade deflection when ripping something like Oak?
I've used a TS (cheap tabletop model) with one, and it was ok, but the cut wasn't great.
 
I personally find a radial arm saw more useful for the kinds of things I do than a table saw. Chopping 2x4s, angle cuts, ripping long pieces of dimensional lumber into oddball sizes and shapes. Takes up less space along the wall in my shop than a table saw in the middle of the floor, too. If I need to rip a 4x8 sheet I can always use the Skilsaw.

OTOH, my father (who was a contractor) asked his head carpenter/cabinetmaker which to buy and he suggested the table saw as being more generally useful. My father bought the table saw and eventually bought the radial arm saw, too... ended up selling the table saw when he moved but he gave the radial saw to me.

As an aside, I have a friend who's been around metalworking tools all his life, recently restored an old sailboat and so needed to start acquiring woodworking tools. His take was, "Wow, woodworking tools are dangerous! Great big sharp teeth, you can get hurt with these things!"
 
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blades said:
Guess I got a heck of deal on the PM66, polish rust off top and fence ( 98% surface just a few pits won't bother a thing), new power cord, lubrication of the trunion assembly. Bearings all good. Its humming along cutting true. Added a Kreg mitre assembly. I haven't exceeded $400 on it yet including the Kreg. Had a bunch of old blades that customers brought in that repair costs exceeded replacement costs. So fixed those up and have a reasonable selection to work with for now.
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Yes U got a good deal I paid $2100 for mine new
 
My Dad built three kitchens with an eight inch Dewalt radial arm saw. So the first saw I bought was a 10 inch radial arm saw. But after taking an adult shop course I opted to get a table saw and have no regrets. So much better for me when getting those accurate cuts when you want to cut wood that is being joined. Anyone with a question on how to make certain cuts, just go to Youtube. I have found so much useful information there. Nice to see someone do it.
 
PapaDave said:
All you guys/gals who use the thin kerfs ( I have one, on one of the chop saws) on the TS, do you notice any blade deflection when ripping something like Oak?
I've used a TS (cheap tabletop model) with one, and it was ok, but the cut wasn't great.
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I don't notice the deflection but I'm sure I'm not as particular (or skilled) as others here that apparently do more detailed joinery. I do primarily construction carpentry not furniture grade work.
 
My saws are all 14" and larger. Not many thin kerf blades even made in the sizes I run.
 
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When I became a homeowner I started buying a bunch of tools for home improvements. When I went to look at a craigslist table saw I noticed that the garage of the seller was totally full of huge wood working tools. That when I got concerned that I was going to lose my garage.

Then I thought about those tools I saw at the fair a couple decades ago that sold for thousands of dollars. I checked on craigslist and I found one really close so I went to check it out. The seller saw that I was interested and said he had to have it gone today and said $400 takes it all!

I said, "deal!" I loaded up my new to me Shopsmith multi-tool! It came with a upgraded fence, a jig saw, band saw and box of blades and lathe tools.
 
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