Any suggestions on a portable table saw? I have access to a big stationary on, I’m just thinking something that does a wide variety of things and isn’t to heavy or awkward to carry, do any of you use the stands that they all seem to have?
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I have the Dewalt with the stand as do many friends who are in the trade. It's OK for what it is but if you force wood thru it you will burn it out in short order. One guy who's working here this week has an employee who's cooked 4.
i have the bosch portable and it is great i was just ripping wet twisty pt lumber w it yesterday and it never bogs down ive had it for maybe 5 years now and it has never let me down the only problem is sliding it in and out of my truck bed the housing is breaking apart
I cast my vote for the Ridgid.
Been hearing a lot of Bosch complaints, and I recently added one to a part time shop no problems so far, but its hardly used.
The Ryobi is a great saw, but I find I still prefer a real miter gauge set up vs the sliding deal they have.
And the DW is great as well and is in the lead probably by sheer numbers out there in the field and the fence is the selling point.
But looking for the best of all the features in one design and keeping cost in mind..I feel the Ridgid is the best for what I would be using it for..mainly remodeling/restoration type work.
I could see where a Deck Builder or Cabinet Installer, may have totally differnt needs, and choose different saws for thier individual strong points.
If portabilty is the greatest need, the stands need to be considered as well as the OA weight and size. I don't pack mine up daily, I often wil leave it on a site for weeks, and have another that may travel more often.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
There was a review within the last year on portable saw, but I'm not sure which magazine it was in. The Bosch usually tops the reviews, but different people have different requirements.
I had the Bosch, but it didn't get used much due to its weight and my ailing back. I bought a Makita 10" (before the big remodel, so now it is very similar to everything else) and have been very pleased with it. The table doesn't extend out like all the others (including the newer model) but if I need to cut something that wide, I haul out the Festool saw and guide for a better cut.
Check the archives. This subject is discussed on a very frequent basis.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Nick25
I will tell you at all costs to avoid the Delta contractors saw.. After two years of fighting with mine I wound up giving it away.. (that's right, giving it away!) I tried to sell it but everybody came out tried it and left..
I'll bet a realigned that thing 30 times before I finally gave up (and had it realigned twice by the factory rep)..The second time he realigned it he drilled out the table and put helicoils in it thinking the bolts were loosening somehow.. That wasn't any better!
It would start out fine and slowly move around.. eventually when the blade was cutting into the table I'd stop and realign it once more.. meanwhile if you used the fence you realigned it every single cut it seemed..
If you are used to a decent table saw be aware that contractors saws won't have as much power nor will they be as smooth or nice to work with..
the problem with the contractor's saw is the cheap bolts they use to hold the trunnions to the table. I replaced the bolts on my saw with Grade 5 or 6 bolts, and haven't had any problems since.
Mine is also about 15 years old, so they may have cheapened other parts since that time.
I still want a cabinet saw, tho.
Shep
About the third time I realigned it that was my move. Replaced them with AN grade bolts.. Only thing rated higher wasn't available.
When you go to buying a cabinet saw look at Grizzly.. Not quite the deal they used to be with the weak dollar but still a lot less expansive than other's and I will state clearly that my Grizzly stuff has been darn near perfect.. In about 7 years I've replaced one belt that the local NAPA store had in stock.. (Cheap me, I left the other two belts on the pully and it's worked perfectly ever since.
By the way that wasn't on my table saw which has been flawless since it came out of the box.. That was on my 20" Grizzly power planer which has planed over 40,000 bd.ft. of hardwood.
My whole shop is Grizzly since everything I've purchased has worked well right out of the box and except for that one belt. That's through 40,000 bd.ft. of hardwood!
Tablesaw, planer, jointer,shaper, sander, dust collector, shop filter, etc.
Frenchy,
What size Griz Jointer have you?
I am looking for an 8" and that is one I am considering, sing me some praises to help my decision.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Sphere,
I've got the 8x 76 inch Grizzly and it has been absolutely flawless.
If you want I'll sell you mine cheap because I'd love to have that spiral head one they sell now! Actually I probably will just buy the spiral head since it would be cheaper.. Whatever you do buy the spiral head.. it's well worth the extra money!
I may even spring for a new spiral head for my planer
I was just looking at the site..all said and done with shipping...a 4 knife head is running 835.00$
I don't think I'd be starting with the spiral head, maybe as an add on at a later time. I am old school, and straight knives are fine. For now. <G>
Did you see thier 16" with Spiral? Wheee-doggies that there is a cool tool!Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Sphere,
Please let me try to sell you their spiral head, You'll thank me later I promise you..
First is the noise factor. I have the 4 head cutter and when the blades are fresh and sharp they aren't too noisy, but long before they get dull enough to need resharpening the noise level is deafening..(that's with ear muffs) the one my friend has with a sprial head is so quiet you can't believe it!
My 4 blade one took me a full hour to replace the blades the first time I tried. . Oh in theory it's simple enough, use the little guage they send and set them all to that height.. Just don't double check them with a dial indicator and you'll be fine.. what you'll find is because you roll the cutter head slightly each time you put the guild on each blade is a little higher or lower than the other blades.. so if you push something rapidly across it you get scalloping.. Sure that can be snded out easy enough but it makes the following milling operations that much off..
Granted I've got it down to about 15 minutes now but that's because I've resharpened those blades a lot in jointing over 40,000 bd.ft. of hardwood thus far..
My friend doesn't take 10 minutes to turn the all the cutters when it's time to reshapen his.. (each cutter has 4 fresh edges) So while I pull all 4 blades and haul them into resharpen, he just turns his cutters.. Plus if he runs a nail or something thru his he doesn't ruin the blades.. He simply turns the ones that got damaged.. That alone would have saved me a big chunk of money!
I used to resharpen my own, I have a Tormek sharpening system with the proper tooling to do so but I found the pros did it better.. theirs stayed sharp twice as long as my best efforts.. Plus they never took as much blade off when they sharpened as I did..
Finally when working with highly figured wood, suck as burl, fiddleback, or crotch wood. spiral head will do a much nicer job with no tear out compared to a 4 head cutter.
That's it! those three reasons..
Much quieter,
easier faster blade replacement, (lasts 4 times longer)
Shaves better on tough figured woods without the tear out..
Hopefully you'll agree with me and save yourself $120. plus the work of taking yours apart and installing the spiral cutter head.. after the fact.
Your preachin to the choir. I know all about the cutters.
Just not in the cards at this time.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Sphere,
Well I tried <grin> Good luck with your Grizzly I know you'll have a good time with it..
>>>I will tell you at all costs to avoid the Delta contractors saw.. Funny, isn't it... somehow that saw got a great reputation about twenty years ago, but since then everything I've heard about it stinks. I've got a few friends that have had the same experience as you.Now my 1950's Unisaw is a different matter; nice machine. (Hahaha, sorry Nick25, not exactly portable though...300+ lbs)Scott.
Edited 2/13/2008 1:50 am by Scott
Scott,
It earned that reputation 20 years ago. Mine is now 19 years old. The table was made to the same standards of accuracy as the unisaw. It just doesn't have the same power or adjustability and has pressed steel wings instead of cast steel.
It is not a cabinet makers tool, but for my needs it has been nearly perfect. I have never had an alignment problem not of my own making.
Ron
We did some work at a bar down town a long time ago, being the young apprentice I would in and out the tools every day. At the time I wanted to be in the army, I was a really big kid, trained every day ect. We had this table saw that I had a hard time to carry, after about three weeks of taking this thing up and down two flights of stairs I asked my uncle if I could just leave it at the job over night. He said we could give it a shot. Wouldn't believe it but that night, job gets broken into, all of the trades lose tools, even extension cords and air hoses go missing, that table saw didn't move. The thing was one of the earlier versions of portable, It had to have been somewhere in the neighbor hood of 90lbs. Since those day's I'd always bought cheap portables, so I can leave them at work, and if something should happen to them, well the time to buy another. Now I want a nicer one with smooth operations, good fence and easy to move around.
Haha, guy. Keep those hundred pounders coming... thieves are lazy... and stupid.Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
I have the Ridgid and have been very happy with it.
Home Depot often sells them with the rolling stand as a package at a decent price.
The stand is a must. I wouldn't want to have to lug it around and set up and break down daily without it.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Here's one more vote for the Rigid.
Its stand is almost as easy to set up as the Bosch. And when its folded down, it wheels around like a dolly.
And -- here's a point I didn't know when I bought mine -- when its folded up, there are two rubber feet that protrude from the frame nearer to the top of the handle. When I wheel the saw up to my pickup tailgate, those feet are about two inches higher than the edge of the gate.
It may not sound like much, but those two feet sortof "hold" the top of the frame onto the truck, while I bend to lift the rest of the saw up. It makes it fairly easy to get it loaded.
Same is true while unlaoding. I slide the saw out till those feet are near the edge of the gate, then simply lower the wheels to the ground. The feet keep the top end from sliding off the gate and falling.
As for accuracy, mine was dead on fresh out of the box. Dunno if this is true generally or not.
And, as noted by other posters, the total power in ANY portable will not be equal to a stationary machine. But most are fine for the tasks you'll give them.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
When I wheel the saw up to my pickup tailgate, those feet are about two inches higher than the edge of the gate.
Oooooh. Hadn't thought of that. I'll have to check that out.
I built a "ramp" out of 5/4" PT decking that I use for my chopsaw and tablesaw when I need to roll them in/out of my truck.
On rare occassions however, the terrain of the jobsite makes the ramp unusable.
Thanks for the tip.
J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements
If you and only you are using the saw, the DW 744 is a good choice. People unfamiliar with the saw begin cranking on the cam fence adjustment knob before hitting the release lever and problems arise. The stand is separate but solid.
I've used the Bosch extensively but would not purchase one. The gravity stand is wobbly, sawdust in the front channel throws the fence offline and when the saw swings to 45deg it smacks into the table extension lever. Lots of power, bad design. To be fair, the Bosch I was using was 3yrs ago, they may have improved it.
I'm an installer, so tools are in and out of my truck once or sometimes several times a day. All of my sheet ply material is pre cut in the shop so I have no need for big rips. I recently purchased the Baby DW 745 and am very impressed.
I am considering the purchase of the Rousseu Porta Max saw stand for the DW. I saw a cabinet installer with one and it was sweet. Truly portable and 27" rip capacity.
Gord
"I am considering the purchase of the Rousseu Porta Max saw stand for the DW."Believe me you will not regret it. Have had my Rousseau set up for 10 years now and it's still going strong. I run a 20 year old Makita 81/4" tablesaw in it which is super portable and has done more than its duty, but am thinking of getting the little DW 10", (I already have the 744 in my garage and like it). I like having a 10" saw, that's all they make anymore anyhow.You cannot beat the Rousseau set up.