I have a Jet Cabinet Saw in the shop but I’m looking for an accurate, durable portable jobsite saw – anyone have any recommendations? I’ve read good reviews on the bosch…
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Replies
have you tried a search?
the list of top favorites IIRC are (in no order) bosch, dewalt, ridgid, PC)
oh, and depending on what you want to do, EZ
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
I'd say you got them in the right order;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I have used the DeWalt and the Ridgid. Both are great saws, but the Ridgid has a lifetime parts warantee. Great saw all around
I've had a Rigid for about four years now and I love it. But, FWIW, the guys who have Dewalts and Bosch saws seem to love them too. Pick one... I'll bet you'll love it.
I've owned the Bosch and it is a fabulous saw, however I sold it when I finished the reno project that I bought it for. When I had another house to renovate, the Bosch / DeWalt wasn't in the budget so I ended up with a Craftsman for less than 1/2 the price and it is way more than half of the saw. It comes with expanding wings, out feed support, stand and dust bag. After installing a thin kerf blade and putting a cinder block on the base for weight, it is a very decent saw. The scale / fence is as accurate as I need for any job site. (My shop saw is a Delta Contractor with an Excalibur fence). If budget is a concern, it is worth checking out. I have also been very impressed with the Rigid in a show room but haven't used one. Hope this helps.
Cheers:
Ron.
I'm a mere homeowner, but I've got the Ridgid, and I'm making cabinets with it...
did
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I have 3 DeWalts, but that is just me. I haven't tried the Bosch, but if I ever need one more I will buy one to check the hype.I hope Chuck Norris never potato sacks me!!!!
bstcrpntr --- I hope to grow into this name.
I used many brands of "jobsite" saws and they seem to be geting larger every year, although more portable at the same time.
If I had to have a truly easily portable tablesaw, I think the Ridgid with its collapsing stand on wheels is good.
If you just need a small saw that you can lift into the back of the pickup by yourself without the collapsing stand, the Craftsman mentioned earlier is a bargain that is a great saw. That is where I spent my $.
I voted Bosch.
+ Compared to the other saws on the market, this was mostly because of the sturdier/more sophisticated stand and the beefier fence extension. It has worked well for the 6 months I've had it.~ I bought the line about the better blade guard making me more likely to use it, but usually I have it off anyway. - On the down side, the sawdust collection (unaided by vacuum) is pretty abysmal, and all the more so with a dado blade. Also, I've found that the little rubber thingys that cover the feet get knocked off on occasion. I'll probably lose one eventually.They're all a little short between the front edge of the table and the blade, but that's what it takes to fit through a 36 inch door. This is most noticable when you try to crosscut 6X or bigger. And I wouldn't recommend cutting a full sheet of plywood without a couple of experienced buddies to hold the corners -- or a gaggle of roller supports or a nice table extension. But they're pretty good for ripping and grooving.
"Also, I've found that the little rubber thingys that cover the feet get knocked off on occasion. I'll probably lose one eventually".
dab of glue?
1/2" self drillin/tapping sheet metal screw. I just gave a handful to some cabinet shop guys who were coming back from a site visit with some loose feet on a saw.
Anybody who owns the Bosch saw have this problem???I bought mine when it first came out 4-5 years ago or so. Lately, it's getting so that I cannot raise the blade easily due to some binding on the posts that the motor slides on.If I reach under the motor and support it on the side that has the smooth rail - it'll rise smoothly, otherwise it'll catch and bind to where it cannot really be raised without severely stressing the handwheel.Anyone else experience that?JT
no...
good cleaning in order here???Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
At first I thought it was the threaded rod gunked up - but not the case. I guess I'll give it a really good cleaning and then spray the rods with a dry lube teflon type spray and see how that works.If I still have the issue - maybe a bushing is worn out, perhaps from the upright sideways storage on the trailer thru the years...Thanks for the input - I'll keep you guys up on what the solution is.JT
I had the same problem with mine; spoke to a Bosch rep and they took it in for a warranty repair (free).I think it is a design flaw. That is, the helical gear gets a little sawdust in the gears and it makes it hard to raise or lower the blade. Even with the fix, they told me it is necessary to clean the gears frequently -- even once a day if you are cutting resinous wood. I also had trouble with the blade not staying put when dadoing; they fixed that too.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I really don't think it's a gear problem - even when all cleaned - seems to be an issue.It's almost like the saw motor is hanging a bit out of level.I'm going to take it to the service center Monday and see what they think - but I do not plan on paying anything for any repairs - what ever the problem - it is most certainly a defect in design that allowed it to happen.JT
dry lube it too....
and then again something may have worn out or broken...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I get same thing sometimes with my DW. But when trying to lower it. Pitch etc builds up on the surfaces where the plastic bushings guide /slide on the AL frame. Normally I use spray cleaner then lube whenever i change blades, but if the blade lasts a good long time and we rip a lot of pitchy pine, it gets bad.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Anyone else experience that?
A little dry lube along the surfaces that the motor tracks on will releave the binding every time. I use candle wax.
My ladder guy had reccomended Endust (Not pledge or any other brand) spray for my older Little Giant Ladder to smooth the motions.He said that stuff is basically like teflon in a can. Bought some and used it on the LG ladder - did seem to help a lot. Might try that on the Bosch's underside.JT
that stuff is designed to grab dirt and dust...
seems that'd just make matters worse...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
He said it was perfect for anywhere metal to metal met. It dries to a nothing finish - no residue whatsover. It seems very similar to the topcoat tablesaw topcoating spray - but smells better. And is cheaper...Not tacky or sticky or oily at all.JT
so why is it put on dust mops to help collect dust...
I think I'd leave that one alone..Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
If you are looking for something primarily for finish work the Bosch is probably the model used most by the better finish carps.
The new Bosch folding stand with wheels is slick and is quick to set up. My building buddy picked one up recently and it's just like any other Bosch table saw--smooth, accurate and just works well.
My personal saw is the small Makita on a Rousseau folding stand. It cuts to 29" wide, has a fence that's like a baby Biesemeyer, and there's a brake that stops the blade in 1/10th the time of the others to slowly come to a stop.
It also has more power than any 15 amp portable saw I've worked around, including the Dewalt, Bosch, Delta, and PC. Every carpenter who has used it comments on it's raw power, even when cutting miles of difficult material.
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Unfortunately, there is not an easy way to retrofit normal accessories to the miter slots since they are smaller (3/8") and more shallow. To attach feather boards I've drilled and tapped a series of holes for the 1/4" hold down bolts which covers most applications.
Another weak point is the fence, although I like it slightly better than either the Bosch or Dewalt systems. The idea behind the fence is great, but it's built a little on the crude side and mine required some tweaking for the tension locking lever to function properly.
I've recently aquired the home shop version of a biesemeyer (clone) fence that is three times as heavy as the Rousseau, but much more ridgid and overall just a better fence. It's requiring a significant amount of work to retrofit, but is so well made that it will be worth it.
If you run dado blades the Makita is also not the best since it won't accept even a narrow dado.
The main weakness of the saw for finish work is a table top that's not as flat as it should be and a poorly thought out blade cover plate that makes a zero clearance insert almost impossible.
The bearings on this saw are tired and going on 5 years old as my main rough and finish saw, so cuts aren't as good as they used to be, but still produce gap-free glue joints if a light finish cut is used.
The replacement saw will be a Bosch or the new Makita, which appears to be modeled to compete with the Bosch, with a Rousseau table.
Good cutting
I love my Bosch with the "gravity rise" stand. But I'm thinking of getting something a little smaller and more portable for quick jobs. The Bosch is worth hauling out for anything more than a quickie, but its work for one guy to unload it from the trailer, and reload it back up and end of day.
"he...never charged nothing for his preaching, and it was worth it, too" - Mark Twain
I've got the PC 3812 and like it. Soft start, electric brake, decent power (went through some 3" white oak the other day) and it uses a t-slot for the miter gauge which I find helpful crosscutting wider stock. I was really disapointed with the miter gauge on the Bosch's I looked at; seemed like a real oversight on an otherwise topnotch saw. The 3812 uses a full size table insert; a zero clearance insert for a Uni or contractor's saw will fit. Costs a fair amount less than the Bosch- bang for the $ the PC is pretty tough to beat. Downsides- for thin stock like laminate there's an L bracket you have to detach and mount to the fence to catch the edge; on the Bosch I believe its an integral part of the fence. Portability- the PC comes with a folding stand; no factory wheeled stand is available ........ I'm checking out Rousseau for a wheeled stand. Maybe Mike Smith may respond- I think he owns both.
Anybody used the new Makita that has the folding stand like Bosch or Rigid? It looks real tempting every time I go into the lumberyard.
I just bought the Ridgid , its a great saw with the exception of weight. Had to put it in the back of the truck every day , very heavy - so I bought a trailer to haul that and all the rest of my tools. Dont know how I did it for so long w/o trailer, anyway its still a great saw for the money.
I have the same Makita with the Rousseau table that Trout mentioned. It's powerful and portable with a good fence and large table. But I haven't tried the others so I suggest that you check them out if you can.
Billy
FYI,
Makita has a new model out w/folding stand that rivals the Bosch. I got to try it out at a trade show, very nice. Not sure if it still fits the Rousseau tables tho...
Jet also has a very lightweight, dinky lil' guy for about $200, haven't used it tho...
The Bosch continues to get high marks from the feedback I have received.
I would not recommend the Dewalt, just due to the number of those that have come back for warranty issues...(motor)
hope this helps...
Speaking of the dewalt, just yesterday put the table saw in for repair, what was wrong? The motor! Totally gutless. But i love the fence. Maybe I can soup it up!
I had a DeWalt for about two years, seemed a bit light duty but it worked OK. On one of my jobs the builder let me use his Bosch. It was way better than what I had so I gave the Dewalt to my son. The Bosch just seems to be a bit more robust and I like the soft start feature, doesn't jump at you when it starts up.
The company I worked for had Dewalts, gave me the old one, I fixed it up, and it's ok, especially for being free. The miter slots seem to be wider than standard though. My vote goes for the Bosch however. I used it a bit, and really liked it. I thought the fence, guards, stand and power were all superior, and I'm not prone to using the guards much, but it sure saved our #### when ripping 20' LVLs. I've also used the Ridgid, which I personally don't like much. The controls don't seem that easy, and I just didn't trust the fence much. On the particular one I used, the flats on the arbor rounded off, making it necessary to do the wedge a block between the blade and table routine. Nice to have wheels on the stand though.
Young, poor, and eager to learn