Good Choice of Table Saw for very casual home use ??

Posted by Jim Elbrecht on February 8, 2009, 11:17 am

wrote:

>Steve, I don't think one can cut plywood with a miter saw ~!

Sure one can. But first one needs to get it down to size with one's

skil saw.<g>

Jim

Posted by SteveB on February 8, 2009, 12:18 pm

> Steve, I don't think one can cut plywood with a miter saw ~!
> James

I hope you were talking to Steve Barker. I didn't say that. But having
said that, having a big miter saw is sure nice to get accurate cuts on
boards, and they will cut fairly wide boards.

SteveB

Posted by HeyBub on February 7, 2009, 11:18 pm

James wrote:

> I am not a carpenter or even a handyman. The only kind of saw I
> have owned for 25 years is a skill saw. Even with very casual use,
> I am still not good at using a skill saw to cut a straight edge on a
> piece of plywood or a 2 x 4 !!
> Perhaps several times a year, I will have a need to cut 2 x 4's ,
> some trim pieces , and perhaps some plywood. Because I am not
> really skilled at using a skill saw, I have thought of getting a bare
> bones, but quality table saw. Again, I just need something that
> will allow me to cut boards and trim pieces and end up with a
> straight cut. It doesn't have to be very high powered, or have a
> lot of fancy adjustments. I guess just an adjustable fence (isn't
> that what they call it........ the piece you move left and right, and
> put your stock up against for cutting?) and I guess something that
> adjusts the depth of a cut. I don't think I would need any angle
> cutting, such as a miter saw is used for.
> So, what is a recommended brand, and/or a particular saw not
> exceeding $150 ? Can I get a quality one for that price ??
> I am thinking of looking at Sears and Home Depot, but wanted to get
> comments here first.
> Thanks for any advice !!

I bought a Ryobi at HD for $99 to cut laminate flooring. I figured if it
would streamline and simplify the job, it would be well worth it. It did.

Now, I put the saw to use quite frequently. Frankly, it's one of those
things that, once you get it, you wonder how you ever lived without it. If I
need a 2x2, I grab a 2x4 and rip it. If I need a 1x1, I grab a 2x4 and rip
it twice. If I need a 1/2 x 1...

The saw comes with a stand, but you'll probably want to fashion a shelf.
Also, Harbor Freight has a sawdust-catching canvas bag (I think it's $8)
that you can attach to the underside with snaps for easy removal.

While you're at HF, get a stock support gizmo. It's an adjustable tripod
with a roller top. The table on the Ryobi was not designed for cutting 4x8
sheets of plywood.

Posted by SteveB on February 8, 2009, 12:52 am

>I am not a carpenter or even a handyman. The only kind of saw I have
>owned
> for 25 years is a skill saw. Even with very casual use, I am still not
> good at using a skill saw to cut a straight edge on a piece of plywood or
> a
> 2 x 4 !!
> Perhaps several times a year, I will have a need to cut 2 x 4's , some
> trim pieces , and perhaps some plywood. Because I am not really skilled
> at using a skill saw, I have thought of getting a bare bones, but quality
> table saw. Again, I just need something that will allow me to cut boards
> and trim pieces and end up with a straight cut. It doesn't have to be
> very
> high powered, or have a lot of fancy adjustments. I guess just an
> adjustable fence (isn't that what they call it........ the piece you move
> left and right, and put your stock up against for cutting?) and I guess
> something that adjusts the depth of a cut. I don't think I would need any
> angle cutting, such as a miter saw is used for.
> So, what is a recommended brand, and/or a particular saw not exceeding
> $150
> ? Can I get a quality one for that price ??
> I am thinking of looking at Sears and Home Depot, but wanted to get
> comments
> here first.
> Thanks for any advice !!
> James

I have a small table saw. The first thing I learned is that the supporting
table is more important than the saw. You can take a cheap $150 table saw,
and if you build supports around it, it will do a lot of things a good one
will. When you run into trouble is trying to do big sheets of plywood, etc.
I built a metal frame around mine that is 4' square and flat with the table
saw top. It closely fits around the table top so that the saw cannot shift
or tilt. It does most of all I have asked it to do. If you notice, with
table saws, the bigger the table, the more the saw costs. Yes, the fences
and other accessories are more accurate, and you get a better motor, but
essentially the difference is table size. If you don't feed it more than it
can chew, you won't kill it.

Steve

Posted by SteveB on February 8, 2009, 12:53 am

In the past two months, I saw a big Craftsman for $100, and a Rockwell for
$50. Shop around, and you can get a good used one. Just test it and make
sure you hear it run.

Steve

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