Portable table saw "recommendations"??

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Fred85

New User
Josh
New member here...I'm in the market for a portable table saw. I do some light woodworking/simple furniture building as a hobby, but i also share a single-car garage with a roommate. I'm mostly the garage user, but i must be mindful of our collective space...:)

That being said. I need to be able to store the saw out of the way when not in use. So far i've been looking at the Dewalt DW745 or the Porter Cable PCB220TS, or possibly the Jet 708315BTC (although i can't get my hands on one). I like the top/fence on the Dewalt and the fact that it has a standard throat plate and a riving knife the changes with blade height adjustments, but it only has a 16 rip capacity. The Porter Cable has a half-sheet rip capacity and offcut support, but a crappy throat plate design and a fixed riving knife....

Sorry for all the words! but can i have some recommendations? I would like to stay at or below $350
 

Canuck

Wayne
Corporate Member
Josh,

Not in your list but you may want to have a look at the Ridgid TS2400LS.

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/TS2400LS-Table-Saw/EN/index.htm

I had one for about 2.5 years and it was a great little saw. Has a rip capacity of 25" and was pretty stable on the heavy roll-around stand. I ripped quite a bit of 4/4 and 5/4 red oak on it and it didn't really seem to mind. The fence on these saws is great. locks securely and I never needed to fine tune it.

Wayne
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Fred. I owned a DW744 for years and it's a real workhorse. I really don't have anything negative to say about it that wouldn't apply to any portable ts (shortcomings of smaller table, shorter fence, etc). It's got a 24.5" rip capacity and and incredibly accurate fence.

Travis
 

Dean Maiorano

New User
Dino
Fred,

It looks like you're in the market for what's called a 'bench-top' saw. Ebay and Craigslist seem to have updated offerings daily. If I was looking for something in that size I'd consider the Ryobi BT3000 or BT3100, it's really light and has a cult following. You will not find it new, it is discontinued. With fixtures and add-ons it can do amazing things. It is much, much more versatile than your average bench-top saw. You can find them listed on the internet constantly. There are Sears/Craftsman equivalents but I don't know the model numbers, they were made by Ryobi for Sears. If you go with the BT3X you should look into some of its 'issues', there aren't many and there are fixes for all of them.

Dean
 

Dean Maiorano

New User
Dino
BTW, here's a wacky tool that they have in Europe but I haven't seen on this side of the Atlantic:

flipoversaw2.jpg

flipoversaw1.jpg


It's a 'flip over saw', a machine that combines a miter saw and a bench top saw. Imagine the cost savings for a new woodworker or small scale contractor?

Dean
 

Fred85

New User
Josh
I appreciate the suggestions. How does everyone feel about the newer Ryobi stuff? They don't seem to get as good of reviews...
 

Dean Maiorano

New User
Dino
Fred,

I don't know too much about the newer Ryobi products but I have little bad to say about the Ryobi products that I've used over the years. I bought a new Ryobi table saw from my stepson (BTS10 I think) because he needed the money but I've never taken it out of the box. Frankly I've got no need for it as I have four other table saws and if I don't someday gift it to a relative I'll probably get rid of it on Craigslist.

The DIY centers like HD and Lowes sell a full range of bench top saws, you can go to their sites to take a look at the selection and pricing. The HD sells the Ryobi saws. The Ryobi BTS21 looks like it's the successor to the BT3000/3100, it has a nice small sliding miter table to the left side but IT DOES NOT have miter tracks like most saws. Look up the reviews on the internet, it seems to be getting the same kind of accolades that the BT3X did. I wouldn't go with the BTS16, it is similar to another saw I own, the Craftsman 137.248830, which I bought used for a great price, but that saw's a bit of a pain in the arse.

For your money and considering your space constraints, the BTS21 is an affordable (half the price of the competition), accurate and compact table saw system that holds its value well (enabling you to recoup your money later when you upgrade). It also comes with a 27" right side rip, nice for a saw its size. If you don't like the supplied base (too woobly) you can always buy or build a better base to put it on, one to which you can add mass if you desire, to provide additional stability. The BTS21 may actually fit on the old BT3x bases, which are nice for their straight legs, simple wheel setup and convenience in making into a cabinet. Here's a URL of one BT3000 user's base modifications:

http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/htmlfile/bt3k2-e.html

Here's a URL for Google reviews of the BTS21:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=BTS21&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=18248296100753429198&ei=WbU7TMLNL8L38AbmrMWnBg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q8wIwAg&os=reviews

I own a BT3000 as well, also bought it for a good price used. It doesn't have all the accessories and they not cheap so I'm going to make it a dedicated 10" sanding disk machine and strip the fence off for use elsewhere. It's a great tool for the money, even if purchased used. If you go with a BT3X, make sure you get as many of the accessories up front with your purchase as they ain't cheap when bought separately.

Good luck on your decision.

Dean
 
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