Table saw suggestions

[Mike_B]

Its hard to beat one of the older saws. I picked up an old Rockwell contractor saw a few years ago and it has served me well. The only problem is that it takes 3 men, a small boy, and a St. Bernard to move the thing. Contractors must have been alot stronger back then.

Mike_B

[LIDave]

That 10" DeWalt portable saw is a great saw if your looking for one you can put away easily.
Im a contractor and Ive used them before. It has a great fence setup with a gear driven knob for fine adjustments.
Only thing is it doesn't mount on a stand which is no big deal some folding horses and a piece ply and your good to go.
Thats the saw Im going to buy next when the 25 yr old 8 1/4 Makita Im using dies. (Can't kill it )
The Ryobis, Craftsmans and other cheaper saws aint got the power when your ripping 2x material.
Just my 2¢

[Aripeka Angler]

Like Dave, I'm a contractor too. We manufacture and install store fixtures and cabinets. This type of business requires that we travel all over Florida. Tools get the crap beat out of them riding around in vehicles or trailers.
I have tried all kinds of power tools over the last 27 years, and I have favorites of each type of tool. My favorite router may be a different brand than a favorite cordless drill or sander or saw. Basically, I am not brand loyal to a single manufacturer. I buy what works good and lasts.
Having tried a bunch of different table saws, the Dewalt has proved to be the most reliable, functional and sturdiest saw I have tried. Like someone said earlier, the Dewalt fence is best in it's class. I have owned a couple of Dewalt table saws for about 10 years and have been very pleased with them. This is why I suggested the Dewalt saw, it's the best you can get for $400 in my humble opinion.
If you can part with a few more bucks, buy the DW744. It's a little bigger, stronger, rips 24-1/2", and has an optional stand. Take good care of it and it will last a long time.

[bklake]

I have the DeWalt and the main reason is the fence. I spent too much time screwing with the fence on my old saw. I could not repeat a setting and it was a pain to square up. Ripping stuff to an exact and/or repeatable width is what I use the saw for the most and the DeWalt does that best. If I need a 6" wide board, I set the mark on 6" and go. I don't even check with a tape measure any more.

I did spend about 30 minutes squaring things up and checking the stops and angles. I have it dialed in no setting has moved over the last two years. I just got done ripping about 800 feet of 5/4 pressure treated for my fence in the back yard. Not one complaint out of the saw. The blade that came with it was junk. I bought a better blade and it made a huge difference.

I have the bigger portable (can't remember model number right now) and moving it around makes me wish I got the smaller one. When I'm using it, I'm glad I got the bigger one. Max width is over 24". The smaller one goes to 18" I think. I wish it had a better stand, that is about the only complaint.

[kjackson]

Thanks, guys. Sorry to take so long in responding, but my account was deactivated when I changed email addresses, and then I was gone a week fishing in Alabama. Now I'm back to the warmer Ozarks, and my account is working.

My new table saw arrived while I was on the road, so I'm a happy camper. I got the DeWalt...and interestingly enough, the price dropped from $339 when this thread started to $299 when I dropped the dime. With free shipping from Amazon, it was too good to pass up.

I do appreciate the input--thanks to all.

Now, I only have to figure out which boat is next and find out where I have to go to get marine plywood...living as we did in Port Townsend (wooden boat capital of the West Coast) to Eureka Springs, Ark., I lost the ability to drive five minutes to pick up what I needed. However, I can find locally that five-ply birch in 1/4-inch sheets that are five by five.

Keith

[Southern Gent]

Keith, You will end up shopping in Springfield Mo., ( Basspro HQ) Tulsa, OK. for marine plywwod and might not find it there. But you live in a great area.

[Prarie Dog]

I've been in the market for a table saw for several years now. The SWMBO and T went shopping for one the other day and asked me which of two I wanted. Had it narrowed to two, either a craftsman or a Rigid. I looked at the Dewalt saws you guys talked about on here but at Home Depot the large Rigid was only about $80 bucks more than the nice Dewalt. Having said that if a guy needs to move one around much or load it in a pickup the Dewalt is the better choice.

Put the Rigid together today. Like most of you guys, when the box says "assembly required" I get a little wiggy but proceded anyway. A few pics of putting this baby together.











Spent extra time making sure the wings and rails were nice and straight and used it a bit to see how it works. Don't think it's anything like a saw Richard would use in his cabinet shop but it does a real nice job of ripping ply. I have a mountain of 1/4" scraps from two builds and am going to convert all that into rubrail and cleat strips. This saw is real quiet and cuts ply effortlessly. Checked the blade/fence alignment and it's within a couple of thousanths of being dead nuts. Impressive for Chinese built machinery.

[Cracker Larry]

Nice looking saw, Paul I like Rigid tools. I've got a shop vac that's 15 years old and still going strong. It's sucked tons of trash! Also got a rigid drill motor that's the nicest I've ever used.

Just remember push sticks and feather boards, keep those fingers

[Bowmovement]

I like Ridgid also. Got a few of them and they havent let me down yet.

Matt

[Prarie Dog]

I like Ridgid also. Got a few of them and they havent let me down yet.

Matt

Nice looking saw, Paul I like Rigid tools. I've got a shop vac that's 15 years old and still going strong. It's sucked tons of trash! Also got a rigid drill motor that's the nicest I've ever used.

Just remember push sticks and feather boards, keep those fingers

Thanks guys. I read several reviews on saws like this and have to say that there is about 20 brands that sell this same basic saw with a little bit different packaging. Reading the reviews it looked like the Rigid had fewer complaints about the little stuff than the others.

Larry, I fully intend to keep all my fingers and let you guys know that T is under a death threat if he turns it on and I'm not standing there. I was hoping that Richard might chime in here about some basic safety ideas for using one of these. It came with a nice pusher and has a kickback attachement and finger protector. That stuff works fine on thicker material but on thin stuff it doesn't really work right. Do you guys know how to make and use a feather board??

I wanted to buy a Sawstop Saw but couldn't justify spending 4 times as much to get something that isn't going to get used too much!!