Re: First Table Saw?

On Dec 7, 8:44 am, DonkeyHody <spamme...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Dec 7, 12:57 am, Adam <aireda...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



Hey Guys,

As I start to watch more and more wood working shows I start to get more
and more ideas as to different things I'd like to build. I am realizing
that I really need to get a table saw.

I was just at my local Woodcraft store and got to talking to one of the
sales people about table saws. I was asking him about the differences
and he was really pushing me towards a Steelcity brand. I have never
heard of that brand, but that doesn't surprise me too much. What does
surprise me is that he was initially pushing me towards a $1000 model.

I mentioned that the model was a little pricey, so he pointed to another
model (not sure which one), but discounted it by saying that the fence
wasn't that good and I would be much better off with the Steelcity model.

I'd hate to buy something that is going to be way more than I need. Sure
I am looking for precision, but not at a huge cost. I am sure there has
to be something at a lower cost that is reasonable.

What kind of table saws do you guys recommend for a guy just getting
into this and also for one who doesn't have a TON of room?

I'd really do not want to go over $500 as I would like to pick up a
jointer too sometime soon.

Also can someone confirm whether or not he was trying to up-sell to me
rather than taking account of my needs?

Thanks,

Adam

Steel City is a relatively new brand. Many of their executives left
Delta to start the company. I don't own any Steel City tools, but
they seem like a good value to me. A thousand dollars buys a middle-
of-the-road tablesaw, not top-of-the-line.

If you stay serious about woodworking, your last saw will probably
cost well over $1,000. But that doesn't mean your first saw has to.
You can find a saw that will meet your needs (for a while) for $500.
If you remain smitten by the woodworking bug, you'll outgrow it and
buy another, but if not, your investment in a passing fancy was
smaller. You'll have to work around some of the shortcomings of a
$500 saw, but I see value in that too. The sweetness of a really fine
tool is only improved by the memory of what you had before.


Agreed. I have a Steel City 16" bandsaw: it is one of the best 16"
bandsaws I've used, within anything like its price range. Pay $600
extra and you can do better. I don't know their table saws well, but
they look much like slightly modified Delta designs (which makes
sense: Steel City execs are mostly old Delta hands, and the tool
designs are classics that work), with decent prices.

That said, I've used two of the Ridgid tablesaws over the years and
found them both reasonably precise. They won't give the cutting power
you need for a lot of heavy oak or maple cutting (5/4 wood and above
can bog them easily), but for most jobs that the amateur woodworker
does, they are well above simply sufficient. The hybrid saws--and I
used a Craftsman 1-3/4 HP Orion based model for several years--work
well, give almost the results you get with a full cabinet saw, but
weigh a tad less, and cost a bit less. They are also down on power for
heavy duty woodworking, but, as noted, most amateurs do NOT need that
power 99% of the time or more. The Craftsman models use the Biesemeyer
T square fence, which is also a classic and excellent design. The top
notch hybrids, regardless of seller, whether Craftsman, Delta, DeWalt,
Grizzly, Jet, or anyone else, all have fine fences, good features, and
take up less space than a contractor style saw but cost more, usually
about $250 to $350 more than the same brand of contractor saw.

If I were just starting--ah, youth--and wasn't sure of the depth of my
long term interest, I'd start with something like a Ridgid or Grizzly
or Jet or Delta or other contractor's saw. If my memory is working,
the Ridgid is about the lowest cost in that batch. If interest remains
at the end of a year or two, sell that for maybe 65% of what it cost,
and apply that to a saw better suited to your increasing skills.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: 14" Band Saw advice
    ... materials, it may account for 50 percent of the time, and cost, of building ... The DELTA had the 'advertising budget' and a very nice finish. ... Fence, Gauge, and 'extras' included. ... Harbor Freight offering. ...
    (rec.woodworking)
  • Re: Air Force Signs Off on SRB-CEV
    ... >> more metal, fiberglass, etc.) than a Delta 7920, ... a Delta IV Light would cost about ... > Ed, if dry mass is the sole determinant of launch vehicle cost, what ... As for the EELV price increases, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Some people hate Delta
    ... Rob Taylor wrote: ... that cost $278. ... Some people hate Delta but they do ok by me. ... I arrive at TYR, it's a fifteen minute drive to my house, compared to ...
    (alt.vacation.las-vegas)
  • Re: CBO Report: Alternatives for Future U.S. Space-Launch Capabilities
    ... It is the government's cost. ... But the cost of the Delta IV Heavy does not rely primarily on the flight ... You can't separate Heavy and Medium flight rates like you're trying to ... in the EELV payload projections. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Shuttle Derived Launchers - Safe, Simple, Soon
    ... Delta IV does it their way, ... yet its no cheaper than any other medium vehicle the US ... > average annual program cost of the Atlas II, ...
    (sci.space.policy)