Advise on Saw for cabinet building

[David Ashley]

I have a house full of cabinets to build and honestly paying a business to build them for 40 50 60 K just seems astronomical. I have used plenty of wood tools own a small collection and have built things as I needed to, even have done my own windows in my home. So not new to carpentry but mostly new to woodworking. So it has come time to step up to the plate and buy a table saw.

I have used a few small saws in the past sub $300 and the wife really don't want me spending 3K on a saw. But I kind of feel that a bigger saw 36+ is really needed to build quality cabinets for my home. without feeling like shooting oneself. I admit I have lived this long without a table saw but have also hacked my way through, borrowed something and or gone to father in laws to get stuff done. He has a decent sized Jet but in a shop that has never been setup or easy to work in + its a bit of a drive.

So looking for advice on Size and maybe brands of what to look at.
Can I get away with something from Home Depot or should I pony up to something a bit bigger?

[Mark Wooden]

I'd recommend a good, solid 10"cabinet saw that will last. I consider the table saw to be the very center of a woodworking shop. To keep costs down, consider a used saw. The most popular saw ever is the Delta Unisaw and there are a lot of them around at a good price, as well as the Powermatic 65/66 saws that tilt left, a really nice feature for angled rips and lefties ;-). Both companies also made very good open stand contractors saws that are excellent performers. Some of the older Craftsman saws were ok, but others were a bone the day they were made so you have to be careful when looking at them. Walker Turner also made a great saw, but they have some idiosyncrasies that have to be worked around also, so I'd stick with the US made Delta's and Powermatics. Avoid used Asian machines as it doesn't take much to wear them out and rebuilding usually isn't worth it.
You can build an awful lot with a 25" rip capacity saw, which is what used to be standard for the fences on 10" saws. Aftermarket fences abound and sometimes you can find a set of longer accessory guide rails to fit stock fences.
Get a decent combo blade, a good rip blade and a good dado set and start building.

[Cody Colston]

For a good cabinet saw or contractor's saw at a really, good price, check out Grizzly. You can find better saws but your will be hard pressed to find a better bargain.

A satisfied Grizzly woodworking machines owner.

[Jesse Busenitz]

Where do you live? I would recommend looking on CL for a used saw with 50" fence. Or if you get a good deal on a saw buy a new fence. There is nothing more important than your saw when building cabinets imho.

[David Ashley]

Where do you live? I would recommend looking on CL for a used saw with 50" fence. Or if you get a good deal on a saw buy a new fence. There is nothing more important than your saw when building cabinets imho.

I agree having quality tools have helped me in the past, and have dealt with make shift before as well. I have been looking around on Seattle CL but nothing is a have to buy yet. I must admit the sawstop has peaked my interest but no used ones. There are a few Jet saws just haven't decided.

[David Ashley]

Mark and Cody. I will take a look at those, thank you for your comments.

[John TenEyck]

Personally, I would buy an old Unisaw, Powermatic, General or European saw. If buying new, the only one I would consider is the Sawstop as it's the only cabinet saw with the technology to prevent a life altering accident. Since you said $3K is out of the question, it would be one of those used saws. I have a 1954 Unisaw with a 50" fence, and it does everything I ask of it and it does it very well.

John

[Jim Becker]

If you'll be working with sheet goods, a reasonable alternative to a large saw (and the material handling that comes with sheet goods) is a good quality track saw for breaking down sheets with precision. You can then use a smaller table saw to accommodate any narrow rips.

[Mark Kornell]

If you are serious about building a houseful of cabinetry, you will want to look at a saw with a sliding table. It makes it much easier to break down sheet goods and square up the large pieces.

You can go the route of adding an aftermarket sliding table to a full-size cabinet saw. Or you could consider a euro-style saw with an integral sliding table (and even better, with a scoring blade).

[James Zhu]

If you search "slider" in the forum, you can find a lot of threads about slider, here below a few most recent ones. I think it is justified to spend some serious money on a slider to build at least 40k cabinet. I am sure once you finish the cabinet, fine furniture needs to be made too

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ider-Questions
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...-last-6-months
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ing-Table-Saws
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ghlight=slider

[Rod Sheridan]

David, I would suggest a Euro slider, look at Felder/Hammer/MiniMax.

You won't regret buying one of the above, they will handle sheet goods and solid wood.

If you have your heart set on a cabinet saw, SawStop is the only one worth buying instead of a slider, as it has a substantial safety improvement over a standard cabinet saw.......Regards, Rod.

[Brian Thompson]

I've had my Grizzly G0715P for 4 years, and have been quite happy with it.

[Jim Dwight]

I used to use a table saw with 60 inch rip capacity but have switched to a tracksaw and a 24 inch capacity table saw. The track saw is at least as accurate and it's easier to move the 10 lb saw than the 75 lb sheet of plywood. I use a DeWalt but the Makita seems good and the Festool is preferred by many. Besides easier handling of the plywood, the track saw is safer and you need less shop space to cut up plywood with the track saw.

I know what a slider is but have never used one. I suspect they are very nice but I don't have the space or care to spend the money for one.

[John TenEyck]

+1. A track saw and a good cabinet saw is a smart way to break down and process sheets w/o taking out a second mortgage. I just use a straight edge and plain old circular saw but can appreciate the value of a track saw.

Didn't the OP say he didn't want to spend $3K?

John

[David Ashley]

Well I might be ok with it... But the boss lady would enjoy if I didn't spend $3k. Lol. But if I produce some nice built in units and cabinets she won't mind as much. The used market seems strong around here just looked at a jet for 1600 must be 8+ year old.
The other issue is I enjoy features and things that make life easier. I hate fighting with stuff in life. Those sliders look interesting, saw one on a saw stop... Need more research. Love the ideas everyone keep then coming.

Thanks
David