Small saws

[Bob Yarbrough]

Any opinions on the small 10" table top saws like the DeWalt. I am not in a position to set up a contractor/hybrid/cabinet saw. Looking for something to rip 3/4" hardwoods & softwoods on occasion. Making "old" time looking cabinets for my sister.

Bob

PS: I would love a big shop and a Powermatic Table saw, but I don't have the space.

[Ben Grunow]

We use a Dewalt TS on the job with a home made outfeed but I think AI am getting tired of it. The fence was great when it came out but aligning it is cumbersome and it never holds. I dont know about other portable saws but there must be another with a better fence design. Cut always needs to be planed/jointed/sanded to remove marks. THis could be our blades too though.

As for the power, it should do all you mentioned and more as we routinely shove framing lumber through (you know its working when the top is hot above where the motor is inside) it with no mercy. Never had a motor quit, usually the arbor gets bent when something falls on the saw or the bearings wear out from the use. We run a 7 1/4 blade for rough lumber BTW.

I know there are creekers with the Dewalt as their primary TS. THey are durable.

Ben

[Ray Bersch]

Bob, I did an awful lot of stuff on my Ridgid TS2400. Cabinets and trim work. It is a great saw with a very good fence, strong motor and a collapsible stand. The only complaint I had was that the universal motor was very loud and I up-graded specifically for that reason. But almost any newer bench type saw will have a universal motor. This is not a cheap saw, however, usually just under $500 at Home Depot. I have seen factory reconditioned saws for about $350 and I sold my used one for $250 and have seen other used machines for $300 to $350.

I looked at a Bosh model the other day and I am impressed how much improved that model is over what they had available when I bought the TS2400 and I would say that the Bosh looks to be a first rate machine.

I would also recommend looking for older bench top models from the 50's or 60's. There were usually 8" saws with 1/2 to 3/4 hp induction motors. They were Strong, small and very useful with some tweaking of the set up. Build a good base for one of these and you will enjoy the saw - that is what I started with and used for 20 years and I still have it at my summer home in Maine. I feel strongly that it is not necessarily the tool you use but how you use the tool you have. Let your budget be your guide and keep in mind that you will need to break down sheet goods before you make cuts on a table top saw.
Ray

[Joe Unni]

Bob,

I recently pulled out my Bosch for some site work after having been using it for a crosscut sled storage table for about two years. Fence was still aligned perfectly.

Note - this saw built a ton of stuff. It was (and still is) always a pleasure to use. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I only wish I had waited until the mobile stand was available.

Good luck,

-joe

[Brian Dormer]

I looked really hard at the small Dewalt - for ripping, it would seem to be almost ideal - the fence is superb for such a small saw - although you will probably need infeed and outfeed support. I eliminated it from my shopping list because with the small table, I couldn't see it being good for crosscuts on (sheet goods) anything bigger than a 2x4. I've since seen plans for a rolling cart for the Dewalt TS and a Router table which adds tons of infeed and outfeed as well as crosscut support.

Given that, the Dewalt could be a real "contenda".

The only place I've seen them in the flesh is at Sears - you should go take a look at one.

[John Young]

My first tablesaw was the Dewalt portable about 9 years ago. I really enjoyed using that saw. The rack and pinion adjustment on the fence was accurate and never moved from parallel after I originally set it up. The only fault I could find was that the coating on the cast aluminum tabletop was starting to wear. They may have changed the coating on the new model. I sold it for $250 after using it for 3 years building three houses and a variety of furniture. I would buy it again if that was all that I had room for or as a jobsite saw. I glanced at the new version at lowes yesterday for $360.

[allan cripe]

does anyone know if that bosch TS is a belt drive?? I also heard they were sweet, but i don't have any first hand knowledge. arent they around $500??

[Paul Mattaliano]

does anyone know if that bosch TS is a belt drive?? I also heard they were sweet, but i don't have any first hand knowledge. arent they around $500??

Bosch is direct drive; if you have a Lowes nearby and they still have the 15% off deal, you can get it for ~$467. Amazon has the cheapest price but they charge $100 for shipping