Best TS for $450-$650????

[James White]

If you must stay within your budget I see nothing wrong with the Rigid or Delta from Lowes. That said I live in Ct and one of the local tool store. Coastal tools. They have a web site. Has the delta Hybrid 36-715b with the Biesemeyer table extension for $725. I know it is out of your budget but buyers remorse is a terrible feeling for me and $75 just wasn't enough to stop me from getting the saw I really wanted. The saw is not listed on there site as I am sure Delta would not let such a price be advertised. Give them a call if you leave within a reasonable distance to go pick one up.

http://www.coastaltool.com/

[Deuce Lee]

On the subject of stamped wings.

At least for me, a cast iron wing is used for lots of things besides wood sliding over it.

Having had both, cast wings would be a must have for me.

Joe

joe, what else do you use it for? j/w

i'm fairly set on that Jet...and alot of other people are telling me that if there's something to give up, it'd be the cast iron wings instead of the fence or saw itself...

others agree? or are those cast iron wings REALLY worth paying an extra $100 for?

again, i'd rather spend as low as i can and sacraficing as little as possible...going with the cast iron wings for $740 or whatever is overkill on my budget, $630 for the stamped steel i can stretch to...i'm not a pro, but i don't want to cheap out with a portable saw too...

[scott spencer]

joe, what else do you use it for? j/w

i'm fairly set on that Jet...and alot of other people are telling me that if there's something to give up, it'd be the cast iron wings instead of the fence or saw itself...

others agree? or are those cast iron wings REALLY worth paying an extra $100 for?

again, i'd rather spend as low as i can and sacraficing as little as possible...going with the cast iron wings for $740 or whatever is overkill on my budget, $630 for the stamped steel i can stretch to...i'm not a pro, but i don't want to cheap out with a portable saw too...

I'd give them a try Deuce...CI wings are great, but the steel will work too....and IMO steel wings are the lesser of possible evils that won't effect the cut. A lot of people add a router table or laminated extension on the right side anyway. The Jet will get you started on budget with a great saw with lots going for it, and no need for fence, belt, pulley, or DC upgrades ever. Any 27" CI wing will fit, you might even stumble into a deal on one sometime. Good luck with whichever you go, and please keep us posted!

[Jim O'Dell]

Or make some out of MDF and some laminate! That's what the add on tables beyond the wings are anyway. I like the cast iron, if nothing else for the weight. But it wouldn't be the end all/be all. Jim.

[M. A. Espinoza]

Or make some out of MDF and some laminate! That's what the add on tables beyond the wings are anyway. I like the cast iron, if nothing else for the weight. But it wouldn't be the end all/be all. Jim.

Yup, if I was hitting the ceiling on budget there are other factors besides cast iron wings that I would choose.

My Grizzly had webbed cast iron wings which are long gone, I built the saw into a shop table with white melamine replacing both wings.

You can always add ballast if you want to replace the mass.

Jet does make a lighter version of the saw called the Workshop and it sells for about $500. Stamped wings and a different fence plus a 1.5hp motor.

I would still recommend the Proshop for the better fence and more power.

[glenn bradley]

Or make some out of MDF and some laminate! That's what the add on tables beyond the wings are anyway. I like the cast iron, if nothing else for the weight. But it wouldn't be the end all/be all. Jim.

Jim's got a great suggestion if you're sold on the Jet. I should have been clear that the reason I added weight to my contractor was that is did not have CI wings. I added a RT to one side and MDF extension to the other just as Jim describes.

[Rick Thom]

The other obvious solution that I didn't notice suggested is to look for a good used saw. I didn't notice that Deuce ruled this out of bounds by specifying it had to be a new saw, just the best value for the $, or did I miss something??. From what I have seen, they frequently run in the 50-75% of current model price, and come up for sale quite regularly and for a host of reasons, often because the owner wants to upgrade to a bigger, more powerful saw etc.
For my $, as an example, I certainly wouldn't dismiss a used General 175/185 with T-fence that was in good condition. Doesn't pretty much every brand name have a great classic saw model or 2 that would be very desirable when compared head- to- head with a new Rigid & for the same or less $?? Don't get me wrong, by all accounts the Rigid is a great saw for the $ and I accept that.
I have one of the early Delta hybrids and it does everything I ask of it. The only shortcoming is a crappy miter gauge and that could be said of many if not most saws. If I had looked around a bit when I bought my saw new for @$900 4+ years ago, I could likely have bought a good used Unisaw or General 650 for the same $. That would have been much more saw for the $.

[Deuce Lee]

The other obvious solution that I didn't notice suggested is to look for a good used saw. I didn't notice that Deuce ruled this out of bounds by specifying it had to be a new saw, just the best value for the $, or did I miss something??. From what I have seen, they frequently run in the 50-75% of current model price, and come up for sale quite regularly and for a host of reasons, often because the owner wants to upgrade to a bigger, more powerful saw etc.
For my $, as an example, I certainly wouldn't dismiss a used General 175/185 with T-fence that was in good condition. Doesn't pretty much every brand name have a great classic saw model or 2 that would be very desirable when compared head- to- head with a new Rigid & for the same or less $?? Don't get me wrong, by all accounts the Rigid is a great saw for the $ and I accept that.
I have one of the early Delta hybrids and it does everything I ask of it. The only shortcoming is a crappy miter gauge and that could be said of many if not most saws. If I had looked around a bit when I bought my saw new for @$900 4+ years ago, I could likely have bought a good used Unisaw or General 650 for the same $. That would have been much more saw for the $.

Rick, i wouldn't mind getting used, but i'm from central wi, not the easiest to find a used table saw...there's currently a older JET JWTS-10 saw 30 miles away right now, but that's about it...stupid craigslist doesn't even have a city/region for us even though the population of our area (30 mile radius) has about 200,000 people...

but i'm leaning towards the JET Proshop right now...since the delta doesn't include a fence for $450, it's probably going to end up costing about the same as the Ridgid or a little more...i'm going to check them both out well, then pull the trigger in a month or so, i'll keep everyone posted...thanks a bunch all.

[Rick Thom]

Deuce, think about other sources for used as well. Auctions and estate sales often yield some good equipment. Even a "WTB' add on this forum, local buy & Sell papers/sites, woodworking clubs/guilds could net you something good??
Patience is a virtue not many of us have, certainly not me to my discredit.
That Jet is a nice looking saw and could be worthwhile for the right $. I'm not all that familiar with Jet myself because they haven't sold Jet in Canada for some years.

[John Parr]

Deuce,

I have an Hitachi TS model C10FL I got from Lowes. I love the thing. It is a belt drive system with the motor inclosed and it works like a dream. I looked at the jet , but felt the Hitachi was much better built. I have had no problems with it and I use it daily. I paid just under $500 for it. They make a cabinet model with bigger cast tables, but I didn't need that.

[Erech Myers]

Deuce, thanks for starting this thread. I'm in the same boat as you and this thread has a lot of good info and opinions. I sold my old contractor saw so that I could upgrade to a hybrid. My budget of $750 is slightly higher than yours, but not by much. I've been researching for over a month now and here are some of my conclusions and opinions.

- For the Table Saw (most used tool in my shop), if at all possible, do it right the second time! I've been a garage woodworker for 4 years now and I've upgraded my table saw every year. What I should have done was upgrade to a hybrid two years ago. I don't think anyone who is brand new to woodworking should run out and spend $1000 on a table saw until they know they enjoy it. Once you're hooked though, a nice table saw makes all the difference. Other tools don't have to be top of the line, but a nice table saw makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable.

- Don't get a contractor saw that has the motor hanging out the back. It is not a huge deal, but for me every inch counts. The contractor saw would not sit flush against the garage wall, making it difficult to get cars in the garage.

- Get Cast Iron wings or plan to make some wings yourself. My old Jet contractor saw came with metal wings and they were not perfectly flat. On most cuts, it did not make a difference, but those few cuts that it did make a difference were annoying and potentially dangerous. I never replaced them because I decided to replace the saw with a hybrid. For me, I'd rather spend my limited time working on projects for my family instead of constantly messing with my tools.

My Table Saw Finalists
- Jet ProShop - Like you, this is probably the saw I will end up with except I will get the one with the cast iron wings.

- Grizzly GO661 - Brand new so there are no reviews to go on, but I like Grizzly's reputation and more importantly it is the first contractor saw to have both a riving knife and an enclosed motor. Soon all saws will have the riving knife, but for now this is the only choice. I also like the 36" rip capacity.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-2...ng-knife/G0661

- Steel City 35601 - I originally dismissed this one because the price was too much, but then I found a place on Craigslist in Tennessee (I live in Atlanta) that has Steel City scratch & dents for almost 50% off of the retail price. This model 35601, which recently tied with the Jet Proshop for Popular Woodworkings Editor's choice, is selling for $550! This probably won't do you any good since you live in Wisconsin, but here is the link just in case. Scroll down to January 14 to see the ads. I talked to Bill from the ads. Seems very legit.
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/tls/


Anyways, thanks for letting me vent! Good luck with your decision!

[Deuce Lee]

hey thanks for your 2 cents Erech...

i went out and saw the ridgid ts3650, Delta from lowes and the hitachi from lowes...

the ridgid seems like a solid saw for the money, love the 36 inch rip, herculift, lifetime warr, the motor actually didn't take up as much space as i thought it would...the splitter pulls out very easily, the DC seems ok, i can put my 2.5" ridgid shop vac right to it...

i think "IF" i can get it for 20% off, I just might do it...

I wasn't completely impress with the delta, and for $599 for the saw, fence, and something else (forgot), i'd rather get the JET or ridgid...I'm sure the fence wasn't set up correctly, but i didn't like the feel, movement and stability that much...

the hitachi ($499) seemed ok, the wheels seemed clumsy, i don't know if the angle adjustment system is that solid, i'm sure it is, it just feels different, i'll consider it as an option, but for now, it's definitely below the JET and ridgid...

i'm still newbyish with table saws so sorry i can't describe my experience with these saws that well...

[Chuck Lenz]

Don't get a contractor saw that has the motor hanging out the back. It is not a huge deal, but for me every inch counts. The contractor saw would not sit flush against the garage wall, making it difficult to get cars in the garage.

I don't know which Contractors saw you had Erech, but on my Delta the motor comes off in about 5 seconds. Do the Ridgid table saws only have a 2 1/2" dust port ?

[Art Mann]

That's right. The TS3650 has a 2 1/2" dust port. It is connected to a shroud surounding the blade and is, therefore, more effective than you might expect. Still, the dust collection on that saw is only fair unmodified.

[Erech Myers]

Deuce,

It does sound like that Ridgid would be a good fit for you. As long as you don't mind the motor sticking out the back, it has the built in mobile base and cast iron wings which would be added costs & time on the Jet. Of course, you'll have to pay tax on the Ridgid which will make up some of the cost difference because the Jet is tax free if you get it online with free shipping at Amazon.

If you can't get the 20% on the Ridgid, here is another idea for you. I'm going to the Wooworking Show in Atlanta this weekend and I noticed that it will be in Milwaukee the weekend of Feb 22-24. Last year, Ridgid had a booth at the show, and I picked up a returned/refurbished Ridgid planer for $225. I remember thinking the Ridgid Table Saws were a great deal too. I'm thinking $350, but don't quote me on that. I don't know how close you are to Milwaukee, but just another idea.