Which table saw?

[ScollSaw Slasher]

Got a quandary there Ray. When I look at the table saws for $500, I just keep nursing along my Delta contractor saw. Been through three chain link belts, welded the sliding stop fence twice after run ins with the garage door, a lot of tweaking over the years with sleds, movable cabinet base etc etc. But it sure has cut a lot of cabinets with precision and power even though the motor isn't the biggest on the block. So keep your eyeballs peeled for the Delta, and not the current ones. Want a vintage that's made out of real metal and not these plastic pieces of crap. As a side note. A friend worked at a small Home Depot at the time. It was decided to get rid of the big tools for space and I picked up mine for $250 still in the box. Best deal I've ever made.

[WayneMahler]

I have a Ridgid Cabinet saw. Very happy with it. Not sure of the cost though.

[stoney]

Ray I don't usually recommend Delta tools because of what they done with their P20 scroll saw but that is a different story.  I have a Delta contractor saw that has served me well.   When they talk of precision with a table saw,  set up properly ( properly being the key word} with good sharp blades a Delta contractor saw will do a respectable job.  I have built quite a few pieces of furniture with mine with good results. 

[Rolf]

Ray probably not helpful,  but I still have my Delta Unisaw since 1997 decent fence. But at some point I may change it to a biesemeyer fence which is probably more than what I paid for my saw. 

Didn't you move to TN? Your best bet may be to wait for a CR list find.  It would a shame to invest in a lesser saw and still not be happy.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Rolf

[hineps]

I picked up an old craftsman contractor saw 20+ years ago. One of the 113. models. It had a cast top. I added 2 cast wings and an "Align a Rip fence" , did a little tuning and it has helped me make a lot of projects. In the pursuit of better dust collection I have ordered a new Laguna Fusion 3 saw. The old saw will be headed to a new home soon. The cast wings and the fence were what made the saw useable. 

 

Phil 

[jbrowning]

I've had a Kobalt table saw for a couple of years and have really liked it. Just over $300.00 and it came with the base and wheels.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-10-in-Carbide-tipped-Blade-15-Amp-Portable-Table-Saw/1001072040

 

Jim

[rustynail]

Grizzly  tools have some pretty good saws for the price or I would look for used as I have seen some pretty good deals on those now and then. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by rustynail

[oldhudson]

I haven't read through all the replies so this may have been covered. If so, I apologize. There's nothing wrong with purchasing used equipment, I do it. But I've never purchased used woodworking equipment that didn't need work right away. So....rather than recommend a saw I'd like to figure out what's up with your De Walt. You didn't give us much  info. If you're not getting a straight cut. It has to be either the fence or the table itself. Right? So what steps/troubleshooting have you done? 

[OCtoolguy]

17 hours ago, Dave Monk said:

Out of your budget at $899 but not a bad price for a cabinet saw.

Thanks Dave. It is definitely out of my range. But, ya just never know what's going to show up on C/L.

 

[OCtoolguy]

17 hours ago, Rockytime said:

That's my saw. Close the sliding table and lock it. Raise the blade all the way. Then slide the fence all the way against the blade and lock both ends of the fence and don't unlock it again until really necessary. Just move the table in and out to make your cuts and the fence is always stable. This is the mini sled I use for many of my small cuts. Very accurate.

Les, you mentioned a sliding table. What/where is it? Also, is that a Kobalt saw? 

[teachnlearn]

On 10/10/2020 at 8:21 PM, octoolguy said:

I had a Unisaw prior to our selling everything. The saw I have now is one that I bought used on eBay. I think it's a model 745. I added the mobile folding stand for it. It's a great little saw if you don't need precision. I do. Also, wherr I live we only have 50 amp 110 volt power so I'm limited there too. The Delta contractor's saw looks goid but I'm open to others.

You can consider a generator. Since home shops use one power tool at a time and most don't use 220. You can buy a low end low amp generator OR use it for extra amps for 120 volt tools. Opens the selection to almost anything. Also throw in the added power backup feature.RJF

Edited October 12, 2020 by teachnlearn

[OCtoolguy]

16 hours ago, ScollSaw Slasher said:

Got a quandary there Ray. When I look at the table saws for $500, I just keep nursing along my Delta contractor saw. Been through three chain link belts, welded the sliding stop fence twice after run ins with the garage door, a lot of tweaking over the years with sleds, movable cabinet base etc etc. But it sure has cut a lot of cabinets with precision and power even though the motor isn't the biggest on the block. So keep your eyeballs peeled for the Delta, and not the current ones. Want a vintage that's made out of real metal and not these plastic pieces of crap. As a side note. A friend worked at a small Home Depot at the time. It was decided to get rid of the big tools for space and I picked up mine for $250 still in the box. Best deal I've ever made.

You said the "magic" word. Belt. I don't want a saw that doesn't use a belt. All the motorized saws have slop in them. The motors wear out and that lets the blade run out. When I asked about a saw, I also mentioned that a good contractor's saw would be fine as long as it's not motorized. There are "job site" saws and "contractor's" saws. What I have now is a "job site" saw and the blades attach directly to the motor shaft. 

[teachnlearn]

3 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

You said the "magic" word. Belt. I don't want a saw that doesn't use a belt. All the motorized saws have slop in them. The motors wear out and that lets the blade run out. When I asked about a saw, I also mentioned that a good contractor's saw would be fine as long as it's not motorized. There are "job site" saws and "contractor's" saws. What I have now is a "job site" saw and the blades attach directly to the motor shaft. 

Not MOTORIZED? Do you mean a hand crank saw? RJF

[OCtoolguy]

2 minutes ago, teachnlearn said:

Not MOTORIZED? Do you mean a hand crank saw? RJF

I've explained the difference. I hope you are just being your jockular self.

 

[new2woodwrk]

19 hours ago, octoolguy said:

The saw that I want will not be motorized. Those are the ones that the blade attaches directly to the motor. I want a belt driven saw, tilting arbor. I will find what I'm looking for more than likely used. The new ones are out of my price range. If I thought I'd live another 20 productive years, I would buy a cabinet saw. But at my age, the next guy would get more out of it than I would. I did find a nice Ridgid saw on C/L but the seller hasn't answered my email. 

The Delta also comes as a Belt Driven saw

[OCtoolguy]

4 minutes ago, new2woodwrk said:

The Delta also comes as a Belt Driven saw

I know. My first table saw was a Craftsman 12" commercial and it was motorized. I tuned it to the best of its and my ability but it would not stay in tune. So, once I got enough cans and bottles saved, I bought a Delta Unisaw. Now, that's a saw. I used the Unifence that came with it and once it was all adjusted, it did a fantastic job. I bought Forrest saw blades and dado set. But, once we decided to sell out and hit the road, all of my stuff had to go. The one piece of equipment that I truly wish I would have hung onto was my Star progressive bullet press. I had all the bells and whistles for it to auto feed and I could crank out a 1000 rounds in a day. I cast all of my own lead too. Another hobby that has gone by the wayside. I used to go through 500 rounds of .45 acp in a weekend. I won the California State Championship one time. I miss it.

 

[stoney]

Ray my contractor Delta table saw has a cast iron top and wings and is belt driven.  I'm not taking about one of the direct drive folding stand type contractor saws.   Mine is a quality made piece of equipment but they still refer to it as a contractor saw.   Maybe it's for higher quality contractors. LOL

Edited October 12, 2020 by stoney

[Fedido]

On 10/10/2020 at 10:06 PM, octoolguy said:

Sounds like an old Unisaw. They were a beast. Cast iron base cabinet? My Unisaw ran on 220 volts. I had to wire my garage to accept it. I miss it a lot but the 3 years we spent Rving full time was worth it. I won't be able to keep my next saw inside my shop. It will live out on the driveway under a tarp. So a used saw makes sense. I'm shopping so that's why I posed the question.

The base isn’t cast iron like the top, but it is metal. In fact, I used it today. Hate that you will have to put a tarp on it, but understand doing what you have to do.

[OzarkSawdust]

4 hours ago, octoolguy said:

I know. My first table saw was a Craftsman 12" commercial and it was motorized. I tuned it to the best of its and my ability but it would not stay in tune. So, once I got enough cans and bottles saved, I bought a Delta Unisaw. Now, that's a saw. I used the Unifence that came with it and once it was all adjusted, it did a fantastic job. I bought Forrest saw blades and dado set. But, once we decided to sell out and hit the road, all of my stuff had to go. The one piece of equipment that I truly wish I would have hung onto was my Star progressive bullet press. I had all the bells and whistles for it to auto feed and I could crank out a 1000 rounds in a day. I cast all of my own lead too. Another hobby that has gone by the wayside. I used to go through 500 rounds of .45 acp in a weekend. I won the California State Championship one time. I miss it.

 

When Obama was elected the shelves went empty over night. It was hard to even find a BB! I got a LEE loader and started loading all my 9mm. It's been in a box for a few years now. It's getting very hard to find anything lately so I dug it out, just need to find the other box and see what's left of powder and primers. I enjoyed reloading also so I know what you mean.

[new2woodwrk]

4 hours ago, octoolguy said:

I know. My first table saw was a Craftsman 12" commercial and it was motorized. I tuned it to the best of its and my ability but it would not stay in tune. So, once I got enough cans and bottles saved, I bought a Delta Unisaw. Now, that's a saw. I used the Unifence that came with it and once it was all adjusted, it did a fantastic job. I bought Forrest saw blades and dado set. But, once we decided to sell out and hit the road, all of my stuff had to go. The one piece of equipment that I truly wish I would have hung onto was my Star progressive bullet press. I had all the bells and whistles for it to auto feed and I could crank out a 1000 rounds in a day. I cast all of my own lead too. Another hobby that has gone by the wayside. I used to go through 500 rounds of .45 acp in a weekend. I won the California State Championship one time. I miss it.

 

Very cool - We have a Dillon 550b setup, have had for a long time. The wife also loads her own, if she wants to shoot, she needs to load!

We still go through about 300-400 rounds when we go to the range. There is an outdoor range they are working on expanding here. They have skeet, paper, long and short range rifle, and I'm waiting for their silhouette range to open!

[OCtoolguy]

18 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

Very cool - We have a Dillon 550b setup, have had for a long time. The wife also loads her own, if she wants to shoot, she needs to load!

We still go through about 300-400 rounds when we go to the range. There is an outdoor range they are working on expanding here. They have skeet, paper, long and short range rifle, and I'm waiting for their silhouette range to open!

We have no place here. All the outdoor ranges closed years ago and houses were built on the ground. Sad!

That Dillon would have been my choice if I had not run across the Star. Best progressive reloader ever made. All the armed services used them for their teams. There is even a forum for owners/collectors.

Edited October 13, 2020 by octoolguy

[Rockytime]

7 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Les, you mentioned a sliding table. What/where is it? Also, is that a Kobalt saw? 

Yes, it is a Kobalt saw. Were I building fine furniture I would have a much higher quality saw. However, an excellent woodworker could do it with the Kobalt. All depends on the operator. I can do as good as I am capable with this saw. Everything I do is relatively small, therefore this saw is very adequate. Your DeWalt would be very accurate with a sled. I see the prices have increased dramatically. I purchased mine on sale about three years ago for $179. No longer having the Unisaw I find myself very pleased with the Kobalt. Were I making high end furniture I would like a heavy duty saw. A sled makes any saw more accurate. I never rely on a miter gauge. I also use a sled on my 9" HF band saw and miter accurate frames on it. For odd angles I use a cheap digital protractor.

[OCtoolguy]

16 hours ago, Rockytime said:

Yes, it is a Kobalt saw. Were I building fine furniture I would have a much higher quality saw. However, an excellent woodworker could do it with the Kobalt. All depends on the operator. I can do as good as I am capable with this saw. Everything I do is relatively small, therefore this saw is very adequate. Your DeWalt would be very accurate with a sled. I see the prices have increased dramatically. I purchased mine on sale about three years ago for $179. No longer having the Unisaw I find myself very pleased with the Kobalt. Were I making high end furniture I would like a heavy duty saw. A sled makes any saw more accurate. I never rely on a miter gauge. I also use a sled on my 9" HF band saw and miter accurate frames on it. For odd angles I use a cheap digital protractor.

The problem I'm having, well two problems, the blade will not stay vertical. I have tightened everything up that I can find to tighten. Also, when raising or lowering in fine increments, on the up, no problem. But on the down, it has slop in the spiral screw that raises and lower it. I have tried to keep that acme thread clean and lubed with paraffin wax but it still "hops" when trying to lower it a tad. I'm referring to when I'm doing a dado or rabbit cut and have to adjust in fine amounts. I can bump it up but I can't bump it down without it "dropping" more than I want. So I have to raise it back up to what I'm wanting. It's just a frustration that I'm trying to avoid. I do have a sled for the table saw but it might be time for a new one. I actually like the saw and it's mobile base. But I get fed up with not being able to attain the degree of accuracy that I used to get. Oh well, as you said, good enough for this old codger.

 

[OCtoolguy]

On 10/11/2020 at 6:36 PM, Rockytime said:

That's my saw. Close the sliding table and lock it. Raise the blade all the way. Then slide the fence all the way against the blade and lock both ends of the fence and don't unlock it again until really necessary. Just move the table in and out to make your cuts and the fence is always stable. This is the mini sled I use for many of my small cuts. Very accurate.

Les, I have read and re-read your how-to guide but I am still not understanding what you mean by "sliding table" and locking the fence against the blade and leaving it there. Can you fill in the blanks? I see an extension table in the upper right corner of the first pic. I see the fence and your sled. But, if you put the fence against the blade, how can you use it or cut anything with the fence against the blade? Your saw is not that much different than mine but I don't have the extension table as you do. My fence locks both fore and aft. It is pretty accurate so it's not a problem. My problem seems to come from the actual motor/blade mechanism. It might just be worn out. It was used when I got it.

 

[Rockytime]

Hi Ray. I forget that not too many saws have a sliding table so what I'm talking about will not work on a saw without one. With the table in the closed position the fence is moved next to the blade and locked in place. when needing to move the fence move it by sliding the table in and out and the fence is always in place. When you talk about our blade arbor being difficult to adjust I guess I have no answer. You are correct about replacing the saw. The picture shows a bit of the table slid out in the upper left hand corner. Hope that explains it.