I'm considering upgrading my cheapy table saw to a better contractor's
saw. Before this turns into a bashing of brands let me start by giving
my price limit = $400. I'm familiar with most of the saws in this
price range and, from past experience with ot,her tools, am leaning
toward Bosch or Delta (the fence on the Dewalt portable just seems too
limited). One maker I'm considering is Enco. I like that they're an
industrial supplier and they're used to making machines for
metalworking (i.e. tighter tolerances). Has anyone tried the Enco 10"?
If so, tell me what your thoughts.

"Chrisgiraffe" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm considering upgrading my cheapy table saw to a better contractor's
saw. Before this turns into a bashing of brands let me start by giving
my price limit = $400. I'm familiar with most of the saws in this
price range and, from past experience with ot,her tools, am leaning
toward Bosch or Delta (the fence on the Dewalt portable just seems too
limited). One maker I'm considering is Enco. I like that they're an
industrial supplier and they're used to making machines for
metalworking (i.e. tighter tolerances). Has anyone tried the Enco 10"?
If so, tell me what your thoughts.


Enco is not a manufacturer - just a distributor/ re-seller. They contract
with Chi-wanese companies who put Enco's name on anything from machine tools
to, well, anything. I don't think that their name alone speaks for quality.
They handle it all.

I wasn't aware of that C&E. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
At the same time, not to sound too nationalistic, but does America
make anything anymore? :-( I hear all the time that we're a 'service
economy'. Is this "service" maintaining equipment made everywhere else
under the sun.

C & E wrote:
"Chrisgiraffe" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm considering upgrading my cheapy table saw to a better contractor's
saw. Before this turns into a bashing of brands let me start by giving
my price limit = $400. I'm familiar with most of the saws in this
price range and, from past experience with ot,her tools, am leaning
toward Bosch or Delta (the fence on the Dewalt portable just seems too
limited). One maker I'm considering is Enco. I like that they're an
industrial supplier and they're used to making machines for
metalworking (i.e. tighter tolerances). Has anyone tried the Enco 10"?
If so, tell me what your thoughts.


Enco is not a manufacturer - just a distributor/ re-seller. They contract
with Chi-wanese companies who put Enco's name on anything from machine tools
to, well, anything. I don't think that their name alone speaks for quality.
They handle it all.

On 16 Nov 2006 10:54:21 -0800, "Chrisgiraffe"
wrote:

I wasn't aware of that C&E. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
At the same time, not to sound too nationalistic, but does America
make anything anymore? :-( I hear all the time that we're a 'service
economy'. Is this "service" maintaining equipment made everywhere else
under the sun.


Sure. But things like the high end Powermatics. $3,000 or more.

I just bought a TS at Woodcraft. Made in Taiwan. What's interesting
is the fence (a Biesemeyer clone) is made in Canada as well as the
aftermarket miter gauge.

Enco has good stuff (Starrett, Mitutoyo) as well as not as nice stuff
(Fowler)

I really can't speak to any of their house brand table saws and such,
but my initial expectation would be quality similar to Harbor Freight.
Maybe I'm wrong and could be pleasantly surprised that the Enco stuff
is actually pretty good.

Anyway, if $400 is the your limit, why not search around for a good
used TS? Check your local paper, community papers, the bulletin board
at the grocery store. Or ask around. Someone always knows something.
You could also go to Sears and look at the Craftsman (gasp!) table
saws.

My own first table saw was a Craftsman. Over time, it became a really
decent saw mostly due to the addition of a Biesemeyer fence. And all
the other usual updates - zero clearance insert, steel pulleys and
link belt. I never did get around to upgrading the motor. The guy I
sold it too loves it. For him, it was an upgrade from benchtop
machine. Mind you, I started with a *stock* Craftsman saw and
upgraded it over time. In the end, I think it all came to around $900
to $950 in total. From one point of view, it would have been better
to spend the $950 up front and get a better overall machine, but let's
be honest, sometimes the bucks aren't there and ya do what ya gotta
do.

On 16 Nov 2006 10:54:21 -0800, "Chrisgiraffe"
wrote:

I wasn't aware of that C&E. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
At the same time, not to sound too nationalistic, but does America
make anything anymore? :-( I hear all the time that we're a 'service
economy'. Is this "service" maintaining equipment made everywhere else
under the sun.

Yes, America still makes things. The trouble is largely at the home
consumer level. There are a lot of fine options for American
industrial equipment, and even a fair number of consumer products
still made right here- provided you're willing to pay for what
something is actually worth when it's made by a free person earning a
living wage.

I'm with you on the "service economy" nonsense- I don't think that
even includes maintenance in most cases. As far as I can tell, it's
referring to short-order cooks and shelf stockers, though I have to
hope for all our sakes that it means something else.

On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 05:10:35 -0600, Prometheus wrote:

On 16 Nov 2006 10:54:21 -0800, "Chrisgiraffe"
wrote:

I wasn't aware of that C&E. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
At the same time, not to sound too nationalistic, but does America
make anything anymore? :-( I hear all the time that we're a 'service
economy'. Is this "service" maintaining equipment made everywhere else
under the sun.

Yes, America still makes things. The trouble is largely at the home
consumer level. There are a lot of fine options for American industrial
equipment, and even a fair number of consumer products still made right
here- provided you're willing to pay for what something is actually
worth when it's made by a free person earning a living wage.

I'm with you on the "service economy" nonsense- I don't think that even
includes maintenance in most cases. As far as I can tell, it's
referring to short-order cooks and shelf stockers, though I have to hope
for all our sakes that it means something else.

Hate to tell you but it most assuredly does include maintenance. IBM
considers itself to be a service company and is considered to be part of
the service economy, and if you've ever had anything fixed under an IBM
service contract you'll know they're serious about it. Doctors and lawyers
and most other "professions" are providing services. If it's not making
something or moving something then it's probably a service.



--
X:\Newsreaders\sig.txt

On 17 Nov 2006 14:00:12 GMT, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 05:10:35 -0600, Prometheus wrote:

I'm with you on the "service economy" nonsense- I don't think that even
includes maintenance in most cases. As far as I can tell, it's
referring to short-order cooks and shelf stockers, though I have to hope
for all our sakes that it means something else.

Hate to tell you but it most assuredly does include maintenance. IBM
considers itself to be a service company and is considered to be part of
the service economy, and if you've ever had anything fixed under an IBM
service contract you'll know they're serious about it. Doctors and lawyers
and most other "professions" are providing services. If it's not making
something or moving something then it's probably a service.

Nope- never had anything fixed by IBM. I guess I was thinking of the
FANUC maintenance guys that all seem to be from other parts of the
world (at least going by the very thick accents I've heard from most
of them, though YMMV) and the delightful Indian voices that answer the
phones whenever I try to get a problem with just about anything
resolved.

Here's the problem with doctors and lawyers as the basis of an
economy, though- it's too circular and localized. While they're jobs
that pay well and are valuable in their own right, not everyone can do
them. We're not (as far as I know) outsourcing medical personnel and
legal advice to other countries on any signifigant basis. Hence the
comment about cooks and stockers- those are the service industry jobs
that the great majority of displaced factory workers are doing, and
they do little or nothing to bring money into our country. When those
people were making things, money was coming in- now, it's going out.

So, the professionals are making money, and that's good for the folks
who are providing these services- but what happens when we're
dependant on the rest of the world for all our tangible goods, but
they decide that they can provide thier own services and don't require
those of the US? All the money in the world won't buy even a box of
nails if there is no one around to make them. Services are important,
sure- but given the choice between that or food, clothing and housing,
I'll choose the physical requirements for survival first every time.

Hell... I've even been hearing radio ads about a new "exciting and
rewarding career opportunity" selling crap on eBay. Didn't anyone
learn the lessions of the first internet bubble? We can't all be
rich, and we can't all be peddlers- somebody has to produce wealth in
the first place.

No matter how far our society progresses, and how different it
becomes, we will always need the basics- I don't know about you, but I
am not comfortable with the idea of everything I need to survive being
produced in another country. Especially when we've got a government
and citizenry that seems to think that the rest of the world doesn't
matter at all, and we can treat anyone and everyone else like ****
with impunity.