I'm deciding between the following on a limited budget (= $600). I'm a
weekend wooddorker with little talent so I cant afford to have to 'work' the
equipment in addition to the wood. Things Im most concerned with... Mitre
slots being easy to build jigs for (ie standard size)... Inserts being
easily replaced with my own.... fence quality/alignment.

Any advice? Am I missing any brands to consider?

Local - preferred for warranty/replacement reasons, but would disregard
those in favor of significantly better saw for equal or less $$ (Shipping
charges must be considered).

Craftsman
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...=CRAFT#tablink

Ridgid
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...D=9876&pos=p06


Mail Order

Grizzly
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item...mnumber=G0444Z

General International
http://www.general.ca/product/inter/50175an.html

Thanks in advance.

The craftsman website wont allow a direct link apparently... the model of
the one Im looking at is:

OR35505

Thanks.

"Mike W." wrote in message
...
I'm deciding between the following on a limited budget (= $600). I'm a
weekend wooddorker with little talent so I cant afford to have to 'work'
the equipment in addition to the wood. Things Im most concerned with...
Mitre slots being easy to build jigs for (ie standard size)... Inserts
being easily replaced with my own.... fence quality/alignment.

Any advice? Am I missing any brands to consider?

Local - preferred for warranty/replacement reasons, but would disregard
those in favor of significantly better saw for equal or less $$ (Shipping
charges must be considered).

Craftsman
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...=CRAFT#tablink

Ridgid
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...D=9876&pos=p06


Mail Order

Grizzly
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item...mnumber=G0444Z

General International
http://www.general.ca/product/inter/50175an.html

Thanks in advance.

Mike -

General. Hands Down!! I have "something" of all of the "colored" brands,
and that's my take - the second choice would be the Grizz. If you can be
patient, you *might* be able to get a used cab saw in that range. I have a
1990s General TS and a new GI mortiser, and it's plenty beefy. I think that
General manufactured Unisaws for Delta back in the 50s/60s... (Dave??)and I
don't think I've ever read a bad review of a General machine... You'll get
plenty of hits w/ Google, so read up.

Most Miter slots are standard, but some "T" slots are different. The "T" in
my table saw does take a "T" track, but I have to sand the base of the track
down a good margin for the track to slide. You really shouldn't have a
problem.... How far away are you from some of the earlier posts about
Unisaurs needing a home? I'd *love* to have an old Unisaw...

My 2c

John Moorhead



"Mike W." wrote in message
...
The craftsman website wont allow a direct link apparently... the model of
the one Im looking at is:

OR35505

Thanks.

"Mike W." wrote in message
...
I'm deciding between the following on a limited budget (= $600). I'm a
weekend wooddorker with little talent so I cant afford to have to 'work'
the equipment in addition to the wood. Things Im most concerned with...
Mitre slots being easy to build jigs for (ie standard size)... Inserts
being easily replaced with my own.... fence quality/alignment.

Any advice? Am I missing any brands to consider?

Local - preferred for warranty/replacement reasons, but would disregard
those in favor of significantly better saw for equal or less $$ (Shipping
charges must be considered).

Craftsman
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...=CRAFT#tablink

Ridgid
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...D=9876&pos=p06


Mail Order

Grizzly
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item...mnumber=G0444Z

General International
http://www.general.ca/product/inter/50175an.html

Thanks in advance.

Mike W. wrote:

Craftsman

I haven't checked out the new ones thoroughly, so it's worth kicking the
tires in a store. I bought one in Januaryish, which was last year's model.
The inserts on these are a real ******* to make from scratch. Otherwise
I'm quite happy with the saw. Though I'd be less happy with it if I had
paid more than $400 for it.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

I would suggest research, research, research! I recently purchased the
General International 50-185L M1. I decided on the GI for many reasons.
2H.P. motor compared to 1 1/2 on most others. Biesemeyer style fence
which locks down solid. 2 cast iron wings insteas of grated or stamped
steel. Price compared to the others I was looking at
(Delta,Powermatic,Jet). The reviews are exceptional on the saw itself.
The only drawback is the manual which is not the best. From the
research I have done, and someone corect me if i'm wrong, most all the
contractor saws are built in the same factory overseas. Some of the
differences then are the fence system, quality control, tech and/or
dealer support among other things. The most important thing is to get
the best you can afford and get on to making dust! As I said, iv'e had
my GI for about a month now and am extremely pleased with all aspects
of it except the manual( nothing a little common sense wont cure). I'm
sure you will get very useful information from the "wreck", much more
than I am able to provide for you. Good luck in your decision.

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 03:36:09 GMT, "Mike W."
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Are you sure you want a table saw? I ask _because_ you are a
weekender. How much woowork have you done.

There are many other ways to do this. TSs have limits. Thye _will_
need extra work to get them going, no matter what you buy.

I'm deciding between the following on a limited budget (= $600). I'm a
weekend wooddorker with little talent so I cant afford to have to 'work' the
equipment in addition to the wood. Things Im most concerned with... Mitre
slots being easy to build jigs for (ie standard size)... Inserts being
easily replaced with my own.... fence quality/alignment.

Any advice? Am I missing any brands to consider?

The craftsman website wont allow a direct link apparently... the model of
the one Im looking at is:

OR35505

From the way you described your level of proficiency and committment, I
would say we are in roughly the same ballpark in terms of skill and
experience. I have the model just below the one you mentioned (mine has
stamped steel wings vs cast iron as well as a slightly less fancy fence and
miter gauge) and I am quite satisfied with it.
You will need to make your own inserts because last time I looked, Sears
does not make a zero clearance insert for these models. I made a half dozen
for mine using some scrap solid surface material I scrounged from a local
kitchen/bath countertop fabricator. I needed to use my bandsaw, stationary
belt/disk sander, drill press with a forstner bit, and a tap and die set and
a bag of set screws to make them with all the necessary adjustability as the
original insert. I also had to glue a shelf pin into the front of the
insert to replicate the stud that hooks under the table to prevent the
insert from flippiing out of the opening due to the rotation of the saw
blade. It was actually fairly easy to do.
I also made a panel cutting jig (a la Norm) and used standard 3/4 x 3/8
material to fit into the miter slot with no problem.

Lee


--
To e-mail, replace "bucketofspam" with "dleegordon"

I definitely want a new table saw. I have a 4 yr old Craftsman lowest level
tablesaw ($150-ish) that I have managed to use to make a few decent piles of
woodchips. But now the blade isn't parallel with the fence or mitre slots
so evertyhing I cut is out of square. I've tried to adjust it and there is
no 'real' way to do it. So rather than rig it up, I've decided if the tax
man is nice to me I'll be nice to myself and spend $600 on a new one.
Hopefully it'll take me to the next level and allow me to build some nice
pieces.

I kinda thought a lot of folks on the list are weekenders... do most people
here do it for a living?

Thanks.

"Old Nick" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 03:36:09 GMT, "Mike W."
vaguely proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Are you sure you want a table saw? I ask _because_ you are a
weekender. How much woowork have you done.

There are many other ways to do this. TSs have limits. Thye _will_
need extra work to get them going, no matter what you buy.

I'm deciding between the following on a limited budget (= $600). I'm a
weekend wooddorker with little talent so I cant afford to have to 'work'
the
equipment in addition to the wood. Things Im most concerned with... Mitre
slots being easy to build jigs for (ie standard size)... Inserts being
easily replaced with my own.... fence quality/alignment.

Any advice? Am I missing any brands to consider?

General is a quality brand, and my first choice. ($600 is not much
for the most important power tool in a wood shop.)

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 03:36:09 GMT, "Mike W."
wrote:

I'm deciding between the following on a limited budget (= $600). I'm a
weekend wooddorker with little talent so I cant afford to have to 'work' the
equipment in addition to the wood. Things Im most concerned with... Mitre
slots being easy to build jigs for (ie standard size)... Inserts being
easily replaced with my own.... fence quality/alignment.

Any advice? Am I missing any brands to consider?

Local - preferred for warranty/replacement reasons, but would disregard
those in favor of significantly better saw for equal or less $$ (Shipping
charges must be considered).

Craftsman
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...=CRAFT#tablink

Ridgid
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...D=9876&pos=p06


Mail Order

Grizzly
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item...mnumber=G0444Z

General International
http://www.general.ca/product/inter/50175an.html

Thanks in advance.

I kinda thought a lot of folks on the list are weekenders... do most people
here do it for a living?

Thanks.

"Old Nick

=====================
I do not think very many of the regulars in this NG make a living from
woodworking.... Most of us are hobbiests...

I am retired now but honestly when I was working I rarely spend many
hours in the shop on weekends... (Kids sports etc...)
So I was never a weekender...

BUT it was not unusual for me to be out in the shop 10 minutes after
I ate dinner during the week ...and I sometimes was still out there at
midnight.....

Bob

Mike W. wrote:

I kinda thought a lot of folks on the list are weekenders... do most
people here do it for a living?

No, most of us are hobbiests. Don't let the "$600 is a bit low for the most
important machine in your workshop" crowd get you down either. You'll go
broke keeping up with these Joneses.

It's a continuous process of balancing needs against wants against means.
Although I generally agree with the underlying principle they're trying to
put forward. I'm on my second table saw, my second drill press, my first
router was a piece of crap. I'm doing without a bandsaw entirely because I
don't see any point in getting anything less than a 14", and I can't afford
one. So I see where they're coming from on trying to avoid wasting money
on a machine that isn't going to do the job.

I'm in the "$600 gets you plenty of saw" camp now, but where will I be after
I outgrow this one and get a Unisaw or something?

You pays your money and you takes your chances, as Steven King likes to
quote somebody or other as saying.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 14:17:37 GMT, "Mike W."
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I definitely want a new table saw. I have a 4 yr old Craftsman lowest level
tablesaw ($150-ish) that I have managed to use to make a few decent piles of
woodchips. But now the blade isn't parallel with the fence or mitre slots
so evertyhing I cut is out of square. I've tried to adjust it and there is
no 'real' way to do it. So rather than rig it up, I've decided if the tax
man is nice to me I'll be nice to myself and spend $600 on a new one.
Hopefully it'll take me to the next level and allow me to build some nice
pieces.

OK. Thank you for explaining. I try to make people think about their
_first_ TS. Counters the "big arrn" mentality. G

I strongly feel that many people will benefit much more from their
money if they spend it on _good_ Circ saws, drill, routers, jigsaws.

I would also (and did) buy a BS before I bought a TS


I kinda thought a lot of folks on the list are weekenders... do most people
here do it for a living?

No. But there are alot of posts here about how to get rust off TS
tops! The essence of this was captured by some wise person who
suggested frequent applications of wood. G