Recommendation on a small table saw

This one is on my wish list.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-4100-10-Inch-Worksite-Table/dp/B000S5Q7AE/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1354845923&sr=8-11&keywords=bosch+table+saw

Rich;)

-- Rich;) -"Dada make a big mess?" "Yes Dada made a big mess."

The Bosch mentioned above is a very highly regarded saw for the top end of your budget.

Dewalt jobsite saws are work horses as well, not quite as expensive and have a very good fence, but they can’t run a DADO blade.

The smallest, lightest benchtop saw I know of that still has standard miter slots, runs on a 15 amp outlet, and has the capacity to run a DADO blade is the Porter Cable PC B220-TS. Lowes sells this saw around here for $299.

-- Michael :-{| Diapers and politicians both need to be changed often; and for the same reason.

If there’s anyway you can squeeze in a full size saw, you’d get the lion’s share of performance advantages.

The R4512 is close to budget…a 20% HF coupon puts it to your door with a new blade on budget.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

I agree with Knotscott Job site size table saws are only useful for small projects in my opinion.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I also agree, the benchtop/jobsite saws are a long ways behind the contractor type saws in performance, safety, and ease of use. If you could get that Ridgid with a coupon, you would be farther ahead than the jobsite saws. good luck.

I have a small Craftsman saw and its really performed pretty well but the table is just so small. You only have about 7 inches or so from the back of the table (feed side) to the blade. I had to make an extension board for the miter.

However with your budget you should be able to much better. Just take into consideration, if the length from the blade to the front of the feed side of the table is small, it will be a pain to cut anything over a few feet. Especially sheet goods.

Also get a TS with standard size miter slots and see how easy or feasible it is to build extensions around it in the future .

The Ridgid saw pictured above is a pretty solid saw with a built-in mobile base. Unless you plan on building out-feed or in-feed extensions , I would stay away from the tiny table saws if at all possible.

The key factor is that it needs to be able to run on 110 volts, 15 amps max. I’m not as concerned with portability since I don’t plan to move it around. I can reconfigure my space to an extent.

I should have added that I do have a compound miter saw so I’m mostly good as far as smaller crosscuts go. Ripping would be the main use for it, I would think.

The Ridgid 4512 or the Craftsman 21833 will run on a 15 amp 120 Volt circuit but the circuit will not run this saw if anything else is running on the same circuit at the same time.

I can’t disagree with others here who say you would be better off with a hybrid type contractor saw.
The most notable example of which is the Ridgid 4512 pictured above by Knotscott.

In fact, I don’t have the Porter Cable I recommended above. I have the Craftsman 21833 which is the Sears branded equal to the Ridgid 4512. I made the recommendation of the Porter Cable because I thought it fit your criterior pretty well and I think it is a pretty good saw for the money.

I got my Craftsman on sale, 3 years ago, for $409. I have never seen it or the Ridgid that cheap since. Normal sale price is more like $500 or $550.

This is just my position on this, and I am sure there will be others who dissagree, but here goes. I am a foundry engineer and I have two opinions on the Craftsman/Ridgid saw. FIRST: I find it hard to believe they can build those saws for the price they sell them for. SECOND: I also think one way they do it is to design and build a tool on the ragged edge of collapsing under its own weight. CONCLUSION: I will be shocked if these saws hold up for more than a few years. They are just too flimsy. Inexpensive, and a good value, but also cheap and questionable durability.

Mine has a common (and well documented now) allignment issue where the blade changes its lateral alignment with the miter slot when you change the blade height. There is no fix for this. I live with it and don’t change blade height very much because of it. When I think about what I got and what I paid for, I wish I had waited and gotten a real cabinet saw like a Grizzly GS 691 for instance. In the mean time, while waiting for the real deal, I think I would have been just as happy with a light weight portable saw like the PC.

Maybe I wouldn’t feel like I do about the 4512 / 21833 saws if I didn’t have one with the alignment issue.

-- Michael :-{| Diapers and politicians both need to be changed often; and for the same reason.

I’m open to one of the contractor saws. I just don’t have 220 volt and can’t get it. I’m sure someday I’ll get a full on cabinet saw.

Thank you for the input. Please, keep it coming.

For most contractor and hybrid saws you don’t need 220; they run on 110.

The ridgid Scott mentioned is a good deal. The bosch 4100 is a great saw too and you don’t compromise on quality with it, but the ridgid will run longer and quieter than the bosch.

-- He who dies with the most tools... dies with the emptiest wallet.

The Ridgid portable is sweet.

-- Clint Searl.............We deserve what we tolerate

This comes in a dollar under your budget:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/tls/3461014787.html

But you’d have to give yourself an early birthday present and run a 230 volt line. You would NOT regret it though.

A few things that will quickly become a pain with a benchtop saw -

1. Lack of ability to use a dado set. The arbor might support a partial set but zero clearance is a problem. Which leads to …

2. Problems creating zero clearance plates. Portable saws usually do not have enough support for home made zero clearance plates and most times there is not one that is created by the manufacturer. Expect more splintering from the projects you run through it.

3. Lack of ability to use third party jigs and accessories in the miter slot. Most of them are smaller t style slots. These require making your own runners for your homemade jigs and can be a PIA to create.

4. Lack of rip and crosscut support. To work on projects other than small boxes, expect to have to support pieces with outfeed and infeed rollers. By the time you set it up, you will actually use more space than a contractor saw.

5. Lack of power and more engine wear. Portables use universal motors and are not belt driven. This translates to a real beating on your motor and will easily bog down when cutting thicker wood.

A decent contractor saw would fit within your budget and size constraints. On a mobile base, you can push it to the side and out of the way when not needed.

My two cents.

-- There is little that is simple when it comes to making a simple box.

For what it’s worth, I have the bosch 4100 and have not regretted purchasing that saw one bit. For me, space and portability was an issue though, and if it doesn’t need to be portable, then you might be better off with the ridgid. The bosch has been very accurate and powerful enough. I just ripped a bunch of 8/4 maple and purpleheart with no problems. You can use a dado, but the zero clearance thing is a bit of an issue.

+1 for DHazelton

Get it.