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What tablesaw do you have

7K views 91 replies 78 participants last post by  bannerpond1 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
There always seems to be a lot of talk about tablesaws so I am curious what tablesaws people have in their shops. Are you happy with it, how much hp, type of fence etc.. I'll start it off, I have a 1970's Craftsman contractor saw that I built a cabinet for and attach my dust collector to which works great. It is 14 amps which is what they say is 1.75 hp today, the power is good, I like the Craftsman Aluminum fence I put on several years ago, the blade guard comes off with just a thumbscrew which I like. I am going to replace it with a Sawstop PCS but the reason is accuracy so I figure if I'm getting a new saw it should be the Sawstop because if I ever have a bad accident I would be kicking myself forever. I'm not happy with dados that aren't flat and the table insert doesn't set exactly flat on the table.
Mike
 
#2 ·
G0444Z Contractor saw w/ cast iron wings, Shop Fox mobile base, Shop Fox fence, Incra 1000SE miter gauge.
All I'll ever need. I use specific blades for cuts as in rip, cross cut, etc. Blade poor, but the investment was worth the price.
Good saw, well set, good blades, dust collector…....What else does a feller need?
Bill
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
2008 Shop Fox W1677 left tilt 3hp cabinet saw (it's essentially a white Grizzly G1023SL):

I've added:
- BORK riving knife and blade guard
- Router table
- Jet Xacta II fence w/router table fence (slid right for 36" rip)
- Crosscut extension
- Osborne EB-3 miter gauge
- Wixey digital readout
 
#5 ·
I have a '87 unisaw that I purchased new, 52" fence with 6' outfeed and 48" infeed. It has and remains an excellent machine. I also have a 1949 Unisaw, it was my fathers and also an excellent machine, no table extensions and the original fence, which still remains true. I also have a 1950-60's craftsman with the double cast iron open fence that I use when I set up on site. I like old Iron. I use mine daily, I prefer old Iron.

Dado's that do not have a flat bottom are typically the result of the blade quality, the blade stack or set up. I'm sure that would be the result of the performance of your craftsman. If that is what you mean, I could be misreading.

The table inserts are pretty much the same situation. Most have adjustment screws that assure it does set flush with the bed. Not sure what you have. Again, sorry if I misunderstood your statement regarding dado's and inserts.

If your craftsman works great and the saw is set up the way you want it. Why replace it.
 
#8 ·
This should be an interesting thread, to respond to needshave, I thought the same thing with the dado blade, the one I had was an old 6" craftsman that came with the saw. I bought a Freud 8" Super Dado and still the same problem. Anyway, I finally measured the arbor and the threads are .015 smaller than the flange that the first blade sits on which means if one chipper is up and one down it can be .030 off which is very noticable. The table insert is just a little thicker on the screw end than the table relief, not much, but just throws my angles off a little bit. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
#10 ·
GT350,

did you ever use the moulding shaping head that Craftsman sold for many years? It has a arbor sleeve that slides over the arbor and the moulding head would slide onto or over it. I used it one time on the craftsman, because I had a larger bore dado stack, it worked well, It ran true and I had no problems with it. Not sure if that is any value to you at this point, But though I would through it out for what it's worth.

My insert plate must be different than yours. My insert plate has four set screws adjustable from the top side that provides plenty of adjustment. When fully retracted and not setting on the set screws, the plate is .06 below the table top. My saw is pretty old, so I'm sure many things have changed and this may not be the original insert plate either.

I need to measure the craftsman arbor, so I know as well. I may have the same problem and not know it.

Regardless, thanks for your comments.
 
#11 ·
1993 Unisaw. 3 hp, right tilting. Incra TSLS fence (with joinery package) and Incra 1000HD miter gauge with Miter Express sled. Bench Dog Cast Iron router extension wing on left side with Milwaukee 5625 router, Woodpeckers PRLv2 lift, and Rockler dust enclosure.

Love it!
 
#12 ·
The way many pros get flat bottom dados is with a
panel router. You can get special bits from Her-Saf
that feed faster than regular router bits.

One problem with getting flat bottom dados on
the table saw is that it's difficult to position
a hold-down directly over the top of the dado
blade, where the pressure is most useful.

All I'm saying is that a finer table saw won't
guarantee dados of consistent depth.

You can however cut dados on the table
saw and use a dado clean out bit on a router
to clean them up to consistent depth real
quick.
 
#14 ·
I never saw or needed the moulding head cutter. I tried to adjust my insert but it is also warped a little (just slightly) in the center. HorizontalMike, nice setup, I wish my shop could be set up so I could have a router table on my saw, it would sure save space.
 
#16 ·
I have an old Rockwell/Beaver 34-050 with a Biesmeyer fence ,1 hp motor,and it is more than adequate for my hobby shop.it would be a luxury to own a G0690 like Mike's but I use the band saw,miter saw and circular saw more often than my TS.
 
#20 ·
I have an older PM66. 3HP left tilt. It has a 52" shop fox T-square fence. I have no guard or riving knife, I am just not a fan. it also has a runoff table that is as wide as the saw and 4' deep as far as dado's go I think the problem is the saw. I have run a wobble, and stacked and never had a porb on the PM66. when I put the same stacked on my delta contractor saw they aren't bad but not as clean. just my opinion I think hybrid saws are a waste, it takes the same foot print as a cabinet saw and most have 1/2 the power, so why not just get a cabinet saw and be done with it. I won't ever own a SS there are just to many electronics to go wrong, I have used one and yes it seems to be well made and fairly accurate and quality machine. I am just stubborn like that. I want to be able to service my machines at home. My PM66 is the last TS I will ever need because it can be serviced with universal parts. just my thoughts
 
#23 ·
I started with a Rockwell contractors saw, I bought used. I had alot of trouble with it, well it was used and bought cheap.
Turns out, the table top some how warped, the fence main front casting was poorly machined, but I did find a parts saw and replaced the problem parts, it works pretty good now.
It was a learning experience, as the misalignment caused a few kickbacks. Even at 1 3/4 hp, a kickback is no joke.

I set about finding a better saw, and came across a Delta Rockwell 12-14 for the price of a plastic box store saw.
This saw is like most cabinet saws, just bigger 38X48" top, it scaled in the back of my truck at 1000lbs, with the side table, Biesmeyer fence, and an Excalibur sliding attachment.
The machine came with boxes of blades, even a 12" dado stack, and other stuff.
I am more then pleased with this saw, it has changeable arbor extensions, I can use blades from 7 1/4" to 14", arbor holes from 5/8" to 1 1/4".
The extra 10" of table depth is nice for me, when I use my other saw, it seems the blade is in my face.

I cant do it good, so I do it big.
 
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