# table saw



## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

...'the equipment doesn't make the woodworker…" Truer words have never been spoken.

Great review, glad you are happy with the saw and the base!


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Congrats on the saw. I have seen them at Lowe's on display.

I have a few thoughts for ya.
1) For sheet goods, plan your cuts ahead of time and ask the lumber co to cut it to smaller pieces. I did just that recently and asked the guy to cross cut a 4×8 piece of plywood at the three foot mark. Made it a lot easier for me to handle. They also have a radial arm saw set up to cut boards.

2) Check out your local hardwood dealer. Every time I go to the one I deal with, I check out their discounted lumber. Those are usually 50% off regular price. The boards vary in length and width and they are usuallly less than 48 inches in length. This is what I used to make some cutting boards for Christmas gifts. They also have "shop" plywood that is 50% off. It may have a few dents or dings, or maybe a bubble or two from delamination, but half off oak or maple plywood sits well with me ($33 vs $67).

3) Make a cross cut sled for your new table saw. And maybe a miter cutting sled for it also when you get to feeling frisky.  You will find the sled so handy, the miter saw will prolly just gather dust.

So, with these in mind, just think of the possible projects you can do, even with a small vehicle and those cramped stairs in the way.

Warning! Don't build it so big you can't get it up the stairs. 
Good luck.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

So you have the "boat in the basement" problem. Lol…I have a similar problem in my garage shop, save if I move a few hundred pounds of machinery I could build something large. I would also need sunny weather to roll the machines out onto the driveway. Good luck with the saw. I went with the Rigid, which failed and I had to fix it myself. I do have the PC band saw they sell at Lowes, and save for upgrading the cool blocks on top to bearing guides, its been a great saw.


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## mlindegarde (Dec 28, 2009)

I have the same table saw you do. I've been using the Freud P410T (40 tooth thin kerf) blade for a while now. I've found it to work beautifully for just about all of my cutting needs. If you pair it with a zero clearance insert you'll be able to get a clean cut out of just about anything. I found that the the 40 tooth blade will struggle a bit with some of the thicker and harder woods, so I also bought a dedicated ripping blade.

I should also mention that I found the P410T to be too thin to use with the riving knife.


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## BJF (Jan 3, 2012)

Hey guys, thanks for the tips. My next project is probably a cross cut sled, and hopefully that and an upgraded blade will work out. And mlindegarde, I actually have that exact thin kerf blade on my wishlist, so I may go ahead and pull the trigger on that one. Paired with a crosscut sled and a zero clearance insert and I should be in good shape. Any recommendation on a rip blade?


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## mlindegarde (Dec 28, 2009)

For the rip blade I went with the Freud LU87R010. Although both the P410T and the LU87R010 are thin kerf blades the LU87R010's keft is a hair wider (.94 vs .91). That difference doesn't seem like much, but I was able to use the riving knife with the LU87R010.

I'm by no means an expert on saw blades. I know that Forest makes some great blades and you may want to look into those. I've been pretty happy with the Freud (industrial, not Home Depot's Diablo line), so I've had no reason to look any further.


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## BJF (Jan 3, 2012)

Thanks mlindegarde. I just checked out your page, and we also have the same bandsaw. I just got it for Christmas and it came in very handy for my first project. I've only had a bandsaw for a month, and I can't even imagine woodworking without one.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I had the Hitachi version of this saw. I had to sell it though, because it wouldn't accept a 13/16" dado set which is one of my requirements. I loved the height of the saw, you don't have to bend as far over compared to most contractors saws. 
Dust collection was pretty good. 
Make yourself some zero clearance inserts, and you got yourself a keeper.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Tips for picking saw blades

I think you're selling your saw short by leaving the stock blade in…..your should easily notice an improvement from a blade upgrade.


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## Craftsman70 (Jul 31, 2012)

BJF, I've been looking at Ridgid vs PorterCable for a while too. What swayed you to the PC vs the Ridgid?


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## BJF (Jan 3, 2012)

Hey Craftsman… I looked at both. I did so much research on table saws that it was probably overkill. I never confirmed this, but it looks like the PC, Rigid, and Craftsman are all actually made by the same manufacturer, for Lowes, Home Depot, and Sears. None of the Home Depots near me had a Rigid in the store. I like to actually touch something before I buy it! The guys at Lowes helped me take apart the extension wings of the PC floor model, so I could see how it was put together, with the front and back rails. I wanted to make sure that the wings were fully supported and adjustable, so I could get them level with the cast iron table. Again, probably overkill on my part. About two months after I got the saw, Wood magazine reviewed all three and it's clear that they do have some subtle differences, nothing major in my mind. Maybe you could dig up that review. If not, let me know and I can pull that copy from my library and share the relevant details.


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## Craftsman70 (Jul 31, 2012)

BJF, I'd always heard that a the Craftsman and Ridgid were the same saw, but now that you point it out this does look identical except for the color and the fence. Thanks for the info on the Wood magazine article… I'll look it up.


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## lenny79 (Jan 29, 2013)

hi, guys i am new to this site and just reading some post as for the pc table saw i bought mine 3 years ago and have nothing but really nice clean and straight cuts with out a single problem of any kind and i havbe made about 1000 cuts on it so far


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## Jeff1968 (Jan 30, 2013)

I'm new here and got the pcb270ts for Christmas and have yet to use it or even take it out of the box. I'm doing a new wiring project on my 12×20' shed. I might go ahead and set it up for 240v or does it really matter? I don't want to spend $2000 for a cabinet saw but I'm worried about the pcb 270ts not being a saw that can grow with me as I get into more advanced wood working projects. This is my first table saw so I'm sure it is good enough for now. Maybe this is a dumb question but I've read I can't use moulding heads on this table saw. Can I still do cove cuts on the porter cable ts using standard 10" blades? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

Jeff


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## BJF (Jan 3, 2012)

Hey Jeff, I would put in a 240, if only because you are doing the electrical now already. I can't say if it would improve the power of the PCB270ts, since I have not wired it for 240. My wife is pushing me to move to the burbs (where one benefit for me would be a bigger shop) and so I don't see a need to do any electrical work on my basement now. That is one factor that made me choose the PC saw. I also figured that $600 wasn't much for a starter table saw and I can increase the size, features, and power as my skills and projects increase. I haven't tried a moulding head or coves yet, that's a bit beyond my ambitions at this point.


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## Jeff1968 (Jan 30, 2013)

Thanks BJF for the advice on the the pcb270ts. This is my first table saw and I think it will more than satisfy my requirements for now. I just read in the manual not to use moulding heads with it. I was also looking at the Ridgid R 4512 table saw for a hundred less then the porter cable 270. Did you consider the Ridgid r4512? The owners manual doesn't say not to use moulding heads. Just curious.

Jeff


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## BJF (Jan 3, 2012)

Hey Jeff, I looked at the Rigid, and like I said in an earlier comment, I could never find a Home Depot that had one on display. I really can't buy something without seeing it first. And the Lowes guy helped me take apart the floor model and really get a good look at it. I also believe from my research that the PC, rigid and craftsmen are made by the same company with some small changes. A Wood magazine article that did a review of the three noted some small differences. That article came out less than a year ago, you should be able to dig it up. As with the moulding head cutter you mentioned, I found it weird when looking over the manuals the small differences in what you could do made little sense since the saws seem to be the same. Overall, I think I made the right choice, but I am far from an expert on any of this.


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## clafollett (Feb 17, 2011)

Congrats on the new saw! I have this same saw which I purchased from my local Lowes close to 2 yrs ago. Its been pretty decent for the money. I would also recommend a blade upgrade and a zero clearance insert (or a couple, 1 for your standard blade and another for a dado set).

Look for the Leecraft HT-1 model at Woodcraft. That insert fits the PC and its twin, the Hitachi C10LA. The Freud Fusion line is very nice too. Make sure to check the blade alignment to the miter gauge slots. Mine blade was off about .008" front to back.

I've been eyeballing the Vegas Pro 40 fence as an upgrade. I'm still on the fence with this choice though. Even though the stock fence is low end, I do have mine dialed in now and its nice to be able to just reach down to the grab it from the fence hanger. Its super light and easy to handle.

As BJF mentioned aboce, I'm thinking of rewiring it for 240. If nothing else but for the efficiency sake of it. As for power, I think this saw, out of the box, should last you a long time. I've used it to resawing 6"+ wide 6/4 Maple and Bubinga for building boxes. Using a thin kerf blade and making a few smaller depth passes, it did great!

It cuts through 2x material quite nicely too. We have Southern Yellow Pine down here which, surprisingly, can be pretty hard at times if you get a batch with nice, tight growth rings. Even with a full kerf blade, it does fine. The only issue I have is cleaning the sap off the blades.

Enjoy your new saw! I'm sure it will serve you well.


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## nitepagan (Jul 6, 2013)

Yesterday, I went to Lowes to order a new table saw, Steel City, pretty much a hybrid saw, it was listed for around $800. I saw this Porter Cable saw PCB270TS. Was not as heavy as the Steel City saw, maybe a good thing. It had a T-square that didn't wobble, a nice looking rip fence and a 27" x 40" table top. I have been using a Jet table top saw, it is out of alignment and has a wobbly t-square. The Porter-Cable looked like it would fit the bill and was $599. So with my military discount, we were down to $540 plus tax. It was the "Buy Me!!!" thought that overtook me. I have a shed I use for woodworking, so after getting it in there, I assembled the legs twice. Not that I can't read, but they need to add a bit to them. No damage done. For one person to get that saw on the stand, was a feat. I had to rock the saw on top of some 2×4s and then to a bale of peat moss, from there I got it up onto the the legs. One person cannot lift the saw, but with some ingenuity, it can be done.

I have to go back out to my wood shed and finish assembling the saw, that should be the easy part. The saw is 15 amps and the service in my shed is 15 amps, am thinking I will need to upgrade the service. My DeWalt wood planer also 15 amps, dims the lights when I power it up, so am sure the saw will do the same or worse. I am sure I will be pleased with the new saw.


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## nitepagan (Jul 6, 2013)

I am struggling with my PCB270TS, the riving blade did not line up like it should have. I spent 3 to 4 hours messing with it not knowing what I was doing. I got it way out of whack, but I got it back to where it is barely acceptable. Looks like the riving blade and all the safety mechanisms are destined for the trash heap. I won't really throw them out, but don't think I will be using them. As far as the rest of the saw goes, when I start it up everything in the room goes dim, so I really have to upgrade the power. So far, it is a really cool saw, with a few exceptions.


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