# Need a table saw but have limited space



## agroom (Feb 27, 2012)

I finally built a small workshop in my 1 car garage this fall (it's the modular workbench from The Family Handyman) and am getting all my gear setup. I thought I could go w/o a table saw, but I'm finding I need one more and more. The problem I have is space. As I said it's a 1 car garage and my workshop shares it's space with some other items like the lawn mower, yard tools, summer gear, etc. There's room to setup a saw, but not to keep it there. I also feel there's not enough room to even slide it to the side.

This leaves me with few options, the foremost being something like a job site saw that I can fold down and store away. The workbench actually has a table saw setup built into it, but my garage floor slopes too much where that's at to do what they did; however, I could use the space to store it.

60-70% of my need for it I'll call "general use." Honestly I don't know what that means, but say it's everything that's not the rest of the work I want to do which is more precision crafting like indoor/outdoor furniture (tables, dressers, book shelves, etc), possibly cabinets, picture frames, etc. I know because of my limited space I'm forced to go with something that's not ideal to what I want, but I'd like to not be completely disappointed. I also plan to buy used, so my options are limited to what's for sale.

So my question is twofold then: 1) are there other options I'm not aware of and 2) if not, what is a good table saw for my situation?


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

I *can't *recommend tabletop/benchtop saws due to my own experiences with a Delta : ( 
They're nothing more than an upside down Skilsaw in a box with poor fences and even worse table inserts. Stay away !!

"lawn mower, yard tools, summer gear, etc."....any way to build a small "shelter" for the outdoor equipment and free up your garage ?


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## Maclegno (Jan 6, 2010)

Good advice from Dusty. A small garden shed wouldn't cost much.
Gerard


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## Visions (Sep 12, 2011)

2My advice, stay away from anything with too much plastic! Just too weak and that makes them very, VERY dangerous!

I had a little bench-top Ryobi on a stand, and the motor housing shattered while I was ripping a piece of 8/4 oak. I had a very bad kick-back as a result, since the blade was allowed to misalign by a massive amount (I could wiggle it side to side about 3/8" to 1/2"). I got my arm torn open, a bunch of bruises, and hit in the stomch so hard I w2222a22s knocked to my back, and I'm 5'9" 200lbs. (I was standing to the side, bu t my arm deflected the wood)

I like the older Craftsman contractor saws. They're built from cast iron and steel and are very rugged. They can be found used for short money, and a mobile base makes them easy to move. The fence does leave somnething to be desired' but it's at least as good as what comes on many of the newer benchtop saws.

There are other new saws that are like this too, and many have better fences and more safety features, like riving knives.

The new Craftsman Professional Contractor saw (#21833) is a pretty nice saw, as is their Premium HYBRID saw (#22116)

There are many others out there like this too.

Just please hear me out on this: The tablesaw is the most used machine in any shop, it is the biggest work-horse. It is also one of the most dangerous, and trying to use a saw that's cheaply built and flimsy is a sure shot way to get hurt. And you normally don't just get a nick from a tablesaw, it's usually bad when it happens. I got really lucky in my accident. Be smarter than I was. Buy a quality tool that is well built and safe.

Also, if you plan to build nice furniture and make precision joinery, all that is made easier with a good, accurate table saw.
Remember, accuracy starts with the milling of the lumber. If your boards aren't ripped and cross-cut straight and true, it's going to make everything else that much harder.

If you would like, I can take some pictures of my saw that I bought for $50 and rehabbed into a very useable tool. I now have about $85 into it, but plan to buy a new arbor assembly in the next few weeks, so add $65 to that. You could likely find a similar saw for a similar price and do the same, as these saws are everywhere!

Good luck, be safe!

PS: add an MJ splitter to your saw if it doesn't have something like this already! It can save you big time!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Get a portable or small vintage tilt-top Delta or similar saw (they
are very accurate). You can build a Jimmie Jig and get panel
saw performance when you want it without having a permanent
or even contractor saw sized setup.

Jimmie Jig plans:
http://megatech.tk/jj/index.php?name=Products


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## Visions (Sep 12, 2011)

The Jimmy Jig eh?

A well designed table saw sled is a better option IMHO.

The Jimmy Jig had a good start, but it has become an abomination of astronomical proprtions. The basic jig would be great with a few modifications.
A well thought out sled has one major advantage, it travels with the stock. It is also easily removable without any clamping and registers from the miter slots.
If the JJ was made to travel with the stock, it may be worth while.

I also disagree with the tilt-top saw. I have two of them (no longer in use), they're scary to use when making cuts with the table angled. You not only have to guide the stock, but hold it from sliding off the table. Ever try that with a 2' x 4' sheet of 3/4" ply and the table angled to 45 degrees? That'll get the ol' heart pumpin!
They are a good and accurate saw, but not the safest or easiest to use, especially for someone relatively new to the tablesaw.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I little less hyperbole might make for a clearer message.

I think you misunderstand how the Jimmy jig works. It does not
preclude or in any way prevent the use of a cross-cut self
for… cross-cuts. What it does allow however is the cross-cutting
and ripping of full sheets of ply without consuming a lot of 
space when not in use. As the original poster stated, he
has a small space.

And yes, I have worked with the top tilted on a tilt-top saw.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

For small spaces you can't beat a Ryobi BT3100 or it's older brother that has had the upgrades, the BT3000. those can be found on eBay and CL all the time for less than $250 with all the trimmings. Sears also sells the same machine with some different bells and whistles for @ $450? Sears P/N is 21829 and 22811. 
they are accurate to within a couple of thousandths when set up correctly, will resaw to 3 9/16"(BT3100), have a lot of abilities and add-ons other machines don't and are portable.

Good luck with your quest….


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## PaulMCohen (Jan 22, 2008)

Try a Shopsmith Mark 7, it gives you not only a 2HP tablesaw but also a drill press, disk sander, horizontal boring machine, router, shaper, lathe and with optional accessories a host of other tools. I have one also in a 1 car garage and have been using it for 30 years.


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## agroom (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the input guys! I probably should have said my budget is going to be around the $500 mark too. I really like some of the portable options suggested, especially the Craftsman Professional 21828. Even the stationary ones with casters I'm a bit hesitant on. I also like the idea of a Jimmy Jig or something similar. I know ultimately I'll probably have to do something like this if I want a larger surface. Something that I can store flat against a wall and use when needed.

Unfortunately I don't have much space for a shed. I live in a duplex with little room around the yard; however, I am considering a small lean-to type shelter just tall enough to park the mower and tiller in which would help a lot. But unfortunately nothing in the area of a small shed.

I think I've got a good start though on what to keep my eye out on and features to look for. Thanks everyone!


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## agroom (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm not in a big rush, but I did find these two listings on craigslist and wanted to see what you thought.

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/tls/2866523840.html

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/tls/2860155026.html


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## oxyoke (Dec 15, 2011)

I would also keep my eyes open for the ridgid or boshe job sight saws. between 500.00 and 600.00 new. Sorry about spelling


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## agroom (Feb 27, 2012)

The Mark V was also mentioned, and I came across this one too: http://madison.craigslist.org/tls/2829059962.html

The deck on it seems pretty small with little ways to improve it. I seems like a much different model than the other Vs I see online. But it does come with a ban saw as well as the other tools. The lathe is really tempting! I'd be forfeiting my ability to save space though since I'd have to keep it out all the time.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I picked up the Bosch 4100 jobsite saw about 2 months ago, for the exact same reason…space. I would have liked to have gotten a contractor saw, but just couldn't afford to lose that much real estate in the garage. I've used it quite a few times already, on 4/4 cedar, 3/4 maple, and 3/4 plywood, and I have had no issues. It did an accurate job of cutting 1.25"x.5" strip out of cedar to make trim out of on the router table. The fence system is great, after the initial alignment, I can now set it based on the ruler on the front, and get within about 1/64" of an inch of my setting, without worrying about measuring fence to blade before hand. I buy my lumber jointed one edge, and had no issues ripping the opposite edge and edge-joining boards into a panel straight off the saw. I already had an Incra V120 miter gauge, and had really good luck cutting trim with that, so I can't comment as to the gauge that comes with the saw. The stand takes a few times to get used to, but it sets up and folds up in 2 seconds, and its easy to shove in a corner, where it doesn't take up much space. The riving knife and guard system are awesome, they can be removed/adjusted in just a few seconds.

If you can fit a contractor saw, that's probably the way to go, I looked at a nice Ridgid, but if you can't I would highly recommend the 4100. My only beef with it is that it does not come with the left-side and outfeed support, but they aren't that pricey on Amazon. I had read some other reports of people getting them and the table not being flat, but I checked mine, and saw no issue with it. Initial set-up and calibration took about 1.5 hours. I used the 10% mover's coupon at Lowes and paid about $580 after tax. Haven't used the blade that came with it either, but it would be good for that 60-70% general use you mentioned.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

What about something like this










There's a version of this mitre saw / table saw combination on rails that would give 12" cross cut capacity.

Or a flipover saw.


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## PaulMCohen (Jan 22, 2008)

The Mark 5 pictured is a model 500 it is fully upgradeable to a current model. For 50 years they were used successfully, I used it for about 10 years before my first upgrade to larger tables. I currently have the largest tables and a 2 HP digital motor (DVR) but it still fits in the space of a bicycle.

There is a very active resale, upgrade market and you can still get parts for machines from the 1950's and there are 10,000 of machines still operating from then. There are also video libraries showing many things this tool can do that many others can't or how to do things with this that at first glance look difficult.


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## schuft (Apr 6, 2011)

I've owned the Ridgid 4510 jobsite saw for a little over a year. It folds up and wheels out of the way quickly and easily. But I wouldn't recommend it as a woodworking saw.

In fact, it's primary advantage (mobility) is also it's primary disadvantage. Moving it causes the tabletop to bounce and flex. As a result I'm constantly checking and adjusting alignment between the blade and miter slots.

Also, this particular saw (and most jobsite saws) is rather underpowered. Even with a thin-kerf Freud Fusion blade I can't get through 3/4" maple or white oak without burning.

And lastly, the tabletop is rather small. There's relatively little clearance either in front of the blade or (especially) behind it. Without a crosscut sled and/or outfeed table, the table size limits crosscuts to about 12".

So I'd recommend either find a way to free up space for a true contractor or cabinet saw, or save your money and stick with a circular saw and straight edge.

(BUT On the other hand, I know Steve Ramsey (his LJ username is steveinmarin) got by with a jobsite saw for years, and did plenty of good work with it.)


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## oldretiredjim (Nov 14, 2011)

i have about $250 in an old craftsman Model # 113.29943. That includes a Delta fence. I share a one car garage with a car so everything is mobile. Previously I had a job site saw. I am presently building drawers that I could never have built with the old saw. Mounting the Delta fence almost requires a drill press but I suppose one could drill by hand if you are not old and blind. The old 113 craftsman saws are always available.








The support for the outfeed table folds and is made with red fir and a dowel hinge.








with the table top on. Remove the outfeed and the whole thing rolls back against the wall so the car can move in. The shop vac and cyclone are shorter than the table saw top. It is actually fun figuring out how to have a mobile shop and you have to make stuff that suits your operation. It's doable. Good luck.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have a Ridgid 3650 and it has served me well for 5 1/2 years now. I paid $500 for it and it is still at Home Depot at that price here. It has a very good fence and 1.5 HP belt type induction motor. It also comes with a very good lift system, so it rolls around well and sets down firmly.


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

I've had a Delta 34-444 for close to 30 years. It's a real workhorse. Last year I bought the Ridgid portable to use at our vacation home. It's also a great machine. I've been cutting a lot of 4/4 maple with the 8" Fusion blade with no problem.


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## Seumas2 (May 11, 2015)

To really understand the jimmy jig here is the new one www.jimmyjig.ca


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I have a Kobalt job site saw and hate the fence but I can make it work and it is cheap. Until a larger shop lands I either must make do or buy a better job site saw. I is over budget but I have my eye on the saw stop job site saw. It has better quality than most and of course the safety features. I figure I can sell it pretty easy if I knock $300 or $400 off purchase and it has a better fence


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