Portable table saw for a woodworker?

[jackfinzo]

So what are your thoughts on a portable table saw for a woodworker? I know a lot of people who are stuck for space like me or are on a tight budget do it but what I don't know is exactly what kind of accuracy they receive. 

I do expect a lot from my tools, for example, I expect this to give me good reliable accurate repeatable cuts with a very accurate/solid fence that once set up correctly it will stay there! The first thing I will be doing is putting a new high-quality blade in it just to make that clear!

As for the mitre slots as long as they are parallel to each other and I can adjust the table so they will run parallel with the blade I'm happy. I know better than to expect the mitre gauge to be useful for anything more that a paper weight. I will be making many jigs and probably buy a quality aftermarket mitre gauge.  And also a flat table as without that I am completely wasting my time!

I Have narrowed it down to two saws. But do point out any other saw thats along these lines that may be worth taking a look at.

Bosch GTS 10 XC 254mm Table Saw.

DEWALT DWE7491 240V 250MM TABLE SAW 825MM RIP CAPACITY.

When looking at the at the couple poor reviews(only 2% give a one-star rating for the DeWalt saw) for either of these saws they are often due to things like previously mentioned... accuracy of fence, the flatness of table, mitre slots are not parallel. And even how much side to side play is there on the Bosch sliding table?  It makes me wonder are they unlucky or is it that most people wouldn't check or even notice these things as they do not work / expect the accuracy  that I and they select few do?

I would greatly appreciate hearing what ye have to say mo matter what it is. I don't believe I am the only one in this boat!

Thanks, Jack.

[JimboS1ice]

Between Bosch and dewalt you already have a great start, dewalt have great fences with the rackcan pinion system, I think that's a great router to take and all you have to do for larger stuff is build an outfeed table


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[comp56]

most portable table saw's selling feature is not true accuracy.... sure they are good but most will not compare to a hybrid or cabinet saw their selling feature is portability plain and simple plus they are mostly direct drive.... I have both the ridgid contractor saw and their so called stationary cabinet saw and there is a huge difference in accuracy

[JMG]

I think that there is a majority out there that simply do not work to a critical accuracy that some woodworkers desire, and would not notice the inconsistencies of some products. Many times even those that do want the accuracy won't notice a problem with the tool they chose until after many hours or days of use. But even when you have the best cabinet saw money can buy, other factors will affect your accuracy, such as the particular blade you choose verse the materials being cut, or the feed rate that you apply to the material that can cause the blade to flex in the cut.

 

Long ago I decided to adjust my methods to achieve whatever level of accuracy that I needed when ripping lumber to a finished dimension. One was to add a stock feeder to the saw that would give a uniform adjustable feed pressure on the material to minimize blade flex, and the other was to cut the material slightly oversize and then use a Ryobi ten inch finish planer to achieve both an accurate finish dimension along with a near perfect parallel edge.

 

At times, simply adjusting your methods after determining a problem can keep a marginal tool from being a problem in your process'. If nothing else helps to narrow your decision of what to purchase, find some of the local small cabinet shops in your area and pay them a visit. Some might not be friendly, but I believe that most would be happy to talk about tools and their experiences working with wood.

[tugnut1]

Just to let you know, my first shop saw was a Craftsman Professional jobsite saw.  It worked great for me for about 7 years until I upgraded to my Ridgid hybrid saw.  

 

To me, the keys with a jobsite saw is finding one that has enough power to cut through the material that you are going to be cutting and does it have a fence that will allow you to make good cuts (a fence that squares up good and will stay in place).

 

As far as your cutting surface, I made my rolling workbench to the height of my contractor table top that way I could use it as an outfeed table.  Build a couple multipurpose feed/storage tables/cabinets and you can handle larger material than what you think you should be able to with a contractor saw.  Just be sure you are careful not to push full sheets through to the point where the table will tip over.  Contractor saws are light and this can happen if you are too aggressive with it.

 

With that said, I like the bosch 4100 because it has a nice fence, optional outfeed and sidefeed tables that you can add and enough power to cut almost anything.

 

The Ridgid R4513 is another nice option that looks almost identical to the Bosch and it very well could have been built by the same company.  

 

The sawstop jobsite saw is supposed to be very good, but the price is super high.

 

The Bosch flesh detecting saw is having some issues right now, from what I have heard...oh yea, its expensive too.  The SawStop has a better flesh detecting tech anyway.

 

I haven't used the Dewalt, but it looks rather small.

 

I stay away from almost everything labeled Craftsman these days, so I can't suggest one there.

[albert.amantea]

My experiences with jobsite saws have always left me wanting more. I have used saws from Bosch, DeWalt, Ryobi, and Craftsman, and while they all have their own advantages and disadvantages, I can't say that I would recommend any of them as a shop tool. That isn't what they are designed for, and usually need extensive work or add-ons to get them to the level of accuracy for use in a shop.

I can, however, recommend a "contractors saw" for shop use. These are normally equipped with a better, more accurate fence, more powerful motor, cast iron tables, better dust collection, and are still reasonably priced.

Jobsite saws are just that and compromise a lot for the portability. They definitely have their place (I use one all the time on site work), but not as a stationary tool in a shop.

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[comp56]

like I said before you can't make apple pie with a toaster, there are all kinds of table saws out there with all kinds of price brackets they all do the same thing just some are better than others in many different ways.

I'm not going to push some African Ebony @$95BF through a table saw unless I know it is going to cut what I want and the way I want it.

 

[tugnut1]

I agree with everyone who says that a jobsite saw is not what will work best in a shop.  If you can swing the size at all, go with a a better saw than a jobsite saw.  Small spaces can make it tough, but with some creativity, you should be able to make it work.  The Ridgid hybrid saw is not all that much larger than a jobsite saw.  You can always store stuff under the right hand table to make up for lost space.  Plus it has casters, so you can push it out of your way when you need the space.  

 

I did start with a jobsite saw because I didn't have much space, but I was extremely happy when I upgraded to the hybrid saw.

 

Spend some time thinking this purchase through before you commit to something you maybe disappointed with down the road.  

[comp56]

3 minutes ago, tugnut1 said:

I agree with everyone who says that a jobsite saw is not what will work best in a shop.  If you can swing the size at all, go with a a better saw than a jobsite saw.  Small spaces can make it tough, but with some creativity, you should be able to make it work.  The Ridgid hybrid saw is not all that much larger than a jobsite saw.  You can always store stuff under the right hand table to make up for lost space.  Plus it has casters, so you can push it out of your way when you need the space.  

 

I did start with a jobsite saw because I didn't have much space, but I was extremely happy when I upgraded to the hybrid saw.

 

Spend some time thinking this purchase through before you commit to something you maybe disappointed with down the road.  

I couldn't agree more, I have the Ridgid contractor R4513 saw along with the hybrid and they are night and day differences between them aside of fraction of size. I couldn't be happier I went with the Ridgid hybrid R4512, the sound levels, the vibration levels, and the accuracy....granted the only thing I didn't like was the fence rails are shipped in 2 pieces with pretty flimsy coupler with set screws. I fixed that by making longer ones to strengthen the joint up and off set them so the rails came together perfectly flush. Now with that fix the rails are solid and true. If they sold this saw with one piece rails you wouldn't be able to buy a better saw anywhere close to that price range. Sure they had some past issues with the first design trunnion but since they revised it they hit a home run IMHO

[Logan]

I would go with Dewalt they have amazing fences I don't have any experience from the Bosch but they make quality tools 

[JimboS1ice]

Just to let you know, my first shop saw was a Craftsman Professional jobsite saw.  It worked great for me for about 7 years until I upgraded to my Ridgid hybrid saw.  

 

To me, the keys with a jobsite saw is finding one that has enough power to cut through the material that you are going to be cutting and does it have a fence that will allow you to make good cuts (a fence that squares up good and will stay in place).

 

As far as your cutting surface, I made my rolling workbench to the height of my contractor table top that way I could use it as an outfeed table.  Build a couple multipurpose feed/storage tables/cabinets and you can handle larger material than what you think you should be able to with a contractor saw.  Just be sure you are careful not to push full sheets through to the point where the table will tip over.  Contractor saws are light and this can happen if you are too aggressive with it.

 

With that said, I like the bosch 4100 because it has a nice fence, optional outfeed and sidefeed tables that you can add and enough power to cut almost anything.

 

The Ridgid R4513 is another nice option that looks almost identical to the Bosch and it very well could have been built by the same company.  

 

The sawstop jobsite saw is supposed to be very good, but the price is super high.

 

The Bosch flesh detecting saw is having some issues right now, from what I have heard...oh yea, its expensive too.  The SawStop has a better flesh detecting tech anyway.

 

I haven't used the Dewalt, but it looks rather small.

 

I stay away from almost everything labeled Craftsman these days, so I can't suggest one there.

Bosch had a software upgrade on the read to fix its issues problem is it has to be taken to a Bosch repair center


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[albert.amantea]

Bosch had a software upgrade on the read to fix its issues problem is it has to be taken to a Bosch repair center


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I thought there was a moratorium on the Reactt saws due to patent conflicts with SawStop.

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[khariV]

20 hours ago, albert.amantea said:

I thought there was a moratorium on the Reactt saws due to patent conflicts with SawStop.

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I thought there was supposed to be, but the saws are still in stores and available to order. Maybe they can't import any more?

[albert.amantea]

Does anyone with this Reactt saw have the same issue of false trips that Izzy Swan had with his?
His would false trip due to static buildup from sawdust when not using any dust collection. A lot.

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[stevep2204]

On 11/15/2016 at 10:10 AM, tugnut1 said:

I agree with everyone who says that a jobsite saw is not what will work best in a shop.  If you can swing the size at all, go with a a better saw than a jobsite saw.  Small spaces can make it tough, but with some creativity, you should be able to make it work.  The Ridgid hybrid saw is not all that much larger than a jobsite saw.  You can always store stuff under the right hand table to make up for lost space.  Plus it has casters, so you can push it out of your way when you need the space.  

 

I did start with a jobsite saw because I didn't have much space, but I was extremely happy when I upgraded to the hybrid saw.

 

Spend some time thinking this purchase through before you commit to something you maybe disappointed with down the road.  

 

I can't wait til that day eventually comes for me. I'm currently using one of the DeWalt jobsite saws, and while I can make it work good enough for what I need right now, it leaves me wanting more a lot of the time. That'll come a little down the road though.

 

That being said, if you have to go with a smaller jobsite saw like I had to at the time, the DeWalt should be able to handle pretty much anything you throw at it; it has for me at least. I will say this though - it was a pain trying to put through full sheets of plywood before building an outfeed/side extension table. Obviously they weren't designed for that, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

[Joel Spangler]

You've probably already made your decision by now, but went with Ridgid's portable in my shop.  I started out with a dewalt track saw and a REALLY cheap junk craftsman table saw.  My thought is that with the track saw, I'd only be putting smaller cuts through the table saw.  While the $99 black Friday junk saw from sears didn't meet my needs - it cut poorly and couldn't take a DADO blade.  I was able to pick up one of ridgid's saws from Home Depot on a good sale, and it makes nice cuts (with a good blade), and you can use a DADO blade.  The dado blade was actually one of the deciding factors - a couple of years ago when I purchased my portable it was one of the few under $600 that could use one.  The competition is better today and I may have made a different choice, but I'm happy enough with my current setup.

 

The ridgid's opening in the extendable side fence is also an excellent place to put a router.  If you look around you can find several articles of people who did the same thing, or I can try to take some pictures if you need me to.

 

PS - editing because I didn't do very good at mentioning that the track saw and my paulk style workbench are my most favorite tools in the shop.  I build quite a bit of large projects "built ins" using plywood, and the track saw is SUPER useful.