Table Saw

Mathieu18

Mathieu18

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Anyone try one of the HF table saws? Wife wants a faux fireplace and bookshelves, and I need to rip some boards. I e wanted one for other projects so maybe it’s time. Anyone buy a HF or another consumer saw they liked?
 
Tried to give away a Craftsman on here as well. Ended up dumping it on marketplace.

Bought a 1982 Delta- Rockwell Unisaw with a 3 HP 220v motor.

No personal experience with HF saws. I can't imagine they'd hold up well but one never knows.

If you're just looking to get a couple of boards ripped, find someone nearby. If you really want to get a saw, get the best you can afford.
 
It’s not a replacement for a cabinet saw, but if you just need to make a few cuts, using a guide and a circular saw is often adequate.

I’d buy or rent a good circular saw before I’d buy a HF table saw.
 
How much is a HF table saw (or how much is the one youre considering)?
Again, Dewalt is known to be good, only 300 bucks (with stand)
I have the small one, like 8" blade, I think. Does fine for 2x4 etc
I think you'd be hard pressed for something quality (new) for less
 
Look on fb market place for a good used name brand. Usually lots on there and will get you a better quality one for less money. Other option is kreg and some others make track saw attachments for your circular saw that can yield similar results depending what your needing to cut exactly. They store in a smaller area as well.
 
MacEntyre said:
So, you can afford to lose a fanger or two?

Sorry, tha's too snarky this mornin'...
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No need to apologize. I understand the concept of the SawStop. And for those who can afford them, they're great.

But kinda like cars, can you afford the "safest" car out there? Or do you get what you can afford and use it appropriately?

I had this discussion on another forum. Although the saw I bought might not be the "safest" , it was at the limit of what I could afford. And it was magnitudes safer than what I had. Like any other tool, there are risks involved. It's how you manage and mitigate those risks.
 
MacEntyre said:
So, you can afford to lose a fanger or two?

Sorry, tha's too snarky this mornin'...
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Lots of us used saws for decades without the sawstop tech and without losing any fingers, it just takes a little knowledge and a modest amount of focus, certainly less of both than handling a firearm.

But even without their tech, they do make a good cabinet saw.
 
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GymB said:
It’s not a replacement for a cabinet saw, but if you just need to make a few cuts, using a guide and a circular saw is often adequate.
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Tha's what I use. I wore out my last inexpensive table saw from allowing anyone to use it while remodeling our house.
 
Mathieu18 said:
Anyone try one of the HF table saws? Wife wants a faux fireplace and bookshelves, and I need to rip some boards. I e wanted one for other projects so maybe it’s time. Anyone buy a HF or another consumer saw they liked?
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I have a little bit of knowledge on this subject….

Table saws can be divided into two categories - contractor saws and cabinet saws. Contractor saws are light weight and portable, cabinet saws are not (but can be moved around on a roller base). Cabinet saws can be further divided based upon blade diameter and horsepower - and weight.

HF’s offering are contractor saws, so you’ll need to anchor them down if you’re going to push them hard. Although HF’s quality has been improving in recent years, the biggest complaint that I hear about them is lack of product support long term. If you need parts for your HF saw 5 year from now, chances are that you’ll be SOL. However, if you need parts for your DeWalt saw, odds are that they will be available and also a service center to install them.

If you have the shop space for a cabinet saw, then great. Scan the used listings and find an older Delta, Powermatic, Grizzly, etc saw and go to town. A Sawstop would be the top of the list in terms of safety.

However, for occasional or one time use, I’d either consider a track saw (with enough track to make your longest cut), or even an inexpensive base for a hand held circular saw that can convert it into a table saw. Spend your $ on acquiring a better quality circular saw for the base.

Another option is to pick up a good, used radial arm saw. You can often times find these for $50 - $100 and with the right blade they will do a find job on ripping boards. They will take up more room than a track saw though and you’ll need indeed/out feed tables to go with it if you’re planning to rip longer boards. If you go this route, be sure to educate yourself about the proper blades for them. They need a different hook angle from table / circular saws in order to work the best.

Anticipating that you’ll be working out of a garage, a good quality track saw may be your best option in terms of required storage space versus cost. In addition to my 12” cabinet saw, I use Festool track saws, but that’s probably overkill for your needs. Dewalt, Makita, Sheppach and Grizzly all sell good quality track saws for less $ than the Festool.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts and info, especially @Scsmith42 for that write up. Got a couple more things to look into…
 
GymB said:
Lots of us used saws for decades without the sawstop tech and without losing any fingers, it just takes a little knowledge and a modest amount of focus, certainly less of both than handling a firearm.

But even without their tech, they do make a good cabinet saw.
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I just had them sew mine back on....
 
1075tech said:
No need to apologize. I understand the concept of the SawStop. And for those who can afford them, they're great.

But kinda like cars, can you afford the "safest" car out there? Or do you get what you can afford and use it appropriately?

I had this discussion on another forum. Although the saw I bought might not be the "safest" , it was at the limit of what I could afford. And it was magnitudes safer than what I had. Like any other tool, there are risks involved. It's how you manage and mitigate those risks.
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I’d take a unisaw over a sawstop as well but I’m a sucker for old Rockwell/Delta iron 😎.



I’ve got an older belt drive craftsman contractor saw, i'm not a fan of it. IDK if its lack of skill or the saw itself but I cannot rip sheet goods straight to save my life. I’d love to have a cabinet saw at some point but that whole space thing comes into play.

A tracksaw like @Scsmith42 suggested has been on my list of things for a while. They rarely come up for sale on the used market which, in my eyes, says people love them.
 
hp468 said:
I’d take a unisaw over a sawstop as well but I’m a sucker for old Rockwell/Delta iron 😎.



I’ve got an older belt drive craftsman contractor saw, i'm not a fan of it. IDK if its lack of skill or the saw itself but I cannot rip sheet goods straight to save my life. I’d love to have a cabinet saw at some point but that whole space thing comes into play.

A tracksaw like @Scsmith42 suggested has been on my list of things for a while. They rarely come up for sale on the used market which, in my eyes, says people love them.
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I got lucky. A member here gave me a more than fair price on it, (although I still think he should have included the router lift, lol), I had some help to load it and unload it. Still took 3 of us with it broken down.

My ~20 y/o Craftsman was underpowered for many things I tried to do. This led to trying to force material through which is never good. With the 3 HP 220v Unisaw, I've been able to rip 6" ash without an issue.
 
1075tech said:
I got lucky. A member here gave me a more than fair price on it, (although I still think he should have included the router lift, lol), I had some help to load it and unload it. Still took 3 of us with it broken down.

My ~20 y/o Craftsman was underpowered for many things I tried to do. This led to trying to force material through which is never good. With the 3 HP 220v Unisaw, I've been able to rip 6" ash without an issue.
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Like so many things in life, no replacement for horsepower. :cool:
 
I've got a cheaper 10inch ryobi table top type table saw that I have been using around the house for years and it works great. But I've also got a mikita with bed extension for when I was building and remodeling houses full time and still use it when I got bigger cutting jobs that need fixin. It all depends on how much you plan on using the tool on what quality to get. One thing though is once you have the tools you'll find more uses for them so I would atleast get something that's a little more then you need at the moment. You can find some good used saws but you can also get used stuff that is wore out. And with a table saw that has been used heavy you'll have bearing issues and other stuff that will not allow you to cut anything straight. So I personally stay away from used power tools unless the condition is close to new.
 
If you have room and plan on doing much woodwork a old shopsmith would be great. I had one at one time and wish I had room to still have it.
 
Yeah, that track saw is probably the ticket, or the Kreg track adapter. I’ve got a couple saws I could put on it. Since I want to rip 8 foot boards, it might be easier than trying to work with a tablesaw and extensions, etc. I don’t have a lot of extra space. I’ll be doing most of these cuts on the front porch.
 
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HandyDave said:
I've got a cheaper 10inch ryobi table top type table saw that I have been using around the house for years and it works great. But I've also got a mikita with bed extension for when I was building and remodeling houses full time and still use it when I got bigger cutting jobs that need fixin. It all depends on how much you plan on using the tool on what quality to get. One thing though is once you have the tools you'll find more uses for them so I would atleast get something that's a little more then you need at the moment. You can find some good used saws but you can also get used stuff that is wore out. And with a table saw that has been used heavy you'll have bearing issues and other stuff that will not allow you to cut anything straight. So I personally stay away from used power tools unless the condition is close to new.
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I also have the Ryobi and its been a good saw now if I am ripping full sheets of plywood I use a good circular saw that I keep a kreg rip fence on it is easier for me to handle the plywood using it https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kreg-Rip-Cut/1000281745
 
Mathieu18 said:
Yeah, that track Saul is probably the ticket, or the Kreg track adapter. I’ve got a couple saws I could put on it. Since I want to rip 8 foot boards, it might be easier than trying to work with a tablesaw and extensions, etc. I don’t have a lot of extra space. I’ll be doing most of these cuts on the front porch.
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See that's what great about this place- you came with a question, got some feedback, and made an informed decision!

Now we just have to wait for someone to tell that it's the wrong decision! 😆
 
Mathieu18 said:
Yeah, that track Saul is probably the ticket, or the Kreg track adapter. I’ve got a couple saws I could put on it. Since I want to rip 8 foot boards, it might be easier than trying to work with a tablesaw and extensions, etc. I don’t have a lot of extra space. I’ll be doing most of these cuts on the front porch.
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Get you a sheet of foam insulation as a backer, set the saw depth a little deeper than the stock you are cutting. It's a nice solid base and you don't have to worry about saw horses and the like. If you want a cheaper solution, google "door board"
 
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The $400 rigid with the stand is decent and has a better rip capacity than the dewalt, as a jobsite saw. Wax the top.
If you're going to be breaking down 3/4" sheet goods, a track saw will be easier and safer for a solo operation, add a vac to it and you can run it in the living room if needed.

If you're ripping small stock, the table saw will be better, the bigger the saw, the safer. If you do a benchtop saw, try to set up an side and outfeed table to mount it in.
Buy blades to match the work you're doing. Push sticks keep your hands out of the danger zone, and kick back is what gets most people.
 
I'd avoid any of the HF saws. Everything I've bought from there, other than some mechanics tools, I've had to eventually replace. For a table saw, you can usually find a good used one on FB Marketplace. The older the better- Delta, Rockwell, Powermatic, Jet, General, Grizzly,(some of the older Grizzly's are crap, but stuff in the last 20 years is good), maybe Shop Fox. Avoid old Craftsman saws. The more cast iron, the safer it will likely be. Some of the lightweight saws are scary. I have a 1940s Unisaw with a new Unifence and I'd put it up against any new saw- lots of heavy cast iron and solid as a tank. As mentioned above, Sawstop is probably the top-of-the-line of hobby-grade saws, but they're also very expensive.
 
Mathieu18 said:
Anyone try one of the HF table saws? Wife wants a faux fireplace and bookshelves, and I need to rip some boards. I e wanted one for other projects so maybe it’s time. Anyone buy a HF or another consumer saw they liked?
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I have one, never had an issue but I only use it a few times a year…..if I needed one for official work id get a better one

My 2 CENTS
 
hp468 said:
I’d take a unisaw over a sawstop as well but I’m a sucker for old Rockwell/Delta iron 😎.



I’ve got an older belt drive craftsman contractor saw, i'm not a fan of it. IDK if its lack of skill or the saw itself but I cannot rip sheet goods straight to save my life. I’d love to have a cabinet saw at some point but that whole space thing comes into play.

A tracksaw like @Scsmith42 suggested has been on my list of things for a while. They rarely come up for sale on the used market which, in my eyes, says people love them.
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They made quality that will last a lifetime
 
Diablos said:
I’d take a unisaw over a sawstop as well but I’m a sucker for old Rockwell/Delta iron 😎.



I’ve got an older belt drive craftsman contractor saw, i'm not a fan of it. IDK if its lack of skill or the saw itself but I cannot rip sheet goods straight to save my life. I’d love to have a cabinet saw at some point but that whole space thing comes into play.

A tracksaw like @Scsmith42 suggested has been on my list of things for a while. They rarely come up for sale on the used market which, in my eyes, says people love them.
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Diablos said:
They made quality that will last a lifetime
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yeah, there is a big difference between old Delta/Rockwell or Powermatic and Craftsman. Most of the machinery from Craftsman in the 70s to the 90s was garbage. I've owned several and replaced all with something from Delta from the same era that I still have.
 
vaskeet said:
I keep thinking about doing this with my little portable ryobi table saw

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Before putting in the effort I’d buy and rebuild a 1980’s Craftsman or Delta contractor’s saw and build around it. The money for those is in the working parts, the money in the ryobi is in the sliding tables and niceties that you can shop build cheap. Just one man’s opinion.

edit: I see we may disagree on the 80’s Craftsman, but no doubt older is better!
 
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GymB said:
Before putting in the effort I’d buy and rebuild a 1980’s Craftsman or Delta contractor’s saw and build around it. The money for those is in the working parts, the money in the ryobi is in the sliding tables and niceties that you can shop build cheap. Just one man’s opinion.

edit: I see we may disagree on the 80’s Craftsman, but no doubt older is better!
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Id even take old craftsman before they whored out the name. Their hand tools used to be good stuff, and kenmore appliances were top notch 👌
 
GymB said:
Before putting in the effort I’d buy and rebuild a 1980’s Craftsman or Delta contractor’s saw and build around it. The money for those is in the working parts, the money in the ryobi is in the sliding tables and niceties that you can shop build cheap. Just one man’s opinion.

edit: I see we may disagree on the 80’s Craftsman, but no doubt older is better!
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honestly I most likely will never build it I rip large material with my circular saw and a kreg rip -cut I also have a radial arm saw (was brand new when it was given to me ) that I could use the small Ryobi on the stand is good for small stuff as it is. the other thing I like about the bench is I could mount the 2 inch hitch receiver under the table I use it for my Vice (which is mounted on a plate to fit the hitch), and with the table saw blade lowered its just a work bench I really dont do much wood working so cleaning a work bench off and rolling it out for use is not a problem
 
Buy a Milwaukee (buy once, cry once) But you can get buy with a Dewalt and have great results and save some money by getting a wired non battery version. Also check out the Milwaukee track saw. I had a HF miter saw for years and it got me by with inaccurate cuts. However table saws are pretty dangerous compared to other saws so I would not go cheap.
 
Mathieu18 said:
Anyone try one of the HF table saws? Wife wants a faux fireplace and bookshelves, and I need to rip some boards. I e wanted one for other projects so maybe it’s time. Anyone buy a HF or another consumer saw they liked?
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I have one, bought for some home projects, no issues thus far…
 
Have the Bosch mdl 4000 saw for years, works great and moves around pretty easy, also have Craftsman 100's ( think thats the model ) radial arm saw(s) works good, just gotta know how to use them.

-Snoopz
 
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