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Jobsite saws

4K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  Howard Ferstler 
#1 ·
I was looking around the web for a jobsite saw the other day because I thought it would be nice to also have something portable. I don't know if I'm missing something here, but can someone explain to me how a plastic saw like the $700 Bosch or $600 for a DeWalt is worth it ? And the word is that the DeWalt is going to see a price increase. I heard the motor on the DeWalt is about $300 if you should ever burn it up. I'm really appauled at some of Deltas prices on parts too, like the $180 Beisemeyer splitter, or the 5" handwheel I looked up for a tablesaw at $40. I could buy a generic handwheel on the web for less than $10.
 
#2 ·
I don't see them as worth that kind of money either, but I suppose if you make your living with one or don't have room for a full size saw, then you might be willing to part with that much money. Even the Ridgid @ ~ $459 is pushing the envelope a bit. How much does the PC3812 go for these days?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Scott, the PC3812 is going for about $500. It's bad enough that these saws are over priced, and to top it off I'm sure none of them are even made in this country. I think I'll do without. I know what your saying about if you make a liveing useing one, or your shop lacks the space, but even at that, I still wouldn't be happy about it.
 
#5 ·
I have the Ridgid TS2400LS saw and I like it a lot. I needed a portable saw because of the small size of my shop and the fact that I do many of my projects outside and at my cabin. The saw and cart are well made and very stable. Sure, there is plastic here and there, but overall it is very solid. The fence and miter gauge are more than acceptable for all but the most precise cuts (I have an Incra miter gauge when I need to be exact). The saw is relatively new and I've only made a few projects so far, but I'm very impressed. I got it for a little over $400. I also looked at the Dewalt and Bosch saws and in my opinion the Ridgid was the clear winner (the price difference was a bonus). Also, the Ridgid saw has a lifetime warranty on parts.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I have a Ryobi BTS20 and I think it delivers a lot of bang for the buck when you consider the $200 bucks that I paid for it, brand new. It has been decently rated in at least two woodworking magazines that were reviewing jobsite saws, and even Consumer Reports Magazine gave it a Best Buy rating. One advantage when it comes to portability is its 90-pound weight. That makes it a lot easier to load onto a truck.

The saw has a solid, tubular and folding base and lots of power for its size, and it can rip to 27 inches to the right. I did some modifications with mine, including adding some additional screws to hold the throat plate insert tighter in position. I also removed the anti-kickback pauls, because they had a tendency to scuff wood.

The saw has two defects when compared to some more upscale models like the superb Ridgid 2400, which costs more than twice as much.

First, the table worksurface area in front of the blade is too short for really good workpiece stability. Of course, you can always employ an outboard stand for handling longer items, but a greater depth in front of the blade would make certain tasks a bit easier.

Second, when the saw is extended into position on the folding stand you cannot roll the stand around. The Ridgid 2400 has its wheels on the ground even with the saw lifted into position, and the Bosch and top Sears/Craftsman models also offer this feature. The Ryobi wheels lift off the ground with the saw when the base is raised.

Unfortunately, the BTS-20 has been replaced by the BTS-21, which seems to be a bit more cheaply built (the fence, already not super duper with the BTS-20, is flimsy), in spite of having some outward operational improvements.

If somebody is hard pressed for both money and space, the BTS-20 is a good buy, particularly if it can be obtained used at a really low price. It certainly will not replace a good contractor;s saw, but if portability and limited space are an issue it is a decent item.

Howard Ferstler
 
#16 ·
The only drawback to the BTS-20 now is it is out of production. I bought a BTS-21, which is effectively the same saw, but with a sliding miter table instead of a slot. I would MUCH rather had the BTS-20...

Ryobi BTS-20s can be had on craigslist pretty often in the $100.00 range in mint condition...
 
#7 ·
I have a dewalt portable, but I don't think its the one you mentioned. It sells for $399. I bought it last year at one of Hartville Hardware's bi-annual giant tool sale. Think I paid 339. for it. It works very well. It has a unique fence setup that is very accurate and always remains parallel to the blade. It also has a built in roll cage which makes it pretty durable. I use it when I do kitchen installs mainly. But I also find myself using it in the shop when I just have to make a few cuts and don't feel like rolling the shop table saw out. I guess it all depends what you want to use one for.
Mike Hawkins;)
 
#8 ·
I have owned a poorly designed portable, the Makita 2703, (terrible fence, crappy non standard miter slots, misaligned non adjustable arbor). So I know what not to get.
If I needed a jobsite saw, I'd look at the Ridgid 2400, Bosch 4100-09 and Festool plunge saws, probably going with Festool.
 
#11 · (Edited)
The $475 Festool your talking about only has a 6 1/4" blade, so depth of cut would be one advantage a tablesaw has. Even the $600 Festool only has a 8 1/4" blade. Second thing is, can you put a dado blade in the Festool ? Like I said, your talking about a whole different tool. It's like saying a electric hand drill will do all the same operations that a drill press will do.
 
#12 ·
For the price of some of these portable saws, you could buy a full size contractors saw. I paid $600 for a delta industrial at Lowes, and for nice dewalt or any other, they can almost cost as much. Now it is kinda hard to move around, but as long as there is concrete to flip it onto from the bed of my truck, I can move it by myself pretty easily.. If you really need an easily portable saw that folds up and rolls around, I highly recommend the Ryobi, it's not the nicest thing, but it works great and doesn't take up any space at all.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Price wise the DeWalt that Firehawk mentions is probably the most reasonable, but I've heard some disturbing stories about the fence jambing on the DeWalts, weather or not it's from people that are abuseing the fence, or don't know how to use it, or they are valid problems, I guess it's hard for me to say without trying one for any length of time. The Ridgid gets good reviews, but at $460 plus $50 for shipping because Home Depot moved out of our city this summer is just too much for me to justify, I don't do side jobs outside of the shop anymore, so it would be mostly a home owner second saw to be used when I don't feel like seting up the big saw for a small task like Firehawk mentioned, or a saw for around the yard tasks, such as a deck, fence, etc.
 
#14 ·
Hey Woodchuck,
I have not had any problems with my dewalt saw, fence or otherwise. Another nice thing is the table surface. It is some kind of composite material, very slick. Wood slides through with very little resistance. I also bought it because it was not overly big. I don't have room in my van with all the other tools I take to do a kitchen for one of the saws with the attached stands. I find the dewalt cuts to be very precise. It also has an enclosure around the lower part of the blade assy to catch and direct the sawdust to a port on the back of the saw. You can hook up a 2 1/2" vac hose to it. Even without the vac, it doesn't make much of a mess. If you had to cut a lot of 4' x 8' sheet goods, I wouldn't recommend it. But for normal ripping of 1x type material, it works great.
Mike Hawkins:thumbsup:
 
#15 · (Edited)
Firehawk, I was kind of suprised about some people complaining about the fence. The saw you have has been out on the market for awhile and you'd think if they were valid problems DeWalt would of remedied them by now. I have quite a few of DeWalt's hand power tools and none of them have ever let me down. Infact I have a randon orbital sander that I have used so much over the years that I wore the brushes and pad out and replaced them, the sander is still working flawlessly.
 
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