Aldyrin

Well, I think this question has probably been asked a lot before, but here we go!

I've been wanting to get into woodworking for a while, and have started itemizing the cost of picking up all the necessary tools necessary to do the projects I have in mind for the immediate future.

The projects mainly consist of building a semi-airtight (with filtered ducting so that I don't have to worry about heat or dust killing my computer) cabinet enclosure for the electronics in my livingroom. I'd also like to build some furniture to support my speakers (damn cats keep knocking them over), and maybe some cabinets.

Does anyone have any suggestions or links to good review sources for table saws that would be good for my situation that are hopefully at or less than $500? I looked on fine woodworking, and their reviews seem to be only on table saws $800+, which is a bit more than my budget.

Thanks in advance!

knotscott

Hi Aldyrin - I'd caution you about putting too much emphasis on reviews. They can be helpful in many ways, but reviews really boil down to the opinion or opinions of a person or group who pick their favorite. What's important to you might be different than the preferences of a reviewer. There's also always the very real possibility of financial influence on the outcome of a review. Just about every magazine picks a different favorite, so how do you determine who's right?

$500 is a tad light, but realistic to get a decent saw if you find a good deal, but it won't necessarily get you every feature or design advantage available. You may need to push closer to $550 or $600 total to the door, after tax or s/h, etc. With luck, it will get you into a full size cast iron saw (27"d x 40" wide) with standard miter slots, a belt drive induction motor of 1.5 to 2hp, and a decent fence. There are even some that will have build in wheels in that price range. The top choices in that price range are the Delta 36-979 (offers a choice of 3 excellent fences, plus aftermarket fences), the Ridgid 3660, Hitachi C10FL, Jet Workshop 708100, and the Craftsman 22114 gets close on sale. Grizzly offers a couple of nice options too through mail order, though they might exceed budget just a bit....they have a great fence and good miter gauge for this price range. The features and designs are different from saw to saw, and so are the retail situations and warranties, so check out as many as you can and choose the one YOU like best. They all have the ability to be dialed in to cut accurately with ample power when equipped with a decent saw blade.

Some folks really like the Ryobi BT3100 (no longer made) or Craftsman 21829 style saw (a BT3100 clone made by Ryobi)...~ $350-$400 on sale...or less for used. It's not as big as the others mentioned, is not cast iron, and has a belt drive universal motor that's somewhat louder, but alot people like it for it's accuracy and unique features.

A good used saw is always a viable option too....keep you eyes peeled...ya never know.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

jistincase

As mentioned by Knotscot the Rigid is a very good saw for the money. It comes with a mobile base so that it can be wheeled around the shop if need be. It has a very quiet powerful motor with all the standard features of most other saws. It also has a very accurate fence. The price is close to what you want to spend and if you get one of the 10% off coupons in the mail it would be right where you want it. I have the TS3650 and have been pleased as punch with it. I did a lot of looking around and this was the one that fit the bill for me. Of course like what was said is all subjective and just do your own research to decide. Good luck.

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woodman42

Do a site search here and you will find alot of discussion on table saws.

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