Do I need a table saw in my shop?
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Sam Murdoch
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- Apr 13, 2008
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To add more emphasis to my earlier post, the Festool TS 55 and guider rails are not substitutes for a table saw. I am very happy to have the TS 55 to break down sheet goods into manageable sizes without needing to throw 4 x 8 sheets around. The table saw however allows me to do operations that would be a real nuisance with any other tool. It will size up face frame stock to equal widths and thicknesses easily. It will cut dadoes or rabbets or long bevels in a variety of wood sizes without the need for fancy clamping jigs. It will size doors or drawer heads. It will make simple trim profiles. It can do a pretty decent job of making half laps in door parts, which is a pretty rugged way to build a cabinet door in a pinch. And, yes it will allow you to size up cabinet parts out of 4 x 8 sheets. On and on and on... Lots of other tools will do some of these operations and many will do them better. The jointer is a a very good friend of the table saw. But if I could only afford one machine I would purchase a good 10" table saw. These days that would be the Saw Stop with a good fence system. Make my own cross cut table and other jigs and build on as the projects require. If space is at a premium, figure out a way to roll the thing around. Yes, We all have our own way of working. 'nuff said.
Sam
Sam
exchanged1 said:
Do you HAVE to have a TS? Not really, but you don't have to have the domino or some of the other tools either. My senior project in HS was a cherry desk. I spent 3 weeks hand sanding with a sanding block..... we didn't use electric sanders then, but it still got done.
A good TS really helps when you have a lot of rips (like drawers), great for cutting dados or rabets when you have a dado set and really good for bevel cuts. Perhaps not so good for miters (they tend to creep on a TS). I have a TS55 and a small delta 9" TS at home. The TS55 gets used to break down plywood and on long miter cuts. The TS gets used for rips and everything else.
I use a DeWalt 12" MS for x-cuts, miters and compound miters.
I'd buy a TS from a dealer who knows his product and can train you on the proper use, provide you with the proper safety equipment. Get and use the guards, learn to use a PINE push stick and push block. I use a Brett Guard at school, it's really awesome (if you can find it).
I've looked at the saw safe and am impressed in it's construction. The replacement sensor is only $75.00, not a bad deal, it's probably cheaper than your e-room copay!
Keep in mind it won't prevent kickback, the most common accident (in my experience) with a TS.If I ever get around to it, I'll post pics on the safe operation of a TS. If I really get ambitous I'll even try a video.
..... and I would recommend you get a TS. Do you have a drill press too?
Steve
I know they're not so popular these days, but I just acquired a radial arm saw. I plan to set it up for doing only one thing, perfect (as possible) 90 degree crosscuts.
With 4.5 HP, a 14" blade, and a 31.5" crosscut capacity I should be able to cut many identical pieces in a single pass.
John
With 4.5 HP, a 14" blade, and a 31.5" crosscut capacity I should be able to cut many identical pieces in a single pass.
John
joraft said:
THey are a joy to have, when setup right you can crank out x-cut duplicates as fast as you can put them on the fence. You can also have your miter saw share the same table. I store lumber over the table and underneath it as well. A box for cutoff scraps sits underneath the saw itself.
Congrats John, I'm green with envy!
Steve
I forgot to add in my previous post:
Do not buy a single tool until you actually need it. There is so much variety in woodworking that it is hard to tell someone that they will need tool XYZ. Wait until you have a project that demands a particular tool and they make your purchase. I know many WWers who do not own or require a table saw (turners, carvers, etc.). The only thing you should buy right now is safety equipment & a good dust collector.
Do not buy a single tool until you actually need it. There is so much variety in woodworking that it is hard to tell someone that they will need tool XYZ. Wait until you have a project that demands a particular tool and they make your purchase. I know many WWers who do not own or require a table saw (turners, carvers, etc.). The only thing you should buy right now is safety equipment & a good dust collector.
Aspiring FT Owner
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Greg,
Excellent Advice, only buy what you need when the project requires it.
Exchanged1, I'm doing the same thing, setting up a newbie woodshop. So far between the cordless tools, hand chisels, files, a 150 Rotex Sander and CT-22, and a 1/2 sheet sander, several inherited circular saws LH and RH, Cheap Jigsaw, Cheap Detail sander, and a Delta 10" MS I have been able to do a lot.
I need more clamps and a good table, so the TS75 and MFT 3 are next on the list for my Toolshed, Deck and kitchen project. A good router needed when getting to the cabinet part of kitchen work. Will eventually upgrade the cheapie tools as they wear out to good stuff from FT.
Other than that, what else do you really 'Need' for things to work? If you are building stuff all day for pay, I'd have a different setup, but for now, the limited tools I have seem to do the job.
Excellent Advice, only buy what you need when the project requires it.
Exchanged1, I'm doing the same thing, setting up a newbie woodshop. So far between the cordless tools, hand chisels, files, a 150 Rotex Sander and CT-22, and a 1/2 sheet sander, several inherited circular saws LH and RH, Cheap Jigsaw, Cheap Detail sander, and a Delta 10" MS I have been able to do a lot.
I need more clamps and a good table, so the TS75 and MFT 3 are next on the list for my Toolshed, Deck and kitchen project. A good router needed when getting to the cabinet part of kitchen work. Will eventually upgrade the cheapie tools as they wear out to good stuff from FT.
Other than that, what else do you really 'Need' for things to work? If you are building stuff all day for pay, I'd have a different setup, but for now, the limited tools I have seem to do the job.
Loren Hedahl
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- 160
I didn't actually get rid of my table saw. I traded down. Went from a contractor saw with hinged wings on three sides to support plywood and long boards to a bench top DeWalt 745 that I mount on an old work mate.
The pianos that share my shop are terrible allergic to sawdust and the old contractor saw just couldn't clean up its act. So that is how I got into a Festool TS55, MFT and vac. Since then, I seldom use the contractor saw and when I do, I roll it outside because of its dirty habit. I also became more comfortable with the TS55, even for thin strips. However it is not the best tool for this.
So now I keep the bench saw under the bench most times. When I have a lot of thin cutting I clamp it to a Work Mate, hook up the shop vac (since it does have a fairly effective dust port), saw all my thin pieces and put it back under the bench. If the weather is nice I use it outdoors under a car port.
What I am finding is the inconvenience of using the bench saw is causing me to use the TS55 for more cuts that I previously would have done with a table saw. I come up with little work-arounds, jigs, fixtures etc. for doing things with the TS55 as time goes by.
So do I really need a table saw in "my" shop? Probably not. Certainly not a large contractor saw or cabinet saw.
The pianos that share my shop are terrible allergic to sawdust and the old contractor saw just couldn't clean up its act. So that is how I got into a Festool TS55, MFT and vac. Since then, I seldom use the contractor saw and when I do, I roll it outside because of its dirty habit. I also became more comfortable with the TS55, even for thin strips. However it is not the best tool for this.
So now I keep the bench saw under the bench most times. When I have a lot of thin cutting I clamp it to a Work Mate, hook up the shop vac (since it does have a fairly effective dust port), saw all my thin pieces and put it back under the bench. If the weather is nice I use it outdoors under a car port.
What I am finding is the inconvenience of using the bench saw is causing me to use the TS55 for more cuts that I previously would have done with a table saw. I come up with little work-arounds, jigs, fixtures etc. for doing things with the TS55 as time goes by.
So do I really need a table saw in "my" shop? Probably not. Certainly not a large contractor saw or cabinet saw.
Steveo48 said:They are a joy to have, when setup right you can crank out x-cut duplicates as fast as you can put them on the fence ...
Congrats John, I'm green with envy!
Steve
Thanks, Steve. It will be a while before the "joy" starts. I bought this saw from a cabinet shop that was going out of business, and it has seen about ten years of heavy use. A lot of the critical parts are well worn, so I'm rebuilding it from the ground up (so far, parts have been easily available). It's a Maggi (Italian) and they are expensive when new. Since I couldn't justify such a high cost, I decided to look for a used one and put in a little "sweat equity". A few hundred for the saw, a few hundred more in parts and I'll have one that's every bit as good as a new one. The basic structure of these machines is very heavy and rugged.
I mentioned this saw in this thread because the question is essentially about what equipment we really NEED. Like most things, that depends on the individual. For me, the answer is anything that makes my work easier (if I have room for it). While I love assembling my projects, I often find preparing the material boring and tedious. And any equipment that zips through the repetitive steps with accuracy is something I'm interested in having.
My Festool stuff does make a lot of operations quicker and easier (not to mention cleaner). And while I could probably also find ways to replace most of my bigger machines with it, that does not mean the Festool approach is quickest and easiest for every job. I like having several choices in what to use for any particular operation, even if it sometimes means having equipment around that I don't use all that often.
John
Frank Pellow said:
I agree, it's not a must, it does take up space in a small shop but It really speeds up ripping multiple pieces. I have a TS55 and simply can't rip small pieces as fast as I can on a TS. Small depends on the size of your TS, my home TS (which just died, *sniff*) I can quickly rip boards 12" or narrower.
That flat cast iron table is also a multi tasker for me. I use it when cutting biscuit slots and drilling pocket holes. I cover it with craft paper and do glue ups on it. I place a sheet of plywood on it and sand and finish on it.
One other note. Learn to fear your bandsaw, it eats more fingers than any other machine in my school labs ever did.
