Do you miss your tablesaw?

[HowardH]

I have a SS Contractors saw and haven't been real happy with it.  It's underpowered, has horrible dust collection and the motor hanging out the back takes up space and doesn't allow me to have a foldable outfeed table which is a dangerous situation. I ordered a Dash-Board full length table which should arrive in early December. That got me thinking. With that set up, do I really need a tablesaw? How many of you have gotten rid of your tablesaw in favor of using your track saw and MFT/equivalent? Did you end up regretting it? On one hand, it would free up a lot of floor space and I could rearrange my Jet J/P and Bandsaw to be closer to the 220 outlets I have without the need of long extension cords. I'm also very intrigued by the TKS 80 but it could be difficult to acquire one here in the states. Can the Festool system alone tackle all the jobs that can be done on a tablesaw?

 

[ChuckS]

Snip.Can the Festool system alone tackle all the jobs that can be done on a tablesaw?

All the jobs doable with a table saw? The simple answer is no.

It really depends on what you do and how efficient you want certain jobs done. If your interest is in furniture making, you need a table saw.

If I owned a SS contractor and was not happy with it, I'd sell it (for 60% of the retail price?) and get a SS PCS.

 

[twistsol1]

I sold my tablesaw a number of years ago with the thought that it was no longer necessary and it just didn't work out for me.

The two major issues I had were,

• Ripping narrow face frame parts for cabinets with a track saw can be done, but it always felt awkward and unsafe.
  
• Dados can be done with a router, but setup is faster on a tablesaw and can be cut faster once setup is complete.

I can't really think of anything that can't be done without a tablesaw, but it sure is convenient.

I have a couple of ShopSmith Mark V's as well and really don't like the tablesaw function of them (raising and lowering the table to adjust cut depth and tilting table instead of tilting blade for miters. After about three years, I ended up buying a Ridgid tablesaw and an Incra metric TSLS fence. Someday when budget allows, I'll replace the Ridgid with a sawstop PCS and put the Incra fence on it.

 

[Adamsse]

I learned woodworking initially on a Saw Stop contractor saw.  But when I decided to have my own garage shop 4 years ago, I didn't have room for a table saw. I couldn’t do everything with just my TS55, rails and MFT, but between that and my router and router table I have been happy to avoid having a table saw. It doesn’t hurt that the domino 500 eliminates most needs for a dado as well. The TS55 excellent dust collection is no small reason why this works for my other half as well since we put the cars in the garage when I’m not building something.

 

[sancho57]

i got rid of all my stationary tools. I did keep my jointer though.

I use a TS 75 in my CMS for a table saw. mainly for thin rips (less that 4' w) .

but with my MFT, GRS, a variety of guide rail lengths, I get everything done i can do with my stationary tools.

may take a little more time but its doable

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

HowardH,

Of course, the answer really depends on what kinds of projects you are completing. With that being said, I'd suggest that a table saw can be replaced by a band saw + thickness planer for ripping, a router table for rebating/grooving, and a miter saw or MFT for crosscuts.

I'd argue that, short of a sliding table saw with clamps, that a bandsaw is a far safer method for ripping solid wood than a table saw. I regularly rip solid wood on my band saw, then feed through the thickness planer to clean up the edge.....

 

[DynaGlide]

I don't think I would completely get rid of the table saw. I have a little DeWalt 745 and while it isn't perfect it's better at doing some things like ripping than the Festool gear. I can set it up for smaller dado 1/4" and 3/8" with a box joint blade set.

So maybe try out the new Sawstop compact. You may still not like the power/dust issues but at least you get shop space back without completely giving up a very useful tool.

 

[ChuckS]

Snip.
I can't really think of anything that can't be done without a tablesaw, but it sure is convenient.
Snip.

Here's one example in which a track saw alone can't handle:

[attachimg=1]

 

[rmwarren]

Interspersed throughout this thread is a fair amount of experimenting with different cuts on an MFT. I haven't needed my table saw in since I started with this setup, caveat being I'm not cutting dadoes or really thick stock. It does take a lot of tinkering but it'd be a lot simpler if I just used a 2 piece hinged setup with the guide rail.

The biggest challenge has been holding small stock that doesn't extend beyond the guide rail, but I've recently whipped that. Otherwise long, narrow stock is tough to secure. It's doable if you can clamp it from the RH side of the guide rail, like this:

[attachimg=1]

I'd suggest you give the Dashboard a thorough test drive and see if there are any must-have capabilities you can't mange with it before moving on from the table saw.

RMW 

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I'm a serious hobbyist but it's almost 10 years ago now I tore apart our kitchen/living room/dining room to make one large open room that the wife had wanted for years. I made tons of cabinets and raised panel doors. I used my, at the time, 3-year old Uni but found most of my cuts were done with my track saw system. I decided to sell the Uni. OMG, 6-months later I bought a small Bosch table top, then a few months later a portable TS, and in another 6-months I found a 1950 Uni for $150 (My youngest son and I completely rebuilt this saw). The old Uni is the perfect saw for me. It is solid, powerful, yet has a smaller footprint than the modern cabinet saws.

So in my case - I could not do without a TS.

 

[peter halle]

As already written, I believe that it all depends on your fortitude as well as your projects. After getting my track saw I rarely used my old tables (Dewalt portable) and also my Safety Speed Cut panel saw.  Both of those given away or disposed of after sitting in my driveway for years.

But I did just buy another Dewalt tables for ripping and cutting smaller pieces.

Never can have too many arrows in the quiver as room allows.

Peter

 

[rmwarren]

FWIW, I have the little DW745 which replaced my mid-50's Unisaw when I downsized shops. It'll stow under a bench easily and rips 2" maple without complaint. I use it so seldom I don't even bother with dust extraction most of the time, which is decent.

If space is the concern, and finger protection is not high on the list, consider it as a $400 sometimes tool.

RMW

 

[HowardH]

As already written, I believe that it all depends on your fortitude as well as your projects. After getting my track saw I rarely used my old tables (Dewalt portable) and also my Safety Speed Cut panel saw.  Both of those given away or disposed of after sitting in my driveway for years.

But I did just buy another Dewalt tables for ripping and cutting smaller pieces.

Never can have too many arrows in the quiver as room allows.

Peter

I just figure I can use my Bandsaw for smaller pieces and run them through my Jet 16-32 sander for final sizing. 

 

[tomktest]

I really wanted to go without a table saw after my Ridgid died but I just couldn't make it work. Many things *can* be done on the track saw but small rips are a pain. I do a fair amount of trim carpentry which often requires long narrow rips (12ft +). I admit that I try to use my track saw first whenever possible.

I suggest making a Venn diagram and add the types of things you think you will do as points. If most of them fall in the MFT or MFT/Table saw area then go for it.

 

[ChuckS]

Another alternative approach to the Venn Diagram is to ask yourself when your woodworking journey is nearing its end, what tools you'll get rid of last. That tells you the importance of each tool for the type of woodworking you do. I know very well that I'll part with the SS PCS, DF500 (+ CT dust extractor) only after everything else is gone (including the Kapex but excluding hand tools), for example.

P.S. I sold my TS75 after less than two years of ownership, because it was only used a time or two. Never during the time of its ownership did I need to do something that required the TS just because the SS PCS couldn't handle it efficiently. I knew I made a mistake buying the TS because my circular saw with its shop-made rip guide (we all used it before the track saws became common, didn't we?) has always been collecting dust! I was lucky that I didn't lose a penny selling the TS75 (partly thanks to Festool's annual price increases practice).

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I wouldn't be without a tablesaw, but the way I see it, many track saw owners use them as a crutch.
I can't tell you how many YouTube "woodworkers" use their track saw to break-down sheet goods and then do the final cuts on the table saw. I see this as way too much. Not only is there extra cutting, but material waste too. The track saw cuts can very well be the final cuts and you're done.
There definitely a need (at least in most cases) for a table saw, but that is not it.
Long thin rips can be done with a track saw, but it's not ideal either. I certainly wouldn't want to be making french-cleat strips that way.
Neither is a solo, they are complimentary.
All of this is of course based on the particular form of woodworking each person does. Some may not need/use either.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I tried to do without a table saw in my temporary gara-shop after moving here last year, but it was pretty much untenable for me because of how I work. I had sold the big slider to avoid moving it twice and paying to store it. After about a month of many bad words, I was able to score a used SS PCS to use in the temporary shop. I hated it, too, but it got me back to comfortably functional after I put together some fixtures. The new shop building is nearly ready and I have a new slider sitting on a crate waiting to move in. (It arrived two months early) But with a lot more space, my Festool stuff, particularly the track saw, will get a lot more use than it did in the old shop for sure as part of what I'll call "work smarter".

 

[mino]

I think that the consensus is that the essential functionality is where one wants/needs to go with the piece to the saw.

That is basically all small things and long thin rips.

One can kludge most, if not all, of these tasks with a router table /or a table router for the Europeans/. So, cost (time) be damned => YES, absolutely doable.

Once efficiency matters or there is a budget, an *accurate* table saw is IMO essential. I would not advise anyone I know to shoot below CS50 or the small Erika level. Pro can tune it, hobby user would just waste time and still not get what is needed.

I think that most non-pro users ,and some carpenters, are happy without a table saw as they never really had a "cabinetmaker's" model. This was narrated in an eccellent way by Peter Millard - a semi-pro of sorts - he just bought such a crappy model he uses it like a work table instead and does his cuts using all kinds of contraptions wiht a Tracksaw to compensate.

Personal view:
I would rather *not* have a table saw around and all the time worry about that finger-chewing monster eating a friend's/family member's favourite.

No (cheap) table saw but a /relatively/ cheap router /table/ is IMO a much safer/better approach on limited space/budget/safety. I plan on a TS in a CMS, but only AFTER a proper jointer/thicknesser is take care of.

 

[Packard]

And dadoes. 

I have pretty much eliminated dadoes (I use dowels in their place), but certainly dadoes are something that can be done more easily on the table saw.  (A Festool router) would be an option.

I have too many saws. 

I have a table saw (with a 48” fence).
A radial arm saw.
A sliding table dedicated 45 degree miter saw with measuring arms.
A chop saw.
A radial arm saw. 
A Festool track saw.
A wired circular saw.
A battery circular saw.
An oscillating multi-tool saw.
A band saw.
A jig saw.
A hand back saw.
A Japanese pull saw.
A hack saw.
A hand coping saw.

I would loathe to get rid of a any of them, but reading the list, it seems excessive.

 

[ChuckS]

No scrollsaw? [tongue]