Need Help Choosing a Compact Table Saw

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PaulH99

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I'm a long-time lurker, first time poster here at FOG.

After a renovation to our house last year I ended up with an area in the new section of the basement for a workshop that is approximately 12 feet x 13 feet with no obstructions. Previously I had been in a narrow part of main area of the basement, with the heating system on one side and a support column in the middle. Somehow I made a contractor tablesaw work there, but cutting sheet goods was always harrowing. Thanks to my recent purchase of a TS 55, the tablesaw has seen use only for ripping boards to width for face frames.

So that brings me to my question: I'd like to sell my large, heavy, cast-iron contractors saw and get a small benchtop model that will likely only ever be used for ripping boards to width (face frames, stair treads, etc.) As such, I'm not sure that the large Bosch 4100 is necessary. Right now I'm bouncing between the Bosch GTS 1031 and the Skilsaw SPT70WT. The Skilsaw looks nearly identical to the Bosch (it's owned by Bosch... Go figure...) except it has one of their worm drive systems in it which is intriguing.

Sadly, none of my local stores appear to have either of these models in stock or on the floor to play with, which leaves me with Amazon. Does anyone here have any experience with either of these lightweight (
 
I own the Sawstop Jobsite tablesaw and am very satisfied with it. However, it is similar in size to the Bosch 4100 I believe, including a fold up stand. One of the things I like about the Sawstop (besides its safety feature) is that it folds up and is easily wheeled into a corner when I want to use space in the center of the floor for another tool.

With a limited size shop, putting everything on casters is very useful since tools don't require a completely dedicated space and can be moved where ever you want when you need more space. This is especially important for a table saw, since table saws are best used in the center of the floor with room all the way around (for me at least).

I would say the Sawstop (and most likely the Bosch 4100) is about as small as I'd ever want to get. The short distance on both the infeed and outfeed side of the table sometimes requires additional infeed and/or outfeed support. Because of that, I would think twice before going with an even smaller saw. Other than that, I haven't found anything the Sawstop Jobsite saw won't do for the work I do.
 
Is a sawstop isn't in the budget then I would recommend the dwe7490x. This is a dewalt saw and is by far the best job site saw I've ever used. Awesome rack and pinion fence. All assesorys store on the unit. Overhead and under table dust colelection with closed bottom and a real riving knife and takes a full size dado. . I bought a sliding table saw but I still use the small saw all the time
 
[member=58821]ben_r_[/member] [member=19734]grbmds[/member]
I actually did consider the SawStop portable. I really need to get into a store that carries them so that I can play with it. My biggest fear is that it might be "too much saw" given what my stated needs are: ripping boards to width. Both the SawStop and the Bosch 4100 are, in my opinion, fairly large but very capable saws. If one of those turns out to be the answer to my needs, then I would happily purchase it.

[member=61962]Nick561[/member] [member=15585]Svar[/member]
I hadn't considered the DeWalt saws until you guys mentioned them. They appear to make five different versions at all different price points. The DW745 is much smaller and lighter than the DWE7490X. However, they also have a DWE7499, DWE7480, and DWE7491. Very confusing! The comparison tool doesn't show very much difference between them, other than table size, weight, and right-side width capacity.

[member=3192]rvieceli[/member]
I currently have a 13 year old Ridgid TS3650 Contractor Saw. It's very capable and I'll miss it when it's gone, but it's just too damn big for the space I have available now.
 
PaulH99 said:
[member=61962]Nick561[/member] [member=15585]Svar[/member]
I hadn't considered the DeWalt saws until you guys mentioned them. They appear to make five different versions at all different price points. The DW745 is much smaller and lighter than the DWE7490X. However, they also have a DWE7499, DWE7480, and DWE7491. Very confusing! The comparison tool doesn't show very much difference between them, other than table size, weight, and right-side width capacity.
Click to expand...
DW745 is an older tried and true original model. The rest are later developments with different modifications, bigger tables, and folding stands, which you might or might not need. I believe the base machine is still the same.
 
I had the Dewalt DW745 in my basement shop before finally buying a Contractor model Sawstop with a Beisemeyer fence. The 745 could not take a dado but it was rock solid, the fence was absolutely awesome and it had plenty of torque fro cutting into the 4/4 and 6/4 hardwoods I commonly use. Great saw and lightweight. Also I ended up getting it around a Black Friday for about $225 brand spanking new. I sold it for $250 on Craigslist. Can't speak anything poorly about that great little saw.
 
+1 on the Dewalt 7490.  Biggest difference for me when I was comparison shopping the DW saws between the 7490 and the cheaper 7480 (and older 745) is that it can take a dado stack.  I use the 7490 as a secondary tablesaw (have a Sawstop cabinet saw in my shop) for remote work.  Not sure how it stacks up size-wise to the 4100 or other saws, but I wouldn't want to go smaller. 
 
Sorry for my poor spelling in the last post. Typing on a phone..  I had a 7480 but returned it for the 7490 so I could get dado ability plus it has better dust cabinet under it and a overhead collector.  This unit also has a slightly bigger table and larger rip capacity.  I highly recommend the 7490 over the 7480.  The 7491 only has a rolling stand and a little more rip capacity from my understanding.
 
[member=64998]PaulH99[/member] I'm not sure of the table size of the Dewalt 7490 (can't find it online), but I would definitely not recommend a saw that has a table size less than the Sawstop Jobsite Saw. No problem if you are only crosscutting or ripping short, narrow pieces, but I have found that I use it for larger boards and sheets also; so a wide variety of sizes. The basic table is really a good size and can be extended to permit use for ripping sheet goods which have been broken down to rough sizes; useful many times since I bought the saw. The fact that it can be folded up quickly and moved into a corner is a great feature so, whatever saw you buy, that might be a feature worth considering. I'm sure there are at least several saws which fall into this category but, of course, the Sawstop has the blade brake and I can't say enough about their technical assistance and service since I bought the saw. They are very responsive to any questions I've had.
 
Wooden Skye said:
I would add the Triton Work Center, that has the saw and router modules.
Click to expand...
That thing looks great. Haven't seen it in person, but I like the concept much more then Festool's approach of sticking hand saw under the table.
 
do not waste your time with saws with heavy wheeled carts. Get 1 of the dewalts with an x stand for quick small stuff and invest in the rousseau stand which has a biesmeyer like set up but folds up and can be put away. the wheeled saws all of them are too big to be lifted yet too small for any real big ripping. Dewalt just makes a good portable saw, the larger one has  a quick release riving knife and decent dust collection. Hitachi has a new dewalt clone but it comes with  the goofy wheels and silly too small outfield that adds weight. The other saws all have inferior fences, saws stop is utter garbage, makitas is sadly crap, the bosch only slightly better but it throws saw dust in your face and weighs like 5000 lbs.
 
Wow! All of you have given me a lot to think about!

[member=15585]Svar[/member]
I did a little more digging and found that the DW745 is actually a fair bit smaller than the DWE74xx series. Those are newer, have a wider ripping capacity, and better dust collection (at least on the 749x)

[member=27126]ChrisK1970[/member]
That's high praise for such a compact saw. You guys are really making me consider DeWalt now, and I have ZERO yellow tools!

[member=19734]grbmds[/member]
You're right that table size is something to consider. The DWE7490X is a few inches smaller in width, which could affect my ability to rip sheet goods, but that's what the TS 55 is for, right? ;)

The DeWalt DWE7491RX (top-of-the-line model with widest ripping capacity and rolling stand) with a 22" x 26" table is $499 on Amazon. I know I said I wasn't considering the Bosch 4100 because of its size, but at 21.5" x 29" really isn't that much different, and it's $599 on Amazon with the gravity stand.

So just for sh!ts and giggles: Is the Bosch worth the extra $100 over the DeWalt, or does the dual dust collection points and fancy fence of the DeWalt win the day?
 
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