New table saw advice

[jimmy986]

I've been using a Dewalt jobsite table saw and I'm interested in upgrading. I used to have a bigger craftsman but I was moving during the pandemic and got rid of some things as I didn't have space for a shop. My reasons for upgrading are for more capacity, ease of use, being able to use add ons and whatnot that a better saw can use. While money isn't necessarily a limiting factor, I don't want to overspend. I build mostly furniture. I am limited to 110v as a don't have 220 right now. I have also been considering a table saw with a router table attached. I have never had a router table but I see the benefits of not having to everything free hand. Are there cons to having a router table on the same table? If it makes any difference, I will probably be getting a track saw in the near future, when it's available again. I loved my TS55 and will probably get the TS75 because I do slab work regularly and the extra size seems helpful. I have a grizzly jointer that I'm pretty happy with but I'm open to anything. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated.

 

[woodferret]

Depending on the size of furniture we're talking about, have you looked at the CSC50?  I'd class it as a fitting/trim saw, but the accuracy on that thing is impressive/slightly gimmicky.  It won't take user made sleds etc but with the slider and clamp capability i don't care.

 

[Packard]

I was a raw beginner when I bought my first table saw 26 years ago.  I still have it.

The one thing I knew I wanted was a 48”+ fence.  The thought of doing math to come up with the indirect measurement of a piece of plywood made my mind spin. 

To this day, I am happy I insisted on the full sized fence. 

I do wish it had a splitter, the after market gadgets are not so nice. 

I got the track saw to augment the table saw.  I use it to cut pieces to manageable sizes to carry to the basement shop.  Over time, I found that I was making finish size cuts with the track saw, but whenever I need to make repeated cuts the same size, I revert to using the table saw. 

If I were setting up shop, my first purchase would be a table saw. 

If I needed a totally mobile workshop, I think I would use a track saw, a router and a miter saw. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

Table saw, bigger than a Dewalt, maybe with a router table, that runs on 110 volts.

That’s a good start, but I think you need to define a few more parameters.

 

[Alanbach]

Well the natural next step up from a job site saw is a contractors saw which can be bought or outfitted with a Biesmeyer T style fence with either a 36” or 52” capacity (approximate). The next step up from there are cabinet saws which have similar fence options. Many years ago my first decent table saw was a Delta Contractors saw. After five or six years I upgraded to a Delta Unisaw (cabinet saw) with a 52” fence. After twenty plus years with that saw I upgraded to a Sawstop PCS with a 52” fence four or five years ago. I consider this a lifetime saw. I would be surprised if this is not my last table saw. It’s a great saw and if you see yourself keeping this next saw for many years to come it would seem a shame to pass up the safety tech (in my opinion!).

As far as router tables integrated into table saw tops are concerned there are so many considerations. Many love them because they save space but they require sharing table top real estate that can require moving fences and undoing a particular setup to utilize the saw or vice versa. It just requires the user to be organized with their workflow. Others would never give up their dedicated router tables. Next consideration is whether you put the router insert on the right or left of the saw. Right is most common because you can work within the original footprint of the saw saving space. This does cause you to feed the router from what would normally be the outfeed side of the saw working back toward the infeed. It also makes it difficult to add as much custom cabinetry on the right and can impede the use of top of table dust collection devices. Left side works too but it requires making the saw wider which can be great if you have the space. This is a big subject with many pros and cons to consider and this is just a small sampling. I hope that this helps.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I would say that a lot of this is determined by the amount of space you have available and what it is you are going to be making. The recommendations would change accordingly. A cabinet shop would have far different needs than a guy making cutting boards or jewelry boxes. Things that would be essential to one are not so important to the others.
I don't think a table saw needs to be huge. That's where I would use a track saw. Space is a consideration with both, but they are still different.

 

[rst]

Buy a good cabinet saw with 30" rails.  With that and a good rail saw you can build anything to very high standards.  The fact that one can do good work with less depends on how much time you are willing to spend fiddling to get results.

 

[jimmy986]

Table saw, bigger than a Dewalt, maybe with a router table, that runs on 110 volts.

That’s a good start, but I think you need to define a few more parameters.

Sure, what would you like to know?

 

[jimmy986]

I would say that a lot of this is determined by the amount of space you have available and what it is you are going to be making. The recommendations would change accordingly. A cabinet shop would have far different needs than a guy making cutting boards or jewelry boxes. Things that would be essential to one are not so important to the others.
I don't think a table saw needs to be huge. That's where I would use a track saw. Space is a consideration with both, but they are still different.

0,
It will be mostly cocktail and end tables, bookshelves, slab tables(which would use the track saw more often than not). That would probably cover a lot of it with some larger furniture pieces on occasion.

 

[Packard]

I mounted my powerful Hitachi router in my table saw.  I cannot say I am happy with this.  I purchased an aluminum mounting plate (I forget from where).  With the Hitachi mounted, I cannot remove it by lifting the router through the hole I cut.  So mounting new router cutters involves climbing under the table.  Awkward. 

I have a few options.  I could mount my Porter-Cable 690 (not as powerful, but probably adequate).  The plate will accept the P-C router.

I could cut a larger opening and make a new plate from 1/4” plexi that I have. 

I could mount the Hitachi in a free standing station with easier access.

My point being, having the router can be good or bad, depending on how it was set up.  Adjusting the height is not a problem for me, just cutter changes. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

Table saw, bigger than a Dewalt, maybe with a router table, that runs on 110 volts.

That’s a good start, but I think you need to define a few more parameters.

Sure, what would you like to know?

Portable or stationary? Sawstop or not? Quality/price range?

 

[jaguar36]

Get a Sawstop, get the biggest one you have space for that you can afford.  They're good saws and the safety is worth the cost.

 

[rmhinden]

Get a Sawstop, get the biggest one you have space for that you can afford.  They're good saws and the safety is worth the cost.

I agree.  I got a Sawstop PCS a few years ago and am very happy with it.  It is the third table saw I owned.

Bob

 

[luvmytoolz]

I mounted my powerful Hitachi router in my table saw.  I cannot say I am happy with this.  I purchased an aluminum mounting plate (I forget from where).  With the Hitachi mounted, I cannot remove it by lifting the router through the hole I cut.  So mounting new router cutters involves climbing under the table.  Awkward. 

I have a few options.  I could mount my Porter-Cable 690 (not as powerful, but probably adequate).  The plate will accept the P-C router.

I could cut a larger opening and make a new plate from 1/4” plexi that I have. 

I could mount the Hitachi in a free standing station with easier access.

My point being, having the router can be good or bad, depending on how it was set up.  Adjusting the height is not a problem for me, just cutter changes.

Have you removed the handles? Or is the router rotated on the plate causing it to extend beyond the plates edge?

 

[Packard]

I mounted my powerful Hitachi router in my table saw.  I cannot say I am happy with this.  I purchased an aluminum mounting plate (I forget from where).  With the Hitachi mounted, I cannot remove it by lifting the router through the hole I cut.  So mounting new router cutters involves climbing under the table.  Awkward. 

I have a few options.  I could mount my Porter-Cable 690 (not as powerful, but probably adequate).  The plate will accept the P-C router.

I could cut a larger opening and make a new plate from 1/4” plexi that I have. 

I could mount the Hitachi in a free standing station with easier access.

My point being, having the router can be good or bad, depending on how it was set up.  Adjusting the height is not a problem for me, just cutter changes.

Have you removed the handles? Or is the router rotated on the plate causing it to extend beyond the plates edge?

I will take another look to see if the handles are removable.  I know I checked it once, but I don’t remember anything about it.

This is a 25 year old Hitachi.  When I got it, it was far more powerful than others out there and was useful on cope and stick with center panels that had shaped edges.  I only use Shaker cabinets now, so the power requirements are less. 

I have a blue anodized metal plate for mounting.  I have no idea where I got it and I don’t know where to get new center inserts.  So. I may retire it anyway. 

My thought originally was that I could attach the fence to the saw’s fence, but once I added dust control, that was no longer feasible. 

I used to have it mounted directly onto a piece of plywood (I reduced the thickness in the center to mount the base).  That was far more convenient to use.  And it was transportable.  I might revert to that in the future.

 

[jimmy986]

Table saw, bigger than a Dewalt, maybe with a router table, that runs on 110 volts.

That’s a good start, but I think you need to define a few more parameters.

Sure, what would you like to know?

Portable or stationary? Sawstop or not? Quality/price range?

I don't need portability like a job site saw, but being able to move it in the shop on the rare chance that I need to would be nice. I am not set on sawstop or against it. If I knew that, most of my decision would already be made. As for quality and price, I said that price isn't a limiting factor but I don't want to buy more than I'll need. I build furniture of various types. I will be doing some cabinets in the near future but that's not a big aspect of my woodworking.

 

[Packard]

I have a Delta Contractors’ II saw with a 48” fence.  I would loathe to move it because it is almost 8 feet wide. 

If you opt for the 48” + fence (and I highly recommend that you do) moving the saw will happen infrequently and mostly under duress.

You will likely add an out feed table.  Mine is independent of the saw, but would have to be moved also.  Add dust collection and the moving become even more daunting.

I don’t remember if anyone mentioned it, but a cabinet saw is easier to hook up to dust collection and does a better job.

As an aside, my heating oil delivery vendor sells a maintenance contract on the oil burner.  The service man said I would have to do something about the dust or they would not renew the contract. I added a Grizzly unit.  But whatever you add, will make moving the saw more onerous.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

It might be because I have so many other ways to go about it, but I just don't see the "need" for the huge 52" rail set-ups. 30" is more than enough to cut a 4' sheet of plywood in half. Other than that, I would use a track saw. Cross-cutting full sheets is pretty much a no-go, so again, track saw.
Dust collection from a contractors saw is minimal in the best circumstances, track saws are far better there too.

This is a choice of moving the "correct object". When the panels are large, move the smaller saw.
When the pieces are small, move them over a table saw.
It works the same with routers. You move the router over big parts. You bring small parts to a router table because they are difficult to hold onto and move the router.

Routers for table use and router tables in general, are a personal thing. Some guys like them attached to the saw wing, others don't. I'm a don't on this, but it may be different if I had a space problem.
When they share space, order of operations is a much bigger thing, especially if they share the fence.
I keep mine on a separate table, even going as far as having two. I generally keep one ready to cut rabbets with a fence and fence-mounted dust collection. The other has a flush-trim bit and gets used without the fence, having under-table dust collection.

 

[Packard]

But if you need a 33” wide board, you have to go with math.  So you have to set the fence to 15”, but add (or is it subtract?) 1/8” for the blade thickness.  Oh, and you want a clean cut on bot sides.  So you have to add another 1/4” and take a 1/8” slice against the fence which is certain to kick back.

So, yeah, you can get it done with a 30” fence, but not much fun, and you will kick yourself each time you subtracted when you should have added.

If arithmetic is down your alley, sure, the smaller fence.  I would not do that unless I had to throw the saw in the back of my truck every day.

If you have both a table saw and a track saw, then the smaller fence could make sense.

 

[jeh]

Get a Sawstop, get the biggest one you have space for that you can afford.  They're good saws and the safety is worth the cost.

No question that is the only way to go. Your fingers are far too important and no matter what the naysayers add, accidents can and do happen no matter how careful you are. I equate it to riding a motorcycle...it's not a matter if, only when.