One Saw To Rule Them All (and similar nonsense questions ;) )

[aloysius]

The local School of Architecture has a big/gish workshop model Sawstop installed.  Compared to everything else I've ever used (mostly a motley collection of semi & portable site-saws)  I found it to be deluxe!  Ok, so it's no Minimax or Casadei, Wadkin or whatever, but I was extremely impressed with it, fence & all!

 

[Bernmc]

Thanks [member=60844]Midnight Man[/member] .  I’ve been browsing woodworkforums on & off - didn’t click that they were Aussie. Strewth (I did say I was a bit slow)! I’ll look closer.

[member=9481]aloysius[/member] - I agree with you on the Aus protectionist racket. I’ve bought a fair amount of stuff from Foreign Parts, but I’ve found recently that the weakened AU$, along with the government thieves adding more taxes, that it’s often no longer worthwhile. I’m originally from the UK, so Things found their way into my luggage every now and then, but I’m not getting back to the Land Of Damp that often now.

Went and hefted a ROTEX the other day, and agree - it’s a chunky machine. Fortunately, my local dealer (In Newcastle) is a stone’s throw down the road, so it’s all too easy.

Again, thanks for all suggestions so far. Super-high end and pricey table saws aren’t an option at the moment, but a PCS or similar may be.

I’m not bound to a brand - I like many of the Festool features and the integrated approach, but the proprietary systems, accessories and consumables worry me. I understand that it can be a way for a company to maintain and control quality, but equally it can be a means to fleece the unwary. If a Festool centrotech masonry bit is 3x better than a Bosch or Alpen bit, then I don’t mind paying 3x the price. But if 66% of the price is for the ‘Festool’ label on the side, I’m not at all keen!

 

[Pnw painter]

Maybe you’ll find this helpful. As a reference I’ve got a TS-75, Dewalt DW745 jobsite saw and Makita hypoid circular saw.

One thing to consider is that a variety of tools and techniques can often be used to accomplish the same result. For most of us without well equipped or small shops, we have to make due with the tools we’ve got. This is why it’s important to choose your tools wisely and make sure they’re the right fit for the type of work you expect to be doing.

Have you though much about the joinery you expect to use on future projects? This might help you narrow down your tools choices.

Since you’re thinking about a jobsite table saw, one thing to consider is that most can’t use a stacked dado blade. In my experience with the DW745, I also found that crosscut sleds are very difficult to use (unless it’s pretty small) because the table is so small. If you build an outfeed table it wouldn’t be as much of an issue.

If you’re thinking about getting a track saw there are a few accessories that are almost must have’s. Guide rail clamps are one item. I think something like the TSO guide rail square is also a must have item. In my experience I’ve found it to be very helpful. Although I haven’t purchased one yet, I really think that parallel guides would be very helpful for making accurate repetitive cuts.

You should also check out YouTube videos. A contributor named “the poplar shop” has some excellent videos that often include Festool products including track saws, routers and mft:https://m.youtube.com/user/MrBigerock/videos

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bernmc]

You should also check out YouTube videos. A contributor named “the poplar shop” has some excellent videos that often include Festool products including track saws, routers and mft:https://m.youtube.com/user/MrBigerock/videos

I started with 'Hey Eric, what happened to Festool'  [big grin]

The TSO square is already on the list, no matter which track I end up with. Looks like a fantastic addition