What should I buy ?

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  • GrosBoB

    What should I buy ?

    I am a neophyte woodworker hesitating between 2 portable tablesaws considering the small place available: Craftsman 21829 (similar to ex-Ryobi BT3100) costing 399$ and Craftsman 21206 (Ryobi BTS21) costing 249$. Is the 21829 worth the additional 150$ asked by Sears ? What are the major differences between these 2 models ? What can I do with the 21229 model and not with the other model ? Is the 21206 good, solid and well constructed enough ? The saw won't be used for construction or major house renovations but for crafts and small house projects. All commentaries are welcomed.
  • LinuxRandal
    Veteran Member
    • Feb 2005
    • 4889
    • Independence, MO, USA.
    • bt3100

    #2
    Originally posted by GrosBoB
    I am a neophyte woodworker hesitating between 2 portable tablesaws considering the small place available: Craftsman 21829 (similar to ex-Ryobi BT3100) costing 399$ and Craftsman 21206 (Ryobi BTS21) costing 249$. Is the 21829 worth the additional 150$ asked by Sears ? What are the major differences between these 2 models ? What can I do with the 21229 model and not with the other model ? Is the 21206 good, solid and well constructed enough ? The saw won't be used for construction or major house renovations but for crafts and small house projects. All commentaries are welcomed.
    Without knowing it, you have answered your own question. The benefits of the BTseries, including the 3000, 3100, 21829 (and a few older Sears models), are its larger size, and accuracy over the benchtop 21206 (BT15/20/21 series). Home construction, generally consists of rough framing work, where the accuracy isn't as important as crafts and cabinetry work.
    She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

    Comment

    • jonmnelson
      Forum Newbie
      • Oct 2007
      • 70
      • Long Beach, CA
      • Craftsman 21829/Jet 708100 (don't ask)

      #3
      Originally posted by GrosBoB
      I am a neophyte woodworker hesitating between 2 portable tablesaws considering the small place available: Craftsman 21829 (similar to ex-Ryobi BT3100) costing 399$ and Craftsman 21206 (Ryobi BTS21) costing 249$. Is the 21829 worth the additional 150$ asked by Sears ? What are the major differences between these 2 models ? What can I do with the 21229 model and not with the other model ? Is the 21206 good, solid and well constructed enough ? The saw won't be used for construction or major house renovations but for crafts and small house projects. All commentaries are welcomed.
      I haven't used the 21206, but I have seen it in Sears and it looked a little flimsy to me. I own a 21829 and like it a lot. In addition to the portability and the folding stand, it feels like a fairly substantial machine. The sliding miter table is pretty nice, and the fence is surprisingly sturdy. It also has a riving knife, which many higher priced table saws don't have, as well as excellent dust collection.

      Comment

      • Knottscott
        Veteran Member
        • Dec 2004
        • 3815
        • Rochester, NY.
        • 2008 Shop Fox W1677

        #4
        I wouldn't consider the type of saw that the 21206 is.
        Happiness is sort of like wetting your pants....everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth.

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20914
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          Originally posted by Dustmight
          I wouldn't consider the type of saw that the 21206 is.
          ditto on that.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

          Comment

          • djkert
            Forum Newbie
            • Dec 2006
            • 72

            #6
            I went through the same decision a while back. The tipping point was when a salesman at rockler told be to go get a BT3100. He said the safety features alone make it well worthwhile. I was starting out and figured the decreased chance of losing a finger or worse was well worth the extra money. Well, I couldn't get a 3100, but got the 21289 instead and am glad I did.

            From what I hear, the accuracy is a lot better than on a cheaper saw. The sliding miter table is also really nice.

            Not sold on the fence though. I can never get the darn thing parallel to the blade.

            -Dennis

            Comment

            • JohnnyLisa
              Forum Newbie
              • Oct 2005
              • 33
              • Pensacola, Florida
              • Sears Craftsman # 21829

              #7
              Dennis -
              I bought a Sears 21829 a while back and went through a fair amount of time and frustration fine tuning it - really like the saw, love the space saving folding stand, not terribly fond of the ape that put it together. One of the problems I had was with the fence pulling out of parallel with the blade when I clamped it down. I found that the black adjustment blocks that serve as guides against the front rail had been deformed when their screws were grossly overtightened. The blocks were ruined so I had to get replacements from Sears. After replacing them and a bit of adjusting the fence now works like it should - smooth operation, perfectly parallel to the blade and no more pulling out of alignment when clamped in place.

              Hope this helps,
              John

              Comment

              • dbhost
                Slow and steady
                • Apr 2008
                • 9209
                • League City, Texas
                • Ryobi BT3100

                #8
                Since the POV from folks here is from BT3100 / C-man 21829 owners, I thought I would chime in, admittedly late for the OP, but hopefully early enough to be helpful to a would be buyer of the BTS-21 / C-man 21206.

                I own a Ryobi BTS-21, and it is a good saw for what it is. It has some pretty serious limits to its capability as far as accuracy, and safety are concerned compared to the BT3100 / Cmain 21829... The SMT is okay, I would have MUCH rather had a BTS-20 with miter slots though. The table makes it useless for regular jig designs. The lack of a riving knife is a lackluster point on the 21206 as well...

                I have since learned a good deal about saws, and gotten my hands on several models to do test cuts on to make sure they do what I want them to do. For the purposes of a small shop, where the ability to fold the saw up, and store it reasonably compactly are concerned, the Craftsman 21829 is THE saw to beat. There are plenty of other options. But as far as I know, none other of its type has a true riving knife, and the dust collection design is very effective on these saws. Not perfect mind you, but effective. The miter slot table accessory takes a little bit of fine tuning to get parallel to the blade, but I have seen it done, and with this, all sorts of jigs and sleds become not only possible, but likely for owners of this saw.

                I wish like crazy I had spent my money on a BT3x00 / 21829 off the bat instead of wasting it on the BTS-21 and wishing for something better...

                Mind you, even the 21829 does not have a cast iron table. That is a lacking issue, but not a deal breaker...
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