Which table saw should I buy?

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  • FuryRoad
    Forum Newbie
    • May 2016
    • 19
    • Atlanta, ga

    Which table saw should I buy?

    Hello, I'm not an expert woodworker, obviously, but I used to own the BT3100 back in 2008. I seem to remember getting it because of BT3. I sold it a month or so later because I didn't have time to use it. Well, I have more time now, but Ryobi doesn't sell that saw anymore, and I do'nt know what to get new, not used.

    This is for woodworking, making a planter, or the like in complexity. I think I'd use a miter saw for stuff like a shed. Thanks.

    EDIT: Used is okay too.
    Last edited by FuryRoad; 05-08-2016, 05:12 PM.
  • vaking
    Veteran Member
    • Apr 2005
    • 1428
    • Montclair, NJ, USA.
    • Ryobi BT3100-1

    #2
    Projects like planters can be done without table saw. Circular saw with straight edge will do nicely. Save money and space for now. Think of table saw as a swiss army knife. It can do many things but none perfect. What kind of project would you consider a justification for swiss army knife?
    Alex V

    Comment

    • poolhound
      Veteran Member
      • Mar 2006
      • 3195
      • Phoenix, AZ
      • BT3100

      #3
      As Alex said if its just a planter you wish to make you can do this without a table saw. If you desire to make other types of things over time then give us an idea of what you have in mind and we can suggest some options. Assuming you have you heart set on a TS (which is fine) then they come in a very wide array of sizes, weights, power, feature & price points so do also give us an idea of things like how much room you have, will its stay in one place or do you want to be able to move it and of course your budget.

      Take a look at your local craigslist and you will undoubtedly find a bunch of used saws for sale from anywhere from $50 - $1000. Not sure where you live but in most large cities you will find a few good deals to be had.
      Jon

      Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
      ________________________________

      We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
      techzibits.com

      Comment

      • FuryRoad
        Forum Newbie
        • May 2016
        • 19
        • Atlanta, ga

        #4
        I said planter because I didn't want to sound too ambitious. I'd love to be able to make cabinets and "boxes" with nice joints.

        Comment

        • FuryRoad
          Forum Newbie
          • May 2016
          • 19
          • Atlanta, ga

          #5
          Originally posted by poolhound
          As Alex said if its just a planter you wish to make you can do this without a table saw. If you desire to make other types of things over time then give us an idea of what you have in mind and we can suggest some options. Assuming you have you heart set on a TS (which is fine) then they come in a very wide array of sizes, weights, power, feature & price points so do also give us an idea of things like how much room you have, will its stay in one place or do you want to be able to move it and of course your budget.

          Take a look at your local craigslist and you will undoubtedly find a bunch of used saws for sale from anywhere from $50 - $1000. Not sure where you live but in most large cities you will find a few good deals to be had.
          $200.

          I don't expect miracles for that much money.

          Comment

          • capncarl
            Veteran Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 3564
            • Leesburg Georgia USA
            • SawStop CTS

            #6
            I've noticed a number of members here discussing their track saws which I've mostly dismissed track saws as shop clutter if you own a table saw. Recently I have rethought that opinion and researched them and now have a completely different opinion of them. That said I would recommend starting off woodworking with a track saw and and a workbench designed for it. To start the track saw research start by googling and YouTube probably the highest price unit, Festools MFT/3 Multi Function Table and TS 75 EQ Plunge Cut Track Saw to learn the its capabilities and work down in price and you might find a solution that suits your budget. It satisfies 2 of the most important shop requirements by providing a much safer saw and dust collection system in one unit. Comparing the cost of a reasonably safe table saw and a dust collection system to a track saw and table price might surprise you!

            Comment

            • FuryRoad
              Forum Newbie
              • May 2016
              • 19
              • Atlanta, ga

              #7
              The only problem I have with the track saw is smaller projects. For example, if I wanted to make a small box, I don't know that a track saw would work. A table saw, I thought, would work. I mean maybe boxes 7x3 for a gift or something.

              Comment

              • leehljp
                Just me
                • Dec 2002
                • 8429
                • Tunica, MS
                • BT3000/3100

                #8
                Originally posted by FuryRoad
                The only problem I have with the track saw is smaller projects. For example, if I wanted to make a small box, I don't know that a track saw would work. A table saw, I thought, would work. I mean maybe boxes 7x3 for a gift or something.
                I have a Grizzly track saw and like it for cutting down large pieces, but as you said, it is not practicle for some things and the way some people work. This is an important point - knowing what you want to do.
                Hank Lee

                Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                Comment

                • capncarl
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jan 2007
                  • 3564
                  • Leesburg Georgia USA
                  • SawStop CTS

                  #9
                  I also thought that the track saw was limited to only cutting down large pieces. I regularly cut pieces 2"'x3" for my tiny tables on my table saw using a sled. Other small pieces are cut using a miter gauge or on the sliding mite saw. All of this has a pretty high degree of danger and prompted me to start looking at the sawstop. If I'm going to cough up that kind of money I might as well throw in another grand and add their sliding crosscut table. While at Woodcraft looking at SS someone was demonstrating the Festool MFT/3 Multi Function Table and they were cutting parts smaller than my 2"x3" parts using a fixture similar to a sled. That solved my problem of buying a sawstop that I didn't really want by using a track saw to move over the wood rather than move the wood over and past the spinning blade, and costs a whole lot less! And it takes up much less shop space and controls the dust much better than anything I have.
                  I'm not meaning to sound like a Festool salesman cause I'm not, it's just the one I've seen, there are plenty of other brands and build it yourself options.
                  capncarl

                  Comment

                  • poolhound
                    Veteran Member
                    • Mar 2006
                    • 3195
                    • Phoenix, AZ
                    • BT3100

                    #10
                    Originally posted by FuryRoad
                    $200.

                    I don't expect miracles for that much money.
                    Where are you? Whats your local Craigslist market?
                    Jon

                    Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
                    ________________________________

                    We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
                    techzibits.com

                    Comment

                    • joedad
                      Forum Newbie
                      • Mar 2015
                      • 24
                      • Yardley, PA
                      • Ryobi Bt3000

                      #11
                      Keep checking Craigslist. I am in the Philadelphia area and there is always some nice saws for sale. Right now there is a bt3000 asking $350 but I am sure that is negotiable.

                      Comment

                      • FuryRoad
                        Forum Newbie
                        • May 2016
                        • 19
                        • Atlanta, ga

                        #12
                        Originally posted by capncarl
                        I also thought that the track saw was limited to only cutting down large pieces. I regularly cut pieces 2"'x3" for my tiny tables on my table saw using a sled. Other small pieces are cut using a miter gauge or on the sliding mite saw. All of this has a pretty high degree of danger and prompted me to start looking at the sawstop. If I'm going to cough up that kind of money I might as well throw in another grand and add their sliding crosscut table. While at Woodcraft looking at SS someone was demonstrating the Festool MFT/3 Multi Function Table and they were cutting parts smaller than my 2"x3" parts using a fixture similar to a sled. That solved my problem of buying a sawstop that I didn't really want by using a track saw to move over the wood rather than move the wood over and past the spinning blade, and costs a whole lot less! And it takes up much less shop space and controls the dust much better than anything I have.
                        I'm not meaning to sound like a Festool salesman cause I'm not, it's just the one I've seen, there are plenty of other brands and build it yourself options.
                        capncarl
                        Do you have a picture or link of what you are using to cut the small pieces?

                        Comment

                        • JoeyGee
                          Veteran Member
                          • Nov 2005
                          • 1509
                          • Sylvania, OH, USA.
                          • BT3100-1

                          #13
                          Asking what type of table saw to buy is a lot like asking "what kind of car should I buy?" As others have pointed out, it really depends on what you want to do. My first car was a 1981 Plymouth Horizon. I loved the car, since I went from zero car to that one. All I was doing was running around town and hauling around my carless friends. There's no way I could live with it now--my family wouldn't fit and I wouldn't trust it for long trips

                          My first TS was a benchtop Craftsman. It was great, since I went from zero table saw to that one. I learned a lot with it but quickly outgrew it. On cheap (>$500) saws, you will have low power, high vibration, poor fences, non-standard miter slots, small table sizes, short arbors (no support for dado blades) to name the main shortcomings.

                          If I were you, I would be patient (I know, it's hard) and check CL for not only your direct area, but a reasonable area around it for used saws. Set up an automated search that will alert you of listed table saws. Good ones go fast. Look for a contractors saw with a cast iron top and decent fence.
                          Joe

                          Comment

                          • capncarl
                            Veteran Member
                            • Jan 2007
                            • 3564
                            • Leesburg Georgia USA
                            • SawStop CTS

                            #14
                            For price comparison, I've seen 2 Delta Unisaw's advertised locally in my area (souuuuuth ga.) this year for less than $500. You won't find much better older model saw than those.

                            Comment

                            • JimD
                              Veteran Member
                              • Feb 2003
                              • 4187
                              • Lexington, SC.

                              #15
                              I have a BT3100 and a DeWalt track saw. The saw and tracks were about $600. A Makita is similar in price. A Festool is considerably more. A Grizzly is substantially less. I haven't used one but all the reviews indicate the Grizzly is very useful and cuts well with a good blade (unlike the other saws, the one it comes with isn't great). I cut little things on the table saw, RAS, or CMS. But if I had to, I could make most cuts with the track saw. But to do that, I would use my Paulk inspired workbench and crosscut jig. Even with those aids, when you get to pieces smaller than the track is wide, (6 inches?) it would be a bit of a struggle. What works best is the track saw for large pieces, solid or sheet, and the other tools for small things. I would rather use a cheap direct drive Ryobi (I have one my wife had when we got married) than use the track saw for little stuff. If you can cut a little part you need off a reasonable size piece (say a foot square) then the track saw works well. It's trimming something really little that would be tough.

                              Ron Paulk's workbench plan has tubes to support a little portable saw. Mine is rigged for the Ryobi direct drive. I used it a bit when we were fixing up her house before we sold it and it will do work. But you have to check both ends of the rip fence before each cut which is a hassle but the blade runs true. Ron uses a nicer saw (I think a DeWalt) but with such a small saw and the track saw, you would be well set up for most things. You could probably mount a BT3100 this way but it would be a little heavy to be lifting on and off, I think. Ron's plans are for things you can transport from jobsite to jobsite. But I used the dual top idea to make a rolling workbench and crosscut jig for my shop.

                              Comment

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