Any Good Table Saws at $250-$500 Range??

[ronsspas]

I'm looking to buy a table saw in the $250-$500 range. I'm not a full time wood worker. I'll probably use it about 30-50 days a year. It could be portable or stationary, but good quality & accurancy. I would sure appreciate it, if anybody had any suggestion out there.

Thanks

[jussi]

yes. Ridgid TS3650, Craftsman 22114 (with a sale), Craftsman 21829. All these are in the $500 range. And there's always my favorite source....

craigslist

[Knottscott]

If you've got the space I think you'll find many benefits of going with a full size stationary saw if possible...they have more mass and stability, a larger table surface (especially in front of the blade), quieter motors, less vibration, and better long term reliability. As "jussi" mentioned, the Craftsman 22114 hybrid and Ridgid 3660 contractor saw are good choices near that price range. You could also take a look at the Jet Workshop 708100 hybrid saw. I'm not as fond of the Hitachi C10FL at Lowe's but you could always take a look and make up your own mind. All will do a great job cutting wood once setup correctly and equipped with a good blade.

A good used saw typically offers alot of bang for the buck too...maybe even a nice old cabinet saw if you've got 220v.

[iceman61]

The Bosch Model 4100-09 is a very good table saw. It's very versatile with the gravity rise stand & stows away if you need. Although they are currently going for $500-$600, Lowe's had them on clearance for $458 a couple of weeks ago.

[ronsspas]

Thanks for the info. Im leaning toward's the Ridgid TS3650. I went the nearest Home Depot (about 95 miles away) & they were out of stock on this saw. Is that normal at all HD's? I'll wait a couple weeks & see if this goes on sale.

[jussi]

Thanks for the info. Im leaning toward's the Ridgid TS3650. I went the nearest Home Depot (about 95 miles away) & they were out of stock on this saw. Is that normal at all HD's? I'll wait a couple weeks & see if this goes on sale.

The HDs around my area usually only stock 1 of those. Unless they have some more in the back I don't know about.

[iceman61]

Couldn't you order it online & do an in store pick up? If so you could get a 10% off thru Monday.
Checkout this thread in the Bargain section of the forum.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=37737

[ronsspas]

I would like to see & feel the saw before I bought it. but if HD don't keep it on hand, I won't have a choice. That 10% sale is over with shortly. Do you see this saw on sale very often?

[JSUPreston]

I picked up the Delta 36-979 contractor saw at Lowe's in December. It doesn't come with a fence, so it might break your budget a little ($450 before tax). I've also hear really good things about the Bosch. One of the members here has done two reviews. http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/index.html#ts

The Hitachi's at Lowe's look pretty good to me as well. I like the C10FL. However, I never have used one. I went with the Delta since I had the fence already, and because of reviews of similar Deltas and previous experience with Delta tools. Not a fanboy of Delta, but I do like a lot of their stuff.

[Gator95]

I would like to see & feel the saw before I bought it. but if HD don't keep it on hand, I won't have a choice. That 10% sale is over with shortly. Do you see this saw on sale very often?

They had a sale about a month ago where it was about 15% off with the Ridgid lineup promo. If you can get 10-15% off the $550ish price I still think it's a great value. Lots of satisfied Ridgid users on this and other forums.

I've got a 3660 and am very happy with it. I think it has an unbeatable combination of features, quality, and value if you can live with the minor (IMHO) disadvantages inherent in a contractor saw design.

The Jet Proshop and Craftsman 22124 have advantages over the Ridgid, but are both outside of this price range. The advantages are mostly around fine particulate dust collection, and are probably more applicable to shops that share HVAC with the rest of the house. The Proshop and 22124 Fence are both better than the Ridgid fence, but better in the same way a Lexus E300 is better than a Toyota Camry. All three are excellent, and you really won't be limited by the stock Ridgid fence.

With a shopvac attached to the TS 3660 bladeshoud, and the bladeguard on the saw, the sawdust collection is very good on the Ridgid- no need to sweep garage floor afterwards unless I forget to turn on the shopvac for a cut

[tellittojake]

Menards

If you have a Menards near you, they have a line called Masterforce. It is thier line but nice in terms of quality. They have a model that looks to be aimed towards the Bosch. Really looks like a quality tool for about 400.