The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Table Saws

I'm looking to buy a new table saw. All the used saws I've looked at seem to be pretty beat up.
It seems the current manufacturing trend is granite tops and lower HP motors.
What I'm thinking about is a cabinet saw with a cast iron top and a 3 hp motor (it has to be single phase).
My concerns are chipping or cracking the granite top, and less HP will bog down cutting heavier or harder wood.
Anyone out there have any observations and experience on what I should be looking for and using?
Which brands hold up the best and have easy settings that don't need constant readjustments.

Jim

Some of the best table saws I've used are Powermatic brand, which was pretty much the standard for the woodworking shops in the high schools where I worked for 30-something years. If you happen to find one at a school surplus equipment sale, you'll have a tool that will outlive you. Swapping a motor would be an option if you happen to locate a 3-phase unit.
Jerry

I found this web site Old Wood Working Machinery when I got my old Delta table. There is a wealth of information there, and they now have Metal tools;

http://owwm.org/

Larry

I know you are talking new, but as the other fella's have said, if you can find a good older saw I think you'll be time and money ahead.

I inherited my maternal Grandfathers late 1950's DeWalt Radial Arm Saw and it works just as well now as it did 60 years ago.

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/lakeroadster/Family%20ALbum/DSCF0186A_zps88baa72f.jpg

....I know they don't make craftsman now that are as tough as years ago. That said, I agree with the guys that say look for a tough old saw and maybe change the motor.
My Craftsman table saw, arm saw, band saw are all at least 30 years old and are still excellent. I wouldn't take anything for my flat, smooth, steel table saw. The only thing I've replaced in all those years was a motor on the table saw.

Check the paper for some auctions or farm sales and save youself some money if you can.

I have a friend with a nice cabinet saw with all the bells and whistles. Its a Grizzly.com I know Delta is the name of the game, and once my Craftsman pro version dies.. I will be looking at both, but Grizzly is in Springfield Missouri and you can go and see what they have. Just about anything you want at decent prices. I know I know.. Korean, Chinese, etc etc.. but they are hundreds cheaper than the American name brands that may or may not be REALLY made here. You can also get this huge catalog by just asking. Its worth the trouble for sure.

Sounds like your looking to spend a fair amount of change on a
table saw Jim. But if you you're not, and don't mind a little
restoration, as Alvin says, these old craftsman 10" saws were
well made. Cast iron tops and bullet proof cast iron adjustment.
This one I picked up about 35 years ago where it had been
stored in a shed out behind the tavern for a couple of decades
after Grandma Kunzer, my bartender's husband had passed away:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/146942898
It's cut a lot of wood in those 35 years since I
restored it. Got it and a cast iron 18" Craftsman jig
saw out of that shed for twenty bucks. That old jig
saw was put to heavy use building wood wings for a
couple of airplanes back in the 70's and 80's.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I probably have the same saw you do Denny.. Cant get rid of the dang thing! Works too well and has never let me down. About 25 years old now. I hate it when you don't have a good excuse to get rid of the old stuff. LOL!

More like 50 years old, I put it back in the mid 50's sometime:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/154485148
And the Jig Saw has to be at least that old:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/154485150
Got a little 8" table saw I use for the lite stuff, spent all of
five bucks on that one:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/154485146
You can pick up a lot of the good old equipment if you're
willing to put a little time in to restoration. Here's an old
Delta wood lathe I got for twenty dollars at a garage sale.
Just had the bed and headstock. I had to fabricate a tail
stock, cross slide and supports to make it usable once again:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/154485151

DG

I don't think you can find more saw for money than an older Delta Unisaw.

The new ones are a lot of money for the basic unit (worth it), but searching carefully on Craig's list you can find older units with extension tables, Beismeyer fences, right tilt or left tilt arbors, etc.

They are built like a tank and you can set your budget and get as much as possible for it. Every part for a 50 year old saw is available.

Old powermatic and Delta, Delta/rockwell are the time honored favorites of general woodworking. Take a look at General, made in Canada. I haven't studied them in great depth, but the ones I have seen look solid and accurate. Fine woodworking and fine home building magazines conduct reviews and ratings.

E-bay has a lot of saws, and looks to me like you can find a 3-phase in the 6-800 dollar range. Need restoration of course. The story is you can get a phase converter, but those are just about as expensive as the saw.

I am not convinced that everyone is going to stone tables. Don't know why they would, not buying the vibration thing.

Sawstop is also another brand to look at. You supossedly can't cut off your fingers with it. They have hot dog demonstrations to prove it.

I read an article that said the table saw is a thing of the paast, and everyone should get a CNC machine. The author and I had a talk on the phone after I fired him up. I don't think he could think out of the production shop area.

I waited and looked long and hard for my Unisaw. At the time, these were going for $700 -$1500. I found this one for $300. This picture is when I was reassembling it. Unisaw I had the cabinet powdercoated, cleaned the layer of rust off the table, had to get a couple of knobs and a piece for the single phase 220v motor. One of the better machines I ever purchased. A late 60's, early 70's Rockwell version. It came with the commercial fence and I've since filled in the table between the rails.

Delta,powermatic,general are all good products. I used to teach woodworking. Buy the heavest saw you can tollarate. I have a 60 year old wards saw with a steel cabinet anchored by a cast iron base. It is 12 inch. I put a modern delta fence on it. I am on my second baldor 2 hp motor. 2 hp will do any cabinet work if you have the right sharp blade. Saw stop is an excellent device. They have it down to a replacable cartridge if it ever has to work. I suspect most of us remove the guard which makes saw stop an even better idea. I watch people free hand wood through table saws on tv. Don,t do it. Learn the use of the tool. Like metal working welding etc learn the right way. Stay safe.

One more thought. Some table saws will not accept a universal frame motor. You might have to buy it from the manufacturer. Bad bearings on the arbor or in the motor can usually be found and replaced.

I have a 12" direct drive Craftsman that I bought about 35 years ago. I did a lot with it back in the 80's, but now just it occasionally to rip apitong flooring. If I were to buy today, I would probably buy a Jet. But I looked at those things. They are close to $4,000. A few years ago I downloaded a parts book for the Craftsman. But with the financial difficulties that Sears is having these days, I doubt that parts are available any more.

I have used a Rockwell for 30+ years and only had to replace the switch. It is one of their 10", motorized models; no drive belt. It's been a workhorse, surprisingly. As a backup; just in case, belt and suspenders thinking thing, I bought Rockwell Contractors Saw off Craigslist a few years ago. It was used in a cabinet shop that was upgrading their stuff. It's a mid-60's model and a real "horse". It cost about $250 and even came with the table extensions.

I opted for the Delta Unisaw. I looked for a reasonable old one relatively near me (the preferred route), but never found the right saw. Ultimately I bit the bullet for a new Unisaw several years ago. I love it, and the fence is awesome. The only thing I did not like about it is that darn Asian machining. The right dovetail is perfectly parallel with the saw arbor, but the left dovetail is not (they are not parallel by about 0.003 from one end of the table to the other). To make consistently accurate miter cuts, one has to dedicate a left or right miter attachment. The work around is okay, but accurate machining should be standard.

I have used, own, and junked some Grizzly machines. They certainly are attractively priced, but the accuracy of machining is third world. They are fine if high accuracy is not necessary.

I've wanted an actual cabinet makers table saw with all of the accompanying accoutrements for many years. The problem comes when the Craftsman Professional 10" Contractors saw keeps working as advertised. I have built many cabinets, tables, jigs, etc and the rule I live by is, if MY cabinets look, act, feel the same as the guy with the 4K saw, I can keep putting that 4k into truck parts. Problem is, that 4K has been gone a long time ago, and I am still buying more parts!

A lot of good comments and advice here.
If I were going to use a saw to help generate some income I would spring for the cost of a new Unisaw or Powermatic.
Since my needs are not immediate I'll follow the recommendations given and continue to look for a good used saw
that is complete and in servicable condition. I have a craftsman contractors saw that will be OK for now.
I've already restored a craftsman band saw, combo disc/belt sander, and a radial arm drill press(my pride and joy).
When I bought them they were in pretty good shape and now they are in like new condition. They were fun projects.

Jim