Table saw

Pretty much any saw can be made mobile – either directly from the factory as part of the design, or by using an aftermarket mobile base. Best bang for the buck is to watch your local CL, check garage sales, etc… and find a nice used saw. You will save money, probably wind up with a better machine than what you were considering new, and they frequently come will all sorts of extra goodies that you would otherwise have to go out and buy – such as mobile bases, extra blades, dado sets, sleds, and so on.

I personally would stay away from the portable plastic table top things. They are fine for what they are, but can be easily pushed too far and melt due to all the plastic. Look for cast iron table and belt driven with a real induction motor. The most common ‘beginner’ saw out there is probably the Craftsman or Delta contractor saws. Many a fine woodworker cut their teeth on them and produced some fine projects with them over the last few decades.

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

I agree with Brad you might as well skip over the portable saws. One very important feature a decent tablesaw should have is a good robust fence. You will drive yourself mad with a potable saws flimsy fence.

Good Luck

-- Aj

Personally i would get a tracksaw before one of the compact tablesaws. And for an average DIYer that already has a miter saw that will probably do 95% of what you need.

Actually a fairly nice circular saw, and a cutting shoe are plenty for the average home owner wanting to make some clean, straight cuts. Does the same as a track saw, just need more set up time. A huge amount cheaper than any of the average to high quality track saws too. I do agree in the concept.

-- Think safe, be safe

I’d take that Delta over a portable. Get it aligned, and put a good blade on it.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

The open structure under the table of the delta saw would make dust collection very difficult. The contractor type construction, with the blade tilt trunions bolted to the underside of the table, make it more difficult to adjust the saw blade parallel to the miter gauge tracks. Better hybrid and cabinet saws mount the trunions to the cabinet, and the table bolts to the cabinet, making adjusting the table to the blade much easier. But in this price range, you get what you get…

The specs are good; a little less power than I’d like, but thin kerf, dedicated rip blades will help when ripping thick hardwood. The generous 3.5” max depth of cut would be painfully slow in most woods, and likely burn the cut edges. Since the motor is built-in, there is no hope of upgrading it for more HP, but at least it is an induction motor, not a screaming universal motor.

I can’t tell what the extension wings are made from; could be plastic, or sheet metal, but most likely not cast iron. The central table is standard size for a full size table saw, and the distance from blade to front of table (room to hold a board to be cross-cut) is good (>13.5”). It should accommodate a router table extension wing, if you wish.

A decent saw, but I’m not familiar with the competition in that price range. It appears far nicer than my first craftsman contractor saw (over 30 years ago)! This type of saw is far superior to the jobsite saws with universal motors and tiny tops. I would check out similar contractor saws from Rigid to compare with this one.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

I bought the Delta 36-725T2 a few weeks ago. For the record, I upgraded from a Ridgid Jobsite saw that I had built a stand for. Also, I have no experience with the “real table saws” that most people will suggest, like the Delta Unisaw, Powermatic stuff, of Laguna cabinet saws. Yes, if you can find a used one for $600 to $800 (good luck), it will be ‘more saw’ then the delta. However…

The 725-T2 is leaps and bounds better than a jobsite/portable saw. The fence system is way better (it’s a Biesermeyer type), and the accuracy is there if you take the time to align and adjust everything carefully. Mine had the blade parallel to the miter slots right out of the box, but other reviews have said it needed some adjustment. To me, everything that could need to be adjusted (blade, riving knife alignment, blade insert leveling, fence 90 degree to table, fence 90 degree to rail, etc) has a way to adjust, i.e. set screws, etc. I’ve found with cheaper saws there is often not even a way to adjust these things. Your stuck with what you get.

The main part of the top is cast iron, and that itself has more surface area then the jobsite saws. The extension wings are steel, they are pretty heavy duty, but not as precise as cast iron wings. Which, by the way are available on the upgraded model, the 36-5100T2, but that also costs $400 extra dollars. Alternatively, it’s a fairly common 27” deep, so cast iron wings from other saws will fit, with some minor modifications to mounting holes.

The wheels on the 725-T2 are nice, the raising lever works great. Note that they are not swivel wheels though, so maneuvering takes a little bit of space and planning. The dust collection is probably not as good as a full cabinet saw, but it is by no means inadequate. There is a dust shroud/boot kind of thing around the blade. So far, I’ve found it does a much better job than my old ridgid jobsite saw did.

There are some reviews out there already of the 725T2. But if you’re having trouble finding them, just look up the older version, the Delta 36-725. The T2 is basically the same saw with a few improvements. Many people are saying it’s as good as most $1000 saws.

-- ~Walker

Thank you for all the advice. As far as this saw goes apparently I was too slow and it is now gone.
I am going to go with the Skilsaw spt99. I know aMathis literally goes against everything that you all have said however I need something highly maneuverable and Easy to get out of the way for my side as well as me.
My “ shop” is rolled around the garage wherever it fits. If I ever get my pen shop space I’ll DEFINATLEY upgrade to a full cabinet saw but for now I just don’t really have the space. I’m hoping with the fence bring a rack n pinion fence system it will work better than most job site saws will for me.

Is there a safe reliable buy out there in the $1200 or less range with a great rip fence and runs on 110v ? I’m currently using a 1957 Craftsman 9” saw that was handed down by my father 30 years ago. He purchased it the yr. I was born. Love the old saw and it still in excellent condition but the fence is a nightmare. The tabletop appears to be too small for the good aftermarket fences. I have last stage cancer and would like to build my wife some quality funitue pieces before too late. All the reviews in my price range seem so iffy the last 2yrs and I don’t have time to play the return game or fight my saw each cut. Love the time in my shop but need to use it more wisely. Any wise purchase could be handed down to my son who has begun a career in finish carpentry. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Is there a safe reliable buy out there in the $1200 or less range with a great rip fence and runs on 110v ? I m currently using a 1957 Craftsman 9” saw that was handed down by my father 30 years ago. He purchased it the yr. I was born. Love the old saw and it still in excellent condition but the fence is a nightmare. The tabletop appears to be too small for the good aftermarket fences. I have last stage cancer and would like to build my wife some quality funitue pieces before too late. All the reviews in my price range seem so iffy the last 2yrs and I don t have time to play the return game or fight my saw each cut. Love the time in my shop but need to use it more wisely. Any wise purchase could be handed down to my son who has begun a career in finish carpentry. Any advice greatly appreciated.

- Dumdoug

$1200 will get you a mighty nice saw.

-- Andy - Seattle USA