Recommendations for a table saw

[Wardsweb]

Looking to get serious about building some speakers, among other things. I'm looking at this Deta Delta 36-650



http://www.woodnet.net/toolreviews/t...aws_delta.html

Any suggestions? I want a large work surface and a serious rip fence.

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

I have something similar to this:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki.../w00102_13.jpg

Except the table space on either side of the saw proper is 48". The saw is a Craftsman, similar to the delta pic you posted, but without the metal legs. I also replaced the fence with a Besmeyer.

If you have the room and are serious I'll take a few pics for you.

[ultrachrome]

I would do some searching on the Ryobi BT3100. There's quite a following for them. People mod the hell out of them. http://www.bt3central.com

I bought one and am really pleased with it. Easy to align, fence works well, cuts square. For $300, I'm keeping it. The $100 accessory kit is worthwhile as well.

The pieces I cut for my MB20s and Ellis 1801's came out as perfect as I could ever hope for even with the stock blade.

It's very smooth and seems to have adequate power for my MDF and plywood cutting, mainly 3/4".

The $100 accessory kit allows you to turn it into a router table using the stock fence, wheels, zero clearance throat plate, etc.

[Peter Daniel]

I also have Ryobi and it's been serving me for last 10 years without problem. The accuracy of cuts is very good, even on metal

[Wardsweb]

Originally posted by Bill Fitzpatrick
I have something similar to this:
Except the table space on either side of the saw proper is 48". The saw is a Craftsman, similar to the delta pic you posted, but without the metal legs. I also replaced the fence with a Besmeyer.

If you have the room and are serious I'll take a few pics for you.

Wow that's an impressive rig. Saw looks like the cabinet saws I've seen. I don't have room for that kind of table wings but hope to build a wood shop in the future that would. Looks like you do some very serious wood work. Any suggestions on what to look for or what kind of accessories are a must have?

[azira]

My personal opinion... like the picture that Bill posted... nothing beats having a straight heavy duty table and a solid fence. Bells and whistles not needed. I have a Rigid TS3650, it's great. It costed a bit more than the Ryobis but it has a completely cast iron top and a solid fence+brake. My biggest table saw pet peeve is a shoddy fence and brake on the fence. Those folded sheet metal things are crap. The fence on it will cut up to 36" on the long side and, I think, 12" on the short side which means it has about 30" of actual table space plus the rails go out farther.

Oh yeah, and it comes with wheels and a lift system so that you can store it away after you're done using it...

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/TS3650-Table-Saw/

[ultrachrome]

The fence on the Ryobi is an aluminum extrusion.

For sure, the Rigid's are nice. What steered me away from them were horror stories relating to Rigid recently selling/moving their wood tools manufacture overseas. A search might be warranted so you know what other people are experiencing.

There are a lot of Rigid tools being sold at blow out pricing right now. This makes me believe that the new Rigid brand tools will be all new designs from the new manufacturer. Whether these will be better/worse remains to be seen. However, buying the older products might make it difficult for support/parts in the future. Regardless of what's true or not, it made me nervous.

Kind of sad because I didn't see much else in the Rigid price range that looked as nice. Next stop after Rigid might be the Powermatic 64A but that's $850+.

[maylar]

That Delta is a standard in the industry. You won't be disappointed.

[jonz]

Go with the delta..you can't go wrong.....you are going to be using it for home ...you're not making a living with it....it's a good product...next step up I would recommend the General which is a top notch(lifetime) machine..




or the smaller one..

[Jye]

Here is a pic of the table saw I am currently using. It is primarily used for cutting aluminium and masonite for a sign making factory. Never had a problem and I am sure I will miss it deeply if I ever lose access to it.

While we are on the topic of tools what routers are people using? Any good or bad experiences?