Advice on Table saw v Rail System please....

[barassiewoodbutcher]

Hi all,
Looking forward to using forum, I desperately need some help on something if anybody out there has any advice i'd appreciate it!
Should i get a table saw or a rail system - most work will be furniture using panels. I have workshop space of 8mtrs x 2.5mtrs. Am torn between the two - what should I get? Approx £1000 to spend on this.

Thanks!

 

[wizer]

Well you can make your own basic saw board rail. You'll get much more use out of a TS. Ok you can build furniture with, say, a festool system. But the TS is so much more convenient. All you'll need the rails for in knocking down stock to make it manageable.

 

[Streepips]

Tend to agree with Wizer, I would opt every time for a table saw over a guide railed saw.
Although I notice your workspace is quite narrow at 2.?m width, but I had a workshop only 0.5m wider than that and had a scheppach 2500 table saw with sliding carriage set up, just fit ! I had a great long back off table on it which doubled as work top.

There is another option to consider, a radial arm saw:
I had one before the tablesaw a DW 110, old 60s model, used for crosscuts and a fair amount of ripping. I know ripping is often mentioned as less than good on these machines but to be honest if the machine is set up right and the blade is good, then working within the limits of the machine you can get decent results and no kickback.

everyone works differently and has individual ways to achieve a result, let us know what you end up deciding on !

 

[Corset]

I have tried the rail approach when I had no space and I would say I would not like to go back after having a tablesaw. It may work for some people but its just so much easier to replicate stuff with a TS.
With a bit of crafty second hand purchsing you could probably buy both. And if you have the space go for a sliding table its the business. I had a good portable saw (a makita) but the improvements with a cabinet saw is impressive. £700 for a second hand saw will go a long way if you are prepared to tweak a bit and that would leave you £300 to but a makita rail saw.
2.5m is loads to get a sliding table on if you get he right one, and you can cut down the rail on the table.
Owen

 

[Streepips]

Just thought I would mention, I had all the workbench tops, build table, saw table, etc, at the same height: This is a good way to make best use of the available space and great for work support on larger pieces. The saw table was put right up to the wall on the right hand side, because the most you can use is the ripping width, leaving the most space an the left where the sliding carriage table sits. because the tops were all the same height, the extended fence rail cleared the workbench, so as long as the bench tops are clear you have full width of the shop available.
Plus, with the guard removed and the blade lowered the TS top made an extra worktop when needed.

 

[JanneKi]

My workshop is of similar size and I have to admit that at least I can not fit a proper sliding tablesaw there (with a long enough slide) with the rest of my equipment (mitre saw, bench, planer/thicknesser, DC). So, I've been converted into a Festool guide rail user.

Please see this thread in FOG;

http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=4957.0

It is quite an eye-opener for me at least.

Problem with table saws is that they really take up a lot of space. Especially when ripping large panels, they take up 2x the length of the panel + size of the saw itself.

 

[Vormulac]

Your workshop is a similar sort of size to mine by the sound of it (maybe a fraction bigger), but I couldn't get to grips with my tablesaw in the space I had, the rail system (the EZ rail system in my case) proved invaluable.