B&Q Table Saw

[mhannah]

Does anyone have the "Performance Power" table saw that B&Q are currently selling for £59.99.

I seem to recall that it was over £140 about a year ago.

Is it worth buying, or a complete waste of money?
How does it compare with the entry level Ferm saw?

Mark.

 

[Midnight]

mhannah

I donno how they compare..... but I wouldn't buy another Ferm if they paid me the purchace price to take it away... damn thing's potentially lethal...
<talking as one who's been stuck with the Ferm for wayyyyyyyyyyy too long.

faults I've found are as follows:-
Product selection for the materials used in both the throat plate and the blade guard leave a lot to be desired; apparently Ferm think it's fine to use materials with next to zero shatter resistance.
The fence may as well not have been there; impossible to adjust at all
Dust collection is woefully inadequate if you choose not to use the saw in conjunction with its optional stand. The stand enables dust to egress through the holes in the base plate rather than through the vacuum port.
The choice of a 16mm arbour heavily restricts your choice in aftermarket blades if you want to replace the OME 10" screamer.

In short.... NOT one of my better purchaces; I wouldn't recommend it to a massochist.

 

[Steve]

It's dangerous rubbish. It should come with a free bargepole. I know the price is very attractive if you're on a budget (and who isn't?) but you'll regret buying it. My brother in law bought one, and in my opinion the thing shouldn't be on the market. You could look at the Fox 10" saw (£140) which is altogether a better made and far more accurate tool. It's on the rutlands site. All in all, my advice is to get the best possible table saw you can - even if it means waiting and saving a few bob more. The cheapo's are cheap for a reason - look what Mike says about the Ferm. I have a 'budget' Ryobi (which still cost over £200) and it's acceptable if I'm careful with it. I've used a Metabo and an Electra Beckum and believe me - the difference is beyond words. Get the very best you can - i wish I had!

 

[kityuser]

I`ve recently gone from a clarke to a kity and would have to say that these two machines could effectively be different tools as far as I am concerned!

I would agree with whoever said buy the best you can afford, the cheap saws are cheap for a reason :shock:

I`m probably going to relegate the clarke to cutting up logwood for the patio burner, unless anyone wants it? 8)

 

[Alf]

Mark,

Welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately for your bank account, what the others have said about budget saws is all too true. However, there are a few comments about B&Q's T/Ss on UK Diy which may be helpful.

Cheers, Alf

 

[mhannah]

Thanks for all the replies guys!
That helps to make my mind up!

So, can anyone recommend a good quality saw at a reasonable price which is also fairly compact in size (I live in a flat!).

Thanks,
Mark.

 

[Charley]

Hi Mark,

I'm not sure what your budget is and I know this is a big leap from £59.99 but for a decent compact saw I recommend the Scheppach TS2000 - https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/review/review.php?id=21 very accurate and the side extensions fold down for storage. The package I got cost me just over £700

 

[mhannah]

Probably a bigger issue for me is - how portable is it?
I really need to be able to wheel it away into a medium sized cupboard when it's not in use.

Thanks,
Mark.

 

[Adam]

Probably a bigger issue for me is - how portable is it?
I really need to be able to wheel it away into a medium sized cupboard when it's not in use.

Thanks,
Mark.

If you bought it without the stand, and made your own "fold-up" base, it could be stored in quite a compact space.

This would make it a bit cheaper, and if you got a "bigger" workshop in the future you could buy the base.

Like everyone here, if you can afford it, you should go for the very best you can afford. Remember these items do sell well Second-hand so if you ever loose interest in WW, you'd easily sell it, and if you do continue to use it, you won't need to upgrade for a very long time.

Adam

 

[Charley]

The TS 2000 is very portable. As Adam says you can just buy the saw on it's own and make a custom base or you could buy the base and wheel kit.

If need be you could also just take the saw off it's base once you've finished using it. It just unclips then the base folds up.

 

[gidon]

I'd second Charley's recommendation for the TS2000. Very cabable saw - takes up little space if you want it to. But can also handle large boards with the extras.

But before that I had a Delta 36-525. Still available for under £200. This really isn't a bad starter saw. The table is well machined, it comes with side extensions, and it has good capacity. It's very noisy though which may be a problem in a flat!

Cheers

Gidon

 

[andrewm]

asleitch wrote:

If you bought it without the stand, and made your own "fold-up" base, it could be stored in quite a compact space.

This would make it a bit cheaper, and if you got a "bigger" workshop in the future you could buy the base.

The TS2000 base will fold in its own right. The short sides hinge in the middle so it folds down quite flat if need be. Although I keep mine on the base and have just added the wheels to make it a bit more maneuverable.

Andrew

 

[Dewy]

I have always found that B&Q do a good quality test on many products.
They put one on display & all you have to do is see how it stands up to viewing & being knocked about.
I was once going to buy a small pillar drill & saw the plastic guard (that also had the depth stop) broken.
Needless to say I didn't buy one.
The same with a table saw. The B&Q one may have had a larger table than my old draper but was so badly bent that the fence wouldn't fit.
That saved me more money.
Now I use forums such as this one to find out what offers the best value.
Pity about Kity. I was saving up for a 419 complete with sliding carriage & extension table.
That's now forgotten so I'm saving for an Electra Beckum now.
Yes I know the Sheppach is highly regarded but the EB200 will fit here where the Sheppach wont.