First Tablesaw (On a Budget)

[Snetty]

Hi guys,

I've been lurking on here for a while, and I've finally talked my mother into buying me a tablesaw for Christmas.

Obviously as it's a gift, I'm not going to be able to get anything really decent. We'd looked at the Erbauer table saw in the Screwfix catalogue, but on reflection I think that's probably geared more towards contractors.

Can anyone advise me on a tablesaw around the £150 mark?

 

[Matt1245]

The ryobi ETS1525 SC (not the plain old ETS1525) table saw has just got a good review in this months F&C magazine. Must be very new out, just checked on the ryobi website but it;s not listed yet. The price listed in the mag is £199, but should be able to get a better price by shpooing around.

Matt.

 

[Matt_S]

Hi there,

Not sure of your tool collection so far, but from my experience as a newbie I'd really recommend a circular saw instead (if you dont have one). Bought a Clarke table saw which I think new was around £100-120 second hand and after thinking it would be invaluable really don't get on with it.

Bought second hand circular saw and this weekend used it with a guide for the first time and its so much more useful.

Just giving my opinion from limited experience, feel free to ignore my ramblings!

 

[Snetty]

thanks for the input Matt, I actually bought a circular saw a few months back and I've found that it feels a bit unweidly (is that a word?) to be used for anything other than sizing things for a table saw.

I'm definitely set on a table saw. Thanks for the advise though.

 

[Gary H]

Hi snetty and welcome.

Yep, unwieldy certainly is a word, and a good 'un too!!

I'm with Matt to a degree. I bought a Clarke table saw a few years ago for £100 and it is a bit of a pig. That said though, it's okay for ripping down stock and sheets to size but I have tried more accurate cuts with mixed results. Therefore not very dependable, mainly due to the poor fence. I do intend making a new table surface to fit over the top, and give it a homemade Biesemeyer-style fence when I get time. 8)

One word of caution though - whichever budget saw table you get, buy yourself a decent set of ear defenders. These buggers are LOUD due to their brush motors. No fancy new-fangled induction motors here I'm afraid. :shock:

Also check out the second-hand market/ebay for a bargain. You may get lucky and find a much better saw for a similar price. Dunno if thats much help as a Christmas pressie though.

Ta muchly

Gary

 

[Snetty]

Gary,

I'm actually in discussions with a chap via pm who's selling a Ryobi table saw, my impression is that it's not a decent saw, but it's cheap...

 

[Gary H]

Nice one snetty.
IIRC Dave L used a cheapo saw for years and makes some wonderful pieces. Dunno if he's changed it though.

Forgot to mention that bargains are sometimes abound here too , considering it's where I got my Lecky Becky 315 bandsaw from, for a mere... no I won't gloat, but it was a steal!

Keep yer eyes peeled buddy,

Gary

 

[Freetochat]

Snetty - a contractors/table top saw might be the way to go. There have been a couple of bench designs to incorporate a table top saw and make them more usable. On the negative side, it is difficult in the price bracket that you are considering to buy something where you don't have to compromise. If you look at a few saw reviews, the negative issues are always the same especially in the area of rip fences etc. Rather than buying mail-order based on pictures, it would be best if you are able to have a look at a shop (even if you buy mail-order later).

 

[Matt1245]

Just dug out my copy of F&C.

The review was by Mark Cass and he seems pretty impressed with it. The mitre fence has an extra knob on it, which you can tighten to stop any play when it is in the groove, which so many saws suffer from. Both side tables extend giving you a maximum cut of 520mm. Also there is a sliding table and he says the saw is accurate thanks to a rigid fence.

He finishes off by saying the saw is peerless and unbeatable quality for the retail price.

Matt.

 

[DaveL]

IIRC Dave L used a cheapo saw for years and makes some wonderful pieces. Dunno if he's changed it though.

Gary, thanks for the compliment. I gave my old B&Q saw to a friend, OK I got flak before. :roll: I upgraded to an old Wadkin, cast iron, fitted a 3HP single phase motor, it will see me out :shock:

The old saw I had was limited but with care and planning I did lots of different things with it, OK so it was never going to be happy ripping 8' lengths of 3" ash which the Wadkin did with out blinking but its still in use the new owner is still a good friend with a full set of fingers. 8)

 

[woodbloke]

Snetty - I'm a big fan of F&C - if they say the Ryobi is good then its 'cast iron' - go get one - Rob

 

[Snetty]

Yeah, it does sound tempting.. trouble is, for £60 I can get the non-SC version 2nd hand... that way I can get a router/router table aswell.. which would be a big plus.

Difficult justifying an extra £140.

 

[Matt1245]

From the looks of it the sc version is far better than the non sc, which is shown in the prices of new machines, the ets1525 being around £100 while the ets1525sc will be around £200. I think Ryobi should have give the sc a totally different code number to stop confusion.

Matt.

 

[LyNx]

the 1525 SC model is on ebay for £155 with free delivery :wink:

 

[Snetty]

can you link me to it please? All I can find are lots of non-SC models.

 

[Snetty]

oops.. never mind.. found them.

 

[toddler]

hmm, I'd watch out with that deal on ebay - it says VAT is to be added to the price. I actually think that might be against the rules on ebay...

 

[George_N]

hmm, I'd watch out with that deal on ebay - it says VAT is to be added to the price. I actually think that might be against the rules on ebay...

Lots of traders who sell through Ebay charge vat. HM Revenue and Customs have this strange notion that businesses should act as unpaid tax collectors.

 

[Snetty]

Lots of traders who sell through Ebay charge vat. HM Revenue and Customs have this strange notion that businesses should act as unpaid tax collectors.

Actually, you could say that we (as in, us Business owners) do get paid.. in that we get to buy things VAT free if we pay VAT too. I love buying all my techy stuff VAT free

 

[colinc]

I am pretty sure that Costco have the sliding table Ryobi saw on sale at the moment. I cannot remember the model/price details but might be worth checking out.

Colin