Hi All, I have been wood turning for about two years and have been enjoying watching this forum and have now decided to take the plunge and join up. The members clearly have a wealth of experience and it is a great tribute to you for sharing your knowledge through the forum. Whilst my main interest is wood turning, I do dabble now and then with small wood working projects. Having retired I now have more time to spend in my garage/workshop and I'm gradually replacing some old equipment and building up a set of tools. I would very much welcome any advice on purchasing a budget/hobbyist bench saw and bench top planer/thicknesser - my budget is around £600 total. As my workspace is limited they have to be compact pieces of kit.
Hello from Cambridgeshire
- Thread starter Twigpot
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
Hi welcome.
I invested in Titan bench saw over 10 years ago, wood thicknesser I bought in 2021 again Titan brand
I will have to change the blades soon, cos I was working with old pallets and did not see the stone embedded in the wood
The thicknesser you will need a good vac to take the waste otherwise it chokes
As I have found, dust extraction is a must
Hope this helps
I invested in Titan bench saw over 10 years ago, wood thicknesser I bought in 2021 again Titan brand
I will have to change the blades soon, cos I was working with old pallets and did not see the stone embedded in the wood
The thicknesser you will need a good vac to take the waste otherwise it chokes
As I have found, dust extraction is a must
Hope this helps
Have fun, let’s see the projects as and when
Hi and welcome to ukw - there are many budget brands available as mentioned Titan , parkside, draper Clarke etc but I always find it’s best to read as many reviews as possible before you part with your cash notes. A tablesaw is pretty useless without a decent fence and mitre slot ( standard size) so you can buy quality mitre gauge. A quality blade is a must for getting anything like a good finish on whatever you end up making. The other option is to increase your budget or consider 2nd hand and going for a higher quality of machine- dewalt , Bosch ,makita , etc . Check out the for sale section of this forum as these machines have usually been looked after and cared for .good luck 
Thanks for the welcome and helpful advice. I was given a second-hand budget bench saw some time ago and soon realised that my next one needed to have a standard mitre slot and a quality mitre gauge. Will certainly look at online reviews but I very much appreciate the pointers from experienced members like yourself on where to start.Hi and welcome to ukw - there are many budget brands available as mentioned Titan , parkside, draper Clarke etc but I always find it’s best to read as many reviews as possible before you part with your cash notes. A tablesaw is pretty useless without a decent fence and mitre slot ( standard size) so you can buy quality mitre gauge. A quality blade is a must for getting anything like a good finish on whatever you end up making. The other option is to increase your budget or consider 2nd hand and going for a higher quality of machine- dewalt , Bosch ,makita , etc . Check out the for sale section of this forum as these machines have usually been looked after and cared for .good luck
That’s what it’s all about . Helping newer members who may have have little or or no experience. Before you go spending your money think about your safety as it can all go terribly wrong in a split second. Do a search for other threads on table saw safety , there’s at least 2 on the saw stop technology that will be launched in Europe soon . Good luck and enjoy your journey ..
