Itech 01332 table saw, good bit of kit.

[giantbeat]

received my new saw last week, thought i would post this in case anyone else is considering the same machine.

it felt like a bit of a gamble at the time, I was down scaling my saw as i dont need a panel saw or anything of industrial grade & would shortly be loosing my Phase 3 power supply, so my old Wadkin SP12 was going.

My budget was limited as i needed to buy a bandsaw & several other bits for the workshop, so i fell on the 01332

i know the SIP 01332 & the fellow clone axminster AW10 are highly rated, the Sip is the most expensive version at over £1000, i had been all set to buy the AW10 a few months back but the cost jumped over night pushing it up by almost £100 & if i added the cast extensions again we are over £1000 & almost at the SIP price.

Google kept bringing me back to the ITECH, i could not find many actual reviews, searches lead to uncertain information about if they were as well made re branded clones, or cheaper copies etc, an email to Scott + Sergeant brought quick answers via Mark, who stated they were from the same factory & all just the same machine with a few cosmetic changes, several further emails went back & forth whilst i tried to make my mind up.

With delivery the Itech came in at £850 & thats with the cast extension included, in the mean time i had chance to check out a friends AW10 which confirmed it was the right size & could do what i wanted. i must admit i was not sure how my inquiry would be handled by S+S as they have sometimes have mixed reviews on here but Mark was spot on throughout the entire process, he was fast & detailed in all his replies & info.

Few weeks went by whilst i sorted the removal & sale of the old saw, then 2 weeks ago i pulled the trigger, placed the order, asked for a specific delivery date (ordered Friday, requested a Tuesday delivery) & the saw arrived bang on that date, with Mark ringing me to confirm this the day before. (he also followed up checking that all was ok the day after it arrived)

i wish i had time to do a full un-boxing & stage by stage build review, but clients kept insisting on arriving thought the day meaning i was distracted most of the day & didn't get much of it assembled.

The saw was finally fully built Wednesday, the instructions are not the best but as i had just dismantled the sp12 that had sat in the same spot since 1977 (before i was born). i found building the small saw up was just a case of common sense & making sure the right bolts were used in the right place. Adjusting things so they were level & square didnt take much effort, the mitre slots are spot on to the blade & machined accurately, the mite gauge has a tiny bit of slack in it, but a bit of tape in the right spot sorted that, fence was doddle to fit, the sub fence needed a couple of shims but again was easy to sort (my old saw needed a couple of shims in the right place) the operation of the saw super easy... all in all i was very impressed

I tested the saw on the stock blade, which did a good job of making sure it was cutting straight & then was used to build an additional side extension out of scrap so i can cut 5 x 5ft sheets easier, after that i put a Freud blade in & the saws now been used daily for the last week, its ripped 2.5" oak, plywood tubes up to 1" thick (50 ply) & regular sheet stock, i love it, its so quiet i keep forgetting to put my cans on.... its a great little bit of kit.

 

[Sheptonphil]

Super review thanks. Am looking into 10" table saws at the mo, so this has just stopped me in my tracks as I was looking at the record and Axi units, both over the grand mark. It's only for hobby use coming up to retirement, but I do like solid machines as I'm buying what I hope will be my final tools. Just kitted up with Jet JDP17 drill, 3520 lathe, 16"bandsaw, record 6x10 sander so just the table saw to replace now.

This unit looks ideal for my needs.

Phil

 

[technium]

Great review mate, im also in the hunt for a table saw (well will be in about 6 weeks) so do you have a link to where you purchased it from?

It looks nice and solid and with the extras it looks just what I need.

thanks

Colin

 

[giantbeat]

Super review thanks. Am looking into 10" table saws at the mo, so this has just stopped me in my tracks as I was looking at the record and Axi units, both over the grand mark. It's only for hobby use coming up to retirement, but I do like solid machines as I'm buying what I hope will be my final tools. Just kitted up with Jet JDP17 drill, 3520 lathe, 16"bandsaw, record 6x10 sander so just the table saw to replace now.

This unit looks ideal for my needs.

Phil

id certainly look at this as an alternative to the axi, its the same thing but cheaper & comes with the side extensions included for under a grand.

the only extra thing i got was a wheel base, it is heavy so it just makes it easier to shift about if i need to.

also note you need at lest 2 people to lift the thing as you are building it, it comes in a crate but the top section is upside down, so you build the cabinet & then lift the top on, i got one of the guys from the company next door help me move the crate inside & then again to lift the top on once i was ready, other than that its a easy build.

if you want mark at S+S's email just pm me.

 

[giantbeat]

Great review mate, im also in the hunt for a table saw (well will be in about 6 weeks) so do you have a link to where you purchased it from?

It looks nice and solid and with the extras it looks just what I need.

thanks

Colin

sure... http://scosarg.com/itech-01332-250mm-ca ... -saw-bench

i would recommend ringing or emailing them to order as they can give better delivery option/rates, if you want Marks direct email just pm me.

 

[Jona]

Thank you very much for this review; I logged on to ask about this very saw and you have just about answered all my questions! Only 2 more spring to mind:

How much extra was the wheel base?

And can the splitter be used for non-through cuts with the guard removed?

All the best

 

[RobinBHM]

The saw must be pretty good if you are happy with it having previously used a Wadkin SP12.

 

[giantbeat]

Thank you very much for this review; I logged on to ask about this very saw and you have just about answered all my questions! Only 2 more spring to mind:

How much extra was the wheel base?

And can the splitter be used for non-through cuts with the guard removed?

All the best

no problem, let me know if i can help any further or pass Mark's contact at S+S, im no conventional wood worker/carpenter/joiner so my requirements are usual very task specific so if i miss misunderstand a question let me know.

the wheel base is just a generic/universal base, was from machine mart, it was £40ish delivered.

the riving knife as far as i can tell comes too far over the blade & cant be moved enough to allow non through cuts as it its, its not something i currently evr need but you can buy replacement SIP knives for about £10ish from the sip website they are exactly the same, so you could buy one and modify it with a grinder, so you have a knife that does the job & just has the top guard mounting points removed , then it would be perfect for non through cuts.

im going to order one this week to have one available for if i ever need to do such cuts.

 

[giantbeat]

The saw must be pretty good if you are happy with it having previously used a Wadkin SP12.

its is mate, but like any saw its only as good as the way its setup... i had the sp12 for 12 years, great thing, it literally worked 7 days a week with only a hand full of days off a year, was great, but totally wasted in a drum makers workshop.

the only time i have to cut sheets & need a panel saw is when im making molds & jigs, the last set i made was 10 years ago & they are still going strong, so 3/4 of the saws main potentiality was wasted on me, i never used the scorer, rarely used the sliding carriage etc.. and as such took up way too much space for what it was used for.

not an easy decision to make to get rid having such a reliable workhorse, but whilst i was doing a full refit of other equipment it made sense to free up some space, get a saw that was suited & sized perfectly for what i do, and the upshot of that is i now have a triple router table & table saw occupying the area the SP was, i use routers constantly so its massively reduced my working time & given me more space.

i have access to a large wall saw & bigger SCM panel saw next door in my landlords workshop should i need to chop the occasional sheet.

 

[Jona]

Thanks again for the info. I too had seen the Axi version in person but as I need the extensions & long fence rail this one looks like a winner.

Cheers

 

[Iba303]

Hey there,

Thanks for the review and sorry for awakening an old thread! I'm really interested in buying one of these for my home/hobby workshop and was wondering if you are still happy with it after a few more months of use?
Also could you tell me what blade bore diameter is please?

Thanks
Barry

 

[ScottandSargeant]

Thanks for that great review... it's the first time I had seen it! Let me know when you need a new blade for it and Mark or I will do something 'special' for you.
Cheers
Paul

 

[Craious Connor]

Very timely. I'm in such a bundle of knots over this subject as I've been looking for a while. Was first going for the xcalibur but waiting times a silly and the price increase is just darn crazy. Then tried to source a sip and finally a Harvey but nothing seems to be going my way because of the costs. I actually found these itechs last night, then had a reply to my post (two down from this) mentioning this post. Gonna take a good look now.

You still find the fence accurate without too much messing about?

Cheers.

 

[giantbeat]

Hey there,

Thanks for the review and sorry for awakening an old thread! I'm really interested in buying one of these for my home/hobby workshop and was wondering if you are still happy with it after a few more months of use?
Also could you tell me what blade bore diameter is please?

Thanks
Barry

Hi Barry, sorry for the late reply i only check in her once or twice a week.

the saw been used constantly since setting up, 6 days a week, its on several time a day... no issues at all, i'm very happy with it.
or home & hobby use it would be more than adequate.

the bore is 1" or 25.4mm, i tend to use a reducing ring in my favorite blades when needed as most of them have a 30mm bore.

Thanks for that great review... it's the first time I had seen it! Let me know when you need a new blade for it and Mark or I will do something 'special' for you.
Cheers
Paul

HI Paul, no problem, that's very kind of you, i will be in touch shortly.

Gareth

Very timely. I'm in such a bundle of knots over this subject as I've been looking for a while. Was first going for the xcalibur but waiting times a silly and the price increase is just darn crazy. Then tried to source a sip and finally a Harvey but nothing seems to be going my way because of the costs. I actually found these itechs last night, then had a reply to my post (two down from this) mentioning this post. Gonna take a good look now.

You still find the fence accurate without too much messing about?

Cheers.

fence is still accurate, i dont tend to use it with the shorter sub fence on as i did find that had a slight dip in the extrusion, would not be an issue for most sheet goods but did cause a slight issue when i was chopping my drum shells, but other than that its still sound & used daily.

only thing i need to sort out is the extraction is pretty poor, but it usually is on these thing so im going to be modding to improve that soon.

 

[user22161]

the saw been used constantly since setting up, 6 days a week, its on several time a day... no issues at all, i'm very happy with it.
or home & hobby use it would be more than adequate.

the bore is 1" or 25.4mm, i tend to use a reducing ring in my favorite blades when needed as most of them have a 30mm bore.

only thing i need to sort out is the extraction is pretty poor, but it usually is on these thing so im going to be modding to improve that soon.

I've had one of these for a couple of years now. When it arrived, the mitre slots were badly finished and slightly undersized for standard steel slugs so S & S sent me some to fit. No problem with mitre guides fitting, except the OE one is the usual rubbish.

Dust extraction is a problem, even with Charnwood W691 there's quite a build up of sawdust underneath and the blade guard (only occasionally fitted) needs the shop vac connecting. This of course will also apply to the other brands of the same saw.

I also bought the optional wheel kit which does what it says on the pack.

S & S service couldn't be faulted and for what I need, the saw is excellent. Annoyingly, very short arbor so, in common with most UK supplied saws, won't take dado blades.

 

[MikeJhn]

Having modded my TS-250 the dust extraction is the best I have ever experienced on any table saw, this may be of interest: axminster-ts250-2-modifications-t102284.html

Mike