Portable table saw, Which one?

[kevin m]

I am a quality carpenter who does a lot of built in furniture mostly in MDF. I have the Festool TS55 saw, MFT table and the ct22 extractor, which are great for cutting up big pieces of wood on site but not so good when you want lots of small or narrow strips or all the other great things that a table saw does.
I have no workshop and do all the cutting on site or get my timber merchants to cut it on their lovely big table saw. I have a very aging Elu flipover saw that cuts well and is accurate but has useless dust extraction that I wish to replace. I would like to get an accurate table saw with decent/good dust extraction but it must be portable.
After following the posts on here the scheppach ts2010 seems like a contender but I have never seen one in the flesh and have heard no comments about how good it,s dust extraction is. The other one is the Festool cs50 saw (or even the cs70) but they cost nearly £1,500 and £2,000. I would love to hear from owners of these saws or any other saws that I should consider. I don't mind spending up to £1,000 or maybe more if it is really worth it. Many thanks.

 

[engineer one]

kevin, not sure what you mean by small, but i have the dewalt 744, which i reckon is portable, although it weighs a bit,

it will cut up to 600 wide, but i have found it very accurate, particularly for cutting mdf panels with a little help, i can cut an 8x4 on it, so works for me.
with a good blade it is almost as good as the festo for cutting to me.
i must make a zero clearance insert for the throat plate.

but they are under a grand, and will work off a normal 13amp fuse in 250 volt mode.

the footprint is about 600x600 so quite useful in that way too, and to me, the fence is pretty good with a number of modes for thin pieces too.
the mitre gauge is pretty normal,but the fence works off a geared wheel system , so is pretty accurate.

paul :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

You wont in my opinion beat the Triton 2000 workcentre, it folds up, would go in a car boot, it can stay up in a workshop, and can cope with small carpentry or big stuff.
I've had mine 4 years, and in the meantime returned two c.i. tablesaws which were not as satisfactory to me as the Triton.

See some of these pictures

A 0.5mm waste strip of hardwood came off the rip blade last week as clean as a whistle.

in the yard

A 10x2" board being ripped up into 2x1" lengths for my garden fence.

In the workshop

Plenty of accessories for other jobs.

 

[Trigger]

Kevin,

I've got the Bosch GTS10 table saw. It's portable has a very accurate and sturdy fence and I've no regrets about buying it. They retail for £540 and you can get a 110V version or 240V.

 

[Colin C]

Have you tried
http://www.itslondon.co.uk/p2_PT_PowerT ... erSaws.htm
the small Matika or the Elektra beckam Kgt 501 ( which I have used on site with a friend , the EB that is) and it is very good and has good dust extraction

 

[Barry Burgess]

Devonwoody you bad boy - no dust bag and dust bucket with your Triton.
The dust bag below the table collects lots of dust below the table without a vacuum attached

 

[Jake]

I have the CS70 and inevitably, as owners always do, I love it. I didn't pay the price you quote even for the full eb-set, long slider and all the other extras, although I couldn't claim it is cheap. It works very well, though, I love it. It saves lugging a mitre saw around with you as well, although pricewise you could buy another brand of portable TS and a mitre saw for less.

Whereabouts in London are you?

 

[kevin m]

Thanks for all the replys, You have all given me something to think about. That triton workcentre looks big, can you move it easily on your own up and down stairs? I store all my tools in the cellar of my house and I often have to move my tools into someones flat or up stairs into someones bedroom when I make built in wardrobes.I did not mention but I have a dewalt 700 mitre saw.
The bosch saw looks interesting as I had not thought about those type of saw.
I live in Muswell Hill in North London. Jake have you had a go or seen the cs50? I have seen one of them in a tool shop and they look good and I like the fact that they are light. But looking in the Festool catalogue the cs70 looks better but heavier and it must cost just over £1,500 for the full set if I shop around. I am a recent convert to Festool my other Festool stuff is great but not sure that I need to buy their table saw.
Cheers Kevin.

 

[matt]

Going back to the Scheppach 2010... I tracked a display model down at D&M Tools They also had Elektra Beckum's equivalent, and the Bosch (which looked much larger than I had anticipated in the flesh).

I'm not so sure that you're going to beat your flip saw for accuracy and portability etc. I'd be tempted to try and make some form of dust extraction for it.

 

[Jake]

I live in Muswell Hill in North London.

I'm the wrong end of town, south east.

Jake have you had a go or seen the cs50? I have seen one of them in a tool shop and they look good and I like the fact that they are light. But looking in the Festool catalogue the cs70 looks better but heavier and it must cost just over £1,500 for the full set if I shop around.

Not tried or seen the CS50. Yes, that's about right.

I am a recent convert to Festool my other Festool stuff is great but not sure that I need to buy their table saw.

It is a brilliant bit of kit, but far too expensive. I didn't have (and needed) a mitre saw, so managed to justify it to myself by attributing £500 odd of the cost to that function of the saw. Haven't regretted it. It is a bit on the heavy side, manageable, but you wouldn't want to have to take it up and down too many stairs twice a day. It's a fantastically well thought out bit of kit for a portable saw. I think Mafell do a similar saw for a bit less, the Erika or something, if you can find one in this country.

However, comparing like with like, you don't need all of the table extensions and slider, and wouldn't get them with any of the other portable saws. So the basic version at circa £1k is a better straight comparison, add in the mitre saw function and it starts to look not quite insane in price. If you already have a good mitre saw, I think it would be very hard to justify.

 

[kevin m]

Thanks again everyone, Maybe I will try to improve the dust extraction on my old Elu. I have only half tried in the past.
I have been lugging it around for the last 12 years I guess abit longer won't hurt. ( O yes it will, It's bloody heavy!)

Cheers Kevin.

 

[devonwoody]

Up and down stairs with a table saw, :roll: :roll: :roll:

You could,
The top plate releases, two thumb catches, carry plate up or down.
Circular saw (mine is the Triton) or eqivelent another lump.
Frame, the legs fold into the frame, four buttons to release.
So thats three trips, plus dust extraction.
I think you need to get a couple of slaves!

(and I dont think any lady customer would be happy if you took that size tool into her bedroom!)

 

[kevin m]

Hi, Thinking about it some more, weight is an issue and that Festool CS50 is tempting at under 20kg. I guess I need to go to a toolshop and try and pick these babys up! Since I got the Festool ts55 saw I don't tend to bring the flipover with me unless I know I am going to need it. Any other suggestions gratefully received. I don't mind if a saw weighs 35kgs but over that and it really will have to be special. Thanks again . Kevin.

 

[fremar]

I will echo Devonwoody's comments on the Triton 2000 workcentre. I also have this setup and think it's an excellent value for money investment in my case, where space is at a premium and portabillity a great asset.

I followed with interest Devonwoody's attempts to replace the Triton with another saw, even putting his Triton up for sale at one stage, I'll bet he's pleased he never sold it now.

fremar

 

[-David-]

Hello

I too am flummoxed ? as to which portable saw to get. briefly, I cannot consider anything permanent and possibly cast iron until I have built my workshop. But I need a saw to build my workshop and general house DIY.
I am so frustrated at the moment because I simply cannot rip in a straight line. All my machine tools are in a grotty shed up a steep drive, so any jobs I do at present means transportability. I already have a Makita LS1013 which is brilliant and can also go in the wheelbarrow!!

Devonwoody and fremar , are you both saying that the Triton would be as good for fine cabinetmaking and more robust garden type work?
Are you using the Triton saw and what depth of cut are you achieving?
The advantages I see that it is transportable;
Well made ( I have the Triton router centre and Triton router );
It will not rust! ;
You can accesorise;
By all accounts accurate.

I have been thinking of the Scheppach ts2010 base unit??

I hope this adds to the thread and would also help kevin m.

David

 

[Barry Burgess]

David the Triton allows for a cut of 52mm with the height winder attached - slightly less than without 56mm. The scales allow you down to .5mm and with the triple cut 60T blade you get a very good cut else 24T for general work.
If you use the maxi extension table it is easy to cut an 8X4 sheet on your own. Legs hold and it fits in the boot. Table top is easily remove to make it more portable. Below the table dust collection does not require a vacuum with the dust bag

 

[devonwoody]

David, I can assure you it can do both fine carpentry and outdoor construction projects as well.

This was made with a triton and bandsaw.

Can post a picture of a fence I did last week, or those gardenden benches and table earlier on this thread were made three years ago with the triton.

 

[-David-]

Thanks both.

That ripping is impressive. What timber is that you are ripping, it looks more than 52 or 56mm? I have been looking at their videos online.
Do you use the Triton saw?
I will be out working now, so will check if you have kindly replied late afternoon.

Thanks

David

 

[devonwoody]

The outside work was ripping up some 10x2" softwood over 3mtrs lengths, hence outside setup.
It will rip hardwood upto the 56mm depth . Mind you I'm using the dedicated Triton circular saw, 2200watts. with a 235mm blade so there is plenty of power and the blade size means there is more humf than usung a 250mm
Never stalled, the first blade I stuffed up after two years I was ripping some posting for a neighbour which had preserative already on, the preserative went sticky with the blade heat and clogged up the dust extraction port and overheated the blade.

 

[the_g_ster]

Hi, I have the Ts2010 with the extensions etc, it's a pretty good package though not ultra portable, though get in car/van easily. It has pretty good dust extraction when twinned with a DX5000. Is dead quiet too. the only gripe is that there is a bit of play in the rail for the mitre fence and it's depth of cut is the same as your festool. I saw a record table saw the other day and for the money was blown away as to the quality for the money compared to mine, but that weighs as much as your van. I think some people have got the slot for the fence machined out to take an extra aftermarket fence.