Table/rip saw. Advice please!

[Pond]

Hello,

I will be needing a table/bench saw for my new upcoming foray into making my own kitchen (and various other stuff if I'm any good at it!!).

I only need a DIY one, but want it to be good quality, cut straight and not fall to bits in 6 months. I would like an accurate mitre fence and extensions to give more versatility.

I think (although still not 100% sure) I will be using kiln dried american oak.

My question is; will a small (1000-1200w) motor be able to cut this timber efficiently?

I have been looking at the Axminster TS200 but it only has an 1100w motor! Axminster also sell a JET saw at a similar price which has a 1500w motor. Am I right in thinking the more powerful the motor the better, or is more to do with the torque, rpm and type of blade?

I don't want to waste money on a saw that is not up to the job, or burns the motor out in a week!!

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance
Andy

 

[OPJ]

That Axminster TS-200 is very well regarded around here. As Axminster have recently started selling it in 'kit form' as well, it makes it more affordable, if you're someone who's prepared to build it in to its own unit - perhaps with an integrated router table on the right-hand side. I haven't personally use one but, I see no reason why it should struggle with 1in oak. It's essentially a 'clone' of the Kity 419 and I have heard that the Kity machine can feel a little underpowered when ripping hardwoods 2in thick, close to the limitations of the saw blade... That's not to say it's incapable; you may just have to reduce your feed-rate a little. What can also help is to buy a good quality saw blade (never the one that comes with a machine!) and select one with few teeth - you should be able to find something of the correct diameter but with only 16 teeth - that's ideal for efficient sawdust removal and fast cutting performance without putting any strain on the motor.

I mentioned the Kity 419 there and I recall that bigsoftmoose was selling his in the For Sale forum the other day... Would be worth a look, if it's not already available. These saws were previously made in France, before production was more recently shipped over to the Far East (where the Axminster saw is made today).

If you can afford either of those then, I wouldn't give that Jet saw a second glance. It looks similar to a saw I used to own, which had an unreliable fence and a noisy brush motor that started with a bang and didn't fill me with the confidence of using it for any fine woodwork. Those TS-200s are supposed to have a near-silent induction motor, if I remember correctly.

 

[Pond]

What do you think to this?

I like it cos it's shiney and got bells and whistles!! :roll:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

 

[Hobbyshop]

What do you think to this?

I like it cos it's shiney and got bells and whistles!! :roll:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

A completely different animal to the TS200

Expect it to reach between £800 and £1,000 by the time the auction ends.

 

[Ateallthepies]

Hi Andy,

You say you want a saw with accurate mitre fence? Well I have the TS-200 and while it is a great saw for the money the mitre fence is poor IMO like on nearly all the low to mid range saws. On mine the mitre fence had side to side play when running in the slot. I cured this on mine by bashing the aluminium runner with a hammer so splaying the sides out in places and it now is a good fit with zero play. Also when I tightened the mitre fence knob it locked the whole thing solid to the table. I had to add a washer to make it lock and also slide in the rail.

You could make a sled or two up for both mitres and straight cuts and this way you know you have true angles?

As for the motor, it is a joy to use after using a brushed cheapo saw. It starts and runs smooth and quiet. As for the ability to cut larger size hardwoods I can't comment but I have ripped 2" soft woods and 1.5" Hickory with no trouble.

I agree with OJP and that the blade choice is important and having a sharp suitable blade will make cutting a breeze.

The TS-200 is quite easy to get set up to within 0.10-0.20mm or so tolerances of the blade to the slot/fence if that's your thing so accuracy is no problem.

I looked at several table-saws in the Axi showroom before deciding on the 200 model and decided that for the money it was hard to beat.

Here is mine with a few mods...

Steve.

 

[Pond]

I know the ebay one is a different animal, but sexy ain't it?

Steve, thanks for the advice, I like your stop button! How did you route 'STOP' into a pork pie?

Also never seen a vertical router table before! Looks a bit like a tumble drier or washing machine!

 

[Ateallthepies]

That tumble drier is as old as I am (36) and will probably out live me :shock:

Steve.

 

[Shane]

How about this one?, you can get the sliding table and extension tables at a later date if you so wish. I consider this to be a very cost effective machine and will be plenty accurate enough, and maybe get a wheel kit if you need to move it around?

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... rod832683/

 

[Pond]

Shane,

I did look at that one, but I don't think I need a cast table (or do I)? I presume that is why it is £300 more than the TS-200.

Still seems very good value for what it is.

Thanks for the tip.

Andy

 

[harryc]

From what you say you need, making Kitchen cupboards etc then the axi TS200 will be more than adequate to handle that sort of job.

Of course the Deft and other clones are sexy but unless you are thinking of going professional or have the need to rip large boards accurately you dont need anything
more than the axi or Kity419 for home use.

 

[Shane]

Shane,

I did look at that one, but I don't think I need a cast table (or do I)? I presume that is why it is £300 more than the TS-200.

Still seems very good value for what it is.

Thanks for the tip.

Andy

Hi Andy, I only recommended it becuase Steve thought the fence was poor, and you certainly don't need a cast iron bed, it may even be a disadvantage because of the weight. Also with the delivery charge the difference in price is £250.

cheers

Shane

 

[George_N]

If you are building kitchen units you will probably need to break down 8 x 4 sheets of whatever sheet stock you choose, whether it is melamine faced chipboard, veneered MDF or whatever. A small, lightweight table saw isn't the best tool for that job and an 8 ft rip needs more like 20 ft of clear space and plenty of in-feed/out-feed support. I'd recommend either a cheapish hand-held circular saw and straight edge to cut sheet goods to managable size and cut to final size on the TS200. Another alternative would be one of the more expensive track saws (Festool, Mafell, Makita, Dewalt) which are purpose made for this kind of job and will give cleaner cuts than any cheap/mid range TS and all the space you need is the size of the sheet you are cutting. If you do go with the TS200 I would suggest making a cross-cut sled for squaring up panels and lots of other cross-cutting jobs besides, there are plenty of ideas and plans out there a quick google will provide plenty of ideas. I built a kitchen using a circular saw and sawboard (another thing to google) and a support grid made out of 4 x 2s to rough cut 8 x 4 sheets of MFC and then cut to size on my Triton workcentre. I hope this gives you a bit more food for thought.

 

[OPJ]

Shane,

I did look at that one, but I don't think I need a cast table (or do I)? I presume that is why it is £300 more than the TS-200.

Still seems very good value for what it is.

Didn't realise Axminster were also now selling this larger saw with and without the add-ons - it's another favourite around here although, the price of the full kit (including extension and sliding table) has put a lot of people off in the last couple of years. You do get a lot more cast iron and, with that, comes a lot of extra weight (nearly 200kg, according to their spec.). You'll also get an extra cutting depth up to 3in.

I still think it's a big investment if you're not certain of how much use this machine will get... However, if you have the funds and, more importantly, the space then, it's got to be worth it.

George makes some very good points on working with sheet materials on your own.

Whichever you decide to go for, you'll also want to invest in a decent blade or two for clean cuts in manufactured boards - generally speaking, any saw blade supplied with a machine will do little to inspire confidence in your new toy.

 

[Shane]

Whichever you decide to go for, you'll also want to invest in a decent blade or two for clean cuts in manufactured boards - generally speaking, any saw blade supplied with a machine will do little to inspire confidence in your new toy.

Totally agree, a decent quality blade can transform even the poorest quality tools

to follow on from george, you could always make your own saw guide for your circular saw to cut sheets, much cheaper than festool/mafell/makita but you end up with exactly the same results

 

[Pond]

If you are building kitchen units you will probably need to break down 8 x 4 sheets of whatever sheet stock you choose, whether it is melamine faced chipboard, veneered MDF or whatever. A small, lightweight table saw isn't the best tool for that job and an 8 ft rip needs more like 20 ft of clear space and plenty of in-feed/out-feed support. I'd recommend either a cheapish hand-held circular saw and straight edge to cut sheet goods to managable size and cut to final size on the TS200. Another alternative would be one of the more expensive track saws (Festool, Mafell, Makita, Dewalt) which are purpose made for this kind of job and will give cleaner cuts than any cheap/mid range TS and all the space you need is the size of the sheet you are cutting. If you do go with the TS200 I would suggest making a cross-cut sled for squaring up panels and lots of other cross-cutting jobs besides, there are plenty of ideas and plans out there a quick google will provide plenty of ideas. I built a kitchen using a circular saw and sawboard (another thing to google) and a support grid made out of 4 x 2s to rough cut 8 x 4 sheets of MFC and then cut to size on my Triton workcentre. I hope this gives you a bit more food for thought.

I am planning to only use a table saw for ripping small cross section timber. I have a Makita hand held circular saw and straight edge already for sheets and have various supports (sometimes the wife!).

I think I will go for the ts-200 'kit' from Axminster with the side extenions, just to give me more scope.

I really do need smaller portable equipment, as my workshop (garage), although large is used for many other things so need the space.