Table Saw Recommendation @ Sub-£500

[beefsteaktom]

Hi all,
Could I please have your recommendations for a sub £500 table saw?

I'm wanting to make rustic furniture using reclaimed timber for the house rather than us buy flat pack.

All advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
BeefSteakTom

 

[Ttrees]

To speed things up, please consider answering all these questions, as this comes up all the time

You are using it on your own, in your own workshop, right?
Have you got 13a sockets or 16amp....and would getting 16a cut into tablesaw budget?
Are you willing to do some small work to the machine?

If yes to these questions
In your own garage, with nobody working for you
Cant afford 16a sockets, and it would cut into the saw budget
Willing to do simple things to get a great machine.
I suggest you look for a Wadkin, Startrite or similar machine.

These said machines have a riving knife, left tilting arbor, and slots either side of the blade.
I think what the Wadkin's has over the Startrite's is a double trunnion, and might be a bit more stable
on not so even ground...But
A lot of the Startrite's have a sliding table, and their more common and cheaper.
You can get three phase machines a lot cheaper, and run them off of a VFD/inverter which including one would
fit your budget.
If you are stuck with 13amp sockets, you can run a 3hp motor using a 100 quid VFD, without fuss.
You can only run a 2hp single phase motor on those plugs, because of the starting inrush from induction motors will blow the fuse.

 

[sunnybob]

If you have the room (workshop or at least a double garage) then your answer is above.
if you have no workshop and need to move the saw out of the way when not in use, then one of the best contractors site saw's around is the de walt 745, which can be bought brand new for just under 500 and only weighs 22 kg.

 

[craigs]

I'd also throw the Bosch GTS10XC in there, a damn fine saw

 

[Bodgers]

Hi all,
Could I please have your recommendations for a sub £500 table saw?

I'm wanting to make rustic furniture using reclaimed timber for the house rather than us buy flat pack.

All advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
BeefSteakTom

Axminster AC216TS

 

[PeteG]

I have the Dewalt 745 Tom, and find it a lovely saw. A little on the noisy side without ear muffs, but it has a solid rack and pinion fence, a good width of cut, and it's nice and accurate. I'm also in a single garage, and mounted the saw on a wheelie base with plenty of storage underneath
for offcuts...

 

[memzey]

To speed things up, please consider answering all these questions, as this comes up all the time

You are using it on your own, in your own workshop, right?
Have you got 13a sockets or 16amp....and would getting 16a cut into tablesaw budget?
Are you willing to do some small work to the machine?

If yes to these questions
In your own garage, with nobody working for you
Cant afford 16a sockets, and it would cut into the saw budget
Willing to do simple things to get a great machine.
I suggest you look for a Wadkin, Startrite or similar machine.

These said machines have a riving knife, left tilting arbor, and slots either side of the blade.
I think what the Wadkin's has over the Startrite's is a double trunnion, and might be a bit more stable
on not so even ground...But
A lot of the Startrite's have a sliding table, and their more common and cheaper.
You can get three phase machines a lot cheaper, and run them off of a VFD/inverter which including one would
fit your budget.
If you are stuck with 13amp sockets, you can run a 3hp motor using a 100 quid VFD, without fuss.
You can only run a 2hp single phase motor on those plugs, because of the starting inrush from induction motors will blow the fuse.

Just to be clear; “older machines” (depends on what you mean I suppose but ones that go for circa £500) do not all have riving knives and most certainly do not all tilt left. Some older Sedgwicks don’t even have any slots in the table at all. If you come across a right tilting Wadkin AGS with a splitter don’t assume that there is something wrong with it - up to the early 1960’s that was how they were.

Having said all of that I’d still much rather have an old Wadkin than a newer machine at that price point. You get so much more metal for your money and the build quality on some of those machines is through the roof in comparison.

Hope that helps.

memzey (owner of old Wadkin and other vintage machine tools)