Table saw under £150? Ryobi ETS 1526AL?

[Oldman]

I fancy rather than need a table saw (cant cut square!) and so really dont want to spend lots to have it maybe sit doing nothing most of the time, though once I have one I will no doubt find lots of things to use it for :wink:

I found the Ryobi ETS 1526AL at tooled-up for £123 with coupon but also saw the same model on Sitebox for £137 that seems to have more bells and whistles?
Are the pictures of the same kit or is one wrong.

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=138514
http://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/product/RYO_E ... volt-only/

Is this about the best value for my money or should I be looking at another make?

Thanks.

 

[wizer]

You need to double your budget to get anything of any quality. This has been discussed many many times and the general consensus is that the cheapest quality table saw is the little axminster TS200.

 

[ByronBlack]

ditto what Tom said. If you aren't going to use it often, save your cash and look at other options or wait until you can get something better.

What operations do you need to do? Is it ripping or cross-cutting? Or both?

 

[studders]

The sitebox ad is very misleading as that is not a 1526AL in the picture, it is a 1525SC (Sliding carriage) which much more expensive. The tooledup spec is correct. I bought a 1526, which is very similar to the 1526AL except it has a steel table rather than an aluminium one, and I wish I hadn't really.

 

[Oldman]

Thanks for the replies, I really cant justify spending more than £150 as I just wont get the use from it. Its more of a whim than a need. I cant cut a square end to timber with a hand saw these days and I sometimes would like to rip down some stock timber to get a size I want.

Perhaps I will watch to see if anything comes up for sale locally.

Thanks for confirming that Sitebox has the wrong picture studders.

 

[ByronBlack]

Oldman - if you all want is a square end then a cheap circular saw and sawboard will do the trick - and will give you the benefit that you can also cut sheet goods to size this way.

You can also use it for ripping.

Making a board is very easy, read this post for all the info you need:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.p ... ic=43568.0

If you don't want to make a sawboard, you could the 'EZ route' and use a Eureka: http://www.eurekazone.com/

Either of these options would be a far superior choice in buying a cheap tablesaw, and will take up a lot less room.

 

[Digit]

fancy rather than need a table saw

That'll change once you begin using one, trust me!

Roy.

 

[wizer]

fancy rather than need a table saw

That'll change once you begin using one, trust me!

Roy.

agreed, i miss mine

 

[Digit]

I served an apprenticeship in wood wizer and a TS was then simply a 'circular saw' and was used for roughing timber down to size, and to me that's what my TS was.
Was!
With quite a few mods and various jigs, my TS now cuts to size, squares the ends, cuts rebates and grooves, cuts mitres, tenons, comb joints and roughs out dovetails.
I'd be lost without it!

Roy.

 

[Oldman]

I'm almost afraid to ask this now....but here goes anyway.

What do we think of this saw http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?a ... id=9376545

MacAllister Table Saw With Laser COD250LTS 250mm 1500W

I can get it today if i'm quick for £112.

Surely this will be better than me making a wooden slide for my cheap circular saw ?

 

[Creampuff]

Having bought a very cheap Titan table saw a few years ago, i can only agree with these fine gents.

My table saw is now primarily used as a desk, as the Fence is about as useful as a glass hammer, the mitre track is no better, and its a noisy as hell on a busy day.

About the only thing of use would be the NVR switch.

please take the advice from these fine gents and save yer money.


Regards

 

[NeilO]

These cheap saws are not very accurate, the machining is rough and ready, most of the additonal components suck (fence , mitre etc )

and after the novelty of owning the cheap TS has worn off, the howl they emit (being brushed motors ) and believe me they do howl like a Banshee, will drive you insane DAMHIKT :lol:
like others have said the best of the "cheap" saws is the Axi TS200

make do for now, save your money and buy a decent TS.

Nothing sounds better than the gentle hum from below a huge slab of CI

 

[Digit]

I wish I'd listened to that sort of advise, could have saved myself a fair bit of cash.

Roy.

 

[jlawrence]

If you're going to buy a cheap TS then you might as well get a really cheap one 2nd hand of fleabay other than that save up and get something reasonably accurate.

 

[Rich]

Well, I beg to differ, that was the 1st TS I bought for £149.00, blinking good value for my money and once fettled, very accurate, it just needs a decent blade in it, in addition there is the capability to install an inverted router on the right of the table, it enabled me to build my workshop anyway and the infill between, I sold it to a former forum member for pennies, I have a TS200 now and can still cut just as accurately but have more room for jigs etc and the sliding carriage is very useful, my advice is go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Rich.

 

[NeilO]

Rich, sounds like may well of been a Clarke 10CL TS ?
thats what I started with, but dreaded using purely from the noise it produced when running :shock:
found the table a little on the small side as well, and hated those bloody finger thingummies on the riving knife assembly. :?

 

[wizer]

I sold it to a former forum member for pennies

So would you agree that that money would have been better spent on the TS200 in the first place?

 

[Oldman]

Having phoned to check B&Q had stock, well just the one demo model I travelled to see it this eve. When I got there they couldnt find it!

They have one coming in sometime in the next 2 weeks so maybe I will go see it, or maybe not.

Rich is the only one to have said he owned one and that it worked fine for him, pretty sure at the low cost of it I may just take a punt if I like the looks of it.
There is absolutely no way I would spend £300 on a TS right now so its that sort of price or nothing. Heck it even had 2yrs warranty.

Thanks for all the input though.

 

[Rich]

I sold it to a former forum member for pennies

So would you agree that that money would have been better spent on the TS200 in the first place?

No not at all,just as other members here on the forum have been kind to me, the member mentioned did not have the finances to purchase a decent table so I virtually gave it to him, luckily due to a lot of overtime at work I was able to purchase the TS200, we all try to help each other out. We all have to start out somewhere, and hopefully progress from there as our fortunes in life get better.

Rich.

 

[sooty]

I have a MacAllister Table Saw without the laser I ditched the blade that came with it after 2 weeks and bought a pack of 3 from Axminster the saw is a different animal since putting the new blade on much quieter and much smoother cut, and I am quite happy with it now.

I must say though this is the only table saw I have owned so have nothing to compare it with,
Just one thought if you ever need spare parts for MacAllister tools B&Q
wont stock them, they are as rare as hens teeth?

Phil