Table saw - upgrade or dump ?

[Krysstel]

I've have a 5 year old Rexon BTS10A which was/is my first and only table saw. Handytools have them listed on there site, but "out of stock" I guess it's very similar to the one Axminster sell but with an inferior bed.
For my use it's been fine, but :-
(1) the rip fence is dreadful. I've got an earlier version with a screw handle fixing and I have to measure that the fence is at 90 degrees before every rip.
(2) I have no side tables - didn't think I needed them 5 years ago and now impossible to buy.
There are verious fence upgrades I could buy to improve the saw; Axminster's, the Mule, the Kreg and others, and I could make some side extension tables. A better blade would also probably help matters. But is all this worth it ? Am I better off dumping the Rexon and buying something bigger and better ?
Comments and ideas from others who have been in a similar situation would be much appreciated.

 

[OLD]

dump. a proper saw will give you a much better result and hold its value better.

 

[dicktimber]

With christmas only weeks ago, ask for the cash instead of pressies....
Get rid of that thing and go for a little kity or the axminster with sliding carriage.......

life will be a dream.......


NO CASH????
DO NOT WORRY!

Just believe in Father Christmas......!!!!!
Say a prayer every night
stop going to the pub and no clubbing
save up your paper round money,,,,,,
do odd jobs for odd people in the road where you live...but inform an adult first...
Save aluminium cans..only 15 billions and you get a tenner.....

There you go..wasn't so hard was it?

Mike

 

[dicktimber]

Sorry.....
Just realised you live in NORWAY...I thought it said Norfolk!!!!

Well that's even better...
Cut down a whole forest of Norwegian wood at night, so no one sees you...
and sell it on e bay!!!!!!!

Ask if you need further help

Mike

 

[wizer]

dump

 

[mailee]

Yes definitely dump it and buy a decent one, you will not regret it. I struggled for years with a cheap Power Pro site saw and even modified it a little but in the end bought a good one. I have never looked back. :wink:

 

[Digit]

The difference between a good 'un and bad 'un has to be experienced to be believed.

Roy.

 

[woodbloke]

Dump - Rob

 

[Rich]

Hi Krysstel, what sort of budget do you have in mind?

Regards,

Rich.

 

[WellsWood]

No brainer - Dump!

 

[Krysstel]

Well that got a quick reaction !!
It appears the general view is that I should get rid of it.
Maybe I made things sound worse than they really are. Rexon still produce the BTS10 but now with a better fence and bed. The new version appears to be identical to the Axminster BTS10PP (current price £220); one is probably a copy of the other. For my use the Rexon works great but I'm fed up with the small bed and the flimsy fence. I would be interested to hear if anyone has the Axminster BTS10 so I can get an idea of the comparitive quality of the rest of the machine I have. Maybe it's actually worth my while upgrading it with a new fence if the rest of the machine is OK.
But to be honest, yes I want a new machine, I'm just trying to talk my way out of it !!
Budget wise I wouldn't have too much trouble with £300, maybe £400.
I see Axminster sell the Dewalt DW745 for £489. This saw is probably the most sold table saw here in Norway. Anyone own one in the UK ? Incidentally, I played with a DW745 in my local tool store last Saturday. The price ticket was NKr. 7990 - that's approx 750 in real money ! Needless to say, private import of workshop machinery is very popular and when it already has to be shipped by DHL it can just as easily come from the US where prices are even lower.

 

[woodbloke]

The price ticket was NKr. 7990 - that's approx 750 in real money!

And we've been bemoaning the price hikes at Axminster and the like over the last coming months. There is one consolation though and that is the 'Slope' in Norway is probably a lot less steep than the UK - Rob

 

[OPJ]

Hi Krystell,

I used to own a machine from Fox (Rutlands) that was pretty much identical to the Axminster BTS10PP. My advice to you is to find some more money and go for something like the TS-200 - I haven't used one myself but there are plenty of satisfied users on this site. Would a 2" depth of cut be enough for you though?

The fence on the model I had was okay but, I didn't find it to be as solid as I thought it could've been. The mitre fence was also sloppy in the track and, with the brush motor, it was a noisy little thing that'll make you jump when it starts up! :shock: :wink: I wasn't very happy with the set up of the riving knife (splitter, actually) which used to sway from side-to-side and interfere with the cut.

Seriously, if you can afford £300-400 then I would use it! I now get by without a table saw and use a combination of bandsaw and portable circular saw.

 

[Krysstel]

Hi OBJ

Completely agree with your comments about the fence, splitter and especially the motor - exactly what I experience with the Rexon. The mitre fence I've never taken out of it's plastic bag in 5 years - I use a mitre saw (DW700).
The TS-200 is probably just what I need but I have to be careful what I buy in case of repairs. Only "world-wide" names are sold in Norway - Dewalt, Bosch, Makita etc and I would be in trouble if I had to repair, or worse return, an Axmister saw.
What about the DW745 I mentioned ? It's expensive at Ax but I'm sure I can find it cheaper somewhere else. And I think Dewalt have a smaller, cheaper saw as well which could be an option.

 

[Krysstel]

Hi Woodbloke

Just ordered a Trend biscuit joiner from MTMC. Paid £114 (ex vat, Norway's not in the UK).With shipping costs I should get it to my door for approx £150. After a lot of hunting I found it in Norway for Nkr 2890 (£250). Hasn't arrived yet though and I ordered it last Wednesday. :?

 

[OPJ]

I don't know much about the DeWalt saw but, I do remember seeing it get a good write up in one of the UK woodworking magazines a few years ago. Likewise, with the Bosch, Makita and (possibly) Metabo models as well.

I imagine the fence will be better, without doubt. Although, it is a full-length fence so, there may well be a risk of kickback as the timber can move after the cut and bind behind the blade... :?

I think that at least one of these saws (maybe it's the Bosch?) has slide-out extensions on either side to increase ripping capacity.

I'd expect it to be a big step up from the Axminster and Rexon's anyway.

 

[woodbloke]

Hi Woodbloke

Just ordered a Trend biscuit joiner from MTMC. Paid £114 (ex vat, Norway's not in the UK).With shipping costs I should get it to my door for approx £150. After a lot of hunting I found it in Norway for Nkr 2890 (£250). Hasn't arrived yet though and I ordered it last Wednesday. :?

Apparently then there's still a steepish 'Slope' in Norway then :lol: - Rob

 

[Krysstel]

I meant Norway's not in the EU. Everyone knows it's not in the UK, although perhaps it should be ! :lol:

Mark

 

[Krysstel]

Just spent an hour on market research.

Metabo TS250 - telescopic table extension but can't move the fence to the other side of the blade. What a useless saw !
Dewalt DW745 - no table extensions and I don't need a saw with a roll cage ! Top quality but expensive.
Makita 2704 - telescopic table extensions and really well put together, but expensive.
Bosch GTS 10 - Wow ! Appears to have everything and currently £150 reduced at Axminster.
Scheppach TS2010 - I like the fold down side table (limited space in my workshop) but very expensive for size/capacity.

Does anyone have experience of the Bosch or the Scheppach ? Or similar alternatives.

 

[wizer]

The shepach is the one to go for.