Which Table Saw do I need?

[SpursDave]

Good morning all.I am very glad to have been accepted as a member of this group.
My first question is....

Can you recommend a table saw for a complete novice?

I have started a reclaimed wood business but after great success selling trellises last year

want to get a table saw to cut down strips to make them.

I know this could be a "How long is a piece of string!" question but I am a complete novice in many respects.

At a push my budget would be about £250.

Thank you all for your answers in advance

SpursDave

 

[Fitzroy]

Big question will be are you willing to go 2nd hand or only new?

Also how many feet or wood will you be cutting a month and what thickness and type of wood?
Fitz

 

[bp122]

Another question is, do you NEED one?
When I started my woodworking journey, I couldn't be convinced that I didn't need one. So went and bought one from Axminster at £500.

Now, it is a good saw, don't get me wrong, but for half the budget, you'd struggle to get anything decent.

Tons of folks here get a LOT done with a track saw and a DIY table. Wish I'd known that before I bought my table saw. It is portable, really easily stored away, get accurate results, dust extraction would be miles cheaper compared to a table saw( don't forget to factor the cost of dust extraction, unless you already have a solution for it t, it isn't really optional. The budget would probably be the same as your table saw)

Bottom line is you'd probably be happier and more successful with a good track saw than a bad table saw, of course depending on what you are using it for as @Fitzroy says.

Food for thought.

 

[Jameshow]

I have the screwfix titan one and for the work your doing its fine.

For £250 the quality / capacity dosen't improve greatly even if you buy second hand.

If you can stretch to £300 then a 315mm site saw has greater capacity. I'd avoid these saws second hand as they mostly seem to be run ragged.

You might find an old cast iron saw for £300 which will be heavy, durable and probably in need of some refurb.

Cheers James

 

[BHwoodworking]

i also thought i needed a table saw, then after watching matt estlea, i saw that i didnt need one, and instead i have got a track saw, and will probably get a bandsaw, because IMHO they are more versitile than than a table saw, but granted, when i get enough space (and cash), i will be getting a tks80.
what ive heard, the small axi one isnt bad, but you can probably find more for less elsewhere, but like i said, i dont have a bandsaw, so i do all my cutting between the scms the tsc55 and the carvex.

that said, if you do want a table saw, the evolution rage or fury 5 seems a good choice

 

[Jameshow]

Just be aware the evolution saws have a lower blade speed and therefore the cut isn't as good as most saws.

Cheers James

 

[novocaine]

it's for outside trellises from reclaimed wood. the wood could be any thickness but the cut will be long. a track saw isn't going to work without lots of additional work (supporting the track being the most obvious to me).

The quality of cut isn't going to matter beyond sqaureish and smoothish.

a table saw is the right tool for this job i.e. repetitive, cuts from differing stock.

250 quid is going to get you a saw in a box. for what you need it's fine. I assume all cuts are going to be the same thickness pretty much with little reason to change the fence, so set it up, get the fence parallel with the blade then clamp a bit a bit of wood to the table to hold the tip in place.
when you need to change the cut, remove the bit of wood then use it as a guide to reset the fence next time. as you'll likely have 2 cuts to make, make 2 bits of wood.

you will need push sticks (plural for the long cuts), you will need a table off the back of the saw to support the cut piece as it leaves the top of the saw and you may need a new, more appropriate blade.
if you want to cut to length as well, you will need a crosscut sled (this is the one job that a track saw could do safely as well)

they are all pretty much the same at that price, so take your pick from what you can get locally.

 

[Cirks]

I’ve got the Evolution from Screwfix (gone up in price since I got it but slap bang on your budget) and it has worked fine and with Saxon blades the cut whether 60 teeth or 100 has been what I would say as ‘very good’ - whether 3x2 treated ripped or other softwood. Haven’t used on any hardwood# though yet. Fence seems to stay square although easier to guarantee perfectly straight cuts in wider pieces than much narrower ones. For what you’re planning on doing it sounds fine. You will need supports on and off depending on lengths being cut but I’ve just used mixture of workbench and trestle when ripping up to 5.1m lengths

 

[Stevem]

+ one for Evolution Fury or Rage : using original evo blades you can happily rip through reclaimed timber with no fear of odd nails/screws/debris that might still be present. I'm a bit of a fan of Evolution saws (have Rage 5S, bevel chop saw,circular saw and jigsaw) brilliant tools for 'garden' work with recycled materials. Good luck whatever you get

 

[SpursDave]

Well thank you everyone for your informative replies.I will let you know in due course what happens.Thanks again.