I'm not ripping logs, but having the option to do so would be nice *just in case*.Ripping hardwood logs needs a significantly different table saw compared to breaking down 10x5 sheets of 25mm buffalo board and both are significantly different to cutting 1/8" balsa.
Do you need depth of cut?
Width of cut?
Cross cutting?
Dado facility?
Highly accurate?
Soft materials?
Hard materials?
Balsa?
Aluminium?
Hard woods?
My 10" sip/Clarke does pretty much everything *I* need - mainly 2ft off cuts of plywood, and scaffold boards to 0.5mm accuracy.
But if I was working with full sheets of plywood, or building fine furniture - id be looking at something else.
ive used burdekins but it also wanted some fetterling as well to itEvolution RAGE5-S 255mm Multipurpose Table Saw With TCT Multi-Material Cutting Blade | Evolution Power Tools UK
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This is what I've used
I'm not ripping logs, but having the option to do so would be nice *just in case*.
Plywood, mdf, 2x4's, pallet wood etc. Perhaps a scaffold board. I might want to make a fancy chopping board from hardwood. Who knows.
Aluminium and plastic would most likely be cut as well.
Surely a £500 table saw should be able to cope with all of the above? Heck even a £200 jobbie should be fine with it. Which is what's puzzling me. Why the need to know all of this? What is the limitation?
Things I don't know:
Depth of cut
Width of cut
What is cross cutting?
Dado's are illegal from what I've read.
Accuracy is the difference between a cheap and expensive machine isn't it?
I have the same requirements and limitations as you do, and bougth this Elektra Beckum PK250Apologies if it comes across that way. I specifically asked about buying a table saw, and people are asking *what seems to me* silly questions; such as 'what do you mean by chopping wood'. Forgive my ignorance, but why else would I want a table saw? I really thought this would be a simple subject which didn't require minute detail.
The only requirements are that it does a good job of being a table saw, and that it's portable. It's going in my shed and has to battle for space with everything else. I'll be moving it out of the shed when I want to use it.
I'm not looking to build Noah's ark. It will be for occasional use where I need accuracy and repeatability across a range of sizes and shapes of wood. I may decide to build some furniture one day, but that's not currently within my skill level. At the moment I have some planks and battens which need to be cut to size at an angle and my circular saw isn't the right tool for the job. Hence I need a table saw.
I'm not ripping logs, but having the option to do so would be nice *just in case*.
Plywood, mdf, 2x4's, pallet wood etc. Perhaps a scaffold board. I might want to make a fancy chopping board from hardwood. Who knows.
Aluminium and plastic would most likely be cut as well.
Surely a £500 table saw should be able to cope with all of the above? Heck even a £200 jobbie should be fine with it. Which is what's puzzling me. Why the need to know all of this? What is the limitation?
Things I don't know:
Depth of cut
Width of cut
What is cross cutting?
Dado's are illegal from what I've read.
Accuracy is the difference between a cheap and expensive machine isn't it?
Nice. Thanks.Ard you looking for "portable" to transport to different job sites? Are you using it for work?
Or "portable" as in easy to store or carry out of the shed to work on the drive?
ie. "Carryable" or "wheelable"?
At one point I had my 10" bench saw built into a 3ftx6ft x12in "box" that could be put on sawhorses/trestles to work, but had wheels on one end so could be stood upright and rolled around for storage. (New Yankee Workshop "garage workshop" episode, or Google "Ron Paulk saw table")
Any machine - beyond the horrible cheapies with a folded sheet metal table will probably be okay for what you have listed above, tbh
The "crosscutting" issue is to determine if you need a sliding table, or whether a miter sledge would be enough (and thus if you'd need a miter slot).
It's basically cutting the short distance across a longer piece of timber - which can be dangerous on the wrong machine, but is also incredibly common especially when working with sheet materials.
"Dados" per-se aren't "illegal" - but adjustable width saw blades are much more expensive than "dado stacks" - which can't be used with braked motors.
A cheap machine can be made accurate - but not as easily as an expensive machine.
If I had £500 that I had to spend on a "portable" table saw, then I'd look for a second hand Milwaukee M18, simply because I already have batteries/chargers.
For a corded one: DeWalt, or an older Elu (who were bought by DeWalt) are my "go-to" brands.
I have a Whitehead junior which is "almost/just" portable - it has a tilting table, rather than a tilting blade, but is very accurate and powerful (it's belt driven, and i changed the motor for a 2.2kW/3HP)
If you can live with "not portable", then you can sometimes stumble on a wadkin within your budget - or double your budget, and buy a Lumberjack for around £1100.
Me personally, I'd recommend spending _30-50 on a 2nd hand Sip/Clarke/draper 10" / 250mm saw. Make a better fence for it.
Use it for a year or two until you get a better idea of what features you and the uses you'll put it to.
I do think the big name stuff in you budget are necessarily going to be much better, to be honest.
Nice. Thanks.
I'll be using it for DIY. Portable in the sense that it's not too large or heavy, and can be carried out of the shed and set up in the garden.
I've just bought this setup:
Dewalt DW745 Portable Table Saw + Stand DE7400 240V
Buy Dewalt DW745 Portable Table Saw + Stand DE7400 240V Online at the best price ➤100% Safe & Secure Shopping at UK Planet Tools shop ✅ 24 - 48 hr response time ⚡ Shop online for authentic, top-quality toolswww.ukplanettools.co.uk
I'd rather not be left wanting or wishing I'd bought something better to begin with. Do it once, do it properly.
there good saws and very capableNice. Thanks.
I'll be using it for DIY. Portable in the sense that it's not too large or heavy, and can be carried out of the shed and set up in the garden.
I've just bought this setup:
Dewalt DW745 Portable Table Saw + Stand DE7400 240V
Buy Dewalt DW745 Portable Table Saw + Stand DE7400 240V Online at the best price ➤100% Safe & Secure Shopping at UK Planet Tools shop ✅ 24 - 48 hr response time ⚡ Shop online for authentic, top-quality toolswww.ukplanettools.co.uk
I'd rather not be left wanting or wishing I'd bought something better to begin with. Do it once, do it properly.