Table Saw advice

[JenksAnejo]

Hola fellas,

I'm looking into buying a table saw for laminate floor cuts, woodworking and other DIY stuff around the house. I imagine I will be using these quite a bit so I'm not afraid to spend the money on something durable.

As far as the table saws go I've narrowed it down to 2 (I think )

Dewalt : DW745

Porter Cale: PCB220TS

The Porter Cable has great ratings/reviews and has a better price tag then the Dewalt. The PC is $300 and it also includes a stand with wheels. I have to have something that is mobile. I have no experience with Porter Cable tools however.

Dewalt: Has better ratings than the PC but is $370 without a stand and $500 with the stand. All of my work tools are Dewalt and have never had any problems.

So my question is.. Is the Dewalt worth the extra $200 or does anyone have experience with either one? I'm also up for suggestions for any others.

Thanks in advance for any help!


*Im also buying a miter saw as well. Haven't looked into those just yet.. Suggestions are welcome.

[Simple1]

Both are very nice saws. Porter Cable makes excellent corded tools, so I wouldn't hesitate to get that. If you choose to go with the Dewalt, I would first try using it without the stand. Often, I'll use one of the cheap ($99) Delta saws. By placing it on a piece of 2" Dow board, it takes a lot of the vibration out and makes it cut pretty well.

Either of those saws are going to be limited in power, so they are just going to cut a little slower.

Good Luck

[JenksAnejo]

Awesome, thanks Brian. I appreciate the feedback.

[maninblack]

My best advice is to keep your hands away from the blade.

Makita 2705 10-Inch Contractor Table Saw is the best brand of table saw known to me so far. This is a really top class saw. However for some reason the scale didn't line up. Given that I only read the instructions as a last resort this is probably operator error. Once it is finetuned , it work just like a charm . I use it in my garage for building furnitures .The Fence was a little loose but after i tuned it, it was just fine.Just love it !

[shilala]

Mine is just like the 744x.
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW744X-...able+table+saw
I've had it for years and years, and that girl will go to work.
Doesn't move around when you're making a cut like the little portable saws, either. I can easily rip a sheet of plywood on it.

I'd not even consider a Porter Cable anything. Not if it was free. But that's just me.
They've never held up to work, but as a homeowner tool, I'm sure they'd be fine.

The biggie between the saw models is the size of the table. You need the biggest surface possible to rip. Those little saws are nice, but you'll need roller stands to work long or large materials.
The bigger saw, you won't.

On a compound miter saw, Lowe's always has one on sale where you get the stand free.
It's around 600 bucks, and it's heaven.
It's tough to calibrate, and doesn't help me much for cabinet miters, but it's perfectly good for everything else.
I think mine is the dws780. The free stand runs about $175, normally, and it's a hell of a deal on an awesome saw.

Good luck, brother.
And congratulations!!!

[Thery1959]

Makita 2705 10-Inch Contractor Table Saw is the best brand of table saw known to me so far. This is a really top class saw. However for some reason the scale didn't line up. Given that I only read the instructions as a last resort this is probably operator error. Once it is finetuned , it work just like a charm . I use it in my garage for building furnitures .The Fence was a little loose but after i tuned it, it was just fine.Just love it !

[hammondc]

Off topic, but I have my grandfather's Delta Homecraft table saw circa 1952ish that I am restoring for use in my up & coming workshop.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Thery1959

Makita 2705 10-Inch Contractor Table Saw is the best brand of table saw known to me so far. This is a really top class saw. However for some reason the scale didn't line up. Given that I only read the instructions as a last resort this is probably operator error. Once it is finetuned , it work just like a charm . I use it in my garage for building furnitures .The Fence was a little loose but after i tuned it, it was just fine.Just love it !

Sure. But what kind of cigars do you like?

[shilala]

Originally Posted by hammondc

Off topic, but I have my grandfather's Delta Homecraft table saw circa 1952ish that I am restoring for use in my up & coming workshop.

I'd like to see that.

[shilala]

Jarrod, just so you can drool over the best portable saw out there, here's a link to the Sawstop Jobsite Saw.
My sawstop cabinet saw is beyond reproach. It's infinately adjustable and holds onto calibrations. The safety aspect is just a bonus.
You do have to watch after metal, though. If there's an embedded nail, it'll cost you about 60 bucks to replace the crash cartridge and it'll ruin your blade.
That said, there's a key switch on my saw so I can turn off the protection feature if I'm cutting questionable material.
I also check old lumber with a metal detector, but that's just when I'm using lumber that's hundreds of years old. Reclaimed stuff from old house or under water.

[hammondc]

Originally Posted by shilala

I'd like to see that.

I'll start a new thread when I start the project. I even have the old manual etc...