The Table Saw Search: The Short List

In my search for the ultimate value for money quality table saw I've realised it's all about compromise. Weight vs. portability. Table saw vs loss of shop space. Quality vs. Affordability. Safety features: splitters vs. riving knives, and sawstop wizardry. Left vs. right tilt. Dado / no Dado. Mitre fences. Rip fences. So many options. So many decisions.

The other thing you suddenly realise is that Australia gets the world's left overs. Brands and models are limited. For example powermatic and delta currently have no Aust. distributor. Models here are often more expensive (which you can't blame the dollar or transport as they are mostly made in Asia). They are also often several years behind US/Euro models.

So I got thinking what do I really need or want? As I do mainly medium to large furniture projects my requirements start with reliably and accurately cutting 3/4" timber but can cut 2" hardwood without strain. Dado ability is handy. A riving knife I would consider standard safety equipement but I don't see SawStop as necessity. Left tilt is my preference. Good dust handling is important. I want it to last twenty years. The original budget $1.5-2.5K.

So lets look at the line up...

Laguna 10" Platinum - $1995

Available at Gregory Machinery the Laguna is my current preference. It's a 3hp left tilting cabinet saw. It has removable riving knife and saw cover.  The plastic faced steel T-style rip fence appears well built.  Standard 16mm or 5/8" arbour for a 10" blade blade for a 20mm wide 8" Dado. 220kg. Ticks quite a few boxes and is within budget.

Jet Proshop - $1499

The Jet Proshop is available through Carbatec. It's open base design is closer to a contractor saw than a cabinet saw. However, unlike a standard contractor saw its motor is contained within rather then at the behind. It is a left tilting 10" saw. It's lighter at 113kg and takes up less shop space. It's 1.75hp would be more than enough for cutting 3/4" furniture timber but I fear would struggle with thicker wood or while using dado blades. Dust handling appears average relying on a sloped internal case. None-the-less appears good value.

Jet Xacta Deluxe - $2799

A 3hp 10" Jet work horse. This saw shows promise but it's over budget and not available until March.  The non-deluxe model currently available at Carbatec doesn't have a riving knife but would be more than adequate.   

Sawstop Contractors Saw - $3115
The Sawstop Saws are now available at Gabbett. They have a great reputation of being well built quaity saws. The are unique in their SawStop safety features (though I'm sure other companies will catch up.) Similar in to Jet Proshop it is a 10" 1.75hp saw. The engine is behind but in the Australian version within a case. It has easy to use riving knife and good dust handling. But its over $3K and 1.75hp.

The Others

Carbatec had no stand-out models although the TSC-10HB looked interesting. It's a shame they stopped making the TS10L. The Felder/Hammer saws look great but start at $4.5K similar to the Saw Stop 3-5hp Cabinet Saw and over budget. Machinery House's offering looked like good value but nothing stood out.

I aim to order one early next week...

Table Saw Search: Laguna

Gregory Machinery (previous major distributor for Jet Tools) now is the first Australian distributor of Laguna products. They stock a small 'Fusion' Saw and a larger Platinum Model (Laguna Website).  3hp. Left tilt. T glide fence. Riving knife. Cost $1995. Online reviews are limited but largely positive. Most commenting on lack of service issues.

Laguna also sell a smaller 1.75Hp.. the Fusion

Table Saw Search: Machinery House

ST-12D

$2700 for a 12" machine with bells and whistles...

W453

$1115 for a 10" no trills but functional saw. 

The Table Saw Search: Carbatec

Carbatec  imports a limited selection of saws.

Carbatec Contractor

Only $899 with stats which aren't too bad. 1 1/2hp (the least powerful). 2.3K rpm cf 4K rpm of most other saws. 19mm dado capable (but limited by power). Cast iron top 1020x685. 110kg.

MJ2325CT

For $1195 you get 3HP. but no dado, and no flair. Not many details on this one. It is designed for an optional $699 sliding table.

X-Series

Carbatec's top of the range. $3795 (similar to the SawStop contactor and cheaper than the Hammer.) 3HP. No dado. 12". 265kg. Biesemyer style fence. Rise & fall splitter. (?not a riving knife.)

TSC-10HB

This appears to be a good all rounder. Reviews are a little mixed but mostly positive. 3hp. Dado to 15mm. Cut to 78mm. 195kg. Aluminium fence. Splitter. (Router attachement isn't appealing to me.) $1895. 

TS10L

Carbatec's most popular machine is the TS10L. Stu from Stu's Shed has this saw. Positive reviews. under 2K. Ummm.... and carbatec stopped selling it.... sad.

The Table Saw Search: Jet

Last year Carbatec took over from Gregory Machinery for the Australian distribution rights for Jet tools. They currently sell three models.

10" Proshop 

$1599 gets you a 1.75hp open base model. 1118x686mm cast iron top. T square fence. Positive reviews on the net. Riving knife. Good price. Main complaint is lack of power. A serious contender.

10" Xacta Cabinet Saw

$2499 for the larger 3hp cabinet saw. A quick search of the net will result in largely positive reviews. Then you realise that they are for the Xacta deluxe which has been the standard version in the USA for at least 4 years. Some major improvements include most notably a riving knife which is absent on the Carbatec Model. Carbatec tells me that they will have the deluxe model for $2799 in March.

10" Sliding

An inbetween 10 3Hp model for $1799. 800x350mm top with sliding table.

The Table Saw Search: The HAMMER

Reading through different forum posts it's not infrequent for someone to say if you want the best saw... buy a Hammer.

The Hammer  K3 is a serious unit. 4 horse power. 10-12" blade. 240kg (for the base unit.) No doubt a wonderful saw... but I'm a hobbyist. My wallet and my shed are not that big.

I'm waiting to hear an updated price from Felder. But Machinary4U has them for $5349 which is more than twice the original budget and more than my first car... 

The Table Saw Search: The SawStop Option

One of the names in tablesaws is SawStop. If you believe the advertisers it is the highest selling saw in its class. Introduced in 2005 the SawStop introduced a revolutionary safety feature which stops and removes the blade should it come into contact with your skin.

It's not all about the SawStop mechanism however. It has high precision components, an easy to use and exchange blade cover / riving knife, and well functioning dust collection shroud. It seems to be a seriously smart saw.

Other than a few complaints about the mechanism being too sensitive (firing in wet wood) and the high price the saw has nearly universal reviews.

The Gabbett Group is the local retailer of SawStop in Australia. They sell the 1.75hp contractor, 3hp and 5hp Cabinet Saws. 

For the contractor they are asking:

- $2800 - 1.75HP contractor with 36" Pro T Glide Fence.

- $240 - Heavy Duty Mobile Base

- $315 - Cast Iron Wings

- +GST

Total $3470.50 + Freight. 

The Cabinet Saw starts at $5130.

The reviews are favourable. High quality machine. Excellent safety features. Excellent dust extraction. Modest but sufficient power. But for that money you could buy a much more powerful cabinet saw... so I have to ask is it worth the money? 

The Tablesaw Search

Although I will always remain a hand-tool enthusiast there comes a time where practicality and speed necessitates a motor. The next few years will see more of my time on internal carpentry jobs rather than furniture pieces I need a way to safely and quickly process timber. Two big purchases I plan early 2013 is a cabinet saw and a router table. Decisions decisions.

(Image from http://www.machineryscans.com/woodworking%201.htm)