Recommend a small table saw

S

stratman

I have a low end 10" Craftsman table saw, but it's difficult to use for tedious work. I need a small benchtop table saw. I had a 4" Dremel 580 growing up (did lots of woodworking & model building), but don't have it anymore. It also seems that no one is making anything smaller than 8" these days, and Dremel quit making the 580 years ago. Is there anything out there that won't break the bank? I really like this, but it's out of my price range.

My wife is wanting me to start a doll house for our daughter, so I'm thinking this is a good time to ask for tools! :twisted:
 
How about a small band saw? They are perfect for exacting work and you can cut curves and angles easily. Sears has one on their website for $89.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921419000P?vName=Tools&cName=BenchPowerTools&sName=Band%20Saws&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

They use them for intricate scrollwork so it might be perfect for fragging. :)
 
I guess this one is out of your price range too, but....

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4905

I have two saws, a full size Dewalt and an Inca model maker's saw (6.5").

I don't use the Inca much at all but want to when I have more room. I'd sell that one for $1200 if you're interested. :p
 
Yeah, I was hoping someone knew something that was sub $200. The Proxxon looks very nice, but I can't justify that kind of money right now.

I have not had good luck relying on a band saw to get perfectly square and/or repeatable cuts. There is just too much walk in the blade.

I might could rent the Inca, but can't buy it.... sorry.
 
If you wanted to rent it or lease to own... we might be able to work something out. The reasoning behind the steep price tag it they don't make it anymore and it's a collectors item.

I might be able to point you in the right direction however. Craftsman makes some solid items but the small direct drive table saws are flimsy. Are you looking for a solid fence or do you crosscut all the time? I'd imagine you don't need dado blade capasity... what type of work do you do and also what are your frustrations with your current setup? (I used to sell woodworking tools and helped a lot of people figure out what they really needed)
 
I wrote up a nice little bit about what I needed, pressed submit and *poof* it's gone...

Let me try to summarize instead.

I work with a lot of small stock, stuff 6"x1"x1/4" thick. Tough to get accurate and sqaure when that small on a 10" saw. I'm looking for something good for small projects, doll houses, scratch built models, R/C airplane work, etc.

The sears saw is ok for ripping plywood sheets and I c-clamp a 2x4 as a fence. I have a really hard time keeping the cam fence it came with square. It has table extensions, but those are a joke when it comes to stability and squareness. The insert plate is also large and between it and the blade guard, make it really difficult to work with small stock. I do some cross cuts (but mainly use a miter saw for that), and some 30 & 45 degree angle cuts. But it seems even harder to get good results when I angle the blade over. It also has a big foot print in my tiny garage. It's always in the way!

I might be better off making a zero-clearance insert plate, investing in an upgraded fence and some high quality blades. Any input anyone provides is good at this point!
 
@stratman wrote:
I work with a lot of small stock said:
That last statement is about as good as I could imagine. Do a good basic tuneup while you're at it. (set blade square to the miter slots, fence square to miter slots, check arbor for run-out, make a zero clearance throat plate, clean and lubricate the table surface, re align the splitter, install a good blade/have it sharpened...

I use a lot of small stock also and sometimes building fixtures, jigs and thinking my way around it when using the big saw helps a bit. As long as you can be safe and accurate then it's all good.

Norm built a cart once for a small benchtop saw that really looked good and made the whole thing work better. Here's a link with a bad photo of it in use. http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?9908
Click to expand...
 
That self built cabinet is too cool. I'll book mark that and come back to it.

I'll work on tuning this one up and see where that gets me. I haven't done it since I bought it.
 
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