190 Which Cheap Table-Saw should I Buy!?
Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ Collection 5, by multiple authors.
190 Which Cheap Table-Saw should I Buy!?
Art Mulder (art.mulder@ualberta.ca) (http://www.ualberta.ca/~amulder/)
March 8, 1996
URL: http://www.ualberta.ca/~amulder/wood/Which-TS.txt
[ The question is definitely an FAQ, but the answer is an IMHO ]
Every now and then someone posts a "I'm looking for a
good tablesaw in the US$300 range" query to the
rec.woodworking newsgroup.
Right after that come a flurry of "There ain't no such
thing as a good tablesaw for US$300" posts. These posts
usually advocate spending more like US$700.
Here is my standard response, which I sometimes email to
the original poster:
I see all these follow up posts telling you that you can't
get a "decent quality" table saw in the US$300 range.
They are right -- IF YOU INSIST ON BUYING NEW!
I say, buy used, especially if you're just getting started.
Check the classifieds, check your local "bargain finder" (an
all-classified advertising paper around here that always has
a few tablesaws in it) and shop around. Especially if you're
starting out (like me) this keeps your investment down, and
still gives you a quality tool. If you later decide that
woodworking just isn't for you, then you haven't invested that
much money.
I recently (Summer 1995) purchased a 20 year old Rockwell/Beaver
Table saw for $250 (Canadian funds, = about US$180). This is a
full size contractor's-style tablesaw with a solid cast-iron top.
In contrast, if you were shopping new, for $2-300 you'd be restricted
to the smaller benchtop-sized saws.
This Table Saw is in fine shape, and should keep me happy for a
few years. By then I'll either upgrade, or have decided that it
is sufficient for my woodworking needs. Sure the fence requires
some fiddling, but that's ok for now.
..art
ps: Besides, once you score that super deal on a used table saw
you can post a "tool gloat" or a "bagging the big iron"
article and have all of us drooling with envy.
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