Bullethead
Honored Veteran
Registered: 06/28/03
Posts: 2250
Loc: West Temple, TX
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PREFACE to main question; over the past year I have gotten sick of having so much stuff. I sold alot of my possessions, and shop items and am becoming more minimalist as I get older. I'm 45 now.
The military allowed me to have 21,000 lbs of stuff for my last two moves.....me the wife and two kids just moved to Texas and now we only have 7000 lbs of stuff..
Main Question---------------------
I love my table saw. It has worked for me very well through the years. I always thought what I would do if the motor went or the trunnions broke, bearing etc.
I always thought I'd buy a Cab saw, like most here have or want to do.
Then I got to thinking (and I know that is dangerous).
Do I really need a full size table saw?
Could I not use a 10 inch sliding miter saw for cross cuts and a fold away jobsite saw for ripping????????
The Ridgid/Bosch jobsite saw fold away in a corner and the new Dewalt JS saw is so lightweight I could put in on a shelf.
I think the compromises would be minor....am I wrong????
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www.stjude.org
My minimalist shop:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid6255915
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goaliedad
Member
Registered: 12/18/06
Posts: 2504
Loc: northwest Michigan
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alot depends on what you build. I get by with a 55 year old Craftsman 8 inch table saw. it was my Dad's so, no matter what I may get down the road, I will keep this saw. It has served me well. The biggest complaint is the small table makes it impossible to cross cut large pieces- that is why I also have a RAS. Ripping large pieces of plywood is done with a circular saw and homemade guide. I have built an outfeed table that works great for ripping longer boards.
Would I love a Cabinet saw- YES. Do I need it- well I've lived this long without, so I guess not. It would be nice- someday.
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Another day in paradise!
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Bill Anderson
Member
Registered: 02/18/07
Posts: 374
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goaliedad said:
alot depends on what you build.
HA! I was going to start off by saying the same. I have a SawStop, which I love to use, and I also have a Bosch 4100-09 jobsite saw. I can say that if I didn't have the SawStop, that I could easily use the Bosch as my primary saw.
I would break down sheets of plywood with Bosch jigsaw, or guided circular saw, and then crosscut with the sliding miter saw, and then the Bosch would fill in when I needed a tablesaw.
But would I want to give up my SawStop/cabinet saw? No way!
That's just me though.
Good Luck.
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knotscott
Member
Registered: 06/14/03
Posts: 10459
Loc: Rochester, NY
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The smaller TS will definitely cut wood, and will likely even cut accurately enough for fine furniture building. The benefit of a portable saw is portability due to it's small size & weight, but there are really no other advantages over a full size saw. What you'll be giving up is the mass and stability, table surface area, quiet high-torque power, some smoothness, any sort of a steel t-square Biese type fence, big smooth handwheels, long term reliability, etc.
There are definitely situations where both saw types have their moments. Only you can really decide which makes the most sense to you.
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"In my small mind I want it to make a difference because I paid 24 dollars for it ......" wick1438 on blade stabilizers...
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Murray M
Member
Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 1046
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And the plot thickens when you start considering a track saw (like the Festool TS 55).
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Bullethead
Honored Veteran
Registered: 06/28/03
Posts: 2250
Loc: West Temple, TX
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I've heard/read many people who say the Bosch or Ridgid are fine are primary saws. Plus they fold away for storage 
I rarely cut any large sheets of plywood, so I think this would be a good option
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www.stjude.org
My minimalist shop:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid6255915
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vitabile
Member
Registered: 06/27/04
Posts: 8313
Loc: Westchester County, New York
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I can't speak to the Rigid or the Bosch portable saws. However, I used to own a Craftsman benchtop saw & used it to make some fairly nice pieces. Including this one below.
Sears had a sale about 3 years back on their "zipcode" saws. I bought the 22124, which is the Craftsman Professional version. Full cabinet, weighs over 350 lbs, but not a true cabinet saw. The trunnions are lighter duty & more like a jobsite saw's than a true cabinet saw's.
I would not switch back to benchtop saw for all of the tea in China. The additional mass of the larger saw gives me cuts that are far smoother than I ever got from the jobsite saw. I can also spin a full width 8" dado set on the zipcode saw, which you can't do on a jobsite saw. Most of them limit you to a 1/2" 6" dado stack. The arbor just isn't long enough to accomodate more than that.
Edit: The difference is the smoothness of the cut. The job site saw left tooth marks on every cut that had to be sanded off. This was caused by the natural vibrations of the blade spinning & there not being enough mass in the saw to dampen them. I get clean cuts now that rarely, if ever, leave tooth marks. The increased mass of the saw just dampens the vibrations down to the point that I can go straight to gluing after making a cut with a good blade. <end edit>
I don't regret getting the jobsite saw when I did, but I do wish I'd switched to a better saw sooner.
Tony
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"The art of leadership is to work with the natural grain of the particular wood of humanity which comes to hand."
John Adair
My woodworking blog: Tony's Woodshop
Edited by vitabile (06/13/09 01:00 PM)
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okstatefan
Member
Registered: 02/14/05
Posts: 2585
Loc: Forney, TX
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Again, it depends on how you work and what you build. I had seriously given the idea consideration after getting my track saw. I figured I could use the track saw for almost everything but ripping and the band saw for that task.
Then I started thinking about my accurate and repeatable miter gauge, the Shark overhead dust collection, the T-square fence, and the excellent results the saw gives every time. I just don't think it would be worth it in my case.
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meikj
Member
Registered: 03/13/04
Posts: 416
Loc: NW Chicago 'burbs
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Ha! I recently went through the same exercise. I just got rid of a Jet contractors saw with a 50" Vega fence. Replaced it with the Bosch 4100. I have found that the space I have gained more than made up for any shortcomings on the table saw. It works very well, and I would not question it's accuracy. For sheet goods/wide crosscuts I have a circular saw and EZ-Smart guide system. Also have a 12" miter saw and bandsaw. I love having back the space in the shop! The gravity rise stand is great, and it folds up and parks in the corner when more space is needed.
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BloomingtonMike
Member
Registered: 12/11/04
Posts: 4681
Loc: Bloomington, IL
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Why not just use handsaws or a on-base shop.
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Mikie's Shop
And that's what counts. Me. - Chris Schwarz
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