table saw

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Depends on the use. For pen blanks, probably. For large furniture items, probably not. Depending on how cheap, you might not get a true running blade. If you do, the quality of the blade will determine a lot of how good a cut you get. It is possible you would need a $100.00 to $150.00 blade in your $99.00 table saw for certain desired outcomes.
 
You don't necessarily have to buy a hugely expensive saw to get good cuts. I use a relatively inexpensive Ryobi BT3000 that has done a great job for several years.
 
In my experience, it's not the alignment that is the problem, it's the rip fence on a cheap saw. You can use the fences by clamping the outfeed end, if it doesn't have the clamp on that end. This doesn't cure the problem, but helps a lot. As for blades, a $20-$30 blade should be fine for what a cheap saw can handle. Just my $.02.;)
 
I agree with Steve, I have a $200 Ryobi mobile contractor saw with a $40 finish blade that has performed as well or better than the $500 Dewalt equivalent that we use at work...er...when I used to work...heh. [:P]

I use my Ryobi every day making blanks, and couldn't be happier; I've had it for almost three years. I built a longer fence jig that drops over the stock one that allows me to make 3 1/2" deep cuts in the raw timber that I bring in. I have to go slow with stuff that big, but it does the job, and it's nice and portable with the built-in folding wheeled stand.

I know they make a table-top model for around $100 at Home Depot, but I haven't looked close enough to see if it's the same saw without the stand or not. It'd be worth checking it out, and for making pen blanks out of smaller stock, it'd be a good saw if it's even close to the one I have with regard to the motor size and fence configuration.

In my experience, Ryobi has been making some pretty good stuff the last few years, and I have 4 tools in my shop that I use everyday without a problem, although my belt/disk sander was giving me fits with the drive belt. I took the first two machines back and got replacements for them, and the third one seems to be working better. There was a known problem with the belts for a while. Other than that, it's a really great sander for $100.

Hope that helps a little.
 
check ebay and craigslist in your area. If you can find a Ryobi BT3000 or BT3100 for $200 or less, that's the way to go. You simply can't touch the results you gert with anything less than a $500-800 saw, and In my opinion more like a $3k Euro style saw.

There are a couple Craftsman clones (saw saw, different colors)too but I don't remember the model numbers off the top of my head.
 
I started with this cheap little Craftsman saw and it worked fairly well. I made a couple of sleds and jigs for it. Picked up a decent Freud blade. I made some decent cuts with it but I never could get a good miter cut in either direction. Of course it didn't take long to grow out of it.
If it's the best you can do, well get what you can afford. Of course you know what comes next,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"you can cry once when you buy it or cry every time you use it" Sorry, but it had to be said.

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Good luck and have fun.
 
I started out with a cheap $125.00 Tradesman table saw. The biggest issue I had (other than typical cheap saw issues) was that the miter gauge slots were not 3/8 x 3/4 like most saws. It was much harder to make accessories for it. Another thing to look for is the table insert. Because of the way the saw was made, I couldnt make or fab any zero clearence inserts which made cutting pen blanks a challenge. A cheap saw will make you work harder to make something with any amount of accuracy but it makes getting a good saw a shear joy. Good luck.
 
you can find some decent Craftsman on sale every now & then for under $300. My table saw is an older one my wife bought used from a friend) before we were married, so not sure how old it is, probably about 15 yrs old. It's a worm drive. The fence could be improved but I tweak/bump it 3 or 4 times before multiple cuts & it does great. Keep a decent blade on it, oil the motor couple of times a year(pending on usage). Would tell you to check pawn shops but you never know what you'll get, unless you know what to check for!! good luck!!!
 
One of the most dangerous things about a table saw is kick-back. One way this is caused by a misaligned fence pinching the board as it's cut, the wood is then flung back with enough force to cause serious injury. Johnny Cash's older brother was killed this way.

Better saws have fences that can be aligned to the blade and a splitter directly behind the blade to prevent stock from pinching the blade as it's cutting wood.
 
Originally posted by Ron in Drums PA

One of the most dangerous things about a table saw is kick-back. One way this is caused by a misaligned fence pinching the board as it's cut, the wood is then flung back with enough force to cause serious injury. Johnny Cash's older brother was killed this way.

Better saws have fences that can be aligned to the blade and a splitter directly behind the blade to prevent stock from pinching the blade as it's cutting wood.
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This is one of the main things I love about the BT3XXX saws, they have a riving knife instead of a splitter. It serves the same function, but is a MUCH better design (raises and lowers with the blade so the guard stays in correct relation to the stock). This is a feature you won't find on most saws in the states, but are required on Euro style saws.
 
John, I think the cut of a table saw is just a matter of opinion. To each their own. For pen blanks, it's really a non issue, you could get by with any saw. Now if you are segmenting, that might be a different story. Let us know what you are going to be using it for and we can get a better idea.
Oh, please do not take the safety issue lightly, like others have mentioned. I'll bet everyone of us has had wood flying through the air.
 
Ok, I'll go out on a limb...I have a Ryobi BT3000 and a Powermatic Contractor saw (I use and LOVE both saws for what they do).. BUT for cutting pen blanks the best tool (for me) is a band saw (there, I said it). It is safer, the kerf is finer so there is less waste and you can cut thicker or thinner wood using the same blade AND finally, if tuned correctly it is very accurate. Yes, the edges of the blanks will have the bandsaw blade ripples BUT you are turning that away anyway...(OK, now I'm running for cover!:D)
 
I'll agree with Gary to some extent. For milling pen blanks from larger stock, I usually turn to my band saw (less waste). For segments and inlays, table saw only. And I have two. One Craftsman like the one pictured above and a Delta contractor saw w/Biesemeyer fence. I use them both regularly and both have thin kerf blades installed. I've used a Freud thin kerf finish blade on the Craftsman for 5 years now and it still cuts very well. If you keep the saw tuned right (many articles on this can be found) and use a good quality blade, you can get joint perfect cuts every time. I use a lot of glued up panels for making furniture and I don't have to joint the edges after cutting.
 
For thin kerfs and fairly good blades for pen blank cutting, you can use 7 or 7 1/2 thin kerf blades on a 10 inch table saw just fine. The Freud Diablo 7 1/2 has a kerf of 1/16 inch I think. These are good blades and make smooth cuts on a good saw.
 
To All:
John's intended use for a table saw is to make small boxes using wood no thicker than 3/4 inches. I gave him my 4" dremel 580 table saw (which he got today) but he is looking for something a little more accurate and with more power than what the dremel has. He has to be able to cut accurate miter joints for the boxes.
 
Originally posted by leehljp

For thin kerfs and fairly good blades for pen blank cutting, you can use 7 or 7 1/2 thin kerf blades on a 10 inch table saw just fine. The Freud Diablo 7 1/2 has a kerf of 1/16 inch I think. These are good blades and make smooth cuts on a good saw.
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Hank, I currently have a 7 1/2" Diablo on my Craftsman, but the kerf is closer to 3/32". That's still pretty small works for a lot of what I want it to do. My only complaint about the blade is that it doesn't cut a flat bottomed kerf.

Bruce, good on you. I hope it meets his needs well.:)
 
Billy and Hank

I have a 7-1/2" DeWalt blade for my TS, it cuts a 1/16" kerf. I picked it up at Lowes. I sent the blade out to get sharpen to cut a flat bottom. It cost me less than $10 for the sharpening, blade was about $15.

Problem is there is not much carbide on the blade, I won't be able to sharpen it a second time, but I'm really pleased with the cut I get.
 
Originally posted by Ron in Drums PA

Billy and Hank

I have a 7-1/2" DeWalt blade for my TS, it cuts a 1/16" kerf. I picked it up at Lowes. I sent the blade out to get sharpen to cut a flat bottom. It cost me less than $10 for the sharpening, blade was about $15.

Problem is there is not much carbide on the blade, I won't be able to sharpen it a second time, but I'm really pleased with the cut I get.
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That is good to know. Thanks for this post as I will keep this in mind for the future. In specialty blades such as using for kerfs in blanks, a one time sharpening still should last a good while. It is not like using it daily for ripping and crosscutting.

On the Diablo, a couple of friends on a WWking forum recommended that blade. I remember looking it up on Amazon and they did have a 1/16th kerf blade, but it seems to me that it read recently that was, or is about to be discontinued.

AS to blade KERFs, There is a 1 mm blade here that is actually .9 mm, and it aggravates me because I can get lots of 1mm sheet plastic and soft metal material for segmenting in the kerf. The next size in 1.2mm and that is too big for the 1 mm sheets
 
Hank, the 1/16" Diablo is the one I think Eagle uses. I tried to get one last year at Lowe's, but they were no longer available. The new one (3/32") is what I ended up with, I just don't like the kerf bottom for inlays. I just checked the Freud site out and they don't mention the Diablo at all. Everything is the Avanti now and it has the same kerf as my Diablo. The good news is that the TK500 is flat. I plan on checking at Lowe's to see it they carry it.

Thanks, Ron! That's good to know and I'll check into that as well. You might be interested in looking at the TK500 too.
 
If you have a tooth replaced on a blade, a sharpen service will mount a wider piece of carbide and grind it down to size to match the other teeth.

A good sharpening service shouldn't have a problem turning a 1.2mm blade into a 1mm blade. That goes the same for a 3/32 blade to a 1/16" blade.

What they charge may be a different story, but like Hank mentioned it would be a specialty blade used only for special cuts and should last a good while.
 
I have the same table saw in steves post above. I will say it comes just short in just about every way. the blad tilting carriage does not work smothly and is a bit like arm wrestling to use it. the blade does lower well but raising it feels like you should be using a wrench. the table is fine but but does not have standard miter slots. the rip fence is total trash as well as the miter gauge. it actually rocks back and forth in the slot. the blade insert does not fit flush with the table even short 3" wide pieces will tip into the blade so ripping pen blanks will never produce square cuts. It does have plenty of power and I have cut some visious slabs on it. but for quality pecise clean cuts needed for most woodworking. forget it, this is a hack of a saw. You can get a top preforming saw at good prices but you have to know what you are looking for. If you ahve the chance to even use a saw for a small project do it. you can gain a lot of first hand knowledge real quick that way. take the time to fiddle and adjust things. try to set the blade square to the table, raise it and lower it. bring a pice of scap wood with you and rip itin half. then cut 45 degree miters on one end of each piece and see how well they fit together. Do that on even three or four different saws and you will get a real understand of what works and what doesn't and why. I have the privelege of using a Delta Unisaw from time to time. It's nice but I don't use a table saw enough to go buy one. I want to do a lot of projects that need a saw of that quality though. so it is on my someday list.
 
While it's true that I am far from a true craftsman, I really like my ryobi. Since I am no pro, I relied on online reviews to choose mine. The reviews spoke highly of it and it has performed well for me.

It's possible that you have a dog.
 
If you are talking about the Ryobi BT3000 or BT3100, then you either have a very bad saw, or you need to do a cleaning an tune-up (as you should on any quality tablesaw from time to time)

Originally posted by Daniel

I have the same table saw in steves post above. I will say it comes just short in just about every way. the blad tilting carriage does not work smothly and is a bit like arm wrestling to use it. the blade does lower well but raising it feels like you should be using a wrench.
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The parts are likely cloged with sawdust. Take the side panel off and clean them thoroughly and use a dry (non-silicon)lube on them.

the table is fine but but does not have standard miter slots. the rip fence is total trash as well as the miter gauge.
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No miter slots - True, you don't need them, but they are available if you feel you do. On this saw, you align everything to the blade (rip fense and sliding miter table), the actual saw table may not be 100% in line and thus why it does not have miter slots in it.

The Rip fence and the Miter Table are both adjustable, if you have slop in them it's easily correctable.

it actually rocks back and forth in the slot.
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Not sure what you mean? there are no miter slots I thought you said.

the blade insert does not fit flush with the table even short 3" wide pieces will tip into the blade so ripping pen blanks will never produce square cuts.
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Not sure what is wrong, but there are adjustment screws under the throat plate. Mine is a 3100 and I know the thoat plates changed between the 3000 and 3100 so yours may be different. regardless, you should be able to shim it up somehow.

It does have plenty of power and I have cut some visious slabs on it. but for quality pecise clean cuts needed for most woodworking. forget it, this is a hack of a saw.
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Again, cleaned, lubed and properly adjusted the Ryobi BT3xxx is a hard saw to beat for anywhere near the price. I've used it for years with no complaints, getting beatiful joint ready edges on my original blade (which I admit needs to be sent for sharpening now) and if you don't think that quality pieces are produced on it every weekend, I recommend going to www.bt3central.com and checking out some of the finish projects that are regularly made on this "hack" saw.

You can get a top preforming saw at good prices but you have to know what you are looking for. If you ahve the chance to even use a saw for a small project do it. you can gain a lot of first hand knowledge real quick that way. take the time to fiddle and adjust things. try to set the blade square to the table, raise it and lower it. bring a pice of scap wood with you and rip itin half. then cut 45 degree miters on one end of each piece and see how well they fit together. Do that on even three or four different saws and you will get a real understand of what works and what doesn't and why. I have the privelege of using a Delta Unisaw from time to time. It's nice but I don't use a table saw enough to go buy one. I want to do a lot of projects that need a saw of that quality though. so it is on my someday list.
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Originally posted by tas2181

Look for a Freud Diablo D0740X. It is a 7 1/4" x 40 tooth blade with 0.059" kerf.
Sold at many places and In Stock at Amazon for $14.99.
1/16"=0.0625"
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Thanks, and I may actually grab a pair of these, but they are ATB blades and don't cut a flat bottom so I'll keep looking.;)

Actually, thinking back to Ron's first post I may just send one out for sharpening.;)
 
Originally posted by alamocdc

Originally posted by tas2181

Look for a Freud Diablo D0740X. It is a 7 1/4" x 40 tooth blade with 0.059" kerf.
Sold at many places and In Stock at Amazon for $14.99.
1/16"=0.0625"
Click to expand...

Thanks, and I may actually grab a pair of these, but they are ATB blades and don't cut a flat bottom so I'll keep looking.;)

Actually, thinking back to Ron's first post I may just send one out for sharpening.;)
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I was at Home Depot Saturday to pick up a 10" Diablo (d1080x)and they had them in stock, at the one near, me for $14.99.
I picked up a D0760R which has 60 teeth instead of 40 for $19.99.
As far as the ATB the kerf has a barely visible rise in the middle, appears to be maybe 2 thousandths or so. (Can't be too much in 1/16 of an inch)
If you want a completely flat bottom kerf, somebody should be able to resharpen ;) it to a flat kerf quite easily.
 
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