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Used Table Saw Purchase

12K views 49 replies 23 participants last post by  pbesong 
#1 ·
Hello all. My apologies if I am posting this in the wrong section. I am looking at purchasing a used table saw. I am hoping to get your input. I am starting off and have a very limited budget. I realize that there are many factors that go into the purchase of a used item (sight unseen) but I thought that I would run it by you folks anyway.

I cam across 2 table saws that are selling for 100.00 - 125.00

1 - Ryobi Portable Table Saw Model No: RTS21G

2 - Craftsman (Still waiting for the seller to get back to me with the model number)

I am a novice and was wondering what are some of the things that I should be looking for.

Or, is it just a roll of the dice and hope that the item holds up. Even if it is until I can afford a quality machine. I have a small project that I hope to get off the ground soon (Acoustic panels that I mentioned in an unrelated post)

Thank you so much

Peter
 

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#37 ·
IMHO do not buy a piece of S**t. Table saws come in 4 classes:

1. Benchtop Saws. These are usually direct drive and made of aluminum and/or plastic. OK if you are going to use once or twice a year.

2. Contractor Saws. These usually have a motor hanging off the back of the saw and are belt driven. These are work horses and can be made to work very well. Very few of them are great out of the box. Usually the fence needs to be replaced with a T-Square type, the miter gauge needs to be replaced and the saw needs to have a thin kerf blade because of the horse power limitations of the drive motor.

3. Cabinet Saws. The Powermatic 66, Delta Uni-Saw and Grizzly are in this category. They are usually at least 3 HP or more and are the best in breed.

4. Hybrid. This is a cross between the contractor and cabinet saw. These can be good saws but why buy a compromise when you should just get a contractor or a cabinet saw. The inbetweeners like the hybrid are always a compromise between quality and price.

All considered you need to figure out what the saw will be used for. If you are going to make a few cuts then go to Harbor Freight and get a Chicago Electric. If you think you will take up woodworking as a hobby then get a contractor class saw. If you think you are serious about woodworking as a hobby or as a side business then get the Cabinet Saw.

What ever saw you get, get the best saw in its class. You will be sorry if you buy by price alone. Check out reviews and get the best tool that you can afford. If you budget is $100-150 then you will get a POS. If you can go a little bit more you will find something good on craigslist or searching the internet. There are some industrial used tool dealers that you can get good prices on for better quality saws.

Quit worrying about price and worry more about quality. You always get what you pay for. If you get a bad tool you will always be sorry you bought it. Buy a quality tool and you will never be sorry in the long run if you want to sell it you can usually get back just about what you bought it for on the used market.

I used a Sears Craftsman 80s vintage contractor saw for years. I now have a Powermatic 66. The SawStop is probably the safest saw you can get right now.
 
#38 ·
1... you clearly haven't direct experience w/ the Bosch 4100

2... no need for a T fence if you have a better saw and not a impoeted knock off...

3... and the Unisaw.. even the 40's vintage...

4.. no... they're perfect for many hobbyist...

the budget... . not if you know saws and and there are saws to be had for less because an owner is sick of there all over the want of a quality tune up...
SawStop... and the most expensive in operating cost - tangible and intangible costs...
have you taken the time to read the SawStop threads here???
 
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#44 ·
Last I checked CPO still doesn't ship to Canada so if you buy something from them it will have to be shipped to a US address and you go over the line and pick it up.
 
#45 ·
i was lucky enough to get an old Craftsman (not belt driven) for free. i posted a message on our Freecyle.org email list saying I was looking for a table saw (shot in the dark) and i actually ended up with 2. one was a really cheap old Sears saw (forget the name) and the other was this Craftsman. it was really beat and had no stand, but i cleaned it up and put a new Delta fence on it, a safety switch, and it's a pretty decent saw now. only bad thing is the wheel that makes the blade go up and down broke and won't turn it anymore, but I just put a vice grip plier on it to turn it and it works fine. I'd like to replace the wheel at some point if i can. anyway i repainted it, waxed it, and made a stand out of wood. it's been working great. someday i'll buy a new one but this will get me by till then.

If you have freecycle in your area (check freecycle.org) it might be worth a try. Everything on freecycle is free and you can ask for things you need. can also watch Craigslist and if you have a ReStore (for Habitat for Humanity) where ppl donate old building supplies and tools, it would be worth checking too. I got a nice Delta scroll saw there cheap.
 

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#46 ·
I would not go look at crapman saw. You will not be able to get parts, and the build quality is sorely lacking. A job site saw is that, Check the fence it should lock down and parallel to blade. If it does run parallel your cuts will be crooked. Save your money and buy a better grade later.
 
#47 ·
I got an old Delta 8" belt drive with cast iron table 1 HP. that someone threw away. it's built very well, and I never needed more than the 1HP, even on thick oak. and it's very quiet, unlike the direct drive junk with brush motors!.. and btw, the cast iron table is absolutely flat, and the weight helps with some attachments, like a dado, it keeps it steady!..
 
#49 ·
With a bit of searching and luck, you can get a decent used contractor saw for a good price. I have a Delta that I bought for $150, barely used. It isn’t perfect, the fence needed adjustments, the miter gauge is junk, the stock throat plate has a lot of play and the top is aluminum, but for the price it does exactly what I expect it to do. Put in a thin kerf Diablo 40T ATB blade, added UHMW panels to the fence, waxed the table and the T-tracks, now it works like it should. All is left is to make a set of inserts and it’ll be a lot of saw for what I paid for it.


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#50 · (Edited)
I would not go for one of those small saws. I picked up an older Craftsman direct drive 3HP 10" table saw (model 113) for free. Had to grease up the threads for the blade adjustments and it had a broken off blade height adjustment wheel, but I just clamped on a vise grip wrench to turn it. I got it cleaned up and actually bought a Delta fence for it ($200?) and installed it to get rid of the crappy snap on fence that came with it. It's actually a pretty good saw and I've been using it for about 7 years now. I made a stand for it and put a vacuum attachment on it (which I never seem to use). I built a few nice pieces of furniture using it and I just used it yesterday to rip a new straight edge on about 50 pallet boards. still runs strong after all these years. Just saying not to count the older Craftsman saws out. Just don't get the small ones. Get at least 3HP. They were made better back in the 70s. I plan on keeping it till I can afford to get a new Grizzly Hybrid. Photo of my saw is above in the thread.
 
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