oldnewbie said:
I have a radial arm saw, band saw, scroll saw, and 2 routers. What can I do with a table saw that I can't do now? Everything I see talks about using a table saw. Am I missing something?
Hey, I asked the same thing a few years ago. I bought my Craftsman RAS in June of 1976, and I just rebuilt it, although it was mostly a tabletop replacement, and a tuneup. It served me fine for many years as an all-around saw. But, you have to admit, it gets tiring to switch it back and forth from ripping to crosscutting.
I got a Ryobi BT3100 TS 2 years ago, and until recently, I really only used it to rip. The RAS was reserved just for crosscuts (and crosscutting dadoes on long lumber, which would be difficult on a TS due to balance/support). I also bought a decent miter saw, and it is mostly used just for miter cuts. Having 3 saws is great!
On my latest project, I used the sliding miter table on the Ryobi, which is what has caused this saw to have such a cult following. Amazing! It has an accessory clamp to lock the piece to the sliding table, and that made it really simple to do some complex cuts.
For me, if I had to have only one saw, it wuld still be the RAS, I believe, only because I have so many years of experience on it. But I am really getting to like the TS for its strengths, and I could see that if I had started with it, I would claim it as the one saw to have.
I'd like to have a Powermatic TS some day, but I can see myself still using the little Ryobi model. I'll need a bigger shop by then, though!
Lee