DIY People: Table saws

[_Jersey Girl]

Here it is. I haven't put the C'mas tree up in the great room yet because I have got myself camped out on a shower curtain painting wood for two days.

So typical.

I have someone who does cuts for me. I want to do them myself. I want a table saw and this is what I want to use it for.

I have a fairly large collection of "country" type fence posts on my property, about 6 inches in diameter that I want to cut through and the cuts need to be straight and level.

I also have a wood pile of weathered wood (2X6x10?) that could easily be cut into pieces and used to make into troughs--decorative pieces you put creative fru fru décor stuff in--faux plants, flowers, candles--that kind of thing.

I also think I want to make decorative wood panels--these are basically rectangular wood frames. Probably the thickest wood would be 2X2.

(I might want to install new flooring this summer, don't tell JB about this.)

So...what are your best recommends for a good table saw that would be used on a kind of hobby or DIY basis? Some of the work I'm talking about would be sold--I have resources from which to sell. I need straight cuts perhaps through nothing thicker than 6x6 pieces of wood. Also, do any of them come with miter boxes that can be used with the saw?

It needs to be height adjustable because I'm not 6' tall. Tell me what you know!

:-)

[_Markk]

Sounds like you need a miter saw as well as a table saw...

What is your budget?

[_Jersey Girl]

Sounds like you need a miter saw as well as a table saw...

I'm not sure I need a miter saw or a box of some sort. I'd use it to replace molding in the house though it's not a huge priority at the moment. I have a hunch I'd use it for some kind of frame making.

What is your budget?

Welp. If you really want to know, I'm free to get whatever the hell I want. I'm pretty frugal about money though, so I'd like to keep the table saw somewhere around 200$ if that will buy me a saw that will do the work that I listed. I don't need top of the line. Just something functional.

I'd buy on sale and with a discount on top of it because that's how I roll.

:-)

[_SteelHead]

For most of what you are describing you want
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW716XPS- ... 7647&psc=1

Not a table saw.

[_Doctor Steuss]

I have a miter saw (I got from Harbor Freight). It's done about all the work I've needed, other than a few really wide cuts (for shelving) that I used my dad's table saw for. A sliding miter saw is much easier (and safer) to make cuts with, in my opinion, that is. With it I've made a blanket chest, several benches, a coat rack, a lot of picture frames, a fence-style stocking holder, and a lot of odds and ends in-between.

This one is what I have.

I don't remember what I got it for, but I think it was about $150 (with a coupon). Their saws generally run about $100 cheaper than others, and I've never had any problems with it (going on 3 years). Two of the things I like most about a sliding miter saw is it's easier to tuck away when not in use (or to move somewhere else for convenience), and it is so much easier to make cuts and adjust than a table saw.

The one thing I don't think a miter saw would be able to handle is your 6-inch posts. Any circular saw is probably going to need two passes to make it all the way through, but the way a miter is designed, I don't know if it would be possible (or how safe it would be).

You could definitely cut things that are wider than 6 inches (I think I can do 8 inches on mine), but with thickness you are probably topped out at 5 inches max.

Another option to consider is a band saw. It will be slightly more difficult to get the same types of cuts that a circular saw will give you, but it will be able to handle thicker stuff (probably up to 8-9") in a single pass.

[_Jersey Girl]

Hmmm...well it's just a good thing that I started this thread then, because it sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about. Let me find out what type of saw the guy has who does cuts for me. He's cut wood and also brick for me. Don't know if that's on the same saw. Probably.

We do have Harbor Freight around here. I didn't even think of that.

Thanks Steel and Steuss.

[_Jersey Girl]

For most of what you are describing you want
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW716XPS- ... 7647&psc=1

Not a table saw.

Is that a chop saw??? Or is a chop saw and compound miter saw two different things?

Or...really, I don't know what I'm talking about here.

[_Morley]

For most of what you are describing you want
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW716XPS- ... 7647&psc=1

Not a table saw.

Is that a chop saw??? Or is a chop saw and compound miter saw two different things?

They are. If your guy is cutting wood and bricks with the same saw, he's probably using a chop saw.

I kind of agree with Steel and Steuss, it sounds like you'd be best served by buying a miter saw.

[_Doctor Steuss]

If you do go the miter saw route, make sure it's a sliding one. I don't think they cost much more, and they add several inches to the width that you can cut.

ETA: If you want to go the absolute cheapest route, and aren’t afraid of the extra work, you could just get a buzz saw, and build yourself various jigs for all the things you are going to make. Not the route I would go, but that's because I'm lazy and don't like building something in order to build something...

[_Jersey Girl]

Is that a chop saw??? Or is a chop saw and compound miter saw two different things?

They are. If your guy is cutting wood and bricks with the same saw, he's probably using a chop saw.

I kind of agree with Steel and Steuss, it sounds like you'd be best served by buying a miter saw.

I could just go over there and ask him to demo it for me after the holidays I suppose. I'm not crazy about that idea though.

I'll get on youtube and watch videos about miter saws--see what I see. Learn what I can.

Thanks!