Table Saw Rec?

[bsevans]

There is a reason why they call them cabinet saws and contractor saws. Comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges when you are building cabinets or furniture. You will never get the accuracy and repeatability with a contractor saw that you get with a cabinet saw. I base this on owning a cabinet business for seven years. I found that I had far more setup with a contractor grade saw to maintain any semblance of the level of accuracy required for high end cabinets and furniture. You will find that the fence used on a cabinet saw makes all the difference along with the frame work that holds the position of the blade and the multi-belt drive mechanism that affords a much smoother operation with far less vibration. Just my opinion.

 

[Radd Cruisers]

Unisaws rock, especially anything prior to 2005 when they went off shore and the table castings and parts are not nearly as nice as the us made stuff.

I love my saw, it will rip 3 inch maple lengthwise.


With the right jigs you can almost eliminate the jointer in many cases.

 

[Creeker]

I second (or third or fourth?) the used Delta Unisaw option. That's what I have, 3 phase with a converter. I spent a little more than your $500 budget, but you could do better.

Use the gift certificate for a couple of kick-a** blades or a dado blade set.

 

[VTFJ40]

Have a Delta 10" contractor saw with the uni-fence for close to 15 years and it's worked like a charm. Always say I'm gonna update to the cabinet one day, but never needed to.

The 1.5 hp can bog down during resawing, but that's what a bandsaw is for.

 

[White Shark]

Go with the Bosch-I am a profesional carpenter,it is the best portable that is around

x3.14

Just another Contractor's opinion...

 

[79fj40moneypit]

I use the cheap ryobi paid $225.00 for it, I use it all the time I work as a finish carpenter in new homes, It's a great saw I build all kinds of mantels, cabinets, It's light portable has it's own fold up frame with wheels. Now It is not a cabinet saw but for a portable it is better than a makita I had one for years.

 

[rjcruiser]

I bought a $110 tradesman at Lowes. Works well and bought it for making a crib for my daughter. They were going to charge $3 for each of the spindles, so I just decided it would be cheaper to buy the saw and rip them. Over the two years I've had it, the fence on it has gotten a little off of square and I have to adjust it a little before I clamp it down, but it has done it's job. A good blade makes a big difference.

Based on your budget though, I'd scour craigslist and ebay and local garage sales. Just recently, I saw a really nice Jet Table saw go for around $150 on ebay. The only problem was that it was local pick-up only.

 

[creature]

I would go with the Bosch or a Makita and drop it in a Rousseau Stand...love mine, and it all breaks down nicely to fit in the back of the truck.

 

[D'Animal]

I would go with this table saw.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=138255

 

[reffug]

I would go with this table saw.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=138255

Uhm I wonder why...................