Replies

1. 
   Ricks503 | Mar 07, 2006 08:10pm | #1

   Might consider the Gizzly, the Ridgid or if you can get the combined discounts and a good price, the craftsman hybrid.

   1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
2. 
   Midnight | Mar 09, 2006 05:34am | #2

   you could well be right in thinking I'm nuts suggesting this... but have you thought about handsaws...?? I'm not talking about the cheap jet-cut disposable mess from big box stores, but a proper resharpenable set of saws...

   granted, it might take some re-thinking about which projects to build, but with the right project selection you'd be surprised just how little you need a table saw at all.. I bought a good pair (crosscut and rip) a while back, putting off using them seriously for ages thinking.."naaaa not enough tool for the cut", until just recently. Setting up the saw to make the cut would have taken ages, so I reached for the rip saw; 4ft cut in 1" oak... hot knife through butter... granted, I was a bit outa breath (nothing new there), and the cut wasn't the straightest I've seen, but it was in the ballpark where I could clean it fairly quickly with a shooting board.. I ended up with a pair of jointed edges far faster than if I'd re-arranged the shop (my shop's tiny) to make the cuts with the table saw..

   A year won't be long in passing, and a 700lb lump of cast iron is an unforgiving brute to have to move to a new location... With practice handsaws will give comparable results with minimal cost and none of the hassle.. In addition, rediscovering an old technique adds another string to your bow...

   just a  thought.... good luck with the decision..

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

3. 
   forestgirl | Mar 10, 2006 10:35am | #3

   I'm a Grizzly fan, but in your situation the Rigid might be your best bet in terms of resale value.  When you're done with it, you can advertise it as "lightly used" probably sell it right here at Knots!

   Or, here's an idea, buy the new Grizzly hybrid saw, use it and do a review, let us know how this newcomer performs over a year or so. ;-)  Shipping weight is only 369lbs. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

4. 
   gb93433 | Mar 11, 2006 10:30am | #4

   I have a Bosch which I use on jobs and am very happy with it. It is not like a cabinet saw but it is the best portable saw I have used.

1. 
   user-93560 | Mar 11, 2006 05:45pm | #5

   Thanks for the info. Maybe I should consider a portable saw. What other ones have you tried and why do you like this one best?

   Big C

1. 
   gb93433 | Mar 11, 2006 06:18pm | #6

   I still own an 8" portable Rockwell which I have owned for years. It is rather weak and under powered. The Bosch is a 10" saw. It has very good power for what it is. The price is now about 500 dollars. The table is rather large considering a portable saw. What really sold me on it was when I was working with a friend on a job who had just bought one. We were ripping 2 and 3 inch thick red oak. I was impressed at its power. Were using a thin kerf blade. It will rip about 25" wide so we could rip plywood. I think it weighs about 60 pounds and comes with a nice stand. The only thing I did not like about it was when it became hard to adjust up and down. We sprayed WD-40 on the rods and that did not work very well. We read the manual and it said to use oil. We did that and then everything worked fine. Years ago I owned a Rockwell contractors saw. That saw was much heavier and did not seem to work any better. The Bosch seems to have more power than the contractors saw had, which had a 1.5 hp motor.Before I bought the Bosch I looked at several others. What I liked about the Bosch the best is the way the rails extended to be able to rip wider panels. It was not so flimsy as others I looked at. I use that Bosch on the job and my General cabinet saw in the shop. Four things I like best about the Bosch are 1)the size of the table 2)the power of the motor 3)the rails which guide the fence 4)the fact that the sawdust output hole of the saw is exactly the same size as the hose on my shop vac 5) the fence works well and locks well in the front and back easily with one lock down handle.

   Edited 3/11/2006 10:21 am by gb93433