03-21-2009, 10:52 PM
I would look for a used contractor saw on craigslist before I would settle for an underpowered bench saw. All a bench saw is going to do is make you wish you had a real table saw. you can pretty much forget about a dado blade on one of those saws, it just doesn't have the motor for it. Even a DeWalt or Bosch job site saw would be a major step up, but you lose a little rip capacity.
I had a cast iron Sears contractor saw for several years and did a lot of remodeling work and woodworking with it. I could flop a full sheet of plywood on it and rip it in half without pushing the whole saw over. They are really pretty cheap if you can find one, I sold mine for about $150 and it was still in good shape. A Delta, Jet or Powermatic will probably go for around $400 or so used. Most any of these will have a very good and accurate fence and plenty of power for the average joe.
something similar to this Saw
I have a pair of (yes thats 2!) 3 HP Unisaw's in my woodworking arsenal now, but that is probably overkill for most people.:-)
"ryobi makes good stuff" hahahaha that was a good one!
I had a cast iron Sears contractor saw for several years and did a lot of remodeling work and woodworking with it. I could flop a full sheet of plywood on it and rip it in half without pushing the whole saw over. They are really pretty cheap if you can find one, I sold mine for about $150 and it was still in good shape. A Delta, Jet or Powermatic will probably go for around $400 or so used. Most any of these will have a very good and accurate fence and plenty of power for the average joe.
something similar to this Saw
I have a pair of (yes thats 2!) 3 HP Unisaw's in my woodworking arsenal now, but that is probably overkill for most people.:-)
"ryobi makes good stuff" hahahaha that was a good one!