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| Adam |  Starter sawAugust 11th, 2005 01:52 PM August 10, 2005 Starter Saw Sounds like you're going to be jumping right in at a furniture making level (many consider higher than cabinet making). A cast-iron model table saw is going to suit your needs better than an aluminum/plastic one. Don't get me wrong, some of the non-cast-iron units perform very well, more at a carpentry level (ie. Jobsite saws, bench-top saws). I'll be using one of the "paper-weights" to replace the soffit panels all around a house, without having to make trips back and forth to my workshop. There are two main types of cast-iron saws. One is just barely light enough to be called "portable" (two-person carrying). It's called a carpenter's saw. The one with the motor hanging in back. The other is a small mountain of cast-iron, not designed to be portable at all, called a cabinet maker's saw. These babies START at 3 hp and require 240 volt wiring from the get go. You're needs will probably be very well served by a standard cast-iron carpenter's saw. The "paper-weights" referred to in an earlier posts are a recent third category, called hybrid saws. They have elements of both the carpenter's and cabinet saws. They have cabinets surrounding their bottoms, making dust collection more easy and often forming a more rigid base than some of the carpenter's saw stands came with. The Sears ones (I used to sell) have 1-3/4 hp capacitor start induction motors. Of the three offered, the top-of-the-line model offers a full cabinet (all the way down to the floor), cast-iron wings, a Biesemeyer rip fence (very high quality 3rd party device, often sold as a retro-fit to other table saws) and a variable pitched Leitz blade (less chatter and greatly reduced "screaming" while cutting fun woods like Redwood). Combined with a full 4 inch diameter dust collecting capability makes this new type of table saw a strong contender for serious woodworkers, that haven't found that old table saw (or don't have the time to look). Now the old saws are excellent, assuming you get one in good condition. Or, are willing to put the time and energy into rebuilding a well-used specimen. My "fantasy" the Sears top-of-the-line hybrid (just shy of a grand) will do quite nicely. Of course, that desire can be changed in an instant if I do find a high-quality good condition old table saw. I think an old... Delta Uni-saw, 5 hp, with the extended table and a "floating" blade guard 3rd party assembly. You can save a ton of money on that blanket chest project if you learn how to cut some simple (very large 1 inch pins) dovetail joints, that will actually look better to project scale and are more traditional than those tiny little ½ inch machine-cut dovetails. You're embarking on a wonderful voyage. Welcome aboard! Oh! Check-out the Craftsman Professional router that interchanges between a standard base (two WOOD handles) and a plunge cut base, has variable-speed, soft start and is mostly metal. You know, a throw-back. It is Assembled in the US of A. |
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