Table Saw or Chop saw

[Doodle30]

Hey Gents

Wife has asked me for a few DIY projects this summer. Thus I have I have been approved to buy a table or chop saw.

I'm thinking a table saw but wanted to get the input from the group as I have never owned either. What's more practical for the great number of projects.

Also would love input on blade size, brands etc.

[double gun]

Table saw is more versatile - but for some tasks I couldn't be without a chop saw. Personally I would be looking for an old used table saw with cast iron top, a rigid fence and at least a 10".

[calgarychef]

First to get is a skill saw, if you make the right cutting jigs it'll do almost anything you want and often more accurately than the others. Then get a chop saw but only if you're going to be doing precision mitres etc. if not get a jig jaw. A jig saw was one of the last tools if bought but once I got it I was amazed how useful it is, and again quite accurate if used properly.

[recce43]

Gee hard to choose if building decks or fences chop saw
Compound mitre sl8ding aleast 10 inch blade with stand don't cheap out.. table saw make sure it has a large table good fence . Or buy both and go for forgiveness. .. thats what i did

[Wild&Free]

I'd invest in the table saw, and a skill saw.

If your projects involve things like lots of moulding, baseboards, decking and such then get the chop saw. If you need to rip boards narrower or cut panels or sheets of plywood, table saw is more practical I think. Either way, get a skill saw too.

[Moo Snukkle]

I'm with the Skil saw and sliding Chop saw crowd. Unless of course, you're building cupboards. A table saw would then be a must.

[Winch101]

# 1. New golf clubs

A Bosch sliding miter saw..... 10 " they are about 400 bucks
I have one .....nice

My sawing days are over .....I have a 10" Craftsman portable
Table saw mint ,could be yours for more than reasonable .

If you know what you are doing a good Skill saw is a must .

Blades ....60 tooth for chop
40 for table .
You can buy decent carbides for cheaper than sharpening costs .

[Bigwoodsman]

My suggestion would be a radial arm. You can rip plywood do mitres etc. I have a 10 inch table saw and a 10 inch mitre chop saw. If I could only have one saw I'd get the radial arm. If I ever get another chop mitre saw it will be a sliding 10 inch.

BW

[mich]

Both, and a skill saw, and a radial arm, and a sawzall, and a jig saw, and a chain saw....

[CaberTosser]

Radial arm saws are extremely versatile, but are probably the most dangerous saws out there. You don't see them in school wood shops anymore; I have a 12" Rockwell radial arm saw that used to belong to one. A radial arm saw can really launch a piece of lumber or 'walk' across the piece one is cutting and ruin it (hopefully just the lumber). Other things to be very cautious of are crossing a hand across the blade path, never never do this as losing an entire hand is much worse than losing a finger.

I have a 10" Delta construction table saw that I'm hoping to replace someday with a SawStop cabinet saw. Look these guys up if you want the safest table saw available:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FquL0GG9RGI

Your intended uses will dictate the best saw for you, but if the hobby takes you'll wind up with a few that compliment each other. For a table saw the fence and the mitre guage are very important features, I use an aftermarket Incra mitre guage, the precise way that they positively engage to frequently used angles is really nice.

[riden]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Radial arm saws are extremely versatile, but are probably the most dangerous saws out there. You don't see them in school wood shops anymore; I have a 12" Rockwell radial arm saw that used to belong to one. A radial arm saw can really launch a piece of lumber or 'walk' across the piece one is cutting and ruin it (hopefully just the lumber). Other things to be very cautious of are crossing a hand across the blade path, never never do this as losing an entire hand is much worse than losing a finger.

I have a 10" Delta construction table saw that I'm hoping to replace someday with a SawStop cabinet saw. Look these guys up if you want the safest table saw available:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FquL0GG9RGI

Schools are pretty much 100% SawStop now.

I think you would have a hard time finding a radial arm saw today. WHo even carries one.

[Kim473]

Originally Posted by recce43

Gee hard to choose if building decks or fences chop saw
Compound mitre sl8ding aleast 10 inch blade with stand don't cheap out.. table saw make sure it has a large table good fence . Or buy both and go for forgiveness. .. thats what i did

I agree with this.

Chop saw is good for fences and decks and the small things. I use my table saw 10X more than anything else. A good skill saw is a must. With a few inexpensive jigs that you can make your self, you can rip plywood just as str8 as a table saw. Just not as convenient as far as many cuts of the same size. ( repeatability ) With the table saw 10" is a must with a large table. I added a out feed table to mine as well as retractable wheels for moving around the garage. Mine weighs about 300 lbs or more. Old style cast iron, cabinate makers saw. I also wired mine for 220 volts. Can't even tell if it slows down at all during a hard cut.

Utube is your freind for jigs that you can make.

I made,

A sliding table to cut panels
a better, longer miter with stop
Zero clearance inserts, to limit cut out or chiping of the work pc.
Box joint jig
out feed table
miter table sled that cuts perfect 45 degree's

I also made a horizontal router table on the side of the table saw.
I will be building a vertical router table built into the out feed table some day.

[Doodle30]

Wow it's like you guys where waiting for a "Saw" thread. Lots of replies quickly. My expected cuts will be handled by a 10 sliding chop saw but I wondered about the possibility of needing to rip a few boards in the future.

Right now my projects are patio furniture and a couple of other small projects. At some point I need a shed and we have an unfinished basement that may end-up being a project. Honestly in those projects there wouldn't be many requirements to rip a board.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by riden

Schools are pretty much 100% SawStop now.

I think you would have a hard time finding a radial arm saw today. WHo even carries one.

Last I saw Sears still sold them. They're available in abundance on Kijiji, though some people are out to lunch on how much they're worth: some people ask $50, others ask $650

[CaberTosser]

For infrequent ripping a fellow can always clamp or screw down a second sheet of plywood to the stock they're cutting to use as a guide for their hand held circular saw. Sometimes I'll do this when cross-cutting plywood or cutting some oddball angle

[Redrammer99]

In my experience I am always using my dual bevel 12" radial arm saw. The table saw is just a place to pile stuff anymore. If it's too big for the radial then it doesn't take much to clamp a straight edge and use the cordless circular saw.

[RBI]

Originally Posted by Doodle30

Hey Gents

Wife has asked me for a few DIY projects this summer. Thus I have I have been approved to buy a table or chop saw.

I'm thinking a table saw but wanted to get the input from the group as I have never owned either. What's more practical for the great number of projects.

Also would love input on blade size, brands etc.

As a Home Reno Guy for 25 yrs , something that I have learned , is that there is no such thing as one saw that can do it all....properly .

It would be like playing golf with only one club , you could do it , but I imagine that the term " Triple Boggy " would be very common .

A skill( circular ) would be a saw that could do all the cuts that a chop or table saw could , but to what quality , is the point . And yes , in the hands of a very experienced carpenter , the quality can be pretty good , but still nothing like having the "right tool for the job " .

So it really depends on ... what your projects are , ...what " your " skill level is ,... what your budget is ,... what the level of quality vs money spent , that you and your wife can live with etc.

Some of the other things to consider , are , depending on what tool ( saw/s ) you end up with ,... do you have the proper room to set up and work with ( this is very important with a table saw ) , ...if your project goes on longer that you expected ( course that NEVER happens ) are you going to have to pack everything up everyday and reset the next , or do you have space in a garage for example .

When you are not using these tools , do you have a good place to store them ? A place that is easy to get to them anytime you need them ?

I have a number of miter and sliding miter saws and I like my 12" sliding compound miter the best , but its also the biggest and heaviest of the bunch and there fore is a pain to set up for a small job.

These days , there are a " lot " of entry level ( home owner ) tools on the market , that are actually priced not too bad , and for the budget maybe you can get two or three tools.

you could buy what ever you think that you will need the most , and rent what you don't have when you need it .

so these are some of the things that one should consider .

[abbgdr]

I've been a carpenter/contractor for over 35 yrs., you can build a house with just a skillsaw,, would I want to? Of course not. But it is the most versatile saw out there. You can do a lot of trim work with a $10 miter box and a hand saw,, but you can also pick up a really cheap miter saw that will save you time and energy. Whatever you do don't get caught up into thinking you need contractor grade tools. You can purchase a LOT of building material that will potentially up the value of your home vs having a lot invested in tools that don't get used and never pay for themselves. I've known people who are gear junkies who would have been far better off just hiring a professional to do the job right than have a garage full of tools they really don't have the skill set to use properly. That being said, home improvement is not rocket science and for the most part your money ahead doing as much of it yourself as possible. BUT, do a cost analysis of each project your planning on doing and see if your better off renting the tools needed or even hiring the work out before laying out big money on cool tools that will get used once then collect dust. If you are a hobby guy that likes to spend a lot of time puttering around building things you probably wouldn't have asked the question in the first place. You'd have a skill saw, a miter saw, a table saw, and an air gun or two as well as all the small hand tools needed... It can really help to have family and friends you can tool share with. Best of luck on your projects! There's a real satisfaction in doing it yourself. Just remember, a craftsman can do really nice work with primitive tools, and a hack will make a mess no matter how good his tools.

[densa44]

A chop saw doesn't take up much room and is the best for certain projects. Cutting panels and the like you need a table saw.

I'd get a good used table saw and put it on wheels so it doesn't take up all the shop when not in use. Then I'd get a good 10" chop saw, it does a lot of work so if it is used get a good one.

Those purchases won't cost too much and you can learn how to build handy stuff.

[jungleboy]

If you are going for a chop saw I would recommend one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywg97-VVHcE

I have this saw and it is a pretty versatile , being able to cut wood,steel ,aluminum ,plastic etc.
I bought mine for cutting steel but it has the ability to do a lot of different materials.

[DiabeticKripple]

pretty sure home depot cuts the big stuff for you if you want. wouldnt need a table saw if you werent gonna use it a lot

[Maghunter]

I have both for sale. I have a decent miter saw and table saw to get you started. If you are interested PM me.

[CheeseBurger]

Buy a chop saw and skil saw. If you develop the skills you can do very precise rips with a skil saw, or I'm sure a buddy has a table saw that you could do the required rips on when the time comes for a case of beer.

Originally Posted by abbgdr

but you can also pick up a really cheap miter saw that will save you time and energy.

Completely disagree with this. Do not buy the ultra cheap mitre saws, they don't cut square at all and the time wasted screwing around with them is not worth it. A buddy of mine bought one of those Hausmann mitre saw's, I laughed at him, he just thought I was being a tool snob at the time. After doing some interior trim work, he came back to me and admitted he should have listened to me and bought a better mitre saw. You don't need to go all out but at least buy a well known brand - Makita, Dewalt, etc.

[CaberTosser]

Its better to buy quality used tools than cheaply built new ones.

[coreya3212]

I have a craftsman 10 inch radial arm saw, electronic read out that takes a watch battery that is prolly needed. Flat of coors light takes it home. Ten miles west of Didsbury

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by coreya3212

I have a craftsman 10 inch radial arm saw, electronic read out that takes a watch battery that is prolly needed. Flat of coors light takes it home. Ten miles west of Didsbury

That's a deal I'd take him up on!
What does the readout indicate? Angles? Time of day? How many pints until the next Fortnight?

[coreya3212]

I think it gives you miter angle when you swing it off 90... Maybe bevel angle also??? Not sure.

[sharrozap]

First I bought a circular saw, second was a jig saw, next was a mitre and the last I got was my table saw. All of them served very well for my needs.
Don't buy cheap tools, go for quality and you will not regret.

[CaberTosser]

It used to be that you almost didn't see a fellows shop that didn't have a Craftsman radial arm saw; sure they're heavy and large, but at least they double as a workbench. Usually they'd have the workbench built out to either side of them. When my garage goes up I might well incorporate one.

[ghfalls]

Hit kijiji and get one of each. With the mitre saw, newer is better. 10" is a versatile, reasonably priced saw. For table saws, the older the better with cast iron top.