Table saws

Hades · 13 Apr 2013 at 00:13

I have a lot of decking and flooring to replace this summer so it occurs to me that a table saw would significantly reduce the time it will take me. I've had a very quick look around and prices vary from £60 right up to £thousands. So I'm looking for any recommendations. I've seen a few available for around £200 and this seems a reasonable amount.

Would £200 get something still worth using? Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks.

Nightglow · 13 Apr 2013 at 07:44

A 10" or 12" mitre saw, depends on width of flooring to cut, & a stand is a much better option for cutting long lengths.
Are you flooring just one room, or a complete house, width of flooring.

With decking timber being Posts 100 x 100mm & Joists/ Beams 100 x 50mm or 150 x 50mm, you would need a 12" mitre saw to do all the decking.
A lot of outlay, for only one one or two jobs, better to hire a professional 12" sliding mitre saw one for a week or two.

A table saw is for ripping lengths of timber, you would find it hard cross cutting a long length of decking or flooring with one, easier to pull a saw across the wood.

EDIT: DeWalt DW713-GB 260mm - £215 crosscut 160mm

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dw713-gb-1600w-250mm-compound-mitre-saw-240v/91683

A lot of the cheaper £200 saws are rubbish, some have free play, making accurate cutting impossible,better to stick with a well known brand.
A decent sliding mitre saw, you can add another £150 to the price, but you get a wider cut at 90 & 45 degrees, plus usually a 3 year warranty & a trade rated machine.

Best sliding mitre saw Bosch GCM 8 SJ £359:99p, will cross cut 270mm.

http://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/bosch-gcm...mm-dia-blade-obsch_gcm8sj?paid=googleproducts

Mark A · 13 Apr 2013 at 16:29

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-ts-200-basic-table-saw-prod886281/

This is supposed to be a good cheap table saw. Has a cast iron table and induction motor. The fence looks to be far more substantial than a lot of the other table saws i have seen in this price range.

I was looking at this but it was too heavy to cart it about so I paid a bit more and went for the Dewalt DW745 table saw at aroung £390. It has a rack and pinion fence that is very accurate and it also nice and light for its size.

If its a cross cut saw you meant then the Bosch GCM 8 SJ recommended above is a great choice. I have one and it's been excellent. It even allows you to raise the lower the blade so that you can make dado cuts and tenons.

I'd imagine the green bosch sliding mitre saws would be fine for your needs and are cheaper.

http://www.toolstop.co.uk/metabo-kgs216m-laser-slide-compound-mitre-saw-240v-p14637 or this Metabo looks ok for the price.

Nightglow · 13 Apr 2013 at 16:52

Mark A said:
If its a cross cut saw you meant then the Bosch GCM 8 SJ recommended above is a great choice. I have one and it's been excellent. It even allows you to raise the lower the blade so that you can make dado cuts and tenons.

http://www.toolstop.co.uk/metabo-kgs216m-laser-slide-compound-mitre-saw-240v-p14637 or this Metabo looks ok for the price.

Did consider recommending the Metabo KGS 216 M, but, as it will only cut 36mm at 45 degrees, I ruled it out, as some decking is 38mm thickness, plus if you want to cut 4x2, you need a mitre saw which can cut 47mm at 45 degrees, which why I recommended the Bosch for it's 60 x 190mm capacity.

The Bosch GCM 8 SJ is superb, does great trench cuts, looking to get one soon, to replaced my very old Makita which died.

There is the Bosch PCM 8 S at around £245 it a very good machine, which alway tend to forget.

But, you should use it with the optional stand Bosch PTA 2400 Mitre Saw Stand, or some other suitable stand, which will allow you to cut long lengths safely.

Details here: http://www.bosch-do-it.com/gb/en/diy/tools/pcm-8-s-3165140366380-199898.jsp

Mark A · 13 Apr 2013 at 17:17

I just had a look though my emails and it seems I paid £225 + vat for my Bosch GCM 8 SJ, from Powertools pro in 2011, but looks like it's been discontinued now and can't seem to find one for anywhere near that price

.

Nightglow · 13 Apr 2013 at 17:28

Mark A said:
I just had a look though my emails and it seems I paid £225 + vat for my Bosch GCM 8 SJ, from Powertools pro in 2011, but looks like it's been discontinued now and can't seem to find one for anywhere near that price .

Bosch GCM 8 SJ was too good for the price, still some available here & there.

Nearest saw to it is the Bosch PCM 8 S at around £245, but it uses it's own stand, I have a Bosch GTA 2600 stand, but PCM 8 isn't listed as compatible, but others stands probably would fit.

But, with a bit of thought, you could mount the mitre saw in a workmate, & use a couple of roller stands to support the work, but a proper mitre saw stand allows you set it up & cut endless pieces at the same length, thus saving time.

EDIT: A bargain, Bosch PCM 8S @ £225 with free p&p here: http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/bosch-p...oogle&utm_medium=ncpc&utm_campaign=comparison

Hades · 13 Apr 2013 at 23:06

Thanks guys, lot of useful information.

PhillyDee · 14 Apr 2013 at 00:32

Table saws are great, in the correct application. I have a Triton Series 2000 workcentre and a triton circular saw mounted underneath as I cut a lot of sheet materials now for the lasers. Brilliantly awesome as it has rip capacity upto 600mm (sliding tables are available upto 2.4m for this workcentre). Can also be used for cutting lengths for the odd job if I cannot be bothered with the hassle of pulling out the mitre saw.

But, as said, what you want is a mitre saw with a cross slide, I have a large Erbauer 254mm double compund sliding mitre saw (bigger is better right??) Its a PITA to lug about, its huge! So get what you think you will need. That said, its an excellent piece of kit, I was cutting some aluminium bar for the lathe on it, and it easily cut through 30mm round bar.

Nightglow · 14 Apr 2013 at 08:36

PhillyDee said:
Erbauer 254mm double compound sliding mitre

Never been a fan of Erbauer tools, seem too many returns in Screwfix over the years.

Mark A · 14 Apr 2013 at 11:53

PhillyDee said:
I was cutting some aluminium bar for the lathe on it, and it easily cut through 30mm round bar.

Yeah they cut through aluminium with ease. I had to make a slot in some alu bar for a cheek piece extension I was doing on a pistol stock. Having the feature of being able to set the depth of cut is a great feature on a sliding saw. I just set it to go a little bit deeper ofr each pass, untill I had the correct depth.