That being said, I don't like tablesaws. I appreciate the importance of a tablesaw, for sheet stock they're necessary, but I prefer crosscutting on a miter saw whenever possible, and don't even consider ripping lumber on anything but a bandsaw. I had a mishap with the cabinet saw when I was out at the Rosewood Studio. I was cutting a piece of particleboard and it got pinched between the fence and blade, firing it into my (ahem) midsection. When I was in high school I watched a kid run his hand through the tablesaw too, losing three fingers.
As I've been buying machinery I look through catalogues, old woodworking forums, etc etc, and drool over 16" jointers, 36" bandsaws, 60" three grit drum sanders, but I don't give a damn about a bigger tablesaw. I'll keep rocking my little 1-3/4 hp Dewalt hybrid, and save my money for a bigger jointer. I like the fact that it stalls when a sheet of plywood gets bound up, rather than throwing the sheet back at me.
6 comments:
Ahhh yes tablesaw debate...I was trained to do pretty much everything on the tablesaw and im pretty comfortable around one. BUT i would never use a table saw that didnt have either a riving knife or a shopmade splitter to keep shit out from the back of the blade.
I guess i've either been lucky or developed good habits around the saw, because i've never had a kickback and i still have all my fingers. But thats why i opted for the sawstop...yeah its damn expensive but hell i'd rather spend the cash for it then to have an accident and wish i had one..
As stunning and beautiful the pieces are, woodworking is still a very dangerous way to make a living or as a hobby.
It's interesting, the couple of schools I've been to were fairly anti-tablesaw. They each had a big general domestic saw, but they were only used for sheet goods and mostly just fine crosscuts. It seemed odd to me to have such an expensive and high-powered machine that wasn't really used to its capacity.
yeah that is a waste. i cannot see myself not use a tablesaw to rip or crosscut, unless im ripping a tiny piece, i head over to the bandsaw. As for crosscuts, i've got a sled that gets very close to square, but im getting into the shooting board lately to get things perfectly square on the crosscuts.
Cody- I hear on the tablesaw front. I have a 5hp 12" tablesaw and I bandsaw 90% of my rips. Although, I do 100% of my crosscuts there. For me the tablesaw is a necessity that I try to avoid, but until they come up with the robo sheet-lazer we're kinda stuck with them arent we? Keep us posted on those cabinets. I wanna see the progress
12" 5hp? Sounds like somebody's overcompensating!
LOL! i watched a 5HP 12" monster throw a chunk of ash up into the ceiling and dent in an air cleaner. scary!
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