# Table Saw



## Todd518 (Aug 28, 2011)

Just curious of what everyones opinion is of the best jobsit table saw they think?


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

I'm a Makita guy...

But the Bosch saws are really nice...:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Mike- (Aug 20, 2011)

Bosch 4100 is pretty much tops in most reviews and comparisons. I do like the vertical 3 5/8" of the Makita. Dewalt has the 744 which the rack and pinion fence is awesome for quick adjustments. Watch out if you mis align the Dewalt... It becomes a nightmare to keep square

Bosch GTS1031 portable is everything the 4100 is minus the rip capacity. I own it and for what I do,Love it!

Bosch owns this market IMO.


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## Rustbucket (May 22, 2009)

I have been very happy with my Dewalt 745


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## Five Star (Jan 15, 2009)

griz said:


> I'm a Makita guy...
> 
> But the Bosch saws are really nice...:thumbsup::thumbsup:


I like my Makita for the heavy stuff , the cabinet fillers I have the little dewalt works good and it's light!

Any kind of sheet goods I only use the ts75!!! ( hear comes the festool attack haha)


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## jiffy (Oct 21, 2007)

The Makita 2705 with gravity stand is nice. The Bosch is also a nice saw.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Bosch 4100 for me.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Bosch 4100 is was I own and enjoy using. I haven't used the Makita. The DeWalt 744 is okay, I don't have any problems with it, but I am just not a huge fan of the fence system....

My little Ryobi 10", the smallest one they make, is my goto saw for true portability. Its got to be the smallest, lightest 10" saw out there....that being said, its a bit weak and flimsy, but for 70% of the work its fine.

I also, like Five Star, have a Rail saw(Makita) for cutting sheet goods, straight line ripping material, taper cuts, etc. But I would own a good table saw before owning a rail saw, its uses are too limited and specialized to replace the table saw outright, where the TS can be used for just about everything.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

I have the dewalt 744.. its a good little table saw. If I had the room I woulda went for the bosch 4100. Larger ripping capacity but not as portable. I can throw the 744 behind the seat of my truck with no problems...

Like others said, since buying a festool track saw I don't use my table saw nearly as much. All plywood gets cut with the track saw now..


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## neill (Sep 29, 2011)

bosch!


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## Brian Peters (Feb 2, 2011)

I love my Bosch!


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

TBFGhost said:


> My little Ryobi 10", the smallest one they make, is my goto saw for true portability. Its got to be the smallest, lightest 10" saw out there....that being said, its a bit weak and flimsy, but for 70% of the work its fine.
> .


 I also have a Lobi :blink: wish I had more space for a bigger saw:whistling


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## moorewarner (May 29, 2009)

Bosch 4100 w/ grav rise stand but I am looking to upgrade to the Bosch GTS1031 for greater portability.


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## KellyD&B (May 4, 2009)

Im looking for a new Table saw. Im really interested in the Bosch GTS1031. Looks like it would be perfect for most of what I do.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I turned my Pm66 into my portable TS.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I love my baby Bosch. :thumbsup:


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## Todd518 (Aug 28, 2011)

moorewarner said:


> Bosch 4100 w/ grav rise stand but I am looking to upgrade to the Bosch GTS1031 for greater portability.


Is that an upgrade? I'm just not sure about having only 18" rip capacity! How does a person cut a sheet in half? I like the idea of carrying every where though!


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## Todd518 (Aug 28, 2011)

KellyD&B said:


> Im looking for a new Table saw. Im really interested in the Bosch GTS1031. Looks like it would be perfect for most of what I do.


Do u ever rip a sheet of mdf or any kind of plywood in half? How would you do that with the gts1031?


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## WildWill (Jun 6, 2008)

Bosch 4100 here too. Great saw IMO


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Never have used the Bosch but I own the Ridgid ZRR4510 and I love it. Easy to use, easy to load, easy to move around folded or in the operational position. The fence glides so nice.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

TempestV said:


> I love the fence on the dewalts. I've worked around a lot of them, and never met someone that has had the fence go out of alignment. My dad has had his since they first came out, uses it every day, and has never had a problem.
> 
> The Bosch and Makita are both good saws as well, although not as user friendly IMO.
> 
> ...


What about the DeWalt that makes it more user friendly?


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## Mike- (Aug 20, 2011)

TNTSERVICES said:


> What about the DeWalt that makes it more user friendly?


The rack and pinion when working well does make micro adjustments a little quicker from my experience with the saw. Other than that, not to sure.


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

TNTSERVICES said:


> What about the DeWalt that makes it more user friendly?


The DW's fence is Very Fast to change Very precise&accurate and has dead on repeatability. if you look at the saw in one of the box stores you will see how it works... 

The little Bosch and the 745 are like a 68 Camaro vs Mustang you may like Fords a lil better but but you would be happy with either one sittin in your garage


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

TempestV said:


> I love the fence on the dewalts. I've worked around a lot of them, and never met someone that has had the fence go out of alignment. My dad has had his since they first came out, uses it every day, and has never had a problem.
> 
> The Bosch and Makita are both good saws as well, although not as user friendly IMO.


2 of the 3 DW744 I have used have mis aligned fences... and I don't understand where or how the DW744 is more user friendly, if anything both the Bosch and Makita are much simpler to operate with their standard fences. I also have so say the R and P fence on the DeWalt makes it much more frustrating to take a hair off of something...I have a hard time making adjustments under 1/32 of an inch. With my Bosch, I just tap the fence lightly to get that little bit. Both have stands that set-up and tear down in one step. The Bosch has and arbor lock for changing blades, the DeWalt needs you to use two separate wrenches, one to hold the arbor, the other for the washer. The "door" to clear jammed debris from the dust chute on the bosch is released with a wing nut, the Dewalt uses two small clevis pins that are easy to lose and are more difficult to re attach then a single wing nut. Also 2 of the 3 DW744 saws where incredibly hard to raise the blade after a few days of cutting, the saw dust would bind up in there, never had the problem with the Bosch...

All that being said, the DeWalt is still a decent saw no doubt, but I 100% disagree with you statements. Maybe I am missing something that makes the DeWalt more user friendly?:confused1:


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## csv (Aug 18, 2009)

Lmao. If it was your saw and you were the one to care for it, those wouldn't be issues. I really don't see how they get misaligned, mine rides in a bumpy trailer for 3 years and not one issue. 

Pins instead of wing nuts? That's a only an issue because its a Dewalt lmao


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

TBFGhost said:


> 2 of the 3 DW744 I have used have mis aligned fences... and I don't understand where or how


My buddy lent his 744 to a "friend" :blink: so this friend changed the set screws that align the fence to the rack. That saw was !%@$%&^ until we reset it.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

csv said:


> Lmao. If it was your saw and you were the one to care for it, those wouldn't be issues. I really don't see how they get misaligned, mine rides in a bumpy trailer for 3 years and not one issue.
> 
> Pins instead of wing nuts? That's a only an issue because its a Dewalt lmao


My Bosch saw has been used by far more then just me for over 5 years now. It has even be loaned out to a few guys to use on their own. And yeah, a single wing nut is less of a PITA then two pins. If we are going to say something is more user friendly, then we should back it up....I disagree and backed it up with why. I can't tell you how they get out of wack, but what can I tell you, they do and when it happens it is a PITA to reset.

This thread pretty much goes along the lines of the threads where people ask about the best *** tool. If its name brand and in the same price bracket, it going to be pretty close performance wise. The issues I brought up might be small, but they are there none the less....well I find the fence a major no-no for me...

which reminds me, I hate the little flippy support thing on the DeWalt fence....gets in the way when you want to use fence mounted jigs. :thumbsup:




charimon said:


> My buddy lent his 744 to a "friend" :blink: so this friend changed the set screws that align the fence to the rack. That saw was !%@$%&^ until we reset it.





TBFGhost said:


> ... and I don't understand where or how the DW744 is more user friendly...


 

No mis-quoting....I didn't understand where our how the table saw is more user friendly then other saws out there...


I am not saying its junk, its a decent saw.


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

So what does everyone do for on site shaping?

What I like about my Makita is that I can rip a board and put a shape on the edge fast. At the same work station.


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

TBFGhost said:


> No mis-quoting....I didn't understand where our how the table saw is more user friendly then other saws out there...
> 
> 
> I am not saying its junk, its a decent saw.


sorry about that i had intended to take it all the way back to just the first part but got distracted and didnt catch it when i reread it.
As an aside-- I know you have been talking about the 744 while i have been refering (as to my own experiences) to the smaller 745, I was giving the only reason I have seen of why the fence is off and that jf that is the reason all it would do is tick off every one who uses it


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

katoman said:


> So what does everyone do for on site shaping?
> 
> What I like about my Makita is that I can rip a board and put a shape on the edge fast. At the same work station.


I use a seperate router table...good thread topic...for another thread you thread hyjacker! :laughing:


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## RadRemod (Oct 29, 2009)

I have had the ridgid for 6 yrs or so and been happy. Looking to replace it with the Bosch but not sold the bosch is any better. I've looked at new versions of both and think its a tossup. The carts/stands are great with both!


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## DuFast (Dec 15, 2010)

My dad teaches the building trades class at the high school and the only problem he has had with the bosch is instead of the kids grabbing the correct handle at the bottom they will pull up on the table which is not good for it.


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## TempestV (Feb 3, 2007)

The Dewalt is more user friendly primarily because of the fence. The fence is the part that you deal with the most, so I rank it higher than the blade change or cleanout. 
As I have said before, until I started hanging out on this forum, I didn't know it was possible for the dewalt to get out of alignment. I am still yet to meet someone that has had the problem. I've worked with many many dewalts, and every one of them has been aligned and accurate. The only thing I have ever seen go off is the little marker that tells you what the fence is set at. Even that has been rare, and it's extremely easy to fix. 
I like the fence for a couple different reasons. First of all, as long as the little marker is accurate, in my experience, it's as accurate as using a tape measure to set it. As a result, you can change the measurement accurately without turning off the saw. Even if the marker isn't set right, you can still use it to accurately take off a certain amount without turning off the saw. Contrary to TBF's experience, I have found the R&P fence to make it easier to make fine adjustments. 
That's my experience, your mileage may vary.


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## redwood (Dec 5, 2007)

I have no problems making fine adjustments with the DW R&P fence. It sure beats hitting the fence with a hammer or a fist.

I've had mine for at least 5 years with no problem with the alignment.


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## clancrawford55 (Nov 20, 2011)

katoman said:


> You guys want to get one of these. We just ran about 600 lf. of cassing and baseboard. We put a chamfer on the top of the baseboard and both sides of the cassing. Using the table mounted router.
> 
> IMO this is the best portable saw ever made. And I've seen a bunch.
> 
> ...


I agree!! We have two, one about 25 yr old & green, the other slightly newer, it is blue. The blue one has the factory option outfeed support & right side extension for ripping sheets in half. The green one has a Rousseau stand.
These saws have been worked HARD for years, we have run thousands of feet of 2x dimensional, hardwood & decking through them & they just keep on keeping on. The only real fault is the 8" blade & the weak insert plates that constantly need to be "adjusted" with an Estwing.
We also has a 10" Makita from that era that was the biggest piece of ****e of a table saw they ever made; that was replaced by the new big Bosch, although I wish I had waited for the new Makita.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I think they all suck.


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## Brian Peters (Feb 2, 2011)

TempestV said:


> The Dewalt is more user friendly primarily because of the fence. The fence is the part that you deal with the most, so I rank it higher than the blade change or cleanout.
> As I have said before, until I started hanging out on this forum, I didn't know it was possible for the dewalt to get out of alignment. I am still yet to meet someone that has had the problem. I've worked with many many dewalts, and every one of them has been aligned and accurate. The only thing I have ever seen go off is the little marker that tells you what the fence is set at. Even that has been rare, and it's extremely easy to fix.
> I like the fence for a couple different reasons. First of all, as long as the little marker is accurate, in my experience, it's as accurate as using a tape measure to set it. As a result, you can change the measurement accurately without turning off the saw. Even if the marker isn't set right, you can still use it to accurately take off a certain amount without turning off the saw. Contrary to TBF's experience, I have found the R&P fence to make it easier to make fine adjustments.
> That's my experience, your mileage may vary.


 I have seen the Dewalt fence get out of alignment.... the fence was slightly closer at the back of the blade than at the front...


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Brian Peters said:


> I have seen the Dewalt fence get out of alignment.... the fence was slightly closer at the back of the blade than at the front...


Yup, two of the three I used where that way too...just tweaked a bit at the back which caused it to be a huge PITA to make thin rips, left a ton of blade marks and was always throwing saw dust in the face.


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## Todd518 (Aug 28, 2011)

Well I bought the Bosch 4100 with the gravity rise stand, and pretty much Love it! Thanks everyone for your opinions!


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Great Choice!


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I have had my bosch for 5 years, I think.

It has been a good saw, it takes up a lot of room folded up.

I have not used it in about 8 months though.


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