Re: please help on table saw purchase

Google is you best friend bro. It tells you more than what we could plus with pics and videos to boot! 😀

You could start by clicking HERE.

Re: please help on table saw purchase

If you don't mind me asking what is a riving knife, what does it do? Is the TS that Armand bought got one? Sorry newbie lang po.

My TS has a splitter, anti-kickback pawls, and a blade guard. Pareho lang ang function ng splitter and a riving knife. Kung newbie ka lang din na tulad ko, malayo pa ang dahilan para hanapin mo ang advance feature ng riving knife. Main function is pag hiwalayin ang stock na tinatabas mo after passing the blade at wag magsara uli. 😉

Re: please help on table saw purchase

It is a fact that the splitter and riving knife are both safety mechanisms to avoid kickback. The main difference however is their performance due to their location with respect to the blade.

Splitters are mounted on the table saw body and stays inches away from the blade and there are some instances (like in thin plys) that the kerf may possibly close even before splitter which would cause the dangerous kickback as testified by some members in foreign woodworking fora.

The riving knife on the other hand is mounted on the blade leveling mechanism and stays true and centimeters before the blade. This greatly reduces the wood to pinch the blade as the wood is separated by the knife almost right after if had been but by the blade thus reduces kickback better.

I humbly believe that whether you're a beginner of a professional, it is your right and it is always logical to follow the safest path that you could. The riving knife does not offer any fancy feature, it mainly offers safety.

You can click HERE and HERE to have a start on good readings about this topic.

PS: I am not implying that non-riving knife table saws are bad. My main point here is buy the safest that you can afford. Table saws, no matter how expensive can be bought but body parts can not. With all those sharp metal objects spinning at tremendous speed, there is very little room for error.

Re: please help on table saw purchase

Nice Jarod for the explanation here on the difference between riving knife and splitter. Riving knife are mostly present on robust and expensive table saws while most benchtop and budget table saws have only splitters installed. Good thing that my splitter tilts with the blade for bevel cutting. 😉

Cheers!!!

Re: please help on table saw purchase

That's good to hear Armand, you're table saw is becoming too tempting ;p

I believe yours and the this Rockwell edition came from the same factory.

Re: please help on table saw purchase

well said Jarod, when Jay and I were about to buy our first ts, we went into deep search which ts to get and why? Jay and I first wanted to buy the granite top Ridgid ts from the US. then we read on and searched some more. We both ended up with a Bosch 4100, I got the one with the gravity rise stands. were we pro's during that time? NO... we are not even Pro's now. We just wanted to be safe. read everything you can find on what a ts can do and what damages it can inflict also. I wanted a Sawstop ts, I just can't afford it. And the Bosch 4100 was the best option we found that fits our budget and criteria for safety.
Funny thing is, when we got our ts's, the Ridgid ts's were on recall due to a breaking arbor spindle and cracking granite... often we try to save by spending more and spend more by trying to save a bit. Do your homework I always say and buy the best you can afford...

whatever you buy, always remember that your safety starts from YOU. keep safe always

Re: please help on table saw purchase

What he says is TRUE. The Bosch 4100 safety features are second to none in it's class. IMHO price paid was money well spent.

Besides the build and performance are top notch and the saw cuts true.

I just want a new Freud blade for it now and am getting this. The stock blade is good but I have now dulled it up when we built our bedroom cabinets as well as other projects.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008WQ2Z/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

For those wanting to buy the other TS mentioned here it would be good to note that a good blade can make a lot of difference in improving performance.

Re: please help on table saw purchase

N.Riving knife are mostly present on robust and expensive table saws while most benchtop and budget table saws have only splitters installed. Good thing that my splitter tilts with the blade for bevel cutting. 😉

Cheers!!!

Darn, I need a table saw but I do not have the money to buy the best there is. Sure, nobody can argue that Sawstop is the best available out there. Why? No need to worry about severed or cut fingers. But then again, who needs intact fingers if you have to lose the limb (and a leg) where those fingers are attached to, when you purchase that Sawstop.

Armand's Taiwan TS is within what I can afford. But, I need to be convinced that it has that foremost safety feature --- the riving knife (RK). A TS with an RK increases your chances of avoiding that dreaded kickback.

Armand, you keep alluding to a splitter (not an RK) on your TS. However, you also mentioned that "my splitter tilts with the blade for bevel cutting". If your splitter tilts, wouldn't that make it an RK after all?

Re: please help on table saw purchase

Armand, you keep alluding to a splitter (not an RK) on your TS. However, you also mentioned that "my splitter tilts with the blade for bevel cutting". If your splitter tilts, wouldn't that make it an RK after all?

check the Thread "all about Tablesaws". Yes when a splitter is mounted on the trunion where the blade is located and moves with the blade is considered a riving knife, but is it the riving knife you really want and expect? a riving knife also has to have the ability to lower for non through cuts. I believe that is what makes it a true RK. otherwise the Jet TS has a splitter which the manufacturer calls a riving knife...

Re: please help on table saw purchase

Checked out Armand's TS last night. He was gracious enough to let a complete stranger like myself (with my wife) into his happy home. Unlike many of us who have sequestered the garage or basement for our shops, Armand's is in his 2nd floor balcony!

Conclusion first: Armand's TS is an excellent entry-level saw.

It was not as quiet as I anticipated it to be (since it's supposed to have an induction motor). Armand had to replace the slot runners with his own hardwood (since the original ones were too loose). The slots were not true T-tracks (unlike my Ryobi TS). It has a splitter, not a riving knife (though it somehow tilts with the blade on bevel-cutting). And it has a plastic body.

Those were all the minus parts I saw. But what makes this TS an excellent one is that it cuts true. It just plain works. It is solid once you bolt down the body, which is surprising because the body is plastic. I also like the way the fence clamps down securely.

Comparing to the Ryobi ETS1526AL? I would stick with my Ryobi if it worked properly. Problem with the Ryobi is that getting a good one is really iffy, based on my experience and from what I read in these threads. Mine has a misaligned blade, which, if I am not able to correct, makes it useless for accurate cutting work. My Ryobi also starts groaning and trips often when doing anything thicker 3 inches. Ok, ok, that may be pushing it. WIll turn it inside out this weekend to see if I can make it work.

Again, thanks to Armand. The only downside to the visit is that my wife kept saying on the way back home that Armand's shop is so neat; I will have to do so vacuuming this weekend.

Re: please help on table saw purchase

that isn't a downside bro, cleaning shop must be something we instill in our hobby, it keeps us safe too....
maybe you shouldn't let your wife see this post muna... 😀

Re: please help on table saw purchase

Someone from the local boatbuilding forum sent me this.

http://www.reconditionedtools.com/factory-reconditioned-skil-3310-01-rt-10-in-15-amp-table-saw/sklr3310-01-rt,default,pd.html?start=2&cgid=table-saws

Comparing photos of this saw with the Bosch 4100:

Looks very similar. And yet, another model in Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Skil-3410-02-120-Volt-10-Inch-Folding/dp/B003HIWQZ4/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1297553971&sr=1-6

Only $240 with stand!

A quick look at the Skiltools website shows (at teh bottom in small letters): © Copyright 2011, Robert Bosch Tool Corporation

Is Skil the low-end Bosch (like Maktec to Makita). Does anyone here have experience with Skill TS?

Re: please help on table saw purchase

yup, skil is the lighter duty tool of bosch, having said that, if i were you i would get the bosch 4100 its only 399 in amazon plus 180 balikbayan box = 580 $ landed cost

with the skil, the reviews arent as glowin as the 4100

Re: please help on table saw purchase

if your goal is to produce an "almost" perfect true cuts , invest on high quality ts like the 4100.

but if you are into cutting mostly rough cuts, an entry level or our locally available ts will be

sufficient.

i regret buying my ts, because it produce out of the square cuts, out of my goal, if only i don't

have a ts , i'll go for the 4100 A S A P !!!

Re: please help on table saw purchase

Aaaargh! My Ryobi TS just died!

Spent half the morning tinkering with the screws/bolts inside attempting to align the blade. Managed to loosen some bolts, mallet here and there, retighten. Blade was still not completely aligned but a lot better than before. Also adjusted the fence.

Plugged it in, no power. Pulled out the trusty multitester. Everything seems to have continuity (or not if switch is open) but, somehow, no power. Figured this is beyond my competence already so set it aside and did ripping using my Maktec circular saw (with fence/guide). Surprisingly, I ripped through some 24foot timber easily. It's just punishment on the knees so I plan to use some kneepads later.

If I had done ripping like this from the start, would've finished ripping already instead of losing so much time fooling around with my TS's innards.

Now, I really am decided to get a good TS. I can continue ripping using the portable circular saw for now. But, after about a month, will need a TS. That should be just about time for an order from Amazon to arrive.

So gentlemen, a Bosch 4100 should it be?