Table Saw recommendations needed

Appreciate your suggestions !

It's a decent table, bench top saw, for the field, and at home on the bench, the only thing I don't like about it is the anti-kick back, spring loaded, toothed guides on the safety guard, it leaves a mark down the soft pine, so you have to plan that into your cut by putting the back side of the piece up. I used a small piece of wood to chock it up out of the way,for 3/4" material at least. I think Dewalt calls it a splitter, supposed to further separate the 2 pieces you are cutting, well it't too sharp and the spring forces it down on the material you are cutting, does not make sense to me.

The fence seems to stay true, it's made of rectangle shaped aluminum extrusion, seems to lock in place easily, but nothing today compares to older quality, I had been keeping an eye out on the local want ad and other similar ads, if I do find something like a Delta, Craftsman, or similar, I could always check it out, still have the box for the new one, this job paid for it at least could sell it, or keep strictly for the field. None of the lower priced ones look like they would handle any abuse, probably increasing free play in adjustments and or tolerances, have to use care when moving it etc.

I really doubt that I can tell you anything you don't already know, but I'll throw in my point of view. Years ago I had a lightweight, full sized table saw that I could haul to the jobsite. The advantages of having a full sized saw must not have outweighed the difficulty of hauling it around because when it was stolen, I didn't bother to replace it.

For me, the choice of a truly portable saw was between a well built name brand model, and the $100 Chinese (the other China at that time) units that sometimes had a recognizable brand like Skill or B&D, but were always the same low quality, lightweight tool. I thought Makita made one of the best bench top table saws at the time, but a large price increase just as I was about to buy one put me on the cheap saw course instead.

The main problem of cheap saws is the difficulty of adjustments. The fence is totally unreliable, and blade height or blade angle adjustments are uncertain, at best. I dealt with these shortcomings by treating the fence as if it were free floating---which it was---and blade adjustments as if there were no gauges on the saw. In other words, I measured every setting before making a cut, or series of the same cut.

Cost aside, some people insist on their tools being the best they can be, and some people take a perverse pleasure in being able to turn out good work with difficult tools. Apparently, I've always been in the latter category, but looking back on it, I'm inclined to think it might just be a part of the definition of stupid.

Happy New Year, Stan

Actually I'll beg to differ with you, I'd bet there is quite a bit you could tell me that I don't know ! :)

Funny thing my father used to say, when someone was a little full of themselves, and I did have the rare opportunity to witness this once on a job site; "I've forgotten more than you'll ever know about this business !" Not very often, but sooner or later someone will always test you, I used that line once in a heated up meeting, the resounding after effects were interesting, one of the construction manager/general contractor's project manager's henchmen (superintendent) was getting a little pushy on changing our sequence of work from finishing a floor at a time, to finishing an elevation (side of bldg.) at a time, having us move back and forth between floors which was not the way the job was bid and would have cost us significantly, needless to say the meeting got out of control, they asked me to be civil, but I fired both barrels at once regardless, the scene definitely qualified for an academy award, along with plagarizing that line my father used, sometimes I think it does has some truth to it !

I must have A.D.D. or something, having gone a bit astray here !

Bill