At this point in my life, I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever buy a cheap table saw.
Table saws are where fingers come off, where work pieces get chucked at you, and where blades sometimes explode. It's probably the second-most dangerous tool in any shop.
A good circular saw and guide can do much the same thing as a cheap table saw, safely. Nice table saws can do some precision work a circular saw can't match (such as various kinds of notches), but not a $40 HF mini table saw. But 90% of what a table saw does, a circular saw properly used will do just as well, only with a bit more work setting up guides.
Other tools can handle those rare precision notches a circular saw won't do.
Things to be aware of:
- You can adjust height and angle on a circular saw. It's more finicky than a table saw, and you might need a protractor, but once you set it, it's good.
- You want a long guide you can clip to the piece.
- You want something like a Kreg which attaches to the table saw and guides it for e.g. cross-cuts of the same length.
If you do want a cheap saw on a table, I'd consider any other kind (e.g. a scroll saw).
Table saws are where fingers come off, where work pieces get chucked at you, and where blades sometimes explode. It's probably the second-most dangerous tool in any shop.
A good circular saw and guide can do much the same thing as a cheap table saw, safely. Nice table saws can do some precision work a circular saw can't match (such as various kinds of notches), but not a $40 HF mini table saw. But 90% of what a table saw does, a circular saw properly used will do just as well, only with a bit more work setting up guides.
Other tools can handle those rare precision notches a circular saw won't do.
Things to be aware of:
- You can adjust height and angle on a circular saw. It's more finicky than a table saw, and you might need a protractor, but once you set it, it's good.
- You want a long guide you can clip to the piece.
- You want something like a Kreg which attaches to the table saw and guides it for e.g. cross-cuts of the same length.
If you do want a cheap saw on a table, I'd consider any other kind (e.g. a scroll saw).