Alternate Reality - Tablesaw ga ga

[Lignum]

But seriously, what is it about the way you work that renders it useless? I suppose everything you build now uses floating tenons. What about ripping. Do you really rip everything on the bandsaw? How do you find that?

In the months since the Frontline Band Saw jig, the TS 75 and guide rails (and hopefully not to far away the EZ Bridge) have entered my life, the Jet has not by choice been neglected, but it seems everything i do i automaticly go straight to the others for just about everything i need. Their so quick and simple with perfect results. Ripping, if its under 1.5 i use BandSaw/Frontline jig, over that i use TS75 and guide.

That combination is similar in price to a good table saw (but you still need a decent Band saw) so its six of one, half doz of the other.

A good well tuned table saw is almost essential in a workshop but lately im realy enjoying a different way of doing things, not to mention for the first time for me the ability in a small shop to be able to rip and cross cut very large table tops perfectly square in minutes. Even if i had a whopper panell saw a 3600 x 1100 x 38 top would have been totaly out of the question by my self and a struggle with someones help. But i got by for years and years with just a table saw so its impossible to knock them as they are fantastic

[Lignum]

I can cut full size sheet goods to any spec faster than you can on you tablesaw all this with an EZ Smartguide

Totaly agree. I could cut full size sheet goods to any spec faster than someone on a 30 thousand rip snorter panell saw with the TS 75 and guide rails, and with zero tearout on both sides

[edit- but their dose come a point as they get smaller the panell saw gets faster. And their is no clamping of the TS guide rails as they have a non slip base]

[silentC]

I thought it was every woodworkers dream to have a table saw, even the darksiders.

Hence the thread...

I shouldn't be so derogatory towards the EZ guide et al. I actually use a poor man version of it often. It's a bit hard to crosscut an 8x4 sheet on the tablesaw, although I have done it. It depends on the sizes you're talking about.

I simply deny the claim that clamping any kind of guide rail to the sheet and then pushing a circular saw along it is faster than the same operation on a tablesaw. And if you have to do multiple cuts, there's just no way it is quicker. By the time you have detached your guide from the sheet and reattached it to the next one, I'm already onto the thrid sheet.

I'm sure they are fantastic and for people with limited space can even stand in for a decent tablesaw. In the perfect world, I would have both because sometimes taking the saw to the job is the best way.

[NewLou]

Silent

I'm willing to do a Video of me Cutting 3 Full length boards 3200 * 2400 Faster than you can ..................so all can seein real life video

you interested .............your table saw vs my smartguide???

[silentC]

Totaly agree. I could cut full size sheet goods to any spec faster than someone on a 30 thousand rip snorter panell saw with the TS 75 and guide rails, and with zero tearout on both sides

OK, maybe I'm labouring under a misapprehension. How long does it take you to mark the dimension, fix the guide rails to a 2400 sheet, make the cut and then remove it?

Are you really telling me it is quicker to do that than it is to set the fence on a saw and run the sheet through it?

[silentC]

Silent

I'm willing to do a Video of me Cutting 3 Full length boards 3200 * 2400 Faster than you can ..................so all can seein real life video

you interested .............your table saw vs my smartguide???

I don't have a video camera, but don't let that stop you, I'd be interested to see it.

[NewLou]

Your the one with all the answers

I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is ....................... are you?

come on it would be fun......................looser has to mail order a cartoon of grog to the winner

Am I sensing your not willing to put your money where that mouth of your is?

[silentC]

Don't have a video camera.

Anyway, I've cottoned on to your little trick. You can cut 3 sheets at a time, am I right?

[NewLou]

I'm sure someone will lend you one Silent

Interested?

[silentC]

Plus you still haven't told me how you would use it to rip a narrow board, say 90mm, into 20mm strips? I spent a bit of time doing that on the weekend.

Don't be a smart asre, I'm willing to learn...

[NewLou]

I'll just post you a Pic I did for lefty

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=13045

N by the way I have used a Table saw most recently on some sheet goods for an office fit out I'm doing at the moment..............

REgards Lou

[Lignum]

OK, maybe I'm labouring under a misapprehension. How long does it take you to mark the dimension, fix the guide rails to a 2400 sheet, make the cut and then remove it?

Are you really telling me it is quicker to do that than it is to set the fence on a saw and run the sheet through it?

It comes down to Cabinet saw V Panel saw. I would assume the vast majority of woodworkers would have a Cabinet saw like i do, and the minority would have a panel saw capable of a full sheet.

Wrestling a 2.4 x 1.2 sheet onto your saw to rip isnt easy Plus you need to rip a straight edge first. That means you need 1.2 rip capacity to start with. I just plonk a full sheet straight onto my workbench and sit the non slip guide straight on and cut. 1 or 2 minutes and its all over. The time it takes to pencil your marks and sit the guide on and cut would be in my oppinion the same or slightly quicker than repositioning your fence from the straight edge cut then manovering the full sheet into possition then cutting.

Also the EZ Guide has a small add on that has a U shaped thickness guide for strips that the saw blade goes in between for ultra fast identical ripping of strips

[NewLou]

Also with large sheet goods no markout required just use a story stick n off you go .................super fast super easy for a 1 man shop setup

Is a great system

REgards lou

[silentC]

Hmm, non slip huh? How does that work? Is it just rubber feet or similar? Is there no way it can move in the middle of the cut?

I think we are getting into very specific tasks here and yes, I can see that a guide system might excel in some of them. Like I said, I use one myself sometimes.

I can safely say I've never ripped a straight edge first on a sheet of ply. If the machine cut edge was dodgy, I'd rip to slightly over size first and then flip and rip again, rather than trying to rip at 1200 (can't do that on my saw anyway). Haven't come across one that wasn't straight, yet anyway.

For wavy edge boards, I either ping a line and cut it off on the bandsaw, then joint, or just joint, then rip on the tablesaw. If it's wide enough, you can use a guide. I used to cut stair stringers that way.

The point of all this is not whether EZ thingy or the Festo one are any good, I just find it strange that people are actually questioning the usefulness of a tablesaw.

I still think overall I'd rather be with the tablesaw than without.

[Wongo]

Take my tablesaw away now and I will give up woodwork all together. I have a good bandsaw, a number of routers and a lot of jigs too. But please don’t take my tablesaw away.