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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @VulcanJohn. It's marvellous to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about building a table saw.
I'm going to jump on the safety bandwagon and recommend purchasing a table saw. Table saws scare the hell out of me, even at the best of times. You certainly don't want one mounted on a table not designed for it.
I have the Ozito table saw, and it's not a bad little unit that will, at minimum, allow you to cut straight lines. A significant difference between lower-end models and those above $500 is the ability to lock the rear of the fence. In the cheaper models, only the front locks. I did find on the Ozito that when cutting larger sheets, my cut sometimes wandered off the line slightly, +/- 1mm. This was due to the fence flexing over its length. I made a slight modification to allow a quick-grip clamp to be attached to the end of the fence. The clamp locks the fence at the rear to the table, akin to the more expensive machines. I achieve near-perfect cuts now.
You should find that most table saws' legs can be removed, so if you're only using it once in a while, it might be worth taking them off for ease of storage.
I'll be keen to see what you purchase and hear your thoughts on it.
Mitchell
Hi @VulcanJohn,
I'm sure @MitchellMc will get back to you ASAP with his thoughts, but in the meantime you might like to check out this Best Advice article - What table saw do you recommend? It has input from Mitch as well as other experienced Bunnings Workshop members like @Brad and @r23on.
Looking forward to seeing what solution you go with.
Jason
Good morning @VulcanJohn
"Have you used one of these?
I don't own the Craftright straight edge - but I played with one in the Bunnings store on a display bench. Sorry - but I wasn't impressed with the lock 'tightness' - especially as my hand electric circular saws are weighty corded machines, so I still prefer a strong straight edge with G-clamps when cutting large boards.
"was disappointed that the fences flexed."
How much flexing did you notice? Miserable weather here so I'm just showing the fence only - it weighs around 20 kg and is held onto the front of the table saw with a large steel bar and held in place with bolts with hand grips. So it's a front only locking fence. But if I apply 'enough' force to the tip - I can flex it around 4 to 5 mm. But the thing is, if that amount of force is applied tangentially whilst pushing wood through the saw - then I'm doing something seriously wrong.
"T" groove sleds and accessories all rattled around in the slot on the table"
Loose mitre gauges on inexpensive table saws will always be a problem, possible solution - an inexpensive compound mitre drop-saw?
My eyes are terrible.
Only now did I notice your Vulcan avatar!
I'm hoping you have an aviation story to share! 😁
Cheers
Graeme.
Hi John (@VulcanJohn),
I haven't used the Craftright cutting guide. Given that it's a budget-friendly product, I would expect adequate results. I'd encourage you to give it a shot. If you're not happy with how it performs, I can make contact with the store and streamline the returns process for you.
Regarding the Makita table saw, it might be worth asking one of our helpful Tool Shop team members if they could open a box for you to check it out. I'm sure they'd appreciate wanting to check out those features.
Mitchell
