table saw

[alleng]

i was just wondering if any of you guys are familair with the hitathai table saw that lowes sells,the one in question is the larger one,not the small portable jobsite one.i have a dewalt jobsite saw,but i am wanting a good saw for my shop.im thinking about a saw in this catagory,size etc.i think it is considered a hybred.any input on this,or other recomendations would be appreciated.i like to do my homework before buying something like this,dont want to be stuck with something that is not up to par 6 mos from now.but the price seems good.the saw that ncpete displays looks good.where would i look to get a jet,id like to check them out as well as prices.thanks

 

[dancam]

If it's the same saw I'm thinking of, FWW just did a mini-review on it in the latest issue. It has some neat features but even with these new features it seems a little pricey at $1000.00. You might want to look into a Griz, either their 3hp version of the Unisaw or their hybrid...just my.02.

 

[NCPete]

naw, Dan, the Hitachi sold at Lowe's isn't near $1K, closer to $500, IIRC.

Allen, I scored my Jet at a Lowe's here in Fayetteville just before an inventory, and it (and the four others in the store) had been declared Non-Stock for quite some time. The Tool World Manager had been instructed to get rid of them..... for $124.96. That was December 2005. Careful shoppers may still find them in some Lowe's, waaaaaay up on the top rack. I got a great deal, and most Lowe's won't work so hard to clear them out.

I think you will find the Hitachi to be very satisfactory, in fact, my B-I-L was a test/QC engineer for DeWalt, and he once told me that they built there tools using Hitachi/Koki as a benchmark for quality, over all other manufacturers.

 

[dtomasch]

IMO,
You'd be better off getting the rigid for the price. I have luke warm feelings for hitachi (some people love them, I don't) Rigid tools come with a lifetime waranty and have a better fence set up, IMO

 

[Gofor]

I have not seen the Hitachi, and I own a Ridgid TS3650. I am very happy with the ridgid. Cast Iron table and extensions, accurate solid fence, comes with a mobile base, is quiet, and uses a serpentine type grooved belt which greatly reduces vibration. The splitter/blade guard is easily removed and reinstalled, which means there is more chance you will use it. You have 13" of cast iron table in front of the blade with the blade fully raised (3 3/8" deep cut) and about 14 1/4" with the blade set for 3/4 lumber for those cross dado cuts and squaring up panels. Fence clearance is 36+" to the right and 12" to the left. It comes wired for 120 but can be rewired to 220.
That means you don't have to look at more $$ to add a mobile base, serpentine belt, shark guard splitter, good extensions, and beismeyer fence to get into making furniture. The stock miter guage is marginal and the thin kerf blade is okay, but you will probably want to upgrade it. It comes wired for 120 but can be rewired to 220.
That said, with any table saw, look at the quality of the fence, inside cabinet construction, amount of table in front of the blade, and balance the price against what you would need to replace or add to make what you want and what you can afford. If noise is a factor, you definitely want a belt drive, as direct drive transmit motor vibrations to the blade which amplifies them. When you get it narrowed down, you may want to Google search for forums on that brand and get user comments.

Just some thoughts

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